Shootin' Left

[rvb]

Step 1: Align your sights properly.
Step 2: Pull the trigger without disrupting your sights.

I do only have the tip of my finger on the trigger.

He already admitted he is placing his finger on the trigger "properly."

And step 2 requires pulling the trigger straight to the rear w/o any lateral force applied as the shot breaks. If a change in grip and/or finger placement facilitates that (and therefore Step 2 is achieved consistently), then it is certainly a valid solution.

He stated where he is putting his finger on the trigger. That's doesn't necessarily mean it's proper or he's meeting the goal above. The reason we read so many ideas about "where" is the perfect place is because it's going to be different for everyone, so long as they pull the trigger straight back.

Anecdotal evidence: Last summer I was working to improve accuracy w/ my ipsc open gun. While shooting 75 yd groups and 75 yd bill drills, I found I could tighten my groups significantly w/ a very minor change in finger placement. At 1/10th that distance it's "negligable," but the results didn't lie.

It's reasonable to say that you can get "adequate" accuracy especially for short-range high-speed/stress shooting w/o perfect trigger placement. And as experienced is gained it becomes easier to adapt the mechanics to pulling the trigger straight back and not disturbing the sights. But it's a crawl-walk-run thing. And I don't think that means the fundamentals can be totally ignored.

This isn't to say that trigger placement is definitely the problem. Could be lots of things. But I can't dismiss it. In fact, it seems like a reasonable starting point to help him learn to accomplish Step 2.

-rvb

 

[sloughfoot]

Funny, I was shooting with my favorite brother-in-law this last Saturday with his new Glock 19. He was shooting at 9 o'clock with his pistol. I emptied a mag with his pistol that was centered at 10 yards.

With a not quite reset trigger, it was obvious to him that he was anticipating recoil and pushing the pistol, hence the shots to the left. He was really pushing....

I recommended dry fire practice in his home. And a pro training course to get him up to speed.

Love ya Mikey

 

[TFin04]

I recommended dry fire practice in his home.

Let's see how many friends I make with this one...

Dry fire will never fix flinch issues.

Flinching is 100% a mental problem, not a physical one. We are trying to fight recoil before it starts, so we push the gun. When you dry fire, you unload, check for clear, check again, move to another room without ammo, check again, line up your sights, check again, then start to practice. Your brain KNOWS the gun is unloaded, you have no reason to flinch.

I think we've all heard the "But I dry fire at home and I press the trigger PERFECTLY!" Put some of those little recoil makers in there and things change drastically.

To identify a flinch issue, we need the shooters brain to THINK the gun is loaded, but for it to be unloaded to watch the front sight move due as they break the shot. From there we can work into things to abate the flinch issues.

Dry fire serves its purpose, it can be useful for a lot of training, but trigger control is not one of them.

 

[rvb]

Dry fire will never fix flinch issues.

agreed.

Dry fire serves its purpose, it can be useful for a lot of training, but trigger control is not one of them.

Disagree.
Trigger control is a lot more than flinching. Many trigger control issues can be worked out in dryfire. Grip, grip pressure, trigger reset, trigger pull, sight alignment, watching the sights through the shot, timing the trigger pull with aligning the gun (draws/transitions), and I'm sure more if I thought about it can all be practiced in dryfire.

-rvb

-rvb

 

[dak109]

Okay I goota ask... a lot of talk of pushing left. When I shoot single action (revolver) pretty good. I shoot double action low left. Am I anticipating recoil, or does a firmer grip to accomadate heavyier trigger pull come into play. Or is it something totally different?

 

[obijohn]

In deference to the above posters, I would say that any of us would have to observe you shooting to tell for sure. Given that, i suspect you are pulling the trigger with your whole hand. Try lifting your little finger off of the grip and concentrate on depressing the trigger straight back. I have a tendency to do this with a revolver if i haven't worked with one in a while.

Okay I goota ask... a lot of talk of pushing left. When I shoot single action (revolver) pretty good. I shoot double action low left. Am I anticipating recoil, or does a firmer grip to accomadate heavyier trigger pull come into play. Or is it something totally different?

 

[TFin04]

Disagree.
Trigger control is a lot more than flinching. Many trigger control issues can be worked out in dryfire. Grip, grip pressure, trigger reset, trigger pull, sight alignment, watching the sights through the shot, timing the trigger pull with aligning the gun (draws/transitions), and I'm sure more if I thought about it can all be practiced in dryfire.

You are correct, 'trigger control' was the wrong phrase to use. I meant flinching/anticipating/PIP/whatever today's catch phrase is.

 

[FordMan79]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I found someone that teaches NRA type classes and we are going to out for a half day and see if we can get it dialed in.

 

[TFin04]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I found someone that teaches NRA type classes and we are going to out for a half day and see if we can get it dialed in.

Cool.

Let us know what drills he has you do and any other suggestions he makes (and when he makes them) and what worked/didn't work for you.