The Tactical Edge – December

The Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting – Part 2

Before we start with this presentation, we need to apologize for the lateness of this posting.  Our writer and webmaster was out with a bad case of the flu for an extended period of time.  This month we are going to cover trigger control, trigger manipulation, trigger press, breathing, follow through, and recovery.

Trigger Control (also known as trigger management)

In either double action or single action mode, trigger control is defined as steady pressure exerted on the trigger straight to the rear to release the hammer and fire the weapon and immediately allowing the trigger to return, so the weapon can be fired again. Descriptive term here is a press and not a squeeze. Note the trigger finger continually maintains contact with the trigger.  When pressing the trigger, the shooter should use the tip of the index finger, with the trigger centered in the middle of the pad on the last joint of the finger. The trigger should cross the finger approximately halfway between the tip of the finger and the first joint. This should be accomplished by utilizing a smooth movement isolating the trigger finger only. All other fingers must remain still during the trigger press. Another important part of trigger control is trigger reset. Once the trigger has been fired, slowly release pressure on the trigger until an audible click is heard and felt. At this point, the shooter need not release any more pressure on the trigger to fire again. This maintains a proper sight alignment and sight picture more easily.

Trigger Press (or trigger manipulation)

This is defined as applying steady pressure directly rearward in such a fashion so as to not disturb the sight alignment or sight picture before the round fires. It doesn’t matter if you do it fast or slow. Always remember that you press or pull a trigger; you never squeeze or jerk the trigger. The trigger press consists of three parts: the slack, the press, and the follow through.

1. Slack—The shooter must first take up the slack at the beginning of the trigger movement by applying slight pressure to the trigger. The trigger will move slightly to the rear until the internal parts of the trigger mechanism come into full contact with each other, and the “softness” in the tip of the finger is eliminated.

2. Press—The trigger is then in the press portion of its movement, which is when the internal parts of the weapon are being disengaged from each other to allow the hammer to fall. The pressure should be a smooth, constant, and even pressure, applied straight to the rear so that the sights are not misaligned at the instant the hammer falls. Once the hammer begins to fall, the follow through portion of trigger control begins.

3. Follow Through—Follow through is the continued steady pressure applied to the trigger until the trigger reaches its most rearward point of travel. If the shooter does not continue to apply the constant, even pressure during follow through, it is possible that the impact of the round could move on the target, thus spoiling an otherwise good shot.

Breathing

Breathing has very little to do with action style shooting — most important in action shooting is that you breathe to reduce your stress and focus on the task. Precision shooting requires a little more. The old military BRASS-F — Breathe, Relax, Aim, Stop, Squeeze, Follow-through — is a great way to remember this. Holding your breath at any time is bad for performance. Oxygen deprivation can affect your most delicate organs in as little as four seconds and that certainly includes your eyes.

In order to maintain body movement, your breath must be held while firing a shot. “Before each shot take a breath, let enough air out so you are comfortable; hold the remaining breath while firing the shot. If you hold your breath for more than 8 seconds muscle tremors may start. The breathing process provides the body with oxygen and eliminates waste elements from the blood. Correct breathing while shooting is essential to proper body functions. A complete respiratory cycle last for 4-5 seconds (inhaling and exhaling) and between each cycle, there is a pause of 2-3 seconds.

Follow Through

This is one of the most important and least adhered to steps. Follow through means maintaining all of the fundamentals through the break of the round. Staying with the sights and following them into recoil. Follow through is easiest when you have a solid platform, good grip, and an understanding of the importance of sight alignment and sight picture. During follow through, the shooter needs to ask themselves these two questions:  Do I need to take another shot and if I do, will I hit my target? With proper follow-through you will still be able to make this shot because you will still have proper sight picture and sight alignment.

Recovery

Recovery is what you do after the shooting is over. Breathing, scanning your environment and returning to sling or your holster are part of it. Working manual safeties may also be a part of recovery. This fundamental can save your life or someone else's as it is about situational awareness. Know your environment and the potential threat it might present to you. This even includes those around you at the local shooting range.

These last two blogs have been an oversimplified discussion of the fundamentals of shooting. This will get you started on the road to becoming a good shooter but we highly recommend that you locate a good instructor and work on the details and the finesse of becoming an advanced shooter. Accurate shooting is a skill that is learned through practice and repetition. The more you do, the better you become as long as what you are practicing is the correct method.

Well that wraps up this month’s issue of the blog. We hope you’re reading it, enjoying it, and most of all benefiting from it. If you have comments, please send them to us. We love to get email. In the meantime, keep your gun clean and your powder dry and take someone to the shooting range or training class with you.