Which part or your trigger finger do you use and why?

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JellyJar

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Looking at this youtube video:



I realized that there are basically four parts of your trigger finger you can use to pull a trigger; first there is the tip which is really only useful for target firearms with very light triggers. Then there is the pad or middle of your distal phalanx ( http://www.medicinenet.com/image-collection/finger_anatomy_picture/picture.htm ), the one at then end of your finger. Next there is the part of that distal phalanx that is right next to the distal joint and then there is the distal joint itself.

I tend to use the pad but at an angle. I am going to try the part right next to the distal joint because it should give me more strength and therefore more control of the trigger. Dry firing, that seems to work well.

What part do you use and why?
 
Finger pad, not directly in the middle but a hair over closer to the tip. Years of shooting in that spot makes it instinct now. I dont own any heavy pullers so no need for me to get closer to the joint. The heavy triggers I did have, I made lighter ;). Edit to say: every hand is different, what works for me may not work for you.
 
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The proper part of the finger is the part that pulls the trigger straight to the rear and not off to one side or the other. With both a 1911 and a AR, that is (for me, your hands are different size and shape) the pad of my index finger about two thirds of the way from the tip. With a shotgun, that's right on the edge of the pad near the crease of the first joint. Most bolt action rifles I use the middle of the pad.

Interestingly, both a 1911 and AR require me to "stick out" my knuckle a bit to get a straight rearward pull. Second nature now. 30 years ago I had to think about it sometimes.
 
depends upon the weapon. as 1911 guy says, whatever part allows me to pull the trigger without disturbing the sight allignment when the bullet exits the barrel. finger location can be anywhere on the pad between the tip and the joint. i find this out by dry-firing.

luck,

murf
 
I use the end that's not connected to my hand.
Not having an official "proper part" marked out on that finger, it varies with gun & action type.
Denis
 
If you shoot revolvers, you go with the power crease-the distal joint. It is easier to keep one trigger pull for all firearms, so I use it for rifles, shotguns, etc. The key is making sure that the firearms that you buy allow you to do so via fit.
 
With guns with a trigger pull in the 3 lb range I use the pad. On Glocks or DA revolvers, or any other gun with a heavy pull the joint.
 
I have very large hands, and my finger tip usually does it all.

My first general use pistol was a Luger , with its small trigger guard.
Worked well with rifles and 3-6 pounds is nothing, really.
 
Caribou,
Good to hear from you.
You have Internet access in the new residence?
Denis
 
My friend just bought a CZ 75 9mm compact which my finger fits on the pad just above the first joint. My .larger 45 fits better almost on the joint, while the sub-compact .45 is easier to shoot up on the pad. Like Zeke said, use whatever it takes to pull straight back.
 
I understand that I am supposed to use the pad of my finger and pull straight back for best results. For me, this is fine in a controlled, target setting.


I actually shoot my handguns with the joint of the index finger just like you are not supposed to. I figure that if I have a self defense situation that is how I am going to naturally and instinctively shoot. I could probably try to "train" this behavior out of myself, but it has been so long now that I don't care to bother at this point.
 
Use whatever part allows you to pull the trigger straight back on that particular gun. How is a 6'5" man with long fingers supposed to use the same part of his finger as a woman who is 5' and has small fingers? They can't so use whatever part of your finger allows you to pull straight back on that particular gun. It very well may change for each gun you own.
 
I do the "half pad" of the first knuckle of my digit, but to be honest my arm strength is not incredible and even on a striker fired gun I see wobble in my sights pulling the trigger on my Glock 30. I'm not sure if that's me, the trigger, or inconsequential because any real shot would have cleared my barrel by the time the "wobble" was a factor in accuracy.
 
Varies by gun as many have listed. In fact, on my p938, I actually get on the 2nd phalange a little just inside the end joint. It enables me to shoot that little pistol without disturbing the sight picture at all and without fatigue from the trigger pull. Not a recommended technique but one that works perfectly for me.
 
That's a simple question for me to answer.....but complicated to many.....most semi-auto and single action handguns get shot with the pad of my left index finger. Double action revolvers and autos get the last knuckle on my left hand index finger. I shoot rifles right handed and 99% of those will use the pad on my right index finger......There's also a simple answer as to why I change my trigger finger positions when I'm using my left hand. Sometimes a handgun requires finesse and sometimes it requires finesse and muscle (like the DA revolver in most cases).....I hate shooting my semi auto pistols after shooting a DA revolver....so I usually shoot my autos first.
 
Where the trigger fits. Sights should not wobble when trigger breaks when holding with one hand. That's how I figure how to hold a particular gun. Most of my guns are DA/SA, which tend to fit into my "power crease".
 
Where the trigger fits. Sights should not wobble when trigger breaks.
+1. Very good advice.

I tend to use the pad but at an angle. I am going to try the part right next to the distal joint because it should give me more strength and therefore more control of the trigger. Dry firing, that seems to work well.

What part do you use and why?
Action speaks louder than words.

Try this dry fire exercise.

Clear your pistol, draw and dry fire while watching the front sight.

When the hammer/striker drops, does the front sight move? If it does, adjust your trigger finger until you are most comfortable and are able to minimize or eliminate front sight movement when the hammer/striker drops. Now look at your trigger finger placement - That's the placement you should use on a consistent basis.

To me, shooting a pistol is very personal and individual thing - what works for one person may not work for another person as we all have different bodies.

Do what works for YOU.

FYI, before I buy a pistol, I prefer to dry fire while watching the front sight. If the front sight jumps or moves a lot, I will try different pistols of same model until I find one that doesn't move or minimally move the front sight. I figure if I start out with a pistol that doesn't move the front sight, as metal surfaces smooth out during break-in, I will end up with a more accurate pistol.

With my last Glock purchase, I went through several pistols before I found one that minimally moved the front sight. When the store staff got curious, they dry fired while watching the front sight and they were shocked at how much the front sight jumped. Of course, the front sight of my SIg 1911 was rock steady right out of the box and so were several others I dry fired.

When I bought my M&P Shield 9mm this year, I did not have a selection of pistols to choose from as it was bought online. Out of the box, the front sight moved quite a bit when dry fired. After several hundred dry fire cycles and several hundred rounds fired, trigger smoothed out and the front sight remains essentially still when dry fired and allows me to shoot fast accurate sub 2" groups at 7-15 yards.

For me, front sight not moving when hammer/striker is fired is crucial as I do a lot of load development and comparison testing using different powders and projectiles for Handloading and Reloading category using stock pistols without trigger jobs (Sig 1911, Glock 22/23/27 with 40-9 conversion barrels) to obtain around 2" groups at 25 yards - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-6#post-9924922

These shot groups are from stock pistols with unmodified factory triggers. As you can see, even small movement at the muzzle will have significant effect on group size at 25 yards. So, do whatever you can to minimize or eliminate front sight movement for smaller shot groups.

Glock 22 with KKM conversion barrel
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Glock 22 with factory barrel
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Sig 1911 with MBC 200 gr SWC
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I was one of those guys that could not hit the broad side of the barn in the military following what I was taught to do. Which is use the fleshy pad of the index finger before the first knuckle. After awhile I started doing what I wanted on rifles, wrap my whole finger around the trigger and SQUEEZE. Once I started doing that, I made some pretty great shots and scores. I would just ignore anyone who tried telling me different.

For handguns, I typically use the pad of my index finger or the distal joint. Depending on how heavy the trigger is.
 
I occasionally use BOTH index fingers to pull the trigger especially on double action revolvers. This seems to eliminate lots of wobble and side ways flop. It also reìnforces grip and helps deal with stiff triggers. It is really helpful on a Nagant revolver and also snubbies.
 
I occasionally use BOTH index fingers to pull the trigger especially on double action revolvers. This seems to eliminate lots of wobble and side ways flop. It also reìnforces grip and helps deal with stiff triggers. It is really helpful on a Nagant revolver and also snubbies.
With a Nagant, I had to get two fingers and a toe in there.
 
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