Become a Better Trigger-Puller — Trigger Techniques Analyzed
Do you occasionally get completely unexplained flyers, or have a shot land straight down at 6 O’Clock, right below your point of aim? That could be caused by poor or inconsistent trigger technique. How you pull the trigger can and does affect your accuracy.
Many gun enthusiasts start with pistols. When they later start shooting rifles they may carry over some not-so-good practices acquired from shooting handguns with heavy 4 to 6-pound trigger pulls. You may want to “re-learn” your trigger techniques to get better rifle results.
Shooting Sports USA has a good article on trigger technique that offers many useful tips. That article also has many helpful illustrations, including the one shown above. Another illustration shows different types of trigger shoes (straight vs. curved) and explains how each makes a difference: “With a lightly curved trigger, the shooter’s finger can contact the trigger either high or low according to preference. Higher contact will increase the resistance.” READ ARTICLE HERE.
The article analyzes common errors, such as pulling the trigger with the very tip of the finger rather than the pad of the index finger: “Using the tip of the finger can lead to lateral pressure on the trigger, which throws off the shot.”
The article also explains that you should check your trigger regularly to make sure it is functioning properly and is not out of adjustment: “Just like any other moving part, the trigger can suffer from wear. In such a precise mechanism, tiny amounts of wear can cause major problems.”
The ergonomics of the Eliseo Tubegun allow a nice, straight trigger pull.
Trigger Tips
Six Suggestions for Making your Trigger Control More Consistent.
1. If your triggers are adjustable, set the pull weight appropriate to the discipline. For a hunting rifle, you don’t want an ultra-light trigger pull. For High Power, you may want a two-stage pull, while on a Benchrest rifle you may prefer a very light trigger.
2. If you have a two-stage trigger, experiment with different combinations of First Stage and Second Stage.
3. Have a friend watch you as you pull the trigger, and maybe even take a close-up video as you pull the trigger. This can reveal a variety of flaws.
4. Practice dry-firing to see if flaws in trigger technique are causing gun movement.
5. As an experiment, try pulling the trigger with your middle finger. Ergonomically, the middle finger has a more straight alignment with the tendons in your hand. This exercise can help you identify alignment issues with your index finger.
6. For stocks with adjustable Length of Pull you may want to set the LOP differently for bench shooting vs. prone or F-Class shooting.
The Bix’N Andy trigger is one of the very best you can buy. It can be fitted with a variety of trigger shoes according to shooter preference.
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Tags: Bix'n Andy, Eliseo Tubegun, F-Class, Shooting Skills, Shooting Sports USA, SSUSA, trigger, Two-Stage Trigger
Great article. I agree with everything but the sketch of trigger hands at the beginning and the accompanying explanation. Try this. Hold your hand in the position shown and try to move your index finger’s first joint independently without moving the second joint. While you are at it notice where the majority of the angular change is, and the limit of your first joints movement, in that position. The rest is perfect.
Seems like this article makes a good case for a trigger that is adjustable fore and aft.
Get it far enough forward and you will pull back straight.
Too far back and you will pull to the right… for a RH shooter.
Too far forward would push to the left.
wrong picture of finger. end of the finger and first knuckle are not at that sharp angle, so if you want to push triiger in straight direction, grip on the stock should be much more short distance to the trigger and maybe also not in straight line / not ambidextrous to left or right side.