Pat MacNamara on using as much trigger finger as possible

[Ed L]

In this video Pat MacNamara advocates using as much trigger finger as possible. He quotes the person who gave him this advice as saying that he puts so much finger on the trigger that he can hit the mag release when he is finished squeezing it.

This seems to go against conventional advice which is to only use the finger tip or first joint, and that if any part of your trigger finger is scraping the frame you run the risk of pushing the gun sideways as the trigger is pulled to the rear.

Here is the video, and it's application to my shooting follows.



Earlier this week I wound up shooting a S&W M&P45 that I recently acquired that I really don't need. The gun has 10-8 rear sights and supposedly an Apex Sear, but the trigger still has a hard break.

I am accustomed to shooting H&K VP9s and Glocks, an occasional 1911, and an M&P 9 & 45 that have Bowie trigger jobs where I can almost fire the gun telepathically.

So I was having a much harder time with this gun

I was shooting at a Paul Howe CSAT silhouette at 25 yards with the goal of keeping all 10 shots in the head box.

I wasn't having any luck. Most of the rounds were in the head, but I had some rounds that were embarrassingly far from the head.

That made me think of the video by Pat MacNamara which I rewatched when I got home.

I went back to the range within a few days and applied his technique of using as much finger as possible; whereas previously I was using the first pad of the trigger finger.

Wow, what a difference! Not a fabulous group by PF standards, but much better groups than I was shooting a few days before with the same gun. I can shoot much better with various other guns than I can with this M&P45, but this gun that was giving me issues proved a perfect test case.

I would welcome any thoughts.

[LSP552]

I personally don't think there is a best for everyone, only best for the individual. More finger can work or not, depending. Its all about pressing straight to the rear without disturbing the sights. Different hand sizes and shapes may accomplish this differently. I'd try the techniques over a few range trips to really see if it works for you or if the focus on executing a new technique sharpened your attention on everything.

A switch to a new technique (or gun) will often sharpen our focus on executing the fundamentals, and result in a great day. It might not be the change, just the attention to all of the fundamentals.

[YVK]

Ed, I listened to Pat say that thing in person. Best I remember, he explained it by the needs of controlling heavier trigger than his unit had been accustomed to.

In my personal experience I find that "it depends" on specifics of a gun, shooter, interplay between the two, trigger properties, weight, etc. On Glocks I have to put extra finger in to be able to press it straight back. This is independent of trigger weight; have to do the same with gaming connectors and spring or stock Glocks. On Berettas the trigger reach forces me to place my finger deeper than I want to and I can't shoot them as well as I'd like. On HK P30 I strongly prefer a large backstrap for better trigger (and pistol) control; whatever little I shot the VP9 for, the back strap and, therefore, finger position barely mattered. I think the answer is "whatever lets you pull trigger straight back on a given gun".

[OnionsAndDragons]

My experience mirrors YVKs precisely with Glocks and Beretta.

So much so that I'm going to have to try the large strap on my P30 again now...

I also run classic SIGs with a lot of finger, but they all have SRT so there isn't much to give up doing so in the SA pull with a solid grip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[voodoo_man]

This is the way I shoot everything.

I used to play around with specific finger placement and chase the perfect location. I shot with Defoor a few times and he advised to do this method as well. After putting a good bit of dry fire into it I found it's a lot smoother and overall more accurate for me.

[rob_s]

I've heard this from more than a few of the next-gen gun teachers. Sometimes questioning the status quo results in innovation and sometimes it's just different for different.

Some of the people I saw in classes improved slightly by taking this advice, but a good portion of those people had simply never really focused on the trigger press before at all, beyond the basic placement. So was it the change in placement that mattered, or simply the fact that they were finally paying attention?

Give it another ten years, "all the finger" will be all the rage, and someone will come out with this revolutionary new idea that you should only put the first pad on the face of the trigger. They'll probably announce that one should "ease to reset" as well, and all the Johnny-come-latelies will put on their black air Jordan's and pontificate on the greatness.

[ranger]

I have been reviewing fundamentals of grip and trigger squeeze as I have been trying the SIG 320 platform and I consistently shoot "left" - I reviewed numerous posts and stated looking at various pistol "sages" on YouTube etc. I am really confused now! To make matters worse, what I do with deliberate shooting goes out the window when that buzzer goes off!

[GJM]

For me, this is not settled, and I typically sink my finger deeper with a bare Gen 4 than in a Gen 3. Deeper finger definitely changes my reloads for the slower, as it changes my reach to the magazine release.

A lot of this seems Glock specific, as on the Walther, for example, I have no idea how much finger I use.

[Greg]

So many variations in hands, fingers, grip sizes, trigger reach and weight.....

Experiment and see what works for you.

[Mr Pink]

I've played with this technique and others through the years. I have concluded that this "depends" on several things. The size of your "dick-beaters", and the trigger you are using. In general, it works great for me when shooting my Glock, but when I use my S&W, I have to use another technique. All in all, the only thing that matters, is pressing the trigger to the rear without disturbing sight picture/sight alignment.