The quest for accuracy for those new to guns and the shooting sports can be somewhat like King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail in the old Monte Python movie. You know what you’re looking for, but the path to getting there can be fraught with peril and less-than-stellar results.
If there’s one thing that can increase your accuracy quickly and permanently, it is ensuring a proper trigger pull, actually more of a “press,” that keeps your sights lined up on the target when the shot is taken and the few milliseconds afterward.
Pull, Squeeze, Jerk Or Press?
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Whatever you choose to call it, the way you press the trigger back to release the firing pin and touch of a shot, whether with rifle or pistol, is very important. I like to call it a press, because what you are actually doing is pressing the trigger rearward while keeping your sights on the target.
In a nutshell, an accurate shot occurs when the shooter has the gun held steadily with the sights right on the target and squeezes the trigger straight back without moving the sights off the targeted spot. Pulling the trigger to one side or the other results in moving the sights or scope off sight, leading to an inaccurate shot. The only way to accomplish accuracy is to squeeze the trigger straight back while keeping the sights on the target.
That’s not always easy, as most shooters can attest. If it was, there would be way more accurate shooters than inaccurate shooters. But judging from many of the shooters I see at my local range, that’s not the case. What many of them are coming up short on is their skill in manipulating the trigger.
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Factors For A Better Press
Perhaps most important is finger placement. Simply put, how you place your finger on the trigger affects how straight you can pull the trigger rearward.
Some try to use the tip of their trigger finger, while others like to get their finger all the way into the trigger guard and place their finger on the trigger somewhere between the first and second knuckle. I’ve found that the flat spot about halfway between the fingertip and the first knuckle gives me the best chance for a perfect trigger squeeze whether shooting a rifle or a pistol.
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Not anticipating recoil is another factor that will help you get a better trigger pull or squeeze. If you close your eyes and flinch right as you are pulling the trigger, you’re not going to hit your mark. When my kids began hunting deer with me, I taught them a lesson that has served them, and me, well. I told them to hold their crosshairs on the deer right where they wanted the bullet to hit it and squeeze the trigger without taking their eyes off the crosshairs and that spot after the shot. Concentrating on keeping their eye open and on the targeted spot helped them make a much better trigger pull without flinching.
Finally, while breath control might not seem related to trigger pull, if you squeeze the trigger while the sights are jumping around on the target because of heavy breathing, you’ll likely miss your mark. The best method I’ve found is to inhale deeply, exhale about half of it, hold there and slowly squeeze the trigger. Of course, if you’re in a hurry for whatever reason, this might not be possible. But at the range or when hunting, doing so will help afford you a better trigger pull.
Wrap Up
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Ultimately, working on trigger press will help shooters—both inexperienced and seasoned—become more accurate in the long run. One of the best ways to perfect your trigger pull is dry-fire practice.
However, in doing so you have to be 100% sure your gun is unloaded, both the chamber and the magazine. When you are completely sure it is unloaded, check again to be positive. Then when doing your dry-fire practice, be sure you’re always pointing the unloaded gun in a safe direction just to be sure you’re completely safe.
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