How do you pull/sqeeze the trigger?

[flatland hunter]

Do you use the pad of your finger or farther back? Do you squeeze or pull straight back?

I have noticed that as I manipulate the trigger the scope hairs try to drift right a bit (righty).

 

[SW]

Do you use the pad of your finger or farther back? Do you squeeze or pull straight back?

I have noticed that as I manipulate the trigger the scope hairs try to drift right a bit (righty).

The absolute center of the pad of the 1st section(where the nail is). Put your rifle on its rests, front and rear, and practice dryfiring on caps with the rifle sighted on a tgt and watch the X-hairs. DO place your non-trigger hand on the forearm of the rifle just like your are going to shoot it. NO free recoil on a gun that will be held for hunting, use your rests but hold the rifle also. Rifleman should be able to help you more than I can. PM him.

 

[Rifleman]

Robbie, it's called trigger control and is simple to explain but takes practice to master. Some basic points:
Make contact with the trigger with the first pad of the trigger finger, not in the joint or second pad.
Take a grip if possible that allows the rest of the trigger finger to have little or no contact with the weapon.
With the trigger hand take a very firm grip just short of causing it to shake, then when pressure is applied straight back with the trigger finger there is no room for any sympathetic movement of the rest of the trigger hand.
You might go back in the forum and pick up some other tips that might help you as well, good shooting,
Rifleman

 

[rost495]

I'd love to comment here because I'm a competitive shooter.

There is absolutely no EXACT place on a finger to pull the trigger. It has tons to do with moving the trigger straight back and depends on finger size, trigger placement, grip size,shape, angle etc.... Some it falls on the tip, some further in, some past the first joint, some in the joint. Wherever it falls so that its natural and you can pull straight back.
As to sympathy, really the only one to move is the trigger finger and thumb. The rest should not be moving or wanting to if done correctly.

The best way I can relate trigger pull is more of a press. Straight to the rear. And smooth. And smooth can be(for lack of a better way to say it) smooth, smooooth, smooooooooth, smooooooooooooooooth. Doesn't matter if its fast or slow if its done right. But you certainly have to have good follow through and in MZ its especially critical, just like in air rifle.

Grip pressure is such that I see just a bit of white knuckle in the trigger hand.

Its hard to convince folks that it may fall in different places for each person. But thats the way it is. I also say stay clear of the trigger guard and dont' "drag wood" as best you can, but dont' contort your hand or finger in the process. The contortions are worse than the dragging.

Jeff

 

[Drew_CarreyAB]

For myself I use the front portion of the first pad of the finger and I don't so much "handshake" the grip, I do at first but before I pull the trigger I bring my thumb up on the back of the grip(under the hammer on my T/C Encore rifle), or along the web of the hand, I find that it puts more emphasis(sp) on the pulling of the trigger and it doesn't twist the rifle (as much) IMO.

 

[rost495]

FWIW the tension in the grip of the gun with the firing hand is to mostly avoid having the thumb so loose that it can impart a sympathetic movement.
Jeff

 

[Adkhunter]

I use the pad of my finger and always attempt to pull slowly and stright to the rear until SURPRISE..BANG!
More importantly can be the pressure that you place on the forend with the non-trigger pulling hand. There is no reason to have a torqued death grip on it.

 

[IndianaHunter]

Shotgun: Pull

Rifle / Pistol: Squeeze

 

[rost495]

Having just fired in our state rifle championship team match Sat(and our team placing second anyways..... ) I"ll reiterate this-- I was line official Sat and will be Sun. The pad is not the answer. It can create many more problems. The answer is where the finger lies,naturally relaxed but not draggin wood, in relationship to all the other aspects, IE hand size,shape, grip of the gun, shape of the grip and so on.

YES the pad may be right for some, but it may be grossly wrong for otehrs.

Jeff

 

[Adkhunter]

Great point Jeff. We are all diffferent and on top of that all stocks made by gun manufacturers are just that, a stock of wood or synthetic made to hold pieces together. If we all had a custom stock made for us, we all probably would have the same answer.
So then the qusetion becomes what historically has been better? Not who is at the top now but numerically what method has proven to be the best way across the board.
My guess would be the pad of the finger.

 

[rost495]

I'm afraid that it can't be generalized as to whats most common. I always look and grab hold and just stick my finger in there. Where it falls naturally, without dragging wood is where it belongs. Might be on the pad, tip of pad, joint, etc.....

I was line officer again today and watching folks with mostly AR15s and there are many different uses.

And hoping no one sands their finger pads either.....

Jeff