Like most shooters, I was taught to use the first pad between the tip of the finger and the first joint known as the distal interphalangeal joint. Once I became an instructor I also taught this same trigger finger placement.
Guess what? It's a myth that has been passed from one instructor to the next for years. There is no one size fits all when it comes to trigger finger placement. As a matter of fact, a shooter may use his or her first pad with one gun and then place their finger all the way to the second (proximal interphalangeal) joint on another gun. It will depend on the size of the shooters hand as well as he size and shape of the gun.
What I teach and practice now is don't worry how much trigger finger you use. Use what's comfortable for the shooter and that gun, then focus on grip and trigger pull. BTW, it is a trigger PULL, not a trigger PRESS. You pull things to you and press things away.
Here's a YouTube video I posted last year shooting with varies finger placement and the results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xh3R9UsH1I&t=20s
Don't take my word for it, go test it for yourself. Like any pyschomotor skill, reading about it or watching a video is just theory until you apply it.
Guess what? It's a myth that has been passed from one instructor to the next for years. There is no one size fits all when it comes to trigger finger placement. As a matter of fact, a shooter may use his or her first pad with one gun and then place their finger all the way to the second (proximal interphalangeal) joint on another gun. It will depend on the size of the shooters hand as well as he size and shape of the gun.
What I teach and practice now is don't worry how much trigger finger you use. Use what's comfortable for the shooter and that gun, then focus on grip and trigger pull. BTW, it is a trigger PULL, not a trigger PRESS. You pull things to you and press things away.
Here's a YouTube video I posted last year shooting with varies finger placement and the results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xh3R9UsH1I&t=20s
Don't take my word for it, go test it for yourself. Like any pyschomotor skill, reading about it or watching a video is just theory until you apply it.