Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
All those gun shows on The History Channel got me going the other night.
A re-enactor was shooting a Pennsylvania Long rifle. Like many bad shooters do, he had his index finger shoved as far as possible into the guard and was firing the weapon with the second joint.
If the muzzle on that long barrel moved less than 2 inches at launch, I'd be astounded.
One can see the same atrocity in the field, with folks who cuss out steel shot, the birds,dog,etc, never realizing that their incompetence is the cause.
Using the tip of the index finger means better leverage, better control and better results. A good way to develop better trigger control follows...
With a shotgun KNOWN to be EMPTY, stand in a relaxed ready position. Trap the stock between your love handles and forearm of the firing hand. Remove your firing hand completely from the weapon. Lay the tip of your index finger on the trigger, with the first joint from the tip serving as an index just touching the trigger metal. Now, without disturbing the finger, grip the shotgun with the firing hand, sliding the hand up until it had a firm grip and is comfortable.
IOW, the grip conforms to the best position of the trigger finger, and not vice versa.
Practice this some, and use whatever aid to memory needed until it's ingrained.
Remember the finger pulls gently straight back.
And only the index finger moves on the hand. The convulsive clenching of the whole hand and yank of the trigger oft seen in conjunction with bad triggers and shooting is what this remedies.
Also, a trigger can be made to feel lighter and be better controlled by pulling at the tip, not from the bottom of the curved part.
The makers can help here, lighter triggers are much easier to use correctly. Wider triggers mimic lighter pulls, and many recreational shotgunners would benefit from a trigger 1/8" or more wider than those currently sold. The best clay gamers have cleaner,lighter,triggers, many with trigger shoes.
Hope this helps, sing out if there's anything unclear....
A re-enactor was shooting a Pennsylvania Long rifle. Like many bad shooters do, he had his index finger shoved as far as possible into the guard and was firing the weapon with the second joint.
If the muzzle on that long barrel moved less than 2 inches at launch, I'd be astounded.
One can see the same atrocity in the field, with folks who cuss out steel shot, the birds,dog,etc, never realizing that their incompetence is the cause.
Using the tip of the index finger means better leverage, better control and better results. A good way to develop better trigger control follows...
With a shotgun KNOWN to be EMPTY, stand in a relaxed ready position. Trap the stock between your love handles and forearm of the firing hand. Remove your firing hand completely from the weapon. Lay the tip of your index finger on the trigger, with the first joint from the tip serving as an index just touching the trigger metal. Now, without disturbing the finger, grip the shotgun with the firing hand, sliding the hand up until it had a firm grip and is comfortable.
IOW, the grip conforms to the best position of the trigger finger, and not vice versa.
Practice this some, and use whatever aid to memory needed until it's ingrained.
Remember the finger pulls gently straight back.
And only the index finger moves on the hand. The convulsive clenching of the whole hand and yank of the trigger oft seen in conjunction with bad triggers and shooting is what this remedies.
Also, a trigger can be made to feel lighter and be better controlled by pulling at the tip, not from the bottom of the curved part.
The makers can help here, lighter triggers are much easier to use correctly. Wider triggers mimic lighter pulls, and many recreational shotgunners would benefit from a trigger 1/8" or more wider than those currently sold. The best clay gamers have cleaner,lighter,triggers, many with trigger shoes.
Hope this helps, sing out if there's anything unclear....
