How to shoot like a navy SEAL

[Mr_White]

The problem associated with riding the reset only to that minimal point is trigger freeze. If the trigger is only allowed to move forward enough to reset and there is thus no margin for error, as soon as the shooter gets tense (from stress, from pressure, from trying to move as quickly as they can, maybe because of external pressure, etc.) the reset gets short-stroked. Since there's no margin, trigger freeze happens.

I've seen releasing the trigger ONLY to the point of reset to be pretty commonly taught in defensive training. That's how I was taught in the beginning. At one point, even though I still believed in the idea as 'better', I caught myself letting the trigger further forward than that (but still maintaining finger-trigger contact) when trying to shoot accurately at greater speeds. In trying to do that, I unconsciously discarded the actual technique of riding the reset, even though I didn't intend to. It was an unconscious solution to trigger freeze.

Later, I heard about the other side of the coin, where people talk about slapping the trigger (finger going all the way forward inside the trigger guard and back to hit the trigger again.) This is usually discussed in the context of competitive shooting, using a gun that has a very short and light trigger. I think this extreme may be impractical with guns that have more difficult triggers.

At this point, I make sure students in a basic pistol class understand that there is a reset point and they do have to let the trigger at least that far forward in order to fire again, and that they should maintain finger-trigger contact until they stop shooting, but that it's ok if they let the trigger further forward than the reset point. After that, and as people keep training and developing, I think they will unconsciously use trigger technique appropriate to the shot at hand. I probably do sometimes still ride the reset - when I'm shooting a difficult enough shot that trigger freeze simply isn't going to happen because of how much the gun must be settled out of motion and how careful I have to be with the trigger. On easier shots, I tend to let the trigger out further.

[Tamara]

Langdon got me to stop trying to ride the reset (which was causing me to pin the trigger) which led to the single biggest improvement in my pistol shooting I've seen in the last six years. *shrug*

[Chris Rhines]

Pretty much what Mr. White said.

I used to ride the reset, and I thought that it was a good technique. But every so often, I would short-stroke a shot, and that would ruin whatever string or engagement I was working on. Eventually, I did some experimenting with letting the trigger out to its rest position, and I found that there was no significant difference in split time or accuracy.

So, anyway. I'm not gonna use or recommend a technique that has a significant disaster factor and minimal or no upside. If some people find it useful, okay.

[Chris Rhines]

I've always shot like that. What's the alternative, fully letting the trigger all the way out every shot regardless of difficulty?

That's what I do. I don't always succeed at it, but my goal is to have only one trigger press.

[Mr_White]

Dang, we were profoundly shooting the crap out of bad guys doing that.

Wow, you guys survived while riding the reset AND doing the FBI crouch???

Good to see you back Darryl!

[Dagga Boy]

Wow, you guys survived while riding the reset AND doing the FBI crouch???

Good to see you back Darryl!

Likely, temporary. I vowed myself to stay in the revolver forum and post pictures, and obviously lack the discipline to do this. There are several methods to this out there, and most are very much gun and shooter centric. So I should be letting my finger go all the forward on my LEM gun....or my DA/SA stuff? While most complain of the LEM being hard to shoot now because of trigger movement (which is the idea). I think most have figured out that pinning and then slowly releasing to reset is not optimal for efficiency for better shooters. We call that "Kindergarten Reset"......and is what a lot of non-dedicated folks can only get to, but beats them slapping the crap out of the trigger. As folks advance, the return of the trigger becomes part of follow through. Some guns you can likely easily get away with going all the way forward. Others become a ton of wasted movement. I find that simply building in a consistent return for the system you are using works for the types of guns we see, and the type of shooting we train. Again, my issue was not that there are other ways to run a trigger, it was the "profoundly bad".
On a good note with my time away. I got to spend some time with a couple legendary gunfighters (everyone was wearing black fanny packs), and centered me up again about how unimportant most of this stuff is in the big picture of what I am interested in, which is strictly using a firearm in a use of force context. I'll go back to the revolver forum where it is just assumed nobody has a clue and let you guys get back to what you do. Sorry for the interruption.

[Chance]

Likely, temporary. I vowed myself to stay in the revolver forum and post pictures, and obviously lack the discipline to do this.

Well, your effort is not for naught. If you've noticed, we now have a "likes received" associated with all of our posts. You're the most well liked person in the forum. Proof people appreciate you taking the time.

[Mr_White]

Likely, temporary. I vowed myself to stay in the revolver forum and post pictures, and obviously lack the discipline to do this. There are several methods to this out there, and most are very much gun and shooter centric. So I should be letting my finger go all the forward on my LEM gun....or my DA/SA stuff? While most complain of the LEM being hard to shoot now because of trigger movement (which is the idea). I think most have figured out that pinning and then slowly releasing to reset is not optimal for efficiency for better shooters. We call that "Kindergarten Reset"......and is what a lot of non-dedicated folks can only get to, but beats them slapping the crap out of the trigger. As folks advance, the return of the trigger becomes part of follow through. Some guns you can likely easily get away with going all the way forward. Others become a ton of wasted movement. I find that simply building in a consistent return for the system you are using works for the types of guns we see, and the type of shooting we train. Again, my issue was not that there are other ways to run a trigger, it was the "profoundly bad".
On a good note with my time away. I got to spend some time with a couple legendary gunfighters (everyone was wearing black fanny packs), and centered me up again about how unimportant most of this stuff is in the big picture of what I am interested in, which is strictly using a firearm in a use of force context. I'll go back to the revolver forum where it is just assumed nobody has a clue and let you guys get back to what you do. Sorry for the interruption.

Sorry to hear that, I thought your return meant the butthurt had subsided.

[Mr_White]

Well, your effort is not for naught. If you've noticed, we now have a "likes received" associated with all of our posts. You're the most well liked person in the forum. Proof people appreciate you taking the time.

Indeed.

Here's how the likes work:

Epic cop rants are worth at least a dozen likes apiece, frequently thirty or more.

Funny one-liners are worth the next most.

You get a couple likes for posts about how to shoot pistols well, but that's a distant third, lol.

[Chance]

Indeed.

Here's how the likes work:

Epic cop rants are worth at least a dozen likes apiece, frequently thirty or more.

Funny one-liners are worth the next most.

You get a couple likes for posts about how to shoot pistols well, but that's a distant third, lol.

I get that, and I've voiced my concerns about that. However, I have found over and over again, that the people with real-world experience, who show up and take the time and effort to share their hard earned knowledge, legitimately have no idea how valuable they are. Anytime I meet one of these people, I try to take a brief moment to pull them aside and give them a genuine 'thank you' for their participation here, and elsewhere. That doesn't sound like much, but it means a lot. It's easy to conclude you're speaking into a vacuum that doesn't give a shit.

So no, I'm not the biggest fan of the 'likes received' thing, but when it demonstrates a member's importance to his/her community, then I think it's worth it.