Trigger control

How many shooters stay married to the trigger after the shot?  Meaning once the round fires they keep the trigger held back through recoil and re-aiming and then let the trigger reset for the next shot.

There is a lot of talk about trigger control but wonder is it proper to hold the trigger back after the shot and recoil and then reset or release as soon as the shot is fired.

Being self taught I have tried both ways but I have never seen anything in writing about this.  Is there a proper way or is it whatever works best for that individual shooter?

Virgil

Hi Virgil, I hold the trigger back after the shot and then reset the trigger . This process has fixed one of my problems where my trigger finger would on occasion not allow the trigger to reset and the hammer would chase the slide down to the half cock position (hammer bounce) I believe they call this .
  Since learning the trigger reset drill I haven't had any (hammer bounce) problems or alibis since. The trigger reset process has also helped me with my shot process in timed & rapid fire . Anyways I'm still new to this game and learning for what it's worth.
                                      Skid

If my understanding is correct, that is a good way to make sure you are doing "follow-through".  Unless I forget, that is what I always try to do, but the reason for it is mostly from reading in this forum.  I figure it's a good habit to get into.  Left to my own, I'd probably release the trigger right after the shot, but I've learned to not do this.

Like so many other things, there is lots that I do that I would struggle to explain to others, but following advice from this forum has helped me a lot.

I hold the trigger down through recoil & recovery, then reset.  I developed this habit from dry firing the .45, and it carried over to the .22.  It also cured the surprise double shot that always ended up in the berm.

If I am aware of my trigger that much, unless during training, I am not really in the zone.

Jack H wrote:If I am aware of my trigger that much, unless during training, I am not really in the zone.

+1

....I wish I could say that.....

I don’t concentrate on this because this should be an normal or instictual part of my shooting. But, I for one, hold the trigger back trough recoil and reset as I recover. I need to be applying pressure as I’m bringing the dot back to center or at least as the gun settles in for the next shot.

On the reset, no matter when, the gripping fingers must not relax along with the trigger finger.

Skid wrote:Hi Virgil, I hold the trigger back after the shot and then reset the trigger . This process has fixed one of my problems where my trigger finger would on occasion not allow the trigger to reset and the hammer would chase the slide down to the half cock position (hammer bounce) I believe they call this .
  Since learning the trigger reset drill I haven't had any (hammer bounce) problems or alibis since. The trigger reset process has also helped me with my shot process in timed & rapid fire . Anyways I'm still new to this game and learning for what it's worth.
                                      Skid

A trigger should not bounce sounds like the sear is not interfacing correctly.

There is a lot of talk about trigger control but wonder is it proper to hold the trigger back after the shot and recoil and then reset or release as soon as the shot is fired.

Probably neither.   And I'll try to explain.  Holding the trigger back has nothing to do with follow though, although sometimes it might help learn what to do.

I would not suggest release as soon as the shot is fired, since we do tend to anticipate and react to something we "plan to do" before we actually get though doing what we want to do first (like hold the gun firmly and without undue influence as the shot is completed within our wobble area).

I would not suggest holding the trigger back until you settle on the target and align the sights again as that will just introduce additional "release and reapply" pressure as the sights are already back in the aiming area (particularly for TF and RF strings).

I would suggest that the trigger be held to the rear, with the same pressure as used to finish the shot against the overtravel screw, until recoil brings the gun off the target it is traveling to the upper most recoil position.  Then release the trigger as the recoil is reaching the peak and the gun starts back down onto the target.

Then the trigger finger can get reapplied to the trigger as the sights move down into the aiming area (not just the target).  (For me, this helps with the feeling the stance, grip, and trigger pressure are guiding the sights back to the center of the aiming area.)   This keeps the same process to  this point for SF / TF / RF.

(Now here is where SF differs from TF / RF for me)  For SF, the trigger is acquired with trigger starting pressure as the sights come back into the aiming area and settle.  Usually I'm done then and the finger gets back off the trigger and I get reset for another SF shot from the beginning.  (Stance, grip, etc., etc.,)  If this were a roll trigger the pressure would be noticeable, but not enough to start moving the trigger if that makes any sense.) 

For TF / RF, the minimal pressure continues to increase and as the wobble settles in the acceptable area for 25 yrd line, the shot is completed again, and on to the next one.

Words are difficult, but hopefully this will make some sense.  Anyway, try to strike a balance and don't overdo it one way or the other.

CR

CR10X wrote:

There is a lot of talk about trigger control but wonder is it proper to hold the trigger back after the shot and recoil and then reset or release as soon as the shot is fired.

Probably neither.   And I'll try to explain.  Holding the trigger back has nothing to do with follow though, although sometimes it might help learn what to do.

I would not suggest release as soon as the shot is fired, since we do tend to anticipate and react to something we "plan to do" before we actually get though doing what we want to do first (like hold the gun firmly and without undue influence as the shot is completed within our wobble area).

I would not suggest holding the trigger back until you settle on the target and align the sights again as that will just introduce additional "release and reapply" pressure as the sights are already back in the aiming area (particularly for TF and RF strings).

I would suggest that the trigger be held to the rear, with the same pressure as used to finish the shot against the overtravel screw, until recoil brings the gun off the target it is traveling to the upper most recoil position.  Then release the trigger as the recoil is reaching the peak and the gun starts back down onto the target.

Then the trigger finger can get reapplied to the trigger as the sights move down into the aiming area (not just the target).  (For me, this helps with the feeling the stance, grip, and trigger pressure are guiding the sights back to the center of the aiming area.)   This keeps the same process to  this point for SF / TF / RF.

(Now here is where SF differs from TF / RF for me)  For SF, the trigger is acquired with trigger starting pressure as the sights come back into the aiming area and settle.  Usually I'm done then and the finger gets back off the trigger and I get reset for another SF shot from the beginning.  (Stance, grip, etc., etc.,)  If this were a roll trigger the pressure would be noticeable, but not enough to start moving the trigger if that makes any sense.) 

For TF / RF, the minimal pressure continues to increase and as the wobble settles in the acceptable area for 25 yrd line, the shot is completed again, and on to the next one.

Words are difficult, but hopefully this will make some sense.  Anyway, try to strike a balance and don't overdo it one way or the other.

CR

Sounds almost exactly how I do it . I tend to release the trigger all the way (not finger off trigger) then re apply pressure. I tried release to the reset(click) and get back on it like normal but would get some shots that were earlier than I liked

In a 1911, the gun cycles completely in .1 second (or less). You might reflexively release some pressure on the trigger or recoil might ease some force on the trigger. But those would indicate your grip isn’t firm enough. I reset my trigger while re-acquiring the sights on the way back to the black.