How do you "pull the trigger?"

[getitdone1]

You read that you should always be surprised when the "gun goes off." Well...if you're surprised when the sights or crosshairs are off the mark you are not going to hit where you want to hit.

So how do you pull the trigger? Intentionally, or let it surprise you?

Me: I anticipate as the sights get close to the "bullseye" and intentionally pull the trigger--and I don't want to have to pull very hard. Timing: eye, brain trigger finger coordination.

Don

[pwl44m]

U must be Young cause when U get old U caint get all those to agree much less coordinate.lol Breathe - squeeze

[mikld]

cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze, hold it, hold it, squeeze, pant, cough, pant...

[Tycer]

I don't think, just do. I practice with the worst trigger imaginable. Daisy Red Ryder.

[J Miller]

Me and the Marlin.JPG

Like that.
Seriously, I get my sights aligned on target and began pulling the trigger.
"IF" I am surprised at the discharge 99.9% of the time it's a miss.

Joe

[Terry Murbach]

I NEVER EVER " PULL THE TRIGGER."

I PRESS THE TRIGGER STRAIGHT TO THE REAR. THE WEIGHT OF THE TRIGGER MEANS NOTHING. THE FIREARM WILL FIRE WHEN THE SEAR BREAKS AT A TIME UNKNOWN TO ME AND IN 1/10 OF A SECOND IF NEED BE.

[AJMD429]

Depends on the gun, and what I'm trying to hit.

• a) Semiauto plinking at a bouncing pop-can - pull trigger repeatedly and point gun in general direction of target
  
  b) Bench-shooting a Savage Accutrigger or Contender or Encore or other 'tuned' gun - take up whatever slack there is and poise just before the 'fire' point, be sure crosshairs are the center of the gnat's left gonad, then gently pull that last bit
  
  c) Most levergun shooting - take up the main slack, and since I probably won't know exactly where the 'fire' point is, just squeeze another increment each time the sights are wobbling past the target. Sooner or later it will 'surprise' me, but hopefully when the gun is actually aimed at the target.

All three seem to work reasonably well. Nothing I really formally studied, as much as just 'evolved' over the years.

[Nath]

I use my finger, found it works best

N.

[Chuck 100 yd]

It depends on the situation,Benchrest rifle ,(mine have 1 1/2 oz. Jewell triggers) I often shoot free recoil. Only part of my body touching the rifle is my index finger on the trigger and thumb backing up the trigger guard. Kinda pinching off the shot.

On hunting rifles and shotguns I pull the trigger when the sight is on the mark. Kinda like a squeeze only deliberately done.

Target shooting with a rifle or handgun offhand, I do much like you and just try to let it go when on target.

I have been told you can get a couple extra hundred feet per second out of a rifle if ya jerk the trigger hard enough.

[rodeo kid]

Nath, you are a bum. You stole my line, I was about to say: "With my finger" when I read your post. Shame on You!

[antilley]

Depends on the gun, and what I'm trying to hit.

• a) Semiauto plinking at a bouncing pop-can - pull trigger repeatedly and point gun in general direction of target
  
  b) Bench-shooting a Savage Accutrigger or Contender or Encore or other 'tuned' gun - take up whatever slack there is and poise just before the 'fire' point, be sure crosshairs are the center of the gnat's left gonad, then gently pull that last bit
  
  c) Most levergun shooting - take up the main slack, and since I probably won't know exactly where the 'fire' point is, just squeeze another increment each time the sights are wobbling past the target. Sooner or later it will 'surprise' me, but hopefully when the gun is actually aimed at the target.

All three seem to work reasonably well. Nothing I really formally studied, as much as just 'evolved' over the years.

I spit out my coffee....... the wobble on the levergun shooting was too much.

[GonnePhishin]

Is that kind of like I never take a dump, but leave one?

[KirkD]

I NEVER EVER " PULL THE TRIGGER."

I PRESS THE TRIGGER STRAIGHT TO THE REAR. THE WEIGHT OF THE TRIGGER MEANS NOTHING. THE FIREARM WILL FIRE WHEN THE SEAR BREAKS AT A TIME UNKNOWN TO ME AND IN 1/10 OF A SECOND IF NEED BE.

I cannot think of a better way to sum it up than what Terry said above. It works, whether I am shooting my original Winchester '76 with a real hard trigger, or some other gun with a light trigger. I'm talking about offhand shooting.

[getitdone1]

I use my finger, found it works best

N.

Nath,

You gotta be kidd'in!

Seriously. There's a guy on Youtube without arms. I think a Vet who lost his arms in the military. He shoots a semi-auto with his feet and toes. And, he also loads the magazine with his feet and toes!

Sorry I can't direct you to this but am sure someone here could.

Edit: Type "Michael shoots his 45 with his feet" in the YouTube search box. Amazing!

Don

[getitdone1]

I NEVER EVER " PULL THE TRIGGER."

I PRESS THE TRIGGER STRAIGHT TO THE REAR. THE WEIGHT OF THE TRIGGER MEANS NOTHING. THE FIREARM WILL FIRE WHEN THE SEAR BREAKS AT A TIME UNKNOWN TO ME AND IN 1/10 OF A SECOND IF NEED BE.

Terry,

Yeah Terry but they don't call it trigger press.

Don

[bcraig]

I dont want the trigger break to come as a suprise to me anymore than I want the brakes on my vehicle to come as a suprise to me . I press,squeeze, pull the trigger(whatever the terminology is you prefer) when I want the firearm to go off.I put the sights on what I want to hit and dont hesitate a second and fire the gun. This takes a LOT of practice (at least it did for me)as the urge for the bullet to go PRECISELY where I wanted it was hard to overcome. Then I figured out to aim at one hair but not be dissapointed if it hit the next hair over(still clean kill on deer sized game), ! Too much hesitation and not knowing when the gun is gonna go off will cost you game . I am not talking about pulling your gun to your shoulder and blindly pulling the trigger but instead as soon as your sights are aligned with the target area pull the trigger, none of this steady pressure until it breaks at an unknown time mess for me. I also dont care if the trigger breaks like a glass rod or not,too easy of a trigger will cost you game also as it too will go off when you aren,t expecting it ! All an individuall thing of course Ie whether its too light or too heavy will vary from person to person but as far as I am concerned if you dont know when its going off it aint right.
I want to control my trigger and my shot and not the other way around.YMMV
Craig

[Griff]

If I'm squeezing the trigger, generally I'm squeezing the grip... and can never be assured that the sights will be aligned. When target shooting offhand, I have always concentrated more where the shot needs to go, than on sight alignment, and somehow, that shot goes off when I see the sights swing thru the target. There's some sorta connect between the eyes and the trigger...

Speed shooting is a whole other game... With the handgun there's not much difference, as my grip is pretty steady with only the off thumb moving, but the rifle my trigger hand is moving constantly operating the lever and trying to get my grip and trigger finger realigned. With the shotgun, it's all about keeping the stock tight to the shoulder, even thru the dump, drop and slappin' the barrels back up. If done right, the barrels come up aligned to the eye, and then it's swing, bang, swing, bang and start over. Getting that smooth movement from the front trigger to the rear without causing the shot to go early is all the dry fire practice is about. As a 5-time World Champion SASS shooter told me... slow is smooth, smooth is fast!

Trying to go fast is counter-productive, trying to be smooth requires slow, and ends up fast. Counter-intuitive, but if you've played a speed game, you probably know it's true. As my old shooting coach (bullseye) told me... "see where you want the hole to appear, the sights will align themselves... you'll know when to break the shot, don't think, just do. Your brain remembers what a proper sight and target alignment looks like, it'll tell your finger when to do it's job." I could never fill the "X" count, but often shot perfect scores with a median "X" count. That's often not enough to win, but it's enough to pressure the other guy into making a mistake.

[rjohns94]

exactly what Terry said is how I was taught and teach others.