Trigger control exercises

[Gtimothy]

I'm having issues with trigger control now and need some advise on what CONSTRUCTIVE dry fire exercises I can do.

After a range session last week it has been determined that I am pulling down during trigger pull which is causing my shots to land low. Anyone have a favorite drill that they use dry firing at home to improve their technique?

Thanks

GTC

 

[conw]

Tons. What kind of gun?

 

[Gtimothy]

1911 and a SIG P229R. I need to practice in both single action and double action with the SIG.

 

[v65magnafan]

What do you mean by trigger control issues?

Are you sure it isn't a "flinch" or a grip issue?

 

[Gtimothy]

What do you mean by trigger control issues?

Are you sure it isn't a "flinch" or a grip issue?

Not sure it is a flinch or just anticipating the trigger break. The trigger pull on the 1911 "WAS" a bit heavy but the smith at the range and I have smoothed it up and now it's around 4-5 lbs but I haven't fired it since.

I'm not used to the P229's long take up in double action so I spend a lot of time trying to hold the gun on target before the trigger breaks. Could be I have my finger too far down on the trigger and am just pulling down instead of straight back...don't know for sure.

 

[v65magnafan]

Could be. Try gripping the gun with your strong hand only. Use only your thumb and your middle finger. Keep your ring finger and baby finger away from the grip. In theory, you should have an accurate shot.

I've found that I can train shooters to get smaller groups if they just become aware of how their ring and baby fingers tighten just before the trigger pull and throw the whole gun off target.

I'm assuming that your shooting hand grips the gun as high up as possible.

Or, you might have a flinch. At the range, have someone else load your mag with five rounds, one of which is a randomly-placed dummy round (Snap Cap for example). Shoot normally. If you have a flinch, you will see the muzzle move down as you pull the trigger.
In this case, I tell shooters to imagine a perfectly straight titanium rod in their barrel at one end and fixed to the center of the bulls eye at the other.

 

[Gtimothy]

The range officer who was watching me said there was nothing obviously wrong with my grip and I do know that if I fire on an empty chamber, I do "react" a bit but not much. Next time I'm at the range I'll try the snap cap drill.

What drills/exercises can I do at home while I'm watching TV?

 

[JellyJar]

Try this. First make sure the weapon is completely unloaded!!!

Put a paper target on a wall. Put either a sharpened pencil or ink pen in the barrel of your handgun. Grip the weapon as usual. Stand so close to the target that the pencil/pen touches it and practice pulling the trigger without making any marks on the paper showing you moved the gun while pulling the trigger.

 

[robinkevin]

Personally I think trigger time is the best thing. I like JellyJar's drill it seems like it would be effective. Just remember to squeeze the trigger and focus on your front sight. Don't think about the firearm going off as you want to almost surprise you when it does. That's the best I can explain it, just say over and over to yourself "squeeze the trigger". With time and practice it will come to you. laser sights are also a great why to see if you are moving the barrel any just like with Jelly's advice.

 

[Remllez]

Concentrate on pressing/pushing not squeezing the trigger, when you squeeze you involve your whole hand. When pressing/pushing straight back your trying to isolate that trigger finger while concentrating on the sight picture not moving.

You can see the muscle involved rising and falling in your forearm when it's properly isolated. It will tire that muscle quickly, when you force past that point you are building strength. Be mindful of falling back to squeezing because it's easier to do.

A small investment in a spring loaded finger isolator will help strengthen individual fingers. Dry firing/finger exercising for a month will get you headed down the right path.

 

[Nushif]

I had an epiphany a while ago that seemed to make my groups significantly smaller that was purely a mental thing.
People use the term "pull the trigger" or "squeeze the trigger" a lot, but what helps me visualize a good trigger pull is actually the notion of adding pressure, instead of moving a trigger.
What I do on slow and deliberate aimed shots is chant in my head "aaaand squeeeeeeeeeeze" during which I (again, very deliberately here) add presure. In my own mind I am not moving a trigger. I am ading pressure with my finger.
Now, this may sound really dumb, but this simple conceptual shift in my mind helped me an awful lot in my shooting. You'd be surprised at how much your mind actually does the shooting.

 

[robinkevin]

Concentrate on pushing not squeezing the trigger, when you squeeze you involve your whole hand. When pushing straight back your trying to isolate that trigger finger while concentrating on the sight picture not moving.

You can see the muscle involved rising and falling in your forearm when it's properly isolated. It will tire that muscle quickly, when you force past that point you are building strength. Be mindful of falling back to squeezing because it's easier to do.

A small investment in a spring loaded finger isolator will help strengthen individual fingers. Dry firing/finger exercising for a month will get you headed down the right path.

Describing it as a push more than a squeeze makes sense so long as it's a gentle push. When I think of push I think the same as pull which is not what you want. However I completely see what you are saying in that you don't want to torque the whole hand as that too could move the firearm.

 

[LiveLife]

I am pulling down during trigger pull which is causing my shots to land low

Point-of-Impact (POI) lower than Point-of-Aim (POA) is from anticipatory "push down" on the pistol during firing. It can be very subtle so you won't even notice you are doing it (see POA/POI drill below to check if you are doing it).

When I was taught to point-shoot, I was blind-folded by my instructor to determine/verify my "natural point of aim" (I was already match shooting and had stance/grip/trigger control down pat, so I thought). After pointing at Center-of-Mass (COM) on the target at 5 yards, I pulled the trigger. I was surprised to find my POI was much lower than my POA. My instructor laughed and told me many shooters do the same (He taught SWAT/PD/SD entry teams and said many officers actually shot at the ground when initially shooting blind folded ).

Try this POA/POI drill next time at the range:

1. Use a white or light colored target and place a dot on center/COM and place the target at 5-7 yards.
2. Line up the sights so the POA is on the dot.
4. Close your eyes and pull the trigger.
5. Check POA and POI.
6. If your POI is lower than POA, you are pushing the pistol down as you fire (either pushing down with arms/shoulders or subtly by hand/wrist/3-5th fingers of shooting hand or both).
7. If your POI is left/right of POA, you are pushing/pulling on the trigger/pistol grip and need to correct this using next exercise.

Todd Jarrett doing "Natural Point of Aim" with his face/vision blocked with cardboard (shooting blind) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3o04Cxdb0E&feature=related

Anyone have a favorite drill that they use dry firing at home to improve their technique?

I use the following exercise.

1. After checking that the pistol is not loaded, duplicate the same grip you normally use at the range. Using the same trigger pull/squeeze, drop the hammer on the Sig WHILE watching the front sight. If the front sight moves, note which direction it is moving.

2. Review some resources on basic stance/grip/trigger control and practice hammer release until the front sight doesn't move when the hammer falls.

Todd Jarrett(Stance/Grip/Trigger) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48
Max Michel (Stance/Grip)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgByPFHCpQE&feature=relmfu
Hickok45 (Stance) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Cf0WEeXZk&feature=relmfu
Hickok45 (Grip) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22msLVCtPk8&feature=relmfu
Hickok45 (Trigger Control) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xa5JPLGIsU&feature=relmfu

3. After practicing at home, verify that you are not affecting front sight movement at range sessions. After setting up target with dot at 5-7 yards, dry fire to see if the front sight moves. If not, close your eyes and fire and check POA/POI. If your closed eye POA/POI is the same, your low hitting problem is now fixed!

What drills/exercises can I do at home while I'm watching TV?

Do the same front sight dry fire exercise while pointing at various targets on TV (yes, definitely make sure your pistol is UNLOADED first).

 

[Gtimothy]

Thanks everyone for the help. You guys have given me several great ideas on things to try at home and at the range. I'm going to have to spend time working on my grip and relearn my trigger pull.

I'm sure that most of my problem is just lack of practice. I used to be a pretty good shot with my revolvers but that was years ago. I've only just recently started going to the range on a semi regular basis so it's gonna take a while to become proficient again.

As with everything, you only get better with practice...

 

[BCRider]

I'm a big fan of the idea of "building pressure" instead of actually pulling the trigger. Nushif described this change in thinking well in his post.

In addition try to shift from squeezing to the BANG! and think more of building pressure to move the trigger to the rear travel stop. If your thinking is aimed at building pressure until the trigger won't move any further then the BANG! is always going to come as a surprise and you won't move the gun at all. ANY amount of motion in the muzzle as the hammer falls or the striker trips is a flinch. It occurs because you're anticipating the BANG!. Any anticipation at all is going to reduce your accuracy. Learning to simply build pressure against the trigger smoothly and to think more about pulling to the back travel limit of the trigger will do much to kick out that aniticipation.

There's also the "follow through". When the gun fires don't instantly release the pressure on the trigger. Instead hold the pressure through the recoil and only once it settles back down ease off the pressure with the same control as you built it up. Doing it this way you can, or should, easily feel the reset point click where you can reverse the pressure build for the next shot.

All this sounds slow. And at first it's best to go fairly slow with the pressure build occuring over about a one second buildup. But as you become better at pressuring the trigger instead of conciously pulling it you can speed up to where you can pressure and release as fast as if you are snatching at the trigger. Even when done quickly there is a difference in the two methods.

The reason you were good with the revolver is that in double action shooting you have no choice but to build pressure on the trigger. If you don't the groups will look like you tossed a handful of stones at the target. During that long DA pull you have no choice but to reduce your whole world to the sight picture and the pressure build on the trigger. Now try to get that sort of focus with your semi auto.

 

[v65magnafan]

With all respect, whereas your range officer might notice that your hands are correctly placed for your grip, he or she cannot see exactly what your ring and pinky fingers are doing as you squeeze the trigger.

Squeezing the smaller fingers of either hand will throw off your shot.

Not too long ago, I gave a courtesy lesson to a young guy who claimed to have been a competitive shooter in Russia in his youth. He had been asking the gunsmith in the adjoining store to keep adjusting his sights. He thought it couldn't be his fault--it had to be the gun's fault.
I shot his gun and got a tight group but his sight was way off. I asked the smith to center the sights--please, one last time. And then, I watched the young guy shoot. I suggested that he work on his smaller fingers.
It worked.
He still thanks me.

 

[Gtimothy]

I agree. I know that I'm doing something wrong and I'm more than willing to make whatever changes I need to correct my problem. I forsee spending many hours doing dry fire exercises!

 

[9mmepiphany]

Dry Firing your SIG 229R using only the DA first shot will improve you overall trigger control..just run it like you used to shoot your DA revolvers. Check out the second link in my signature.

There really isn't an exercise to stop contracting your lower fingers as you press (that's the word I use with clients) the trigger...it is really an awareness issue. However it is easy to stop if you have someone willing to help. Once you understand what it should feel like, you should be able to avoid the squeeze.


Are you using a thumbs forward grip?...If not, it will also help. (first link in my signature)

Next time you are out shooting bring a friend along. As you start to press the trigger, have them apply upward pressure the tip of your right thumb (if you are right handed), until it is floating in space above your support hand. Then continue to press the trigger to the break. That felling in your right hand is what you want to reproduce every time you are pressing the trigger

 

[Doghandler]

I had an epiphany a while ago that seemed to make my groups significantly smaller that was purely a mental thing.
...

^^^^^This!^^^^^

So what is it with this mental business anyway? We practice and practice some more. We practice the fundamentals until we get it right. The hard part is making these fundamental things happen together in seamless synchronicity and with consistency. We concentrate and focus the mind on the body. We struggle to make it happen. We know what we want the body to do but how do we make it do that?

Well, we stop trying to make it happen. We get the mind out of the way of the body to allow the body to do it's thing. We don't make things happen, rather we allow them to happen.

 

[LiveLife]

So what is it with this mental business anyway? We practice and practice some more. We practice the fundamentals until we get it right. The hard part is making these fundamental things happen together in seamless synchronicity and with consistency. We concentrate and focus the mind on the body. We struggle to make it happen. We know what we want the body to do but how do we make it do that?

When I initially started shooting USPSA, I saw measurable improvements with each month/match. I even set up mock-up stages at home (garage and backyard) so I could practice target engagement, transition, mag changes and shooting on the move.

Then I hit a brick wall of plateau where my stage times/scores stagnated. After much frustration was expressed, couple seasoned regional USPSA match shooters took me aside for some coaching. We initially video-taped (remember VHS-C?) my stages and reviewed my performance. OMG!!! was my initial response as I could see all the wasted movements, fumbling with gear and loss of focus on targets (my head/eyes were not steady on the targets). After they helped me eliminate all the physical/mechanical "waste of movement", they had me do some mental exercises.

First came the "clearing of the mind" and eliminating the background, other shooters and everything else but you and the targets. There is no match shooting, the local divisional ladder and the issues at work or the last argument with your wife BUT just the targets you engage one by one. They said I am only competing against my last/best stage times and scores ... nothing more. From that point on, when I stepped in the starting square, everything goes to white with volume on mute and I only see targets lined up one by one for me to engage.

Next, they removed the front sight of my match pistol and had me focus on the targets only. One of them said for me to "see the holes appear on the targets" instead of "hoping to see the holes on the targets". My initial response was, "But what about the front sight flash that's so pivotal of match shooting?" They grinned and said I needed to be "beyond" it. I intially fell back to my fundamental "point shooting" techniques (good thing I had this background) but with time/practice, I started to see the holes "appear on the targets" instead of "trying to punch holes on targets". For longer distance targets, I still rely on the front sight flash but for closer targets, being able to see the double-tap holes appear as intended during range practice do bring a grin on my face and makes shooting that much more enjoyable, especially when my eyes are closed.

If you want to improve your shooting, have someone capture your shooting on video. It will reveal many things you can't see/be aware of when you are shooting first person to address the "physical and technical" aspects of shooting.

As to "mental business", there are several good books on the topic that are good read but what I share with other shooters now is to have them "picture" what they are going to do in their head in slow motion and duplicate that in actual in slow motion and gradually increase speed without losing smoothness up to real time. I found this to be effective as it can be done anywhere for practice. It's kinda like practicing various martial arts "kata" or "poomsae" so various shooting movements become natural and integral part of you and executing those movements when needed (for match or for defensive shooting) occur automatically without much thought and with precision.

Of course, as with any thing, being able to clear your mind to focus on tasks helps.