Trigger Finger Stutter

[JodyH]

When I dip down into the teens is where I start freezing, the fastest splits I see in drills is usually around .21 with a LEM.
My fastest splits ever were with a Walther P99, I could maintain .11-.16 splits on a IDPA -0 at 7 yards for 6 rounds.

[SLG]

IME, "trigger freeze" comes from trying too hard. You might call it mental tension, rather than strong hand tension, though that is an issue as well.

You can pretty handily replicate the problem by taking a stop watch and trying to start and stop it as fast as possible, over and over. Also IME, the shorter the trigger travel, the more likely it is to occur (like the stop watch button, which barely moves), though ymmv.

FWIW, I too let my finger come completely off the trigger during reset. As Rob points out, in shooting fast, accurate splits, the issue is not how far your finger moves, but how fast and how precisely it moves. I shoot a DA revolver pretty much exactly as fast as I shoot a 1911, recoil being equal.

[Surf]

A few things I will note for myself and my experiences.

- With my preferred pull type on most pistols, I run a trigger physically faster with 2 hands on the weapon. I can be just shooting a berm for pure speed but I can run most pistols faster with 2 hands (again accuracy aside). However this can also be pistol, but mostly trigger type and trigger pull type dependent. Now a 1911 with a very slick trigger and I might not see much of a difference and I would be using a "flip and press" type of pull along the lines of what most competition 1911 shooters might use ala Mr. Leathams described pull type, but I would still argue that I could run that pistol faster with 2 hands as my trigger finger in my pull type is much more free to run quickly as my primary hand has less tension. On my preferred pull type less tension in the primary hand increases finger speeds. Again this is not my only trigger pull type and I could vary pull types midway through a drill, just depending on what I am doing.

- My "hook and curl" type of finger placement has more of a "tactile feel" on the trigger and is enhanced by having less tension in the primary shooting hand then the technique of having more trigger finger. IMO, this type of pull also lends to better accuracy, but that again is my preference. This I believe is along the lines of what Matt Burkett speaks to in regards to creating too much tension and trigger freeze / stutter.

- I note that contributing factors to stutter / freeze may be related but not limited to;
- Physical disabilities especially in the hand (ie arthritis, broken knuckles healed poorly etc, etc)
- Age
- Shooting various trigger types often and perhaps back to back
- Trigger finger placement / type of trigger pull, which may or may not require as much attention to other details such as support hand grip pressures etc, etc..
- Brain fart
- Fatigue

By chance, my wife and I were watching the Bill Rogers Panteao video tonight, and it looks like Bill has quite a bit of finger in the trigger guard of both the M&P and revolver. I have been trying to use less finger, after following Surf's thread on manipulating a Glock trigger, but more obviously works for Bill.

Is there a consensus on best practice and might this relate to trigger freeze?

Let me again say there are a few pull types that I use. I will also say that the standard revolver (non competition) generally involves much more trigger finger to get a good pull due to weight and travel. Even on a revolver I am still in or near the first joint of my trigger finger as the pull is heavier in DA. I have added the "hook and curl" after many years of training especially involving long range or precision shooting and adapting a pull type from a rifle to a pistol. I will note that I am in my mid 40's and carried a revolver full time for the first 4 years of my career. I will also add that many fellas like myself, who were trained heavily on revolvers and maybe taught revolvers, may have a universal trigger pull type of more finger which is more related to the revolver and not so much an adaptation of the "flip and press" that the 1911 guys often adopt. So in other words some guys who learned and taught pistol for so many years might have a grip, or trigger pull type that was a direct relation to the revolver and it may not have changed. I am not saying this in particular to Bill Rogers but it is definitely not uncommon to see this, especially in the LE based world of old school trainers. I will also add that the more trigger finger can work very well as I describe in that trigger video I did so I am not saying that there is a need to change, but for some people it can be a big advantage. It was for myself and is often the same for many who come through my courses. Again what works for me may not work for everyone and vise versa.

[DonovanM]

Trigger froze again today. It was on the 5th shot on a wide open target like 6 feet away, so warp speed.

[JV_]

Thanks guys, I have a lot to think about and work on. This has been very helpful.