trigger hold

[gordonfriesen]

Hi All,

I would like to float a notion related to hold and trigger control.

This idea was sparked by an observation made a couple of weeks back (by whom I have forgotten) regarding pushing the trigger. The point was that some part of the hand would have to be working against that push, and that when the trigger slips into the clear, the counter force would be unbalanced by the trigger finger, and the gun would jump a little.

I found this idea quite useful, and it tied well with some practical conclusions I had been coming to concerned with just this sort of conflict between muscle groups, like the straight elbow pushing the gun out conflicting with a wrist bringing the gun back in, or similar situation.

But returning to the trigger. It seems to me that any grip at all in the real world will conflict with the trigger pull unless the trigger pull itself is the backbone of the grip. The trigger must be coming back in line with the gun, to the eye. The resistance to the trigger finger must be on that line.

So... Does it not make sense to begin building the grip by holding the gun only with the pressure on the trigger while aligning the sights? All the rest of the stance is as usual, and the gun is aimed, but the gun is held only by the trigger pulling straight back. The other fingers are just easy and not doing any more than steadying the gun.

From this position I work back to a lesser trigger squeeze, but still a positive pull, and a little more work in the other fingers, but with the trigger finger still in the lead. Finally, I start by picking up the gun, and trying to get that feel of leading the grip with the trigger and letting the gun go off as that trigger grip both holds and aims the gun.

I should have begun by mentionning that we are not talking AP or FP, here, but Sport Pistol which has a minimum one kilo pull. There is therefore, plenty of room to squeeze, which is to say hold, the gun with the trigger before it goes off.

This idea really seems to help with a positive attack on the trigger.

Any comments?

Best Regards,

Gordon

[Steve Swartz]

Gordon:

That may have been me . . . at least it's a point I make constantly with respect trigger control.

And the mechanics of trigger stops and mechanical vs. electronic (constant force resistance) triggers.

To your point- yes, with a mechanical trigger the vectors of forces before, during, and through the release of the shot are critical.

The technique of grip, position of finger on trigger, and triger control itself act together in concert to create the "perfect conditions of the undisturbed shot."

Two factors to consider in my opinion:

- The degree of misalignment (vector) between trigger pull force and center of gripping force (the closer together they are the better); and
- The degree of differential force between trigger pressure and gripping pressure (the smaller hte trigger force is in relation to gripping force the better)

So adjust your trigger finger to apply force in line with, and close to the center of gripping force (this will require the highest force from the fingers closest to the trigger); and squeeze the heck out of the grip; and compensate for the instantaneous imbalance by adjusting the trigger stop very "tight" to the release point so the disruption is shorter in duration.

Oh yeah and work like a madman on your follow throguh (mental mainly).

Which happens to be pretty common advice from the masters over the years . . .

[or just buy a constant force trigger where it practically matters much less if not just about not at all]

[gordonfriesen]

Hey Steve,

Very interesting indeed.

This is the first time I have seen reference to "differential force between trigger pressure and gripping pressure". This validates one aspect of my technique whch I had begun to worry about as a bad habit. My grip is quite a bit tighter than a lot of the guys here are describing. But if my trigger is one K, and if, as you say, "the smaller the trigger force is in relation to gripping force the better", then the grip has to be tight, definitely tighter than the AP or FP grip.

However, it seems that the closer the "(vector) between trigger pull force and center of gripping force" are, the less this matters, as if the two vectors are the same, the trigger pressure does not contradict the grip and cannot pull the gun out of line. And this also agrees with my present eperience, which is that the better I align the trigger pull the lighter my grip becomes.

Out in space, the gun could be held perfectly still and discharged, with only a pinching force between the trigger finger and the web of the hand. As long as this force was applied straight back against the arm, the other fingers could be completely relaxed. Here on earth you also have to hold the gun. But the better your line the less force this takes.

My discovery, is that, ideally, the trigger finger trumps the grip. Thus when you say, "So adjust your trigger finger to apply force in line with, and close to the center of gripping force", I am thinking rather "adjust the center of gipping force so that it agrees witht he line of trigger pull".

The result is the same of course, but I have a specific method for working on this where I start by holding the gun almost entirely with the trigger finger, in the after-shot follow through position, but tighter, and then taking up the weight of the gun with the other fingers (tighten the grip) while I gradually relax the trigger. If the transfer of force from the trigger to the grip can happen without alignment of the sights moving, it means that the two vectors are very close, and then the opposite transfer from the grip to the trigger can also happen without disturbing the lay of the gun, which is the undisturbed shot we are after. Does this specific exercise make sense to you?

Thanks also for finally making me understand why it is the middle finger that must do most of the work, simply because it is beside the trigger finger and therefore will most easily pull in the same direction.

Best Regards,

Gordon