TargetTalk

O.K. I can hear everyone groaning "Not Again!"

For our new contestants, this refers to the last 200 milliseconds of hte shot process; right before the shot is released that we call the "Moment of Truth."

For a while now we have had an ongoing discussion (off and on) about what exactly happens during that critical MoT.

A key discussion point has been does the shooter perceive the proccess as:

- with perfect sight alignment, relax and let the subconscious direct the trigger pressure against the wobble so as to break the shot perfectly as the aligned sights are moving into the sweet spot (sights drive trigger); or
- with perfecting sight alignment, begin moving the trigger so as to let the subconscious realize perfect sight picture as the shot breaks (trigger drives sights)

[let's take a moment to agree that the semantics of the two descriptions above are flawed; that's part of the joy of discussing human perception- two people may be seeing/experiencing the same exact thing and describe it quite differently!]

So I'm requalifying for my Texas CHL last weekend and violating The Prime Directive of Accurate Fire ("No Stinkin' Thinkin!"]. As I'm thoroughly enjoying the absolutely atrocious trigger on my Glock 33 (think "pulling a bag of gravel up a steep washboard dirt road"), my mind starts wandedring to the Eternal Question: Are the sights driving my trigger, or is my trigger driving my sights?

For my Glock, I stack up the first 85% of travel, then refine sight picture, then press through.

Hmmmm . . .

Perhaps- I'm thinking- for sustained fire (double taps, Mozambiques, El Presidentes, etc.) the trigger dominates the process; and for sipping tea and nibbling scones Slow Fire, the sights drive the process.

Then I realize

During thed last 200 milliseconds, the subconscious can whatever the heck it wants!

Bottom Line: Is the process for sustained fire and slow fire different at all? Is the process of sights driving trigger actually the same process as trigger driving sights, but we just see the two "different" versions of the same thing depending on our own state of mind at the time?

Wise and thoughtful readers . . . Your Thoughts?

[beyond "Get A Life Steve" yeah I know]

Interesting....... That's the problem with drills - too much time to think. No time to think during an actual match when you are trying to get that swinger before it disappears behind the No Shoot :-)

I tend to agree with your hypothesis that the processes are the same. The essential difference is the perceived time element. I have no experience with Olympic RFP, but I know in action shooting I was traversing, aligning, and pulling the trigger such that the gun fired just as the aligned sights arrived at the 'hold point'. In precision shooting there is so much time available that the mind is free to choose which ever perception is more comfortable....or to wander off to worry about cutting the grass....

I am convinced that the shooter must compartment the thought process and once a process has been iniated the mind must move on to the next step in your shot plan. You must never jump around mentally.Going back to an already compled step simply means that you have no process and are letting your mind wander around during the shot. The trigger pressure must commense prior to the mental concentration necessary to perfect sight allignment and if it has not started then the mind must depart from sight allignment and go back to initiate the movement of the trigger finger.I think we all agree that somewhere aroung 90% of firing a controled shot is mental and by using your mental process consistantly you will find that your shots are also more consistant.Steves discription of the perfect shot delivery requires a perfect subconcious trigger control and the subconsious is the one thing that is most effected by the increased concern resulting fron the fabled match pressure. His description is also the description of a jerk should a beginning shoter try to emulate his shot process with out the 10,000 repititions of trigger manulipulation necessary to support his method. Good Shooting BillHorton