Guns 2012-08.pdf - Jeffersonian

STORY: Massad Ayoob
Trigger Control
Part V: The Back to Basics Series
Trigger control is a non-negotiable key to accurate
shots, and there are different ways to accomplish it,
at different speeds. The first World Champion of Combat
Pistol Shooting, Ray Chapman, was one of my mentors. He
famously said, “Pistol shooting is simple… it just isn’t easy.”
In all the years since I was privileged to work with him, I’ve
never seen anything to credibly contradict his statement.
If you ever saw my video
StressFire, Part I, Handgun, you
heard me say trigger control was
“the heart of the beast” in terms of
getting good hits under pressure with
a pistol or revolver. I haven’t seen
anything lately to contradict that,
either.
Once the firearm is aligned with
the target, we need to bring the
trigger straight back without exerting
pressure in any direction that will
deviate the muzzle from point-ofaim,
until the shot “breaks.” Over the
years, lots of folks have experimented
with “staging” the trigger, a 2-step
event in which the finger first takes
up most of the trigger’s movement,
and then performs a second,
separate press to break the shot. It
sounded great in theory, but doesn’t
have a great history in practice. We
in the gun world all seem to agree
that once the decision to fire the shot
has been made, the exact instant of
the shot should come as a surprise,
so we don’t subconsciously say to
ourselves, “Now!” and convulsively
jerk the trigger, pulling the muzzle—
and the shot—away from where we
intended it to hit.
In earlier segments of this “back
to basics” series, we’ve talked about
grasp, trigger finger placement, etc.
At the moment, we’re talking about
that simple-but-not-easy rearward
press of the trigger that allows the
shot to fire while the gun is aligned
with what we want to hit.
Three Approaches
Bearing in mind that under stress
we experience vasoconstriction, a
redirection of blood flow away from
the extremities and into the major
muscle groups and internal organs, it
has long been understood fine motor
coordination will go down the toilet,
but physical strength will increase
to levels we just can’t duplicate in
training. We have to keep this in
mind when we consider how we’ll
fire a handgun at the range, or at a
match, versus in defense of human life
including our own under predictably
high stress. Let’s look at three ways to
“pull a trigger.”
Trigger slap is generally considered
the mark of the rank amateur. The
shot is fired… you can almost hear
the psychic scream of “Eek! It went
bang!” … and the finger flies forward
away from the trigger, occasionally
bouncing off the front of the
triggerguard. Now, for the next shot, it
comes back with impact, and jerks the
muzzle violently off target, causing a
bad hit at best and a miss at worst.
However, there is such a thing as a
“controlled trigger slap.” You can see
Bill Wilson doing it, back when he was
a kick-butt pistol champion before
he devoted himself to gunmaking,
in ESPN videotapes of Bianchi Cup
from the 1980s. World champion Rob
Leatham pioneered the controlled
trigger slap on close, fast targets
in matches where hundredths of a
second distinguished the winner.
However, Rob is also famous for
using a 1-pound trigger pull 1911 in
competition, a trigger pull he himself
has publicly admitted one would have
to be nuts to have on a self-defense
pistol.
“Riding the link,” also known as
“riding the sear,” is at the opposite
end of the trigger pull bell curve.
When “riding the link,” (above) the finger
comes just far enough forward from the last
shot to feel the trigger “reset.” Daylight
between finger and trigger show “slap” (below)
about to take place. Useful very close and
fast, but the technique is hard to learn to do
with control.
Developed for match shooting, this is
a technique in which we allow the auto
pistol’s trigger to come just far enough
forward to reset the sear. In theory—
and in calm coolness—it’s a great idea.
Unfortunately, it’s incompatible with
that whole “fight or flight response”
thing and the vasoconstriction: stressnumbed
fingers will no longer have
the fine motor coordination to bring
the trigger exactly so far forward, and
no farther. I’ve seen world champions
try to do this and blow it—the trigger
not coming far enough forward to
reset—and futilely pull on something
that wasn’t ready to be pulled yet.
They lost their matches. On the street,
they might have lost their lives.
Trigger weld is the third option,
which at least from the defensive side
of things seems to make the most
sense. Allow the trigger to return
all the way forward—which is “do-
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