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Finger Position, Triggers, & Accuracy

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
Remember those diagnostic targets that were popular a decade or two ago? They advised the same thing. The question is, does it matter? Does it really? To what degree does it matter, and is it universal or maybe applies more to one weapon and one task than all of them?

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Finger Position, Triggers, & Accuracy

Does finger position matter? Can it affect accuracy? We dive in today to see how too much and too little trigger finger matters.
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My hands are too small for me to have a problem with too much finger on the trigger. My problem (mainly with my full size 1911s) is too little finger on the trigger. I have never had my finger fall off a trigger though. My SA Mil Spec is the only one that I don’t have that issue with.
 
finger placement on the trigger doesn't seem to matte much for me. whether it is just the pad of my finger or down to the knuckle joint my shots always land just left of center.
 
I’ve played with this quite a bit with handguns and I can get pretty much the same results regardless of which part of my finger I use. I prefer the pad of my finger, but as long as I’m focused on bringing the trigger straight back all is good. That being said, there are some triggers like the heavily curved triggers that CZ and HK put on some of their guns that I just can’t get comfortable with and don’t shoot as well.
 
Those "diagnostic targets" we've all seen were developed back in the days of stand-up, one-handed "bullseye" shooting at 25 and 50 yards. The writer of the article didn't shoot that way, and I'll bet most people here don't, either.
 
mikep said:
finger placement on the trigger doesn't seem to matte much for me. whether it is just the pad of my finger or down to the knuckle joint my shots always land just left of center.
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Have the same problem. I've tried changing finger positions, doesn't seem to matter. I'm thinking it's more of a grip problem. I have arthritis in both hands, my grip strength is not what it used to be.
 
Snake45 said:
Those "diagnostic targets" we've all seen were developed back in the days of stand-up, one-handed "bullseye" shooting at 25 and 50 yards. The writer of the article didn't shoot that way, and I'll bet most people here don't, either.
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Back in the day in the military shooting with one hand was how I was trained. Now I have a tendency to shake like a w**** in church. My groups are more like patterns.
 
There are no muscles in the fingers, all the muscles that control the fingers are in the hand and forearm. Grip and trigger management are thus inextricably linked. If the tissue of the trigger finger at the middle or distal phalange is in contact with the frame of the gun during the trigger pull, the tissue compresses and exerts pressure on that side of the gun, which of course moves your front sight in the opposite direction. Also, if you make a fist with your empty gun hand, you will note that your wrist turns a bit inward-it is how you are designed. Those two physical factors explain why a lot of right hand shooters tend to shoot left, vice versa for southpaws. We need to train ourselves to isolate trigger pull from all the other stuff going on in your hand and forearm in order to make the shot without disturbing the sight picture. The thumb forward grip with the support hand helps a lot, as does finger placement that does not exert pressure on the side of frame. If the gun does not fit the shooter you get an exercise in frustration because nothing will line up right.
 
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Hi!

HayesGreener said:
There are no muscles in the fingers, all the muscles that control the fingers are in the hand and forearm. Grip and trigger management are thus inextricably linked.
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Is that ever the truth.

You all know I've been struggling and practicing for a few years now trying to perfect my procedures. Using the middle of the pad on my trigger finger works great when I do everything else properly. I'm getting better at NOT gripping so tightly with my strong hand and keeping a firm grip with my off hand. This allows me to press the trigger straight back. I enjoyed the article but the explanation offered by Mr. @HayesGreener is spot on, at least in my situation. I think the better I understand this, the more accurately I will shoot. My thanks to both Mr. @Talyn and Mr. HayesGreener.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
HayesGreener said:
There are no muscles in the fingers, all the muscles that control the fingers are in the hand and forearm. Grip and trigger management are thus inextricably linked. If the tissue of the trigger finger at the middle or distal phalange is in contact with the frame of the gun during the trigger pull, the tissue compresses and exerts pressure on that side of the gun, which of course moves your front sight in the opposite direction. Also, if you make a fist with your empty gun hand, you will note that your wrist turns a bit inward-it is how you are designed. Those two physical factors explain why a lot of right hand shooters tend to shoot left, vice versa for southpaws. We need to train ourselves to isolate trigger pull from all the other stuff going on in your hand and forearm in order to make the shot without disturbing the sight picture. The thumb forward grip with the support hand helps a lot, as does finger placement that does not exert pressure on the side of frame. If the gun does not fit the shooter you get an exercise in frustration because nothing will line up right.
Click to expand...

Excellent explanation. The guy who taught me the most about pistol shooting used to have us put a BIC pen in the "Y" of our trigger hand with the tip up against the trigger finger. The exercise was about learning to curl the trigger finger back so the pen slid in a straight line. It's about putting the right amount of the pad of the trigger finger in contact so that you can increase the pressure back in a 'straight' line.
 
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