Visualizing the trigger press.

[jslaker]

I just had an odd sort of lightbulb moment at the range.

I've been struggling lately with a somewhat erratic trigger press during live fire. Everything will be fine, then my groups will just suddenly fall apart, showing classic low left hits caused by trigger jerk.

Then something funny happened.

As I would press the trigger, I'd visualize the trigger acting on the internals of the gun. The trigger bar coming back, pushing on the sear as it tips... tips... tips... BANG. Suddenly my rounds are going to my exact point of aim, every time.

The interesting thing is that, as I visualized it, I could start to feel the individual parts acting on each other, and it made it massively easier for me to maintain a constant press through to ignition. It took the press from a black box that I was simply feeding input to and made it into a concrete process that my brain could easily understand.

At any rate, I figured I've stumbled on an interesting trick that I'd share. Goes to show how much of shooting is mental.

[Sheep Have Wool]

At any rate, I figured I've stumbled on an interesting trick that I'd share. Goes to show how much of shooting is mental.

Absolutely. Wayne Dobbs explained the trigger pull to me like rowing a canoe.

Another way I've taught the DA trigger press on a service auto is to think of the proper use of a canoe paddle or a boat oar: each is used in a long, smooth, constant speed STROKE from the moment you dip the blade of the paddle/oar until it finishes its stroke at the end. We don't chop in little steps through the water and we don't change speeds of the paddle blade. Sometimes we may use the paddle slowly, sometimes quickly, but it's always a smooth and steady stroke from beginning to end. Just another way to explain things...

I've been thinking about this while doing dry and live fire, and it's helped tremendously.

[Wayne Dobbs]

This is another variation on a Bruce Gray training technique in which he has the shooters on line with dry pistols. The shooters extend (dare I say "press out"?) and begin to stroke the triggers while learning every micro millimeter of the trigger's travel. After this is done several times, he has them speed up the stroke incrementally. It's just another way of learning all the tiny details of trigger press. There are lots more ways to teach it and learn it.

[jslaker]

This is another variation on a Bruce Gray training technique in which he has the shooters on line with dry pistols. The shooters extend (dare I say "press out"?) and begin to stroke the triggers while learning every micro millimeter of the trigger's travel. After this is done several times, he has them speed up the stroke incrementally. It's just another way of learning all the tiny details of trigger press. There are lots more ways to teach it and learn it.

What you're describing is very similar to what I had been doing. The visual aspect is really what made it click for me. "Seeing" the sear tipping back against the striker in my mind instead of simply applying pressure against the wall of the break is when everything finally started to fall in place. The best way to describe it is almost like imagining the slide is made of clear plastic so that I could watch the parts act against each other.

It's obviously something that wouldn't work for somebody that isn't fairly familiar with how everything fits together in the gun, but it seems to have worked for me.

[TGS]

This is another variation on a Bruce Gray training technique in which he has the shooters on line with dry pistols. The shooters extend (dare I say "press out"?) and begin to stroke the triggers while learning every micro millimeter of the trigger's travel. After this is done several times, he has them speed up the stroke incrementally. It's just another way of learning all the tiny details of trigger press. There are lots more ways to teach it and learn it.

This is the way I figured out how to learn a proper trigger press (not from Bruce, but same concept). That, and concentrating on a steady increase of pressure instead of actively trying to break the shot.

[bdcheung]

John Murphy taught me a drill where you, with a loaded pistol, squeeze the trigger just to the breaking point and then back off. You will inevitably have discharges. But the drill is to get you to really pay attention to the trigger press and movement. Try it sometime.


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[CCT125US]

I will on occasion, visualize the hammer falling on my V3 as it does in dry fire. It keeps me from thinking of the recoil and yanking the shot. Wish I would have done this a few more times this weekend...

[gtmtnbiker98]

I will on occasion, visualize the hammer falling on my V3 as it does in dry fire. It keeps me from thinking of the recoil and yanking the shot. Wish I would have done this a few more times this weekend...

For some strange reason, I can relate to this - wish I could visualize Todd not being to my right at the sound of the timer. I shot today like I stepped off the "short bus."

[BaiHu]

John Murphy taught me a drill where you, with a loaded pistol, squeeze the trigger just to the breaking point and then back off. You will inevitably have discharges. But the drill is to get you to really pay attention to the trigger press and movement. Try it sometime.


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Nice tip!

[bdcheung]

Nice tip!

The really fascinating part is seeing what happens to your group sizes when you're trying not to fire the gun.