I hope you understand trigger discipline and trigger control, so let’s get right to the trigger pull and look at a few general issues and misconceptions.
From my experience, I would say that one of the most significant challenges a shooter will face is stopping themselves from jerking the trigger. When you jerk or abruptly slap the trigger, it creates an sudden spike in energy which then causes instability. When you jerk the trigger, your entire hand tightens up and causes the gun to twist, which makes it harder to hit your target. And just by using your trigger finger alone, you can inaccurately fire the round.
To ensure accurate shots, it’s important to heed next principles:
- Only the trigger finger should move + Straight to the rear
A simple and effective dry-fire practice exercise for trigger control is to balance an empty case on your front sight. Do repetitions of a consistent, straight-to-the-rear trigger press without knocking the case off of the front sight.
The objective of this training is not to move slowly – you won’t be taking your time in a real confrontation or competition. Instead, you want to learn how to move as quickly as possible without losing focus and messing up.
Another excellent way to practice trigger control while adhering to the two aforementioned principles is by aiming and shooting your gun at a 1-inch pastie placed 1-3 yards away.You’ll be doing it with only your firing hand and holding the pistol just with the web of your hand, thumb, and the first knuckle of your trigger finger.
It’s also a good idea to load one bullet in the chamber for safety, then remove your magazine so you can only fire one shot at a time. You may continue to fire numerous shots without reloading after you’ve become accustomed and comfortable with the drill.
In order to improve aim, accuracy, and success rate, begin by prepping the trigger so that when it’s time to pull, the trigger is already at the wall.
- Grip Hard
Many shooters struggle to keep a solid, hard grip on their weapons.
For trigger discipline and control, you want a firm grip that allows you to be aggressive with the trigger without disrupting your sight alignment. Apply pressure to the trigger while gripping the firearm tightly for maximum stability.
Many individuals just throw out percentages at random. For example, use 70% pressure with your support hand and 30% with your firing hand. Here’s a simpler way to figure out how much pressure is required, which I frequently hear from the world’s best shooters.
Grasp the weapon as tightly as you can with both hands, without disturbing your sight. If your gun begins to shake, ease off the pressure a bit. If you have difficulty moving your trigger finger swiftly, reduce the pressure a little but still crush down firmly with your support hand; alternatively, if you have trouble maintaining a firm grip on the gun, somewhat increase the pressure.
As you shoot, keep in mind to have a strong grip. You will be able to remove the movement of your trigger finger from the rest of your hand with practice.
The grip trainer also can help you to maintain a consistent firm grip. To use it, hold the trainer with both hands as if you were holding a pistol. Squeeze the grip trainer completely with both hands, excluding your trigger finger. Hold this position for at least one minute.
Having acknowledged some of the general issues, let’s now address some mistaken beliefs.
- Trigger finger placement
The location of your trigger finger in practical shooting isn’t as crucial as you may believe. As long as you pull the trigger straight back, follow all of the other guidelines and ideas, and assume that your grip and aim are correct, you will achieve the intended effect.
Hand and finger sizes vary from person to person, which implies that we’ll all have to handle guns that suit us differently. My finger’s contact with the trigger will be different than most other people’s, but I believe these differences should be accepted.
The key is to have a straight pull back, no matter where your finger is placed.
Trigger finger placement can be difficult to understand, but it’s important to know that based on the size of your hand and gun as well as your specific fingers, there might be a trigger finger placement that makes it easier for you to have a straight pull back.
However, it isn’t necessary. As long as you visualize a straight-back pull and practice, you honestly can achieve a good trigger pull.
Another factor to take into account is the distance between your trigger finger and the gun’s frame. Shooters generally have a little gap in between their fingers.
If you don’t have enough space, you might accidentally shoot to the left (for right-handed shooters) or right (for left-handed shooters).
- No Surprise Breaks
The phrase “surprise break” may be familiar to you. When students are taught by their instructor to pull the trigger slowly, so they don’t know precisely when the gun will fire, this is called a surprise break. While it can be beneficial for beginners who are learning not to flinch in anticipation of the shot or recoil (which is different from jerking the trigger), it isn’t the most efficient way to operate the trigger..
In my opinion, those who are taught the surprise break approach appear to do well when firing at a relaxed pace. Although, they have more difficulty completing satisfactorily under pressure or while shooting multiple shots.
The trigger press is much more effective when applied with consistent pressure in a controlled way rather than the slow surprise break approach. The slow surprise break technique often causes more problems because it builds suspense in the shooter’s mind, which can result in errors.
- Stop Pinning the Trigger
After each shot, many instructors teach their students to reset the trigger by pinning it to the rear. To take follow-up shots, we need to release the trigger so that it can travel forward and re-engage with the gun’s firing mechanism.
In actuality, there is no reason to reset the trigger slowly in practical shooting because doing so doesn’t affect when the next shot will be fired.
Learn how to reset your trigger after each shot as your weapon recoils. It allows you more time to work the trigger properly and deliver the next shot more accurately. When waiting until the gun comes to a stop to reset the trigger and then attempting to pull it, you may often get jerking and anticipating the following shot, especially when a timer is involved or other stress factors are present.