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    Default On Trigger Control

    Trigger Control Training Tips From Great Shooters.


    Arguably, the most important aspect of shooting is not actually aiming but trigger control, as this aspect sets the stage for the shot itself. How you operate the trigger has almost as much impact on where your bullet goes than anything else. But why take our word for it? Here are some tips on learning trigger control from professional shooters and other known authorities when it comes to handgun (and other) shooting. Follow these tips, and your trigger control should noticeably improve.

    Rob Leatham On Trigger Control dry firing:

    There aren't too many people who have a better perspective on a good trigger pull than Robbie Leatham. Leatham, for those unaware, is one of the fastest, most accurate professional shooters living, having won scores of shooting matches and championships with 1911s, other semi-autos and recently returned to shooting revolvers. Leatham posted a few tips in a blog post on the Springfield Armory website, which just so happens to be his main sponsor and employer. First, he recommends having a good grip on your firearm, as not having a good grip will deny your arm, hand and finger muscles the ability to work at peak efficacy when pulling the trigger. Therefore, he recommends, make sure you have a gun suited for your hand. Leatham also recommends regular dry fire practice. He does it regularly, and advocates it as a way to focus on grip and how one pulls the trigger. By diligently engaging in dry fire practice, the shooter can focus on perfecting trigger pull. He also advocates starting slow and building up from there. "Think smooth and steady," Leatham writes, as a slow, smooth, perfect trigger pull can be practiced until it becomes a fast, smooth trigger pull. Only highly advanced shooters can jerk their trigger finger quickly and not disturb their grip on the gun; people learning trigger control should "save that for later" as they learn.

    Bill Jordan Recommended Smooth And Steady Pull For Good Trigger Control double action trigger pull:

    Bill Jordan, the legendary Border Patrolman, combat marine, trick shooter and gun writer advocated for a slow, smooth trigger pull with a double action revolver, which translates likewise to a slow, smooth pull on any other variety of pistol. Many of Jordan's contemporaries favored what's called the "two-stage trigger pull" in double action, where you pull the trigger three-fourths of the way, briefly hold, and THEN pull the rest of the way to fire. Jordan acknowledged that it worked for some people in his landmark work "No Second Place Winner," but found that a deliberate, smooth pull in one motion was the best way to pull the trigger. Jordan likewise advocated dry-fire practice to improve trigger control. Granted, the book was written by a man of a different era, shooting different guns well before the semi-auto became the dominant handgun and well before semi-auto ammunition began to seriously improve. However, a man that was able to clear a Smith and Wesson N-frame from its holster, fire from the hip and hit a Lifesaver in less than 0.3 seconds...is definitely a man to heed the advice of.

    Jeff Cooper On Trigger Control:

    The "Compressed Surprised Break" slow trigger squeeze The technique taught by Jeff Cooper, the man who devised the 4 laws of gun safety that we're all so familiar with...or at least should be, since they cover most of what a person needs to know about handgun safety. Going over all the contributions that Cooper made to the realm of handgun shooting would be too compendious to do in one sitting, but what he contributed as far as trigger operations are concerned is what has been termed the "compressed surprised break." The traditional "surprised break" is the "squeeze, don't jerk" technique taught to most beginning shooters. The trigger isn't to be jerked, but rather slowly squeezed until the gun goes off. This prevents the trigger jerk from pulling the gun off-target and also preventing the shooter from flinching prior to the sound, flash and recoil of the gun going off. Flinching can cause the gun to be pulled off target as well. Cooper taught students to imagine the trigger as a glass rod, that would "break" when the apex of the trigger pull was reached, but that breaking the rod requires a quick snap. He balanced this by teaching students not to flinch or jerk the trigger. In other words, he married the slow, smooth trigger pull with speed. This imparts how to "take one's time, fast" as Wyatt Earp put it. The compressed surprise break, therefore, is the "Goldilocks" trigger operation: smooth enough for accurate fire, fast enough to be used when it matters. If you focus on these tips for trigger control, you should see your shooting improve dramatically, especially during defensive shooting practice. After all, this is how the pros do it.
    Last edited by KK20; 19-05-2020 at 23:51. Reason: Article by Sam Hoober
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    Trigger Control

    The NRA uses the general term “trigger control” to describe the act of moving the trigger and firing the gun without disturbing aim. All the fundamentals are rolled into firing the shot, but the two biggest factors are aiming and trigger control, in that order. How you move the trigger can work for or against you. The best method of controlling a trigger, for all levels of shooters, is to move the trigger straight to the rear, firing the gun without disturbing aim.

    It starts with the placement of the trigger finger on the trigger. The middle of the pad on your fingertip—the most sensitive part of your finger—is the preferred position for finger placement. But maintaining perfect aim as the shot is fired is much more important than putting the trigger finger in a “preferred position” on the trigger. Your best contact point might not be the same as the shooter’s beside you. How do you find it? Try this dry-firing exercise.


    You should also consult your owner’s manual to ensure that it will not harm your gun to dry fire it. (Some rimfires should not be dry-fired without using “snap caps,” or the firing pin may become damaged.)

    For your dry-firing exercise, use a simple white sheet of paper as a target. (The white paper allows you to concentrate on sight alignment without being distracted by either the sight picture or a natural wobble area.) Have a friend or coach look over your shoulder as you dry fire. Ask them to watch your sights against an object downrange to verify that your aim was not disturbed as you pulled the trigger. When the firing pin hits the dummy cartridge without causing any movement of the sights, you have found the correct location for your trigger finger on the trigger.

    What should you do if your front sight moved during the dry-fire exercise? Simple: Either move the trigger or move your finger. Moving the trigger is preferred, but some triggers aren’t adjustable for position. That means you’ll have to move your finger on the trigger. Continue to dry fire as you do this until you find the spot where the sights don’t move as you pull the trigger. Sometimes you must slightly adjust your grip (the position of the hand on the stock or grip) to get your finger positioned properly on the trigger.

    Once you’ve found the correct location for your trigger finger, make sure you remember it and enter the data in your shooter’s diary. (If you don’t have a shooter’s diary, now would be a great time to start one!) The key is that you must grip the firearm the same way every time. Keep in mind that the contact point on the trigger finger may change from gun to gun and position to position.

    To better understand trigger-finger placement, try this simple thumb-forefinger exercise:

    Start the exercise by extending your shooting hands in front of you. Your fingers should be pointed away from your body, palms vertical, thumbs parallel with the bones of the forearm and inside the palm of the hand. Then place the pad of your trigger finger against the end of your thumb. Imagine that your thumb represents the face of the trigger. Now smoothly increase the pressure to the rear against the thumb until your thumbnail is almost completely white. This whiteness simulates that the gun has fired. Now, hold that pressure. The changing color under your thumbnail shows that pressure on the trigger is increased smoothly until the shot is fired. The direction in which your thumb joint moves shows whether or not the thumb is moved straight rearward as a trigger should be.

    Next, slowly relax the pressure on your thumb, but maintain contact between the finger and the thumb, and watch your nail regain its color. When your nail regains color, this simulates the point at which the trigger resets itself for the next shot.

    There are three things to learn from this exercise:

    1. Always increase pressure smoothly.
    2. Move the trigger straight to the rear.
    3. Maintain contact with the trigger as the gun fires, then allow the trigger to reset for the next shot.

    Here are two trigger control techniques that will work with any trigger:

    1. The uninterrupted trigger pull. You increase pressure on the trigger steadily and smoothly until the shot is fired, or until the sight picture becomes unacceptable. If the sight picture becomes unacceptable, you should stop the shot process completely, relax all pressure on the trigger and start over from the beginning.

    2. The interrupted trigger pull. You increase pressure on the trigger until the gun fires, or until the sight picture becomes unacceptable. If the sight picture becomes unacceptable, you stop adding pressure to the trigger and hold it until the sight picture becomes acceptable. You then resume adding pressure to the trigger until the gun fires, or until it becomes necessary to stop again. This technique, particularly with a light, finely adjusted trigger, is a highly advanced skill. It’s not for beginners or intermediate shooters.
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 00:04. Reason: by Larry Quandahl
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    You have the right grip and posture. However, the best attitude can be ruined by an incorrect trigger pull.

    The right trigger control in dynamic pistol shooting

    Now we want to make a digression into the realm of fine motor skills and see what challenges IPSC shooting poses to trigger control because the complexity of different target disposition from stage to the stage makes variable trigger control or different triggering techniques an indispensable tool in the repertoire of every IPSC shooter. The goal is to operate the trigger quickly without disturbing the sight image.

    Two different options for trigger control.

    Two techniques have emerged. The first and probably the most widely used technique, the so-called "pin-and-reset" method, involves keeping your finger in contact with the trigger during the entire ejection process and minimizing the movement of the finger itself. Therefore, this method is also considered by many to be the fastest, most accurate one. After the shot has been fired, the trigger finger remains on the trigger and then releases it only as forward as necessary to allow for the trigger return travel.

    In the other, much less popular technique, the so-called "trigger slapping", the finger is completely removed from the trigger after firing. Before the next shot, contact with the trigger face must first be established again. Which of the two methods one ultimately chooses is more a matter of taste than of clear advantages or disadvantages. In many cases, advocates of the former method object that "trigger slapping" can only be implemented effectively with pistols with light single-action triggers, whereas the fans of the latter one claim that the so-called "trigger freeze" is favored by the incomplete trigger’s forward travel (in this case, the trigger is not allowed to travel forward enough to reset and as a result, the next shot can’t be fired). In any case, there are supporters of both methods among the top marksmen, and ultimately which one you choose is irrelevant.

    When used correctly, both the "Pin and Reset" and "Trigger Slapping" techniques allow you to fire without moving the gun away from the point of aim due to trigger manipulation. More precisely, it is even irrelevant whether the trigger finger is removed from the trigger face after the shot or not because at this point, the shot has already been delivered. All that matters is that you can pull the trigger straight back without disturbing the sight image!

    When is which method used?

    In IPSC shooting we encounter targets in a variety of dimensions and ranges. Accordingly, acceptable hits sometimes require less trigger control. For example, the requirements for an A-zone hit on an IPSC disc only a few meters away are significantly lower than for a steel disc at 25 m, measuring only 20 cm. Thus, the ability to adapt your triggering technique to the circumstances is of paramount importance. Otherwise, you waste time and/or points on a stage. This may sound complicated and requires a lot of training, but without a variable trigger control you can’t be as fast as possible and as accurate as necessary!

    In principle, trigger control can be divided into three categories:

    Three techniques with different accuracy requirements
    Category 1: Trigger operation doesn’t stop at the breaking point. The trigger is simply pulled through in one single fast movement. Although the visual focus is on the sights after the upward movement of the sights begins you are already turning to the next shot/target. This type of trigger control is perfect for close targets.

    Category 2: For medium-range targets or when some accuracy is required, the trigger is first pulled up to the breaking point, and then the pulling action is continued rapidly, overcoming the breaking point.

    Category 3: If the highest possible accuracy is required, the trigger is pulled as in category 2 until the breaking point is reached. Once the breaking point is passed, however, the main focus is on the sights and the goal is to deliver the shot without moving/disturbing the sight image. The key to success lies here in a distortion-free, straight-line pulling operation. The above breakdown is not exhaustive and can be customized. The decisive factor is that you work out a system that is geared to the difficulty of the shot. To develop such a system, we strongly recommend that priority should be given to accuracy at the beginning. Only when the necessary basic skills are mastered, you should pay attention to increasing speed and explore how much trigger control can be given in each case without missing hits.
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 00:20. Reason: Marijan Loch
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  4. #4
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    Teaching Trigger Control
    Tom Givens
    As a trainer, you will soon learn that one of the hardest skills (yet one of the most important) is teaching trigger control.

    The shooter must learn to keep the sights on the target while smoothly moving the trigger to the rear until the gun discharges. This process occurs even in high-speed defensive shooting, although the time it takes to complete is compressed.

    Larry Vickers, retired Special Operations soldier, former Delta Force member and world-class firearms instructor, once said, “Why is the rifle so much easier to shoot than a pistol? Easy. The rifle weighs more than its trigger pull, while the handgun weighs less than the weight of the trigger pull.” That is a truly brilliant summation of the whole problem. If you have an eight-pound rifle with a two-pound trigger, it’s easy to shoot it well. Unfortunately, we often have a two-pound pistol with an eight-pound trigger pull, hence the difficulty. Thus, proper trigger technique becomes vital.

    First let’s look at the different phases of trigger operation. Manipulation of the semi-automatic pistol’s trigger consists of four separate and distinct phases and each phase impacts our accuracy. These phases in sequence are:

    Contact:

    The “pad” or fingerprint of the shooter’s index finger should contact the center of the face of the trigger. The trigger finger should not touch the frame of the gun. Ideally, the only place the trigger finger should contact the pistol is on the face of the trigger.


    Slack:

    Semi-automatic pistols have “slack” or “pre-engagement travel” built into the action. This is a bit of rearward movement in the trigger, prior to the actual trigger pull. The shooter can feel a distinct difference in the amount of finger pressure needed to take up the slack as opposed to that pressure needed to fire the piece. As the gun is brought to bear on the target the trigger finger contacts the trigger and removes the “slack.” The slack is taken up so that the trigger finger feels the resistance of the trigger pull.
    Teaching Trigger Control: Proper trigger finger contact. Note the gap between the shooter’s finger and the pistol’s frame.

    Press:

    Beware of semantics. As an instructor, the words you use form images in your students’ subconscious and this drives their actions. For instance, if you tell your student to “squeeze” the trigger he will likely squeeze his entire hand while moving the trigger. We call this “milking the trigger.” This results in low miss on the target. As the lower fingers tighten their grip, the barrel is pulled downward as the gun fires. Instead, we want to “press” the trigger, with steady rearward pressure. We hold the gun with our hand; we fire the gun with our trigger finger. The student must learn to use the trigger finger independently of the rest of the hand while maintaining a constant, consistent, unchanging grip on the pistol. When enough pressure to the trigger is applied to disengage the sear, the gun fires.

    It may help to describe the trigger as the pistol’s “gas pedal.” Using the analogy of a car (which all students are familiar with) the magazine is the gas tank, the front sight is the green traffic light, and the trigger is the accelerator. When you see the green light, you apply steady, increasing pressure to the accelerator until the bullet takes off smoothly.

    If you stomp the gas pedal, the car takes off jerkily and under less control. It’s the same with the bullet.

    Re-Set:
    Once the gun fires, the shooter must maintain contact with the trigger. Many newbies will tend to take their finger completely off the trigger the instant the gun fires and this must be corrected. As soon as the shooter sees the front sight begin to lift, that bullet has exited the barrel and is in flight. The shooter can no longer do anything to affect that shot, so he should forget it and start concentrating on the next shot! The first step is to relax the trigger finger’s pressure just enough to let the trigger return forward to its reset point. That is normally a short distance and there is usually an audible and tactile “click” when the trigger resets. There is no need to let the trigger go farther forward than that. Once the trigger is re-set, the shooter can begin working on the delivery of the next shot.

    Double-action revolver triggers do not have slack in them, but otherwise, the process is the same. It is important with the revolver to move the trigger all the way to the rear to fire the gun, then let it roll back all the way out before starting on the next trigger pull. The revolver trigger must go all the way forward or you can skip a chamber or even lock up the action, a process called “short stroking.” The double-action trigger should be pressed all the way through in one smooth motion.

    All one needs to do to play a concerto on a piano is to hit the right keys in the right order at the right time. It’s a simple process, but it takes practice. All one needs to do to hit anything with a pistol is to keep the sights aligned on the intended point of impact while you work the trigger smoothly to the rear. Again, it is a simple concept, but it takes practice.
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 00:31. Reason: Tom Givens
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    Is trigger control more important than sight picture, what you called aligning the gun with the target?

    Hackathorn: Sight alignment as we preach it, is really of minor importance. Given proper gun-to-hand fit, pointing the gun at the target is pretty much a natural task. It’s the action of pulling the trigger that causes the gross misalignment of the gun and the bad shots. Remember when people would be shooting badly, and the instructor would say, “Front sight, front sight, front sight”? It’s not the problem. It’s the fact that they’re jerking, or snatching or slapping the trigger. What you’ve got to be telling to them is, “Press the trigger straight through, straight to the rear.”

    It took me around 35 years to learn how to press the trigger straight to the rear, and now I’m at the age to where I can’t see the sights so you know it’s really all about trigger manipulation!

    First off, when you combine the recoil and the muzzle blast, the brain says, “Look out!” and you get an involuntary reaction, what we call a flinch, where you want to make it go off and get it over with, which results in jerking the trigger. Add to that that under conditions of stress, you’re going to have some degradation of fine motor skills, and pressing the trigger straight through is a fine motor skill.

    We’ve got to learn through practice how to minimize the effects of the loss of fine motor skills. That’s why I tell people, “Training is great but training only teaches you what to practice. If you don’t practice, guess what? You’re never going to be very good
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 00:42. Reason: Ken Hackathorn
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    The LAV Basic Pistol Course

    At the three yard shoot at NRA-style slow-fire pistol targets. What were we working on? Why so close? We were learning trigger control — the fundamentals of trigger break and reset. At this close range, you'll be able to shoot excellent groups. When you don't follow the fundamentals, you'll know it.
    Before going live, Larry uses the "dime/case drill." This can be done with one person, but it's best done with a partner. You set a dime and shell casing on the front sight and press the trigger. You should not drop the dime. This dry fire exercise teaches you a virtually perfect trigger break. It will also help you overcome slapping or jerking the trigger. You need to incorporate this trigger pull, so you get the feel of recoil and the sound that will induce flinch.

    The reason Larry starts with learning trigger control is because it's the key to shooting a handgun. If you slap or jerk the trigger, the perfect grip and sight picture won't mean doo doo. A smooth, consistent trigger pull is how to improve your shooting. You also develop a mental picture of what a correct trigger pull is so you can self-diagnose or solve your shooting partner's trigger issues when you are doing accuracy shooting.

    You'll quickly notice when you go live fire how you jerk or slap the trigger, dumping your rounds low left if you're right-handed or low right if you're a south paw. When you catch yourself or your partners, notice it. Then immediately download and do five perfect trigger pulls with the dime/casing. This will guide get you into the groove of caressing the trigger smoothly all the time.

    Once you have the trigger down then you can work on sight picture. This is lining the front sight between the notch of the rear equal spacing and tops of the front and rear-sight level. Once you do this, you'll shoot nice tight little groups where you put the front sight. If you're hitting all over, redo the drill to improve trigger control. A smooth trigger pull keeps those sights lined up, and the bullet goes where you want it to go.
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 00:52. Reason: From The LAV Basic Pistol Course. Larry Vickers
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    live out your imagination , not your history.

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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    live out your imagination , not your history.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    Slowly press the trigger.

    You might notice I keep using the word “press” instead of “pull.” That’s because “pull” implies aggressive action, the opposite of what we want to do with a trigger. Program your brain to think “smooth press” without moving the gun at all. Do this slowly and consistently every time. Speed will develop over time as you perfect your dry-firing practice.

    When dry-firing, your front sight will move around a little bit. That’s all right. No one can hold the sights perfectly still, so the goal over time is to allow as little movement as possible. Also, don’t try to quickly press the trigger when your sight is right where you want it to be on the target. Just focus deliberately on an even and smooth press through the entire movement of the trigger from start to finish. As you practice, you’ll see your sights move less and less.

    (Are the ranges closed near you? Dry fire training is a great way get some trigger time in at home. Champion shooter Doug Koenig reviews the importance and training value of dry practice. Want to improve your shooting? Incorporate dry practice in your training regimen, but please do it safely.)
    Last edited by KK20; 20-05-2020 at 02:09. Reason: Doug Koenig
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    Default Re: On Trigger Control

    live out your imagination , not your history.

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