Proper trigger pull and shooting technique

[A/1-61]

A long long time ago I took a shooting course through CMP with a friend, which was in conjunction with purchasing an M1 for a whopping $126.00-- a very good one which I still have. A command sergeant major from Fort Devens taught the 6-hour classroom with 2 hours at a 200/600-yard range at the Reading Rifle Club. We were taught a shooting position called sitting/prone. While sitting cross-legged you swung your upper torso groundward so that your left elbow and chest actually touched the ground. Of course I was 40 years old then. If I tried to do that now at 76, I probably would dislocate multiple joints.
I took two full pages of notes that day which I still have and is in front of me right now. As I read through it, I see terms like lollipop, line of white, navy, and frame; all site pictures to use in different types of weather. And there are other phrases-- like, lights up, sites up. I am glad that I wrote it all down because I would have forgot three quarters of it. I still have the original copy and I probably read it a thousand times over the years. That course is what got me into long-range shooting. That, and registering a two MOA shot group at 600 yds with steel sights really hooked me. Taking a course like that cannot be beat.

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[A/1-61]

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These two photos are my notes from 40 years ago if you can decipher with chicken scrawl

 

[Shane Lindsey]

How 'bout the guy on the firing line next to you with some Gawd-Awful .338 Macho Mag

I am one of those dudes "compensating" with my macho mag doing ladders, so I guess maybe I stick to the sling shot

 

[Bravo 4]

Define perfect practice.

Not being a smart Alec but It means exactly what it sounds like, applying proper fundamentals. The last 4 1/2 years of my career (retired 4 months ago) I ran one of the two accredited Army Sniper Schools. I've train over 1,000 Snipers from four branches, 99% of who have never fired a precision weapon. One thing that I learned is that if those fundamentals aren't executed properly then you leave accuracy and precision on the table. You can get by with consistently doing something in bad form, but again, you're leaving potential on the table. I didn't even want the students to dry fire on their own until they proved they had it down with the instructors.
In the past couple years I had 2 self proclaimed pro PRS shooters (I say that as I took them at their word) come through the course, and they were some of the worst students I had. They failed graded event 1 on more than one rifle qualification. They had some of those training scars they had to overcome. Now they would mop the floor with me at a competition, so I'm not totally knocking them.
If you don't have someone to watch you, film yourself and see where you're at.

 

[YZ-80]

I am one of those dudes "compensating" with my macho mag doing ladders, so I guess maybe I stick to the sling shot

HAAA! It's like that bumper sticker: "Nice truck….sorry about your *****. LOL!!

 

[hesse]

After 30 years of construction you lose some feeling in you r hands that is huge when trying to run lighter trigger pulls feeing the take up and the wall (that is in my pistol more than rifles). That is why I have switched a lot of my triggers to timney 's so they feel the same no matter which brand of gun it's in it has helped

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

The bullet travels so fast from the time the primer is ignited. powder ignited and bullet leaving the case and traveling to the end of the barrel say a 24". But the other factors are involved with twist rate, groves, bullet so let's just leave that out and make it simple with just velocity of say 3,000fps.


To answer your question, we can use the formula for time, t = d/s, which means time equals distance divided by speed1. In this case, the distance is 24 inches, which is equivalent to 2 feet, and the speed is 3,000 feet per second. Therefore, the time it takes for the bullet to travel 24 inches is:
�=��=23000=0.00067 secondst=sd=30002=0.00067 seconds
This means the bullet travels 24 inches in less than a millisecond!

The most critical part of firing a rifle or any other firearm is the position of the firearm barrel to the target.
If you shake/Jerk the firearm while in the process of the ignition of the cartridge and take the direction of the barrel off course of the target it will most likely miss.
BUT if you can hold the sights on target from when you start your finger on the trigger to ignite the cartridge within a "Millisecond" you should be just fine.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I use 2 distinct styles due to injuries to my shooting finger. For comp work with a trigger set at less than 2 ounces, I pinch the trigger between the trigger and trigger bow. For hunting off a bi-pod, I use the crease of my finger due to the pad being very badly scarred and loss of feeling, for general hunting/stalking I employ the 'snap' method of trigger pull which is coincided sliding the finger across the trigger and squeezing firmly at the same time. It is very successful for me, as most of my shots are taken at running game.

Cheers.

 

[Mike Matteson]

One of the drills we use with my daughter, is I have a bore sight it is a sightmark I believe that is magnetic, this is attached to the barrel of an unloaded rifle, set up a target about 15-25 yards, when she pulls the trigger and uses good breathing and a smooth trigger pull the laser does not move on the target. When her breathing is off or her pull is jerked or is not smooth,the laser on the target will move, if the technique is real bad sometimes the laser sight would fall off of the barrel. This really helped her with the muscle memory and getting and keeping a sight picture., while pulling a rifle trigger. I do the same when I get a new rifle and/or new scope or if I change the scope of an existing rifle before I go out, and if I haven't gone to the range in a while. I am surprised how with my bad neck and back how I can use bad technique now if I don't check myself.

Interesting!

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Not being a smart Alec but It means exactly what it sounds like, applying proper fundamentals. The last 4 1/2 years of my career (retired 4 months ago) I ran one of the two accredited Army Sniper Schools. I've train over 1,000 Snipers from four branches, 99% of who have never fired a precision weapon. One thing that I learned is that if those fundamentals aren't executed properly then you leave accuracy and precision on the table. You can get by with consistently doing something in bad form, but again, you're leaving potential on the table. I didn't even want the students to dry fire on their own until they proved they had it down with the instructors.
In the past couple years I had 2 self proclaimed pro PRS shooters (I say that as I took them at their word) come through the course, and they were some of the worst students I had. They failed graded event 1 on more than one rifle qualification. They had some of those training scars they had to overcome. Now they would mop the floor with me at a competition, so I'm not totally knocking them.
If you don't have someone to watch you, film yourself and see where you're at.

No offense taken.

I understand what you're saying. It's synonymous with what every coach for any sport/activity deals with its experienced pupils that have learned elsewhere.

So, you're implying one needs to seek professional training to become a better marksman at long range shooting? Not arguing, just seeking clarification on your opinion.

For me to shoot consistently at 1500 yards confidently, perhaps precessional help is warranted for me. I don't shoot those distances for hunting though. Nor do I plan to attempt harvesting big game at such distances. I guess I'd need to shoot that far to find out how bad I am. Honestly, I'd probably beat my head against the wall for a while trying to figure it out before seeking help.

What distances did you see bad techniques start to really impact your students, on average?

 

[FireFlyFishing]

The bullet travels so fast from the time the primer is ignited. powder ignited and bullet leaving the case and traveling to the end of the barrel say a 24". But the other factors are involved with twist rate, groves, bullet so let's just leave that out and make it simple with just velocity of say 3,000fps.


To answer your question, we can use the formula for time, t = d/s, which means time equals distance divided by speed1. In this case, the distance is 24 inches, which is equivalent to 2 feet, and the speed is 3,000 feet per second. Therefore, the time it takes for the bullet to travel 24 inches is:
�=��=23000=0.00067 secondst=sd=30002=0.00067 seconds
This means the bullet travels 24 inches in less than a millisecond!

The most critical part of firing a rifle or any other firearm is the position of the firearm barrel to the target.
If you shake/Jerk the firearm while in the process of the ignition of the cartridge and take the direction of the barrel off course of the target it will most likely miss.
BUT if you can hold the sights on target from when you start your finger on the trigger to ignite the cartridge within a "Millisecond" you should be just fine.

I think there is something to this. When I take a shot, I mentally think of a follow through.

When I first started shooting archery, follow through on my shot really made a difference on my groups. Although I learned how to shoot a rifle way before a bow, I later transposed the follow through mantra over to my shooting sports world and it did make a positive impact (pun intended).

 

[Bravo 4]

No offense taken.

I understand what you're saying. It's synonymous with what every coach for any sport/activity deals with its experienced pupils that have learned elsewhere.

So, you're implying one needs to seek professional training to become a better marksman at long range shooting? Not arguing, just seeking clarification on your opinion.

For me to shoot consistently at 1500 yards confidently, perhaps precessional help is warranted for me. I don't shoot those distances for hunting though. Nor do I plan to attempt harvesting big game at such distances. I guess I'd need to shoot that far to find out how bad I am. Honestly, I'd probably beat my head against the wall for a while trying to figure it out before seeking help.

What distances did you see bad techniques start to really impact your students, on average?

Bad technique produces bad results immediately. Ever seen a .5 moa rifle shot by a 2-3 moa shooter? Bad fundamentals up close produce even poorer results as range increases. I started the guys off on the first day at 100 yards just working on position, execution, and follow through.
Yes I would advise seeking professional instruction, why not lay the foundation at the onset of one's adventure into shooting?
However not all professionals are equal. I've seen some establishments, both military and civilian, that I thought was an absolute sheet show.
Now I'm not saying I'm the best at anything, I've been shooting and instructing for many years and would never call myself an expert. However I am a believer in "amateurs practice till they get it right; professionals practice till they can't get it wrong". And since I still get it wrong sometimes, that makes me an amateur.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Bad technique produces bad results immediately. Ever seen a .5 moa rifle shot by a 2-3 moa shooter? Bad fundamentals up close produce even poorer results as range increases. I started the guys off on the first day at 100 yards just working on position, execution, and follow through.
Yes I would advise seeking professional instruction, why not lay the foundation at the onset of one's adventure into shooting?
However not all professionals are equal. I've seen some establishments, both military and civilian, that I thought was an absolute sheet show.
Now I'm not saying I'm the best at anything, I've been shooting and instructing for many years and would never call myself an expert. However I am a believer in "amateurs practice till they get it right; professionals practice till they can't get it wrong". And since I still get it wrong sometimes, that makes me an amateur.

Fair enough. I guess I take it for granted I grew up with a rifle in my hand and seat at my dad's loading bench. Perhaps I was lucky enough to start correctly?

I see your point clearly now. Yeah, 2-3 MOA shooter is in need of help! And bad technique is no bueno either. You're right, you need to be able to crawl before you can walk or run.

That being said, once you're past the crawl phase, getting out shooting will always help you get better for whatever your intended end goal is.

Part of learning as an adult is learning to be humble. Conceding to breaking a bad habit to try something different can be difficult but oftentimes necessary to break through a plateau. I'm picturing in my mind your PRS student example and know exactly what you're talking about.

 

[C-130 Dude]

One of the drills we use with my daughter, is I have a bore sight it is a sightmark I believe that is magnetic, this is attached to the barrel of an unloaded rifle, set up a target about 15-25 yards, when she pulls the trigger and uses good breathing and a smooth trigger pull the laser does not move on the target. When her breathing is off or her pull is jerked or is not smooth,the laser on the target will move, if the technique is real bad sometimes the laser sight would fall off of the barrel. This really helped her with the muscle memory and getting and keeping a sight picture., while pulling a rifle trigger. I do the same when I get a new rifle and/or new scope or if I change the scope of an existing rifle before I go out, and if I haven't gone to the range in a while. I am surprised how with my bad neck and back how I can use bad technique now if I don't check myself.

Ditto on neck and back causing bad techniques.