Trigger Tips

The press of the trigger — if marksmanship was an animal, this would be the heart of the beast. It must come straight back, smoothly and uninterrupted if the shot is to break without pulling the muzzle and the sights off the mark. The index finger and the trigger constitute a critical interface between operator and machine. For a perfect shot, a trigger whose surface is properly configured to the task can be extremely important.

Length of Trigger Travel as Determinant

The optimum trigger format will depend largely on how far the finger has to pull it. A wide, serrated trigger has long been the choice of marksmen who shoot semiautomatic target guns or single shot pistols, which have very short trigger pulls. There is usually only a very light pressure to overcome, and the precise target shooter wants the exact instant of the shot to come by surprise. The wider trigger face better distributes the finger’s pressure, creating the felt sensation of an even lighter pull. The serrations, in theory, prevent the finger from slipping and losing its perfectly consistent placement during this very brief rearward trigger travel.

Trigger pull becomes longer and heavier as you go to more combat-oriented guns and shooting techniques. Consider the double action revolver, fired with the long, heavy pull of true double action, as opposed to being thumb-cocked for a crisp, easy single action pull. In DA shooting, the trigger travels so much farther back, the finger is likely to change its orientation, moving slightly across the surface.