Finger placement

So last night I'm shooting both the Marvel and the Ruger. The Marvel has a 3-3 1/2# (I just bent the leaf until the trigger felt right) trigger and the Ruger has a very sweet short roll 2 1/4# trigger that is so smooth it feels like a 1#. If I start my session with the Ruger, it goes better as I'm starting with the lightest trigger. My slow fires are much more on call with the Marvel. My RF is far better with the Ruger 97-4 & 99-4 (I don't normally practice TF). the Marvel was 89-2 and 92-?, primarily because of the first shot not breaking in the x (1 was a 5, 1 a 6, both at 3:00). After the first shots recoil, it seems like my finger finds its proper placement and the rest of the string go where they're supposed to. The frustrating part is that cotton pickin first shot.

I think I know the exact placement, and I place my finger there, then place the heel of the grip into the pocket and place the meaty portion of my thumb against the grip safety. Then I break the first shot and it's not where I called it.

I worked on breaking the first shot cleanly and rapidly for several sessions and thought the issue was solved,,,or not. I'll go back to some more first shot drills and work on those.

Bullseye, even when it's frustrating the heck out of me. It still beats workin!!!

Maybe rather than your finger finding the right spot after the first shot its the gun has shifted in your grip to the right spot. Just something to think about

Al,

I had alot of trouble with finger placemnt and grip last fall......it took me a yr to get my scores back to where I am now.....I just had to let my grip morph into what I now use....and Ive found that trigger finger placement doesnt mean as much as you would think....as long as your pulling to the rear smoothly.....I sorry I cant be more specific....but position your grip so your trugger finger makes no contact with the gun other than the trigger....then concintrate on pulling striaght back....thru dry fire I learned I either tightened my whole hand which torqued the gun or I jerk'd at the trigger ever so slightly....I'm finally back in the 270's and I believe grip played the biggest part in that.....another thing I failed to realize was follow thru....this may sound crazy but when may follow thru is good I can actually see the muzzle flash ....more arm tension....was my answer....I know it sounds nuts...but as least for me its working....

It took me a year, only just recently, to figure out the grip position and finger position that works for me with the 22 and 45. Right now I think I have it finalized, but I've said that before as well.
It's something I keep a very close eye on because I notice if I don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, I push all my shots to the left.

That first shot in RF is the hardest isn't it? It sets the tone for the rest of the string and the most stress and concentration is for that perfect first shot. My shot process includes a step where I put my finger on the trigger and put enough pressure to remove the pre-travel and meet some resistance, which also allows me to check that the finger position is correct and pressure is going straight back (or at least not to the left-back), then I back off the pressure leave my finger there.

jakuda wrote:It took me a year, only just recently, to figure out the grip position and finger position that works for me with the 22 and 45. Right now I think I have it finalized, but I've said that before as well.
It's something I keep a very close eye on because I notice if I don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, I push all my shots to the left.

That first shot in RF is the hardest isn't it? It sets the tone for the rest of the string and the most stress and concentration is for that perfect first shot. My shot process includes a step where I put my finger on the trigger and put enough pressure to remove the pre-travel and meet some resistance, which also allows me to check that the finger position is correct and pressure is going straight back (or at least not to the left-back), then I back off the pressure leave my finger there.

I must comment on this from the above:
"I notice if I don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, I push all my shots to the left."

You ought to notice if you don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, you see your sights losing alignment and/or stability.

I grip to align and stabilize. Then I trigger as I maintain and place in aim area. It's not easy if you force anything. It is easy if you can find your groove....

Jack H wrote:

I must comment on this from the above:
"I notice if I don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, I push all my shots to the left."

You ought to notice if you don't have the right grip or trigger finger position, you see your sights losing alignment and/or stability.

Thank you for your insight.

You are right! I lose dot stability when this happens. When my grip position is correct it seems to naturally "hover" over the middle of the bullseye without trying. When my grip is incorrect (for me, joints not aligned just so on front strap) I feel like I have to "fight" the gun and dot to keep it in the black. My guess on the reason is that instead of Front-back pressure, I introduce some pressure towards the left, so now my arm is compensating for that, which invariably leads to tighter gripping which again introduces more left-ward pressure and bang the gun goes off when the dot is on the leftside.

When I practice hardball, the instability of the iron sights are not as apparent compared to the dot, but the resulting shots on the target confirms it.

Something as simple as grip can cause so many issues.

But it wasn't mentioned in your post. Re First shot drill..........you probably are but if any newer shooter might read this, I would suggest that when practicing getting the first shot to break, be sure and shoot the second as follow through and after the second come back on target before starting over.

As was mentioned in this thread, follow through is necessary.

Personally, I do the two shot drills to at least ensure that I come back on target at least the one time, even if I fade out mentally sometimes and relax after the second delivery.