AR-15 Trigger Finger Placement on Receiver

[joshs]

I've always placed my trigger finger in "register" along the receiver of an AR-15 in a way that approximately feels like where I place it on a pistol. This ends up with my trigger positioned like this:



The problem I've had with this placement is that something coming into contact with my right hand (usually the ground) can cause me to accidentally press the magazine release. I've notice that a lot of other shooters use this position:



But, I don't like how close this is to the trigger guard.

This pretty much leaves only this placement:



This feels sort of uncomfortable and my finger ends up on the dust cover when its open, which is weird because I'm used to the register position always feeling the same way and my brain thinks there is something wrong when my trigger finger hits something unexpected. I assume this will go away with practice.

What does everybody else do, and do have you ever had any accidental mag release issues? (It happens for me most often when shooting through the bottom ports of a VTAC barricade.)

[Jay Cunningham]

This feels sort of uncomfortable and my finger ends up on the dust cover when its open, which is weird because I'm used to the register position always feeling the same way and my brain thinks there is something wrong when my trigger finger hits something unexpected.

I pretty much do it this way, which looks more like my finger-off position on my Glock. I touch my ejection port, and if I'm touching the edge of my dust cover it's a similar index point for me.

[ASH556]

I must have shorter fingers than you. I end up straight forward, but with my finger slightly curled with the tip indexed against the gap between the fence and mag button.

[Caboose]

I do what is in your second picture. It's not perfect, but I have small hands, and have trouble getting to a register position all the way above the mag release. I count on the contact with the ridge around the mag release button to prevent slippage into the trigger guard, right or wrong.


EDIT: Looking at the picture again, I'm actually slightly different, from what you show. More akin to what Ash described, between the button and the ridge, half contact on each.

[Cookie Monster]

I hard register on the bump below the mag release but I am new to AR's. On my glock I hard register on the ejection port, I like to have some reference, not flat metal.

Looking forward to the discussion.

Cookie Monster

[167]

I tend to run with the dust cover open and place my trigger finger on the bottom half/bottom edge of the open dust cover.

[Clobbersaurus]

This pretty much leaves only this placement:

This is what I do. It's a little uncomfortable sure, but it keeps you much more aware of your finger placement, which IMO is more important than comfort. It also most closely mimics what I do with my pistol.

Depending on your had type, grip selection can help with the comfort of this register position, if comfort is a huge factor for you.

EDIT: Wait, does that receiver have an integral grip??

[BoppaBear]

I index mine somewhere between both pics, but I have shorter fingers.

[KevinB]

#2 but my finger rides to the end of the mag fence.

[BoppaBear]

BTW (from another thread), aren't you afraid that lower will give your position away?