Staging the trigger on a TDA gun

[Jim Watson]

One instructor strong on DA/SA teaches "prepping the trigger." I wonder if it is the same as "staging" described here. I figured it was and did not take his class.

[GJM]

If you are unwilling to place your finger on the trigger of a DA pistol before the gun is fully extended and the sights aligned, a DA trigger may not be a good choice.

[Rex G]

Not sure if this belongs in software or hardware.

I was working with my Px4 cc today and was trying to start pulling the first long trigger pull before I completly lined up the sites on the target. Not having a timer, it seemed like I was getting the first shot off a bit quicker.

So is this something everyone is already doing? And I'm just figuring it out? Or is this a bad practice?

What you are describing is not “staging the trigger.” Not “everyone” is doing what you describe, but plenty of us have been doing so, for decades. If I have a target, and my weapon is aligned on-target, I need not wait until the weapon is fully extended, or to have sights aligned with my eyes, to begin the trigger pull. When done correctly, the sights, if they are to be used, come into view just as the hammer is about ready to fall.

“Staging the trigger” is, as it suggests, pulling the trigger, itself, in stages, rather than a complete pull-through to ignition.

[YVK]

One instructor strong on DA/SA teaches "prepping the trigger." I wonder if it is the same as "staging" described here. I figured it was and did not take his class.

A lot of stuff is lost in terminology. Recently a stupendous shooter and instructor with a large DA/SA experience told me to get to 90% of DA pull quickly and then finish with a last 10%. I was sure he meant staging, turned out something else.

[joshs]

A lot of stuff is lost in terminology. Recently a stupendous shooter and instructor with a large DA/SA experience told me to get to 90% of DA pull quickly and then finish with a last 10%. I was sure he meant staging, turned out something else.

I agree that we often talk past each other when discussing shooting concepts simply due to differences in terminology. I definitely try to consistently add pressure to the DA pull without stopping, although the amount of pressure towards the end of the pull can vary with target difficulty.

[GJM]

I don’t like “never,” but it is almost never good to stop the trigger press mid stroke.

[scw2]

I don’t like “never,” but it is almost never good to stop the trigger press mid stroke.

You saved yourself with the added "almost." I remember DB mentioning before why he likes revolvers or TDA because of how he stopped a trigger press mid stroke once when he saw the threat disappear as he was noticing the hammer pulling further and further back...

[LSP552]

A lot of stuff is lost in terminology. Recently a stupendous shooter and instructor with a large DA/SA experience told me to get to 90% of DA pull quickly and then finish with a last 10%. I was sure he meant staging, turned out something else.

One analogy I like is to imagine a rubber band anchored at at your chest and tied to the trigger. The weight increases to the point of firing the DA at full extension. If you are at 90% extension, you are at 90% on the trigger press.

[AMC]

Back in the late 80's to early 90's, when the State Department DSS was still issueing revolvers, one of their instructors was teaching staging the trigger as a way to manage the double action for precision shots. It can work quite well with a wheelgun, and an experienced shooter. Many didn't agree, but the proof was in the pudding. Those guys could shoot. The process was really more about learning the mechanical feel of the revolver trigger, and learning to control it. I know we have some DSS folkson the forum (though this predates their time), and if they know the history here they could chime in.

[Qaz98]

If you are unwilling to place your finger on the trigger of a DA pistol before the gun is fully extended and the sights aligned, a DA trigger may not be a good choice.

Do you think that applies to the HK LEM, too?