The 1-2-3-4 Shooting Process and Trigger Control
One of the most challenging things for experienced and inexperienced shooters
alike is to remember and bring together all the fundamentals of shooting for
accurate hits and do this quickly in a self-defense situation, range shoot,
competition, combat encounter, or even casual plinking. Usually we have a very
limited amount of time to recall, focus on, and implement the basics, especially
if we are involved in high-speed defensive or combat shooting for self-defense.
So our tendency while learning and practicing is to speed up and go fast through
the fundamentals. Perhaps, overlooking some basics or spending a very limited
amount of time on certain key ones, thus neglecting proper concentration on
important techniques that directly affect our accuracy. But this is precisely
what we do NOT want to do when initially learning, applying and practicing the
shooting basics. Initially, we must go SLOW, have a PLAN for focusing on the fundamentals, and be Deliberate with a Process when learning and practicing SPECIFIC skills and techniques, rather than just throw lead down range. We can always speed up
later when our skill and comfort levels improve. I see this a lot in new shooters; the tendency to hurry and rush the shot as if to quickly get it over with, rather than deliberately focusing on the guiding principle for the fundamental and having a specific guideline or routine process or checklist to guide them. Like Vince Lombardi the famous football coach said “You can’t be successful or improve in anything you do without focusing on the basic
fundamentals.”
While there is no one best UNIVERSAL shooting grip, stance, sight alignment,
sight picture, trigger control, hold control, follow through, etc., there are
definite fundamentals and techniques that CAN be learned and CAN be applied to
improve accuracy. Some “Experts” disagree on what even the basics really are,
let alone how to apply them. The bottom line is what really works for YOU; but a
big caution is to be open and receptive to different approaches, techniques, and
basics, so you can have options and determine what does work for yourself. So it
is best to take the time up front and learn the fundamentals with an experienced
and successful firearms instructor and then decide for yourself by practicing
them. Spend the time to do this, rather than having to unlearn some bad habits
and techniques and relearn optimal ones later. The real gold-standard
test for this is your actual ACCURACY, even if it goes against the
accepted fundamental standard or shooting association’s recommended practice.
However, be OPEN to what experienced and successful instructors and shooters
have to say and consider your options. Think it through and discover what works
for YOU and do it consistently.
Don’t
keep changing among various grips, stances, techniques, etc. based on the latest
expert’s in-vogue idea or theory. I have had some students say after one brief
class session that the “two-thumbs down range grip is not for me because it
feels uncomfortable or expert ‘X’ doesn’t recommend it.” However, I always ask
that they give it a chance over some range practices and take their time, then
select one, and stay with it IF it leads to better accuracy. You can always
change later if you note consistent decreases in accuracy. An example that comes
to mind is me. I know the accepted basic technique is to shoot with both eyes
open. The NRA and my instructor friends even say that it is best to keep BOTH
EYES OPEN while aiming, as more light is available to the eyes, depth perception
and peripheral threat vision is usually better, and facial contortions and
muscle tension are usually reduced or eliminated. It is usually quicker for a
defensive encounter to shoot with both eyes open to stop the threat. As some
argue, maybe even repeated shots in the same center mass location on the bad guy
are not even optimal for maximum damage in a close-up encounter. But, if I have
time for distance shots especially and want precision and consistent bullseye
hits, I will close my non-dominant eye and carefully aim. This works for ME, but
decide for yourself. For close-up defensive shooting I may, however, want a
quick two shots to center mass and not be as concerned with very precise (kill)
hits, but just to STOP the threat. I am constantly practicing this and have a
way to go for my improvement. Of course, I believe concentration should always
be on the front sight. Some even disagree with this; so there are other
considerations for your decisions. Keep in mind that the initially
quickest method on target isn’t always best for long-term, sustained success and
precise target hits, depending on your goal and situation. So, given
your goal, distance, type of event or scenario, firearm type, and existing
situational awareness factors, the gold-standard test is the desired bullet
strike(s) on the target or threat and desired precision.
I have had some students tell me that even after considerable practice they
could not acquire the front sight (or had extreme difficulty doing so) with both
eyes open and if they did, they were consistently off from their intended point
of impact. It was too confusing for their brain to clearly sort out the images.
Of course, a lot of factors could affect this, like usually being right eye
dominant, but at near distances being left eye dominant, having other medical or
physiological concerns, or not practicing thoroughly and frequently. I recall
one concerned shooter whose left eye was nearsighted and whose right eye was
farsighted. Shooters who are farsighted (hyperopia) see things at a distance
more easily than they see things up close. If you are farsighted, close objects
may be so blurry that you can’t adequately hit your nearby intended point of
impact, with one or two eyes open. A farsighted eye sees things differently than
an eye that is not farsighted. So there are many factors that affect personal
aiming and one or two eyes being open. You must be aware of your personal
factors, decide for yourself, and then practice.
For me, I have learned that I am much more accurate in various situations if
I shoot with my dominant eye open and my support eye closed. I always shoot this
way, no matter what the distance, event or situation and have found it to work
for me, albeit I am not a Doug Koenig, Rob Leatham, or Max Michel. I do know
that Consistency equals Accuracy. I have proven this to myself
and others that this is especially true while learning and applying Trigger
Control. Our goal should be to learn the fundamentals and gradually speedup our
progress through them and with the shots we take. Don’t rush your shots
initially in your learning process for long-run success in retaining proper
fundamentals and for accurate target hits. This is so easy to say, but I find
myself rushing through the fundamentals so quickly sometimes and hurrying to
take my shot. So I needed a simple guiding process that I could remember and
recall quickly to help me focus and apply key basics to be more accurate. Thus
was born my easy-to-remember 1-2-3-4 Process for Shooting… or my over-simplified
Checklist. It’s simple, easy to remember, and works for me and many of my
students, so I offer it to you for just your consideration. Try it and I hope it
helps you also. More to follow below.
While ALL shooting fundamentals are important, if I had to pick (and I
wouldn’t want to do this because I might neglect the others) to me the most
important basics would be Sight Alignment and Trigger Control. Of course, the
GOAL of the accurate shooter must be to learn to align the
sights properly (vertically and horizontally) and keep them on the target (Sight
Picture), while at the same time smoothly and consistently pressing the trigger
straight back with little movement until the gun discharges. This seemingly very
routine and easy (but very challenging) foregone conclusion and process must
occur in high speed defensive shooting, various self-defense scenarios,
plinking, competition, and in range practice sessions. Naturally, the time it
takes to complete the process is compressed in combat, competition, or defensive
shooting. Recognize that even if a shooter has a perfect Sight Picture for a
shot, if his/her Trigger Control is poor enough to pull the sights off target
when the trigger is pressed, he/she will miss the shot, and more often than not,
by quite a bit. On the other hand, if one’s Trigger Control is perfect but their
Sight Alignment/Sight Picture is a little off, the shot will very likely still
hit the target, although it might be in the 9 ring instead of the 10 ring. So I
use a simple Checklist approach when shooting to help me focus on the most
important of the fundamentals… sight alignment and trigger control. Again, I
call it my 1-2-3-4 Process for Shooting.
Assuming (BIG assumptions) we have decided on our particular Grip and know
its fundamentals, Stance and know its fundamentals, Aiming, Sight Alignment
& Sight Picture, know to hold and when to hold our Breath, can control our
trigger and movements, and Follow Through appropriately, let’s focus on the
1-2-3-4 Process, a very important checklist for focusing on the two most
important fundamentals, sight alignment and trigger control. I use it and teach
it to my students. My 1-2-3-4 Shooting Process consists of
these 4 steps each time I fire my firearm. I say “1-2-3-4″ to myself, knowing
that I want to:
As I have become more proficient and practice more, I speedup my time moving
from step to step, being very careful NOT to especially rush the fourth step… to
me the most important Basic… PRESS and control of the trigger. Now usually I go
very quickly and automatically through the 1-2-3 steps, but still say them to
myself to remind me of their importance.
4 Focus Factors in Trigger Control
The fourth step is very important, so there are (at least) 4 focus
factors in Trigger Control to help with our Accuracy:
(1) Trigger Finger Contact: The middle of the first “pad” of
the shooter’s index finger should contact the center of the face of the trigger.
It is also acceptable for the contact to be to the end of the first pad or to
the first crease or joint of the trigger finger, but NOT on the very tip or
beyond the first crease toward the second crease. The shooter’s trigger finger
length, the type of gun action (e.g. double action vs. single action), personal
preference, proven accuracy hits, and other factors determine the optimum
contact point for the shooter’s contact point on the trigger. So, the contact
point varies. For my personal finger length and preference for single-action
pistols, I mostly use the middle of the first pad of my trigger
finger. However, for a double-action gun you might get more leverage if
the contact is at the first crease or joint of the trigger finger. Decide for
yourself, again with accuracy being your gold standard. For certain, the trigger
finger should not touch the frame of the gun. Ideally, the only place the
trigger finger should contact the pistol is on the face of the trigger.
Correct Finger Placement on the trigger is dependent on the type of
trigger action (single, double, double-single, etc.) you are operating.
The placement should allow you to press straight to the rear without any lateral
deviation in pressure. Also, placing too much of the finger or not placing
enough finger on the trigger will cause your shots to hit laterally on the
target. Such extremes in placement will cause you to exert pressure to the side
as well as the rear with resulting poor target hits. Too LITTLE trigger finger
usually results in left side and high target hits. Too MUCH trigger finger
results in right side and high hits. While tightening fingers (milking) or
jerking the trigger usually results in left side and low hits. Tightening the
grip while pressing the trigger, results in right side and low hits.
Trigger Finger Contact
Some triggers are easier to operate than others, but they all can usually be
managed with enough training. With single action triggers (e.g.
my Browning Hi-Power, CZ 75B SAO, Springfield EMP,1911s- Colt, Kimber) the
middle area of the first pad of the finger seems to be more effective for me.
When using a Glock, M&P, Springfield, and striker-fired pistols, the area
between the pad and the first joint will usually allow me the best control and
better accuracy, given the half-cock feature. It varies, so determine this for
yourself. Generally, if you are using a double-action firearm
(e.g. my Ruger SR9 and Ruger LCR), you must usually place much more finger on
the trigger in order to provide the leverage necessary to operate the heavier
trigger press. For these double-action firearms shooters, the area at the first
joint (or even slightly just above the first joint) will be more effective.
While this is controversial and varies by individual, try the different finger
placements to decide for yourself.
(2) Pre-Travel or Slack: Semi-automatic pistols have
“slack”, “takeup”, or “pre-engagement travel” built into their
actions. Some more than others. This Pre-Travel is a slight rearward movement in
the trigger, prior to the actual trigger press occurring and before the Sear
moves and the gun fires. The Sear is the part of the trigger
mechanism which holds the hammer or striker back until the correct amount of
pressure has been applied to the trigger; at which point the hammer or striker
is released to discharge the firearm. The shooter can feel a distinct difference
in the amount of trigger finger pressure needed to take up the slack as opposed
to that pressure needed to make the gun go bang. My H&K P30 DAO has a very
long pre-travel that I must definitely practice with, but the 4.5 psi Lite LEM
V1 trigger press accuracy makes up for it. It is very different from the Single
Action short and light presses of my M&Ps, 1911s, Sig P238, CZ 75B-SAO,
Browning Hi-Power, and Springfield EMP with between 4-4.5 psi presses and short
pre-travels. As the sight picture is acquired with my P30, the trigger finger
contacts the trigger initially and moves backward to remove the slack. The slack
is taken up BEFORE the actual trigger press, so that the trigger finger can feel
the trigger press resistance.
Pre-Travel or Slack
Double-action revolver triggers (like my Ruger LCR) do not have Slack in
them, but there are considerations for them in the process. It is important with
the revolver to move the trigger all the way to the rear to fire the gun, then
let it roll back all the way out before starting on the next trigger press. The
revolver trigger must go all the way forward or you can skip a chamber or even
lock up the action, called “short stroking.” The double-action trigger should be
pressed all the way to the rear in one smooth, non-interrupted motion, then
allowed to roll forward all the way.
(3) Trigger Press: This is a very key part of the trigger
action and directly influences Accuracy. I constantly work on my mine. The
action is not a trigger pull, squeeze, or jerk, but rather a controlled distinct
press straightback of the trigger in a smooth,
continuous, non-intermittent motion. There is no “stop-and- go” action,
the pressure applied is steady and uniform, and the only thing that moves on the
trigger hand is the trigger finger itself. All other fingers and the hand should
be kept still with a locked wrist, without any milking or squeezing motion.
Since it is natural for all fingers to move and close together, one must focus
on keeping all fingers but the trigger finger from moving. This movement of
other fingers is called “Milking the Trigger” and results in
low misses on the target. For right handers, the misses are usually low and
left, with the opposite occurring for lefties. So, be on the lookout for this
error. As the lower fingers tighten their natural grip, the muzzle of the barrel
is pulled downward (usually at the very last second) as the gun fires. Often we
do not even know that we are doing this. Instead, we want to “press” only the
trigger, with steady rearward pressure. We hold the gun firmly with our strong
hand and fire it with our trigger finger moving smoothly straightback with
ONLY the Trigger Finger moving. Most new shooters hit low and
left of the bullseye and want to blame the firearm. It is difficult to accept,
but the problem is not the firearm, the problem is the shooter. I’ve seen this
many times, so don’t sell or return your firearm and don’t mess with the sights!
The factory sights of most modern firearms are usually correct, probably 99% of
the time. Accurate shooting is most likely fine with one hand. When you point
your pistol using a normal two hand hold, your natural muscle reflexes try to
compensate, thus you will be hitting low and left. To help this if you are right
handed, rotate your right hand on the grip slightly to the left (clockwise). Now
aim with a two-hand hold and it will help you hit the bullseye. Another cause
for low and left shooting is that your gun grip could be too big for your hand.
The solution could be to get another firearm with smaller grips or change them
if you have different backstraps.
Another press tip that I learned from a tactical sniper was that he intensely
focuses on moving ONLY the first joint of his trigger finger, keeping the second
joint as straight as possible. This helps me, but is difficult to do
consistently. The accurate shooter must learn to use the trigger finger
independently of the rest of the fingers and hand while maintaining a constant,
consistent, unchanging grip on the pistol. When enough pressure is applied to
the trigger to disengage the sear, the gun fires. So easy to say, but difficult
for me to do consistently.
Surprise Break
A “Surprise Break” of the trigger is a good thing, since we
do not want to anticipate the recoil or flinch. To accomplish
the “Surprise Break” in training, first align the sights with the target and
establish an appropriate Sight Picture. Next, focus visually on the front sight
only while building constant, smooth pressure on the trigger until eventually
the pistol fires by surprise. An important point is that the “break” of the
trigger is not specifically expected by the shooter. He/she knows that it is
going to break and is continuing constant pressure on the trigger. However,
he/she does not know the exact instant when it will occur and you should not. If
the shooter anticipates the break, or forces it to occur, he/she will invariably
bear down on the weapon causing movement and flinching at the final moment of
the shot. Sometimes not even realizing that he/she is doing this. Believe me I
know this from experience. Thus the movement will cause the shot to go astray
and be inaccurate. It’s not enough to know this; you have to practice it.
By mentally focusing your attention on the top edge of the FRONT sight while
you press the trigger, you will be concentrating so much on alignment and Sight
Picture with the front sight that when that trigger pressure is sufficient to
cause the gun to fire, you will be surprised. Your attention will be on the
Front Sight and not on the “bang” that just happened; a genuine surprise
break.
In a combat situation where you must act quickly and not have the luxury of
as much time as you want to press the trigger, you still should not overlook or
deviate from the surprise break process. By spending time practicing and
developing muscle memory, you become accustomed to this procedure and will not
require a great amount of time to align, focus, and press the trigger. It should
happen very quickly and naturally. Through regular practice, you will develop
the muscle memory necessary to press the trigger in the same manner each time
and experience the surprise break, but you will do it in less time.
(4) Reset Point: Once the gun fires, the shooter must
maintain contact with the trigger and gradually release the finger from the
trigger and place it safely back on the frame of the gun. Keep your finger off
of the Trigger until you have eyes and sights on your target! Many new shooters,
however, have the tendency to quickly take (jerk) their finger completely off
the trigger the instant the gun fires and this must be overcome. While you need
to keep your finger off of the Trigger and on the frame when eyes and sights are
NOT on the target, there may be a second target/bad guy that requires an
immediate follow-up shot. As soon as the shooter sees the front sight begin to
lift, the bullet has exited the barrel and is in flight to the target. The
shooter can no longer do anything to affect that shot, so he/she should maintain
his/her follow through for a subsequent shot IF necessary. If not necessary
after your scan and eyes are not on a threat, place your finger on the frame of
the gun. After the shot, the first step is to relax the trigger finger’s
pressure just enough to let the trigger return forward to its Reset point. That
is normally a really short distance and there is usually an audible and tactile
“click” when the trigger resets. Sometimes in the heat of “battle” you may not
hear the click. I can usually feel the reset click. Generally, there is
no need to let the trigger go farther forward than the Reset point.
(However, some disagree with this.) Once the trigger is reset, the shooter can
begin working on the delivery of the next shot.
M.T. Rayburn, S&W Pistol Adjunct Instructor with 29 years of LEO
experience, has a controversial view of Trigger Control and says “Trigger
Control may be important to target shooting skills, but not to the type of
shooting we do as law enforcement officers. As police officers we are combat
shooters, or at least we better be.” He says the leading problem is anticipating
the recoil of the firearm, resulting in a Pre-Ignition Push
(PIP), just before the ignition of the powder in the bullet, as the
shooter pushes the front of the gun downward at the same time he pulls the
trigger rearward. Further he says a number of firearms instructors have
misdiagnosed this problem as poor trigger control, stating that the shooter “is
not properly controlling the even, smooth pull of the trigger.” He says it may
be misdiagnosed as a trigger control issue when it is a
“heeling” problem where the shooter pushes the gun upward with
the heel of his hand and the front of the handgun gets pushed up when flinching
and anticipating recoil. First, you have to “recognize that the PIP problem is
all in your head, nowhere else,” he says. You’ve subconsciously developed this
“flinch” which results in the gun being pushed off target. You have to tell
yourself, and be convinced, that you’re not going to do it. Rayburn says that
“if you have to, just before you pull the trigger, tell yourself repeatedly that
you’re not going to anticipate the recoil of the firearm. You have to believe
that as long as you’re holding the gun properly and pointing it in the right
direction, you’re not going to get hurt by the recoil, no matter how big of a
bang the gun makes” he says.
Ball & Dummy Drill
To help correct the anticipation, the shooter should perform what’s called
the “Ball & Dummy Drill.” Take two or three magazines and
mix live rounds with dummy rounds or snap caps. Many people use the terms
interchangeably, but they are different. Generally, a Snap cap will have a
spring mechanism that will take the strike of the firing pin and cushion the
strike. A-Zoom are the only ALL metal snap caps I am aware of and seem to last a
long time… about 2-3,000 or so dry fires. Tipton also makes a bright red snap
cap, as do others.
NOTE: Dummy Rounds
usually do NOT have a spring mechanism and are inert training rounds
used for action checks, feeding, and ejection and extraction drills. They are
usually made of metal, like aluminum. Snap caps are usually
plastic or another material and are made to cushion the firing pin when it falls
when storing or dry-firing a gun. Dummy Rounds, and specifically military dummy
rounds, look like real ammunition and have a real bullet or
very similar-looking one in a different bright color seated in the case. The
case may have “ribs” length-wise along the side (to show it’s a dummy) and
NO PRIMER (and of course, NO POWDER inside.)
These are meant for cycling, loading & unloading firearms and for training
the proper way to load and work the firearm controls, but NOT for any kind of
dry-firing. If you’re going to be pressing the trigger in practice, get the
Snap-Caps, not the Dummy Rounds.
Probably best to let a shooting friend load the magazine for you so you will
not know the sequence of live to snap caps or dummy rounds. Don’t peak at how it
is being loaded. Make sure the rounds are mixed up when loading by placing one
live, one dummy, two live, one dummy, etc. The first round loaded into the
magazine should be a live one, since this allows the slide to lock back on an
empty magazine. The ratio of dummy or snap caps to live rounds needs to be
greatly skewed towards more dummy or snap caps to develop a good fundamental
trigger press… moving the trigger straight to the rear while not disturbing the
sights. Now mix the magazines up so you don’t know which ones are loaded which
way. To accomplish the same task with a revolver, you can either randomly mix
Snap Caps in with live ammunition in the cylinder or you can randomly leave a
few empty holes where ammunition would ordinarily go. Before you close the
cylinder, close your eyes and gently rotate the cylinder. Close the cylinder
without looking, so that you do not know how the ammunition is lined up in your
gun.
Once you’ve done this, place a magazine in your gun and begin firing
one round at a time or start firing your revolver. When you get to the dummy or
snap cap round, if you have a flinching or PIP problem, you’ll see the gun dip
or pushed off to one side or the other or heel up. If this occurs, practice
mentally telling yourself that you’re not going to anticipate the recoil.
Continue the Ball and Dummy Drill until you’ve conquered your trigger control
and flinching problem.
Another challenging drill to help with trigger control is to balance
a dime on the top of your handgun just behind the front sight
and practice dry firing to determine whether or not you are
applying smooth, straight-back trigger press pressure. If the dime remains
through dry firing, then the shooter must be providing a good stable platform
and the correct trigger press. At first this is difficult to do, but you’ll be
amazed at how quickly you can master it. The you can challenge yourself with a
bigger coin, e.g. nickel or quarter.
Well, I hope my simple 1-2-3-4 Shooting Process and trigger control ideas
will help you. I am still working on my fundamentals and recognize that practice
and consistency equals improved accuracy. Continued SUCCESS!
One of the most challenging things for experienced and inexperienced shooters
alike is to remember and bring together all the fundamentals of shooting for
accurate hits and do this quickly in a self-defense situation, range shoot,
competition, combat encounter, or even casual plinking. Usually we have a very
limited amount of time to recall, focus on, and implement the basics, especially
if we are involved in high-speed defensive or combat shooting for self-defense.
So our tendency while learning and practicing is to speed up and go fast through
the fundamentals. Perhaps, overlooking some basics or spending a very limited
amount of time on certain key ones, thus neglecting proper concentration on
important techniques that directly affect our accuracy. But this is precisely
what we do NOT want to do when initially learning, applying and practicing the
shooting basics. Initially, we must go SLOW, have a PLAN for focusing on the fundamentals, and be Deliberate with a Process when learning and practicing SPECIFIC skills and techniques, rather than just throw lead down range. We can always speed up
later when our skill and comfort levels improve. I see this a lot in new shooters; the tendency to hurry and rush the shot as if to quickly get it over with, rather than deliberately focusing on the guiding principle for the fundamental and having a specific guideline or routine process or checklist to guide them. Like Vince Lombardi the famous football coach said “You can’t be successful or improve in anything you do without focusing on the basic
fundamentals.”
While there is no one best UNIVERSAL shooting grip, stance, sight alignment,
sight picture, trigger control, hold control, follow through, etc., there are
definite fundamentals and techniques that CAN be learned and CAN be applied to
improve accuracy. Some “Experts” disagree on what even the basics really are,
let alone how to apply them. The bottom line is what really works for YOU; but a
big caution is to be open and receptive to different approaches, techniques, and
basics, so you can have options and determine what does work for yourself. So it
is best to take the time up front and learn the fundamentals with an experienced
and successful firearms instructor and then decide for yourself by practicing
them. Spend the time to do this, rather than having to unlearn some bad habits
and techniques and relearn optimal ones later. The real gold-standard
test for this is your actual ACCURACY, even if it goes against the
accepted fundamental standard or shooting association’s recommended practice.
However, be OPEN to what experienced and successful instructors and shooters
have to say and consider your options. Think it through and discover what works
for YOU and do it consistently.
Don’t
keep changing among various grips, stances, techniques, etc. based on the latest
expert’s in-vogue idea or theory. I have had some students say after one brief
class session that the “two-thumbs down range grip is not for me because it
feels uncomfortable or expert ‘X’ doesn’t recommend it.” However, I always ask
that they give it a chance over some range practices and take their time, then
select one, and stay with it IF it leads to better accuracy. You can always
change later if you note consistent decreases in accuracy. An example that comes
to mind is me. I know the accepted basic technique is to shoot with both eyes
open. The NRA and my instructor friends even say that it is best to keep BOTH
EYES OPEN while aiming, as more light is available to the eyes, depth perception
and peripheral threat vision is usually better, and facial contortions and
muscle tension are usually reduced or eliminated. It is usually quicker for a
defensive encounter to shoot with both eyes open to stop the threat. As some
argue, maybe even repeated shots in the same center mass location on the bad guy
are not even optimal for maximum damage in a close-up encounter. But, if I have
time for distance shots especially and want precision and consistent bullseye
hits, I will close my non-dominant eye and carefully aim. This works for ME, but
decide for yourself. For close-up defensive shooting I may, however, want a
quick two shots to center mass and not be as concerned with very precise (kill)
hits, but just to STOP the threat. I am constantly practicing this and have a
way to go for my improvement. Of course, I believe concentration should always
be on the front sight. Some even disagree with this; so there are other
considerations for your decisions. Keep in mind that the initially
quickest method on target isn’t always best for long-term, sustained success and
precise target hits, depending on your goal and situation. So, given
your goal, distance, type of event or scenario, firearm type, and existing
situational awareness factors, the gold-standard test is the desired bullet
strike(s) on the target or threat and desired precision.
I have had some students tell me that even after considerable practice they
could not acquire the front sight (or had extreme difficulty doing so) with both
eyes open and if they did, they were consistently off from their intended point
of impact. It was too confusing for their brain to clearly sort out the images.
Of course, a lot of factors could affect this, like usually being right eye
dominant, but at near distances being left eye dominant, having other medical or
physiological concerns, or not practicing thoroughly and frequently. I recall
one concerned shooter whose left eye was nearsighted and whose right eye was
farsighted. Shooters who are farsighted (hyperopia) see things at a distance
more easily than they see things up close. If you are farsighted, close objects
may be so blurry that you can’t adequately hit your nearby intended point of
impact, with one or two eyes open. A farsighted eye sees things differently than
an eye that is not farsighted. So there are many factors that affect personal
aiming and one or two eyes being open. You must be aware of your personal
factors, decide for yourself, and then practice.
For me, I have learned that I am much more accurate in various situations if
I shoot with my dominant eye open and my support eye closed. I always shoot this
way, no matter what the distance, event or situation and have found it to work
for me, albeit I am not a Doug Koenig, Rob Leatham, or Max Michel. I do know
that Consistency equals Accuracy. I have proven this to myself
and others that this is especially true while learning and applying Trigger
Control. Our goal should be to learn the fundamentals and gradually speedup our
progress through them and with the shots we take. Don’t rush your shots
initially in your learning process for long-run success in retaining proper
fundamentals and for accurate target hits. This is so easy to say, but I find
myself rushing through the fundamentals so quickly sometimes and hurrying to
take my shot. So I needed a simple guiding process that I could remember and
recall quickly to help me focus and apply key basics to be more accurate. Thus
was born my easy-to-remember 1-2-3-4 Process for Shooting… or my over-simplified
Checklist. It’s simple, easy to remember, and works for me and many of my
students, so I offer it to you for just your consideration. Try it and I hope it
helps you also. More to follow below.
While ALL shooting fundamentals are important, if I had to pick (and I
wouldn’t want to do this because I might neglect the others) to me the most
important basics would be Sight Alignment and Trigger Control. Of course, the
GOAL of the accurate shooter must be to learn to align the
sights properly (vertically and horizontally) and keep them on the target (Sight
Picture), while at the same time smoothly and consistently pressing the trigger
straight back with little movement until the gun discharges. This seemingly very
routine and easy (but very challenging) foregone conclusion and process must
occur in high speed defensive shooting, various self-defense scenarios,
plinking, competition, and in range practice sessions. Naturally, the time it
takes to complete the process is compressed in combat, competition, or defensive
shooting. Recognize that even if a shooter has a perfect Sight Picture for a
shot, if his/her Trigger Control is poor enough to pull the sights off target
when the trigger is pressed, he/she will miss the shot, and more often than not,
by quite a bit. On the other hand, if one’s Trigger Control is perfect but their
Sight Alignment/Sight Picture is a little off, the shot will very likely still
hit the target, although it might be in the 9 ring instead of the 10 ring. So I
use a simple Checklist approach when shooting to help me focus on the most
important of the fundamentals… sight alignment and trigger control. Again, I
call it my 1-2-3-4 Process for Shooting.
Assuming (BIG assumptions) we have decided on our particular Grip and know
its fundamentals, Stance and know its fundamentals, Aiming, Sight Alignment
& Sight Picture, know to hold and when to hold our Breath, can control our
trigger and movements, and Follow Through appropriately, let’s focus on the
1-2-3-4 Process, a very important checklist for focusing on the two most
important fundamentals, sight alignment and trigger control. I use it and teach
it to my students. My 1-2-3-4 Shooting Process consists of
these 4 steps each time I fire my firearm. I say “1-2-3-4″ to myself, knowing
that I want to:
- ONE- ALIGN front and rear sights (vertically and
horizontally); - TWO- Focus ONLY on the FRONT sight;
- THREE- Hold your BREATH; and
- FOUR- PRESS the trigger (straight-back, smoothly, not
stop-and-go, & ONLY trigger finger moves.)
As I have become more proficient and practice more, I speedup my time moving
from step to step, being very careful NOT to especially rush the fourth step… to
me the most important Basic… PRESS and control of the trigger. Now usually I go
very quickly and automatically through the 1-2-3 steps, but still say them to
myself to remind me of their importance.
4 Focus Factors in Trigger Control
The fourth step is very important, so there are (at least) 4 focus
factors in Trigger Control to help with our Accuracy:
(1) Trigger Finger Contact: The middle of the first “pad” of
the shooter’s index finger should contact the center of the face of the trigger.
It is also acceptable for the contact to be to the end of the first pad or to
the first crease or joint of the trigger finger, but NOT on the very tip or
beyond the first crease toward the second crease. The shooter’s trigger finger
length, the type of gun action (e.g. double action vs. single action), personal
preference, proven accuracy hits, and other factors determine the optimum
contact point for the shooter’s contact point on the trigger. So, the contact
point varies. For my personal finger length and preference for single-action
pistols, I mostly use the middle of the first pad of my trigger
finger. However, for a double-action gun you might get more leverage if
the contact is at the first crease or joint of the trigger finger. Decide for
yourself, again with accuracy being your gold standard. For certain, the trigger
finger should not touch the frame of the gun. Ideally, the only place the
trigger finger should contact the pistol is on the face of the trigger.
Correct Finger Placement on the trigger is dependent on the type of
trigger action (single, double, double-single, etc.) you are operating.
The placement should allow you to press straight to the rear without any lateral
deviation in pressure. Also, placing too much of the finger or not placing
enough finger on the trigger will cause your shots to hit laterally on the
target. Such extremes in placement will cause you to exert pressure to the side
as well as the rear with resulting poor target hits. Too LITTLE trigger finger
usually results in left side and high target hits. Too MUCH trigger finger
results in right side and high hits. While tightening fingers (milking) or
jerking the trigger usually results in left side and low hits. Tightening the
grip while pressing the trigger, results in right side and low hits.
Trigger Finger Contact
Some triggers are easier to operate than others, but they all can usually be
managed with enough training. With single action triggers (e.g.
my Browning Hi-Power, CZ 75B SAO, Springfield EMP,1911s- Colt, Kimber) the
middle area of the first pad of the finger seems to be more effective for me.
When using a Glock, M&P, Springfield, and striker-fired pistols, the area
between the pad and the first joint will usually allow me the best control and
better accuracy, given the half-cock feature. It varies, so determine this for
yourself. Generally, if you are using a double-action firearm
(e.g. my Ruger SR9 and Ruger LCR), you must usually place much more finger on
the trigger in order to provide the leverage necessary to operate the heavier
trigger press. For these double-action firearms shooters, the area at the first
joint (or even slightly just above the first joint) will be more effective.
While this is controversial and varies by individual, try the different finger
placements to decide for yourself.
(2) Pre-Travel or Slack: Semi-automatic pistols have
“slack”, “takeup”, or “pre-engagement travel” built into their
actions. Some more than others. This Pre-Travel is a slight rearward movement in
the trigger, prior to the actual trigger press occurring and before the Sear
moves and the gun fires. The Sear is the part of the trigger
mechanism which holds the hammer or striker back until the correct amount of
pressure has been applied to the trigger; at which point the hammer or striker
is released to discharge the firearm. The shooter can feel a distinct difference
in the amount of trigger finger pressure needed to take up the slack as opposed
to that pressure needed to make the gun go bang. My H&K P30 DAO has a very
long pre-travel that I must definitely practice with, but the 4.5 psi Lite LEM
V1 trigger press accuracy makes up for it. It is very different from the Single
Action short and light presses of my M&Ps, 1911s, Sig P238, CZ 75B-SAO,
Browning Hi-Power, and Springfield EMP with between 4-4.5 psi presses and short
pre-travels. As the sight picture is acquired with my P30, the trigger finger
contacts the trigger initially and moves backward to remove the slack. The slack
is taken up BEFORE the actual trigger press, so that the trigger finger can feel
the trigger press resistance.
Pre-Travel or Slack
Double-action revolver triggers (like my Ruger LCR) do not have Slack in
them, but there are considerations for them in the process. It is important with
the revolver to move the trigger all the way to the rear to fire the gun, then
let it roll back all the way out before starting on the next trigger press. The
revolver trigger must go all the way forward or you can skip a chamber or even
lock up the action, called “short stroking.” The double-action trigger should be
pressed all the way to the rear in one smooth, non-interrupted motion, then
allowed to roll forward all the way.
(3) Trigger Press: This is a very key part of the trigger
action and directly influences Accuracy. I constantly work on my mine. The
action is not a trigger pull, squeeze, or jerk, but rather a controlled distinct
press straightback of the trigger in a smooth,
continuous, non-intermittent motion. There is no “stop-and- go” action,
the pressure applied is steady and uniform, and the only thing that moves on the
trigger hand is the trigger finger itself. All other fingers and the hand should
be kept still with a locked wrist, without any milking or squeezing motion.
Since it is natural for all fingers to move and close together, one must focus
on keeping all fingers but the trigger finger from moving. This movement of
other fingers is called “Milking the Trigger” and results in
low misses on the target. For right handers, the misses are usually low and
left, with the opposite occurring for lefties. So, be on the lookout for this
error. As the lower fingers tighten their natural grip, the muzzle of the barrel
is pulled downward (usually at the very last second) as the gun fires. Often we
do not even know that we are doing this. Instead, we want to “press” only the
trigger, with steady rearward pressure. We hold the gun firmly with our strong
hand and fire it with our trigger finger moving smoothly straightback with
ONLY the Trigger Finger moving. Most new shooters hit low and
left of the bullseye and want to blame the firearm. It is difficult to accept,
but the problem is not the firearm, the problem is the shooter. I’ve seen this
many times, so don’t sell or return your firearm and don’t mess with the sights!
The factory sights of most modern firearms are usually correct, probably 99% of
the time. Accurate shooting is most likely fine with one hand. When you point
your pistol using a normal two hand hold, your natural muscle reflexes try to
compensate, thus you will be hitting low and left. To help this if you are right
handed, rotate your right hand on the grip slightly to the left (clockwise). Now
aim with a two-hand hold and it will help you hit the bullseye. Another cause
for low and left shooting is that your gun grip could be too big for your hand.
The solution could be to get another firearm with smaller grips or change them
if you have different backstraps.
Another press tip that I learned from a tactical sniper was that he intensely
focuses on moving ONLY the first joint of his trigger finger, keeping the second
joint as straight as possible. This helps me, but is difficult to do
consistently. The accurate shooter must learn to use the trigger finger
independently of the rest of the fingers and hand while maintaining a constant,
consistent, unchanging grip on the pistol. When enough pressure is applied to
the trigger to disengage the sear, the gun fires. So easy to say, but difficult
for me to do consistently.
Surprise Break
A “Surprise Break” of the trigger is a good thing, since we
do not want to anticipate the recoil or flinch. To accomplish
the “Surprise Break” in training, first align the sights with the target and
establish an appropriate Sight Picture. Next, focus visually on the front sight
only while building constant, smooth pressure on the trigger until eventually
the pistol fires by surprise. An important point is that the “break” of the
trigger is not specifically expected by the shooter. He/she knows that it is
going to break and is continuing constant pressure on the trigger. However,
he/she does not know the exact instant when it will occur and you should not. If
the shooter anticipates the break, or forces it to occur, he/she will invariably
bear down on the weapon causing movement and flinching at the final moment of
the shot. Sometimes not even realizing that he/she is doing this. Believe me I
know this from experience. Thus the movement will cause the shot to go astray
and be inaccurate. It’s not enough to know this; you have to practice it.
By mentally focusing your attention on the top edge of the FRONT sight while
you press the trigger, you will be concentrating so much on alignment and Sight
Picture with the front sight that when that trigger pressure is sufficient to
cause the gun to fire, you will be surprised. Your attention will be on the
Front Sight and not on the “bang” that just happened; a genuine surprise
break.
In a combat situation where you must act quickly and not have the luxury of
as much time as you want to press the trigger, you still should not overlook or
deviate from the surprise break process. By spending time practicing and
developing muscle memory, you become accustomed to this procedure and will not
require a great amount of time to align, focus, and press the trigger. It should
happen very quickly and naturally. Through regular practice, you will develop
the muscle memory necessary to press the trigger in the same manner each time
and experience the surprise break, but you will do it in less time.
(4) Reset Point: Once the gun fires, the shooter must
maintain contact with the trigger and gradually release the finger from the
trigger and place it safely back on the frame of the gun. Keep your finger off
of the Trigger until you have eyes and sights on your target! Many new shooters,
however, have the tendency to quickly take (jerk) their finger completely off
the trigger the instant the gun fires and this must be overcome. While you need
to keep your finger off of the Trigger and on the frame when eyes and sights are
NOT on the target, there may be a second target/bad guy that requires an
immediate follow-up shot. As soon as the shooter sees the front sight begin to
lift, the bullet has exited the barrel and is in flight to the target. The
shooter can no longer do anything to affect that shot, so he/she should maintain
his/her follow through for a subsequent shot IF necessary. If not necessary
after your scan and eyes are not on a threat, place your finger on the frame of
the gun. After the shot, the first step is to relax the trigger finger’s
pressure just enough to let the trigger return forward to its Reset point. That
is normally a really short distance and there is usually an audible and tactile
“click” when the trigger resets. Sometimes in the heat of “battle” you may not
hear the click. I can usually feel the reset click. Generally, there is
no need to let the trigger go farther forward than the Reset point.
(However, some disagree with this.) Once the trigger is reset, the shooter can
begin working on the delivery of the next shot.
M.T. Rayburn, S&W Pistol Adjunct Instructor with 29 years of LEO
experience, has a controversial view of Trigger Control and says “Trigger
Control may be important to target shooting skills, but not to the type of
shooting we do as law enforcement officers. As police officers we are combat
shooters, or at least we better be.” He says the leading problem is anticipating
the recoil of the firearm, resulting in a Pre-Ignition Push
(PIP), just before the ignition of the powder in the bullet, as the
shooter pushes the front of the gun downward at the same time he pulls the
trigger rearward. Further he says a number of firearms instructors have
misdiagnosed this problem as poor trigger control, stating that the shooter “is
not properly controlling the even, smooth pull of the trigger.” He says it may
be misdiagnosed as a trigger control issue when it is a
“heeling” problem where the shooter pushes the gun upward with
the heel of his hand and the front of the handgun gets pushed up when flinching
and anticipating recoil. First, you have to “recognize that the PIP problem is
all in your head, nowhere else,” he says. You’ve subconsciously developed this
“flinch” which results in the gun being pushed off target. You have to tell
yourself, and be convinced, that you’re not going to do it. Rayburn says that
“if you have to, just before you pull the trigger, tell yourself repeatedly that
you’re not going to anticipate the recoil of the firearm. You have to believe
that as long as you’re holding the gun properly and pointing it in the right
direction, you’re not going to get hurt by the recoil, no matter how big of a
bang the gun makes” he says.
Ball & Dummy Drill
To help correct the anticipation, the shooter should perform what’s called
the “Ball & Dummy Drill.” Take two or three magazines and
mix live rounds with dummy rounds or snap caps. Many people use the terms
interchangeably, but they are different. Generally, a Snap cap will have a
spring mechanism that will take the strike of the firing pin and cushion the
strike. A-Zoom are the only ALL metal snap caps I am aware of and seem to last a
long time… about 2-3,000 or so dry fires. Tipton also makes a bright red snap
cap, as do others.
NOTE: Dummy Rounds
usually do NOT have a spring mechanism and are inert training rounds
used for action checks, feeding, and ejection and extraction drills. They are
usually made of metal, like aluminum. Snap caps are usually
plastic or another material and are made to cushion the firing pin when it falls
when storing or dry-firing a gun. Dummy Rounds, and specifically military dummy
rounds, look like real ammunition and have a real bullet or
very similar-looking one in a different bright color seated in the case. The
case may have “ribs” length-wise along the side (to show it’s a dummy) and
NO PRIMER (and of course, NO POWDER inside.)
These are meant for cycling, loading & unloading firearms and for training
the proper way to load and work the firearm controls, but NOT for any kind of
dry-firing. If you’re going to be pressing the trigger in practice, get the
Snap-Caps, not the Dummy Rounds.
Probably best to let a shooting friend load the magazine for you so you will
not know the sequence of live to snap caps or dummy rounds. Don’t peak at how it
is being loaded. Make sure the rounds are mixed up when loading by placing one
live, one dummy, two live, one dummy, etc. The first round loaded into the
magazine should be a live one, since this allows the slide to lock back on an
empty magazine. The ratio of dummy or snap caps to live rounds needs to be
greatly skewed towards more dummy or snap caps to develop a good fundamental
trigger press… moving the trigger straight to the rear while not disturbing the
sights. Now mix the magazines up so you don’t know which ones are loaded which
way. To accomplish the same task with a revolver, you can either randomly mix
Snap Caps in with live ammunition in the cylinder or you can randomly leave a
few empty holes where ammunition would ordinarily go. Before you close the
cylinder, close your eyes and gently rotate the cylinder. Close the cylinder
without looking, so that you do not know how the ammunition is lined up in your
gun.
Once you’ve done this, place a magazine in your gun and begin firing
one round at a time or start firing your revolver. When you get to the dummy or
snap cap round, if you have a flinching or PIP problem, you’ll see the gun dip
or pushed off to one side or the other or heel up. If this occurs, practice
mentally telling yourself that you’re not going to anticipate the recoil.
Continue the Ball and Dummy Drill until you’ve conquered your trigger control
and flinching problem.
Another challenging drill to help with trigger control is to balance
a dime on the top of your handgun just behind the front sight
and practice dry firing to determine whether or not you are
applying smooth, straight-back trigger press pressure. If the dime remains
through dry firing, then the shooter must be providing a good stable platform
and the correct trigger press. At first this is difficult to do, but you’ll be
amazed at how quickly you can master it. The you can challenge yourself with a
bigger coin, e.g. nickel or quarter.
Well, I hope my simple 1-2-3-4 Shooting Process and trigger control ideas
will help you. I am still working on my fundamentals and recognize that practice
and consistency equals improved accuracy. Continued SUCCESS!
