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Thread: "Press" the trigger?

  1. #1

    "Press" the trigger?

    I know this may seem kind of silly but what is all this 'press' the trigger stuff? Is this a good word choice especially for new shooters? Personally I don't think so. Think of other things you do while you press your index finger; press the button on the remote, press the elevator button, press the lid until it latches closed. Every one of those you stick your finger out and move it AWAY from you. Right off I can't think of a lot of things I do w/ my index finger only where it is moving toward me, but using my 4 fingers I; pull the rope to start the mower, I pull up on the parking brake lever, I pull the door handle to open it. In all of these my finger is moving TOWARD me and I am pulling it. So in my world, I PULL the trigger too. I assume that somewhere along the line someone felt that the word 'press' indicates a more slow, smooth movement than 'pull' does. I disagree. Press and pull tell me what direction my finger will move in and have nothing to do w/ how hard or quickly I move that finger. Instead of instructing someone to do an action to the trigger that, in virtually every other use of his finger for his whole life is the opposite of what actually needs to happen, wouldn't it be better to instruct someone to gently, or slowly, or evenly, or carefully, pull the trigger? What do you think?

  2. #2
    Site Supporter Kanye Wyoming's Avatar
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    I only know what I've been taught, which is that "press" best implants the mental picture of the gentle but firm trigger-finger-only movement necessary to avoid disturbance of the sight picture. As opposed to pull, squeeze, etc.

    I was at the range over the weekend working for a few hours with a relative newbie who was anticipating and slapping, and shooting low left. "Press the trigger" didn't seem to be registering so even though it seems to apply more to DA/SA, I suggested he focus on "rolling the trigger." That seemed to do the trick and not long afterwards he was getting fist sized 10-round groups from 5 yards, with only the occasional minor flyer, as opposed to splatter patterns before that.

  3. #3
    I think that overstressing the terminology is not productive, and I will say 'pull' or 'press' or 'stroke' or probably other things as the words roll off the tongue. My sense is that if you're just talking with other shooters, it doesn't make any difference what word you use, and if you're teaching a beginner, it matters a lot more how you show them the trigger press than what words you use to describe it--but you may find that using different words to describe it will help different people conceptualize the motion.

    But one discussion by someone who does like to really stress the terminology is Grant Cunningham's argument for using 'stroke' in his Gun Digest Book of the Revolver. There, he makes the point you make about 'press,' which seems to suggest moving something away from ourselves. He also notes that 'pull' tends to have the implication of using one's whole hand and arm. Thus, he likes 'stroke.' I dunno. I get it, and I like precision in word use myself, but it seems to me that trigger manipulation is unique, so whatever term we wind up with is a term of art anyway.
    O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason.

  4. #4
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    FFS

    Press, pull, yank, jerk, Hulksmash, or maybe even gently massage in the rearward direction.

    Who givesafuk? Do it without disturbing the sights as quickly, carefully, and as many times as necessary.
    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Kanye Wyoming View Post
    I was at the range over the weekend working for a few hours with a relative newbie who was anticipating and slapping, and shooting low left. "Press the trigger" didn't seem to be registering so even though it seems to apply more to DA/SA, I suggested he focus on "rolling the trigger." That seemed to do the trick and not long afterwards he was getting fist sized 10-round groups from 5 yards, with only the occasional minor flyer, as opposed to splatter patterns before that.
    I didn't see this before I posted my reply above, but this is a perfect example of the kind of thing I was trying to describe. Different people are going to respond differently to different words, and teaching is more a matter of figuring out how to reach the student than it is a matter of deciding ahead of time exactly what word to use.
    O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason.

  6. #6
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Words have different connotations to different people. If "press" doesn't work for Joe but works for Timmy, just try something different with Joe but let Timmy be.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  7. #7
    The better you grip the pistol, the less important it is to pick a word for describing how to move the trigger.

    I watched an archery hunter, who carries a G20 for grizzly bears in MT, hold the pistol earlier today. Big strapping guy, with a support hand grip that hardly did anything. Using his grip, the nuance of trigger manipulation would be incredibly important. Once he could bring his strength into a two hand grip, "jerk" the trigger would have worked fine.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  8. #8
    There are a number of terms that some people are pedantic about that people use in the shooting community that aren't really a big deal. I can see when people use clip instead of magazine or jam instead of stoppage but I use malfunction and stoppage back in forth. I don't see how a gun didn't malfunction if it has a fail to extract, eject or feed. If everything functioned perfectly normal then those things wouldn't happen. Even failure to fire with a bad primer. The primer malfunctioned or the striker/hammer- firing pin malfunctioned. I have had a couple really bad double feeds in an AR that required the gun to be mortared to clear. That sure could be considered a jam to a lot of people.

    Stocks vs grips on handguns. Is it a slide lock, slide release or slide catch? Mag catch or mag button or mag release? There are others but in most cases with most people as long as the point is clear the terminology is not that important. If you are teaching large groups or beginning shooters maybe being more detailed and specific initially is good. Beyond that getting upset by these things seems like a waste of time and energy.

  9. #9
    Ellifritz recently had a very good article on this very topic, worth the read:
    Coaching the Struggling Shooter



    So, let’s look at some common verbal coaching cues we give problem shooters and figure out how to express them better:

    Internal Focus– “Grip the gun using 40% with your strong hand and 60% with your weak hand.”
    External Focus– “Squeeze the grip as hard as you would shake someone’s hand with the strong hand and then squeeze your weak hand a little stronger.”

    Internal focus– “Move your trigger finger slowly.”
    External focus- “Feel the trigger move smoothly to the rear.”

    Internal focus- “Focus on the front sight”
    External focus- “Watch the front sight stay in the center of your target as you complete your trigger press."

  10. #10
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Can't add much to the above, good stuff. @Moylan had my favorite comment; after a career in building and delivering systems in Instructional System Design, what he said is absolutely perfect.

    Credit @ASH556 for the most concise response, however.

    FWIW I "press" my Glock trigger, but I "pull" my LCR.

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