Looking for Advice on Long, and heavy, triggers.

[Terranocalypse]

I am looking for some advice on how to deal with long and heavy triggers. I am somewhat new to handgun shooting and own a Beretta Nano (BU9). I love pretty much everything about this gun, that is except that it has a very long and heavy trigger pull, and maybe that it is a 9mm (but that is beside the point). I know the gun is accurate because I shoot rather well if I take the time to stage the trigger. However, as we all know staging the trigger may not be an option if confronted with a self defense scenario. I was hoping someone could recommend a training regimen that might help me overcome this challenge. I have recently bought some "Snap Caps" to aid in this endeavor.

[Sheep Have Wool]

Welcome!

I'm a newbie myself, but those snap caps and dry fire are a good start. Todd posted a dry fire regimen (http://pistol-training.com/archives/5185) that you might check out. I'll also throw in the idea of keeping up a training journal - here or on paper - to track process.

[Dr. No]

I teach folks that you shouldn't think about the first trigger pull any different than the second one - it doesn't matter how you pull the trigger if you keep the sights aligned.

My competition pistol has a 12# first pull - I usually will try to pick a target that is relatively easy and I can deal with a little variance in where it hits. If I'm shooting slow fire (accuracy) I try to pull slow and steady through the whole pull, focusing on my sight alignment and trying to let the break surprise me. Once you get comfortable and familiar with your trigger, you will start to know where the break is. You can pull the trigger straight to that point quickly then slow down if you need to be accurate or make sight corrections. That is a bit more of an advanced technique.

[BullseyePistolCompetitor]

[QUOTE=Dr. No;228638]I teach folks that you shouldn't think about the first trigger pull any different than the second one - it doesn't matter how you pull the trigger if you keep the sights aligned.

This is the absolute fundamental no matter how bad or good the trigger is. The advantage of an extremely long roll is that you have more time to find the target. lol. The long kept secret to pistol shooting is that trigger control is a bit more important than sight picture. The perfect trigger pull will not disturb the sight alignment while you are dressing up the sight picture.

My competition pistols range from 2.5lbs to 4.5 lbs of pull. They are all very short in comparison to combat type triggers but the principle is the same. When you are at the very best of concentration, you will no longer ACTIVELY pull the trigger. In fact, your trigger finger will just move on it's own while you STOP trying too hard to get the perfect sight picture. You will just point (with perfect sight alignment) and the gun shoots itself while you are just a witness like an out of body viewer. It takes several tens of thousands of rounds for this to happen for most people but when it does, you will be amazed how well you and your pistol act as a single system.

[JHC]

My competition pistols range from 2.5lbs to 4.5 lbs of pull. They are all very short in comparison to combat type triggers but the principle is the same. When you are at the very best of concentration, you will no longer ACTIVELY pull the trigger. In fact, your trigger finger will just move on it's own while you STOP trying too hard to get the perfect sight picture. You will just point (with perfect sight alignment) and the gun shoots itself while you are just a witness like an out of body viewer. It takes several tens of thousands of rounds for this to happen for most people but when it does, you will be amazed how well you and your pistol act as a single system.

This still sounds hokey to myself but one year back in the mid 80's I shot bulleye on the 90th ARCOM pistol team of their MTU. At their annual Commander's Championship match at Ft Smith, AR, I placed third NOVICE (2nd loser) but with my best effort. But it was as you described, I would take a sight picture, the press would start and visually I was not focused on the sights but I would visualize a bullet hole hitting the X and then the pistol would just go off. I had sort of pursued that but it came together especially well in that match.

[jetfire]

Dry fire a bunch. Practice pulling the trigger as quickly to the rear as possible without disturbing your sight picture. I know that sounds simplistic but it really is the best way to get better.

[Jay Cunningham]

Dry fire a bunch. Practice pulling the trigger as quickly to the rear as possible without disturbing your sight picture. I know that sounds simplistic but it really is the best way to get better.

Yeah, it really boils down to this. If yours sights are moving when you do this, adjust and try again until they don't.

[Smash]

If you own a group of guns that are fairly different in recoil and trigger pull; shooting them in random order at the range will enforce whether your dry regimen is working or not. If you shoot a .357 Magnum revolver in single action then immediately go to a Ruger LCP you'll see quickly if you're being affected.

[Jubal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsoX26OhDCY Ernest Langdon Fear not the Double Action Shot