Proper trigger pull technique

[mikeyair]

I did a search and didn't come up with anything really on topic.  What is the accepted trigger pull method for a gun with a long trigger pull?  I have two Gamos and they both have kinda sucky triggers because the pull is so long.  My latest Socom Extreme says it has an updated 2 stage trigger but it feels more like one long stage to me: like my old Whisper VH.  I'm aware that Gamo triggers are a weak spot on those guns and I'm willing to live with it as I like the other aspects.  Anyway, I've found that I'm more accurate when I pull the trigger very slowly while holding the scope on target, letting the round come out whenever my finger has crept to the right spot, rather than trying to make a quick pull.  The problem with this method is that you can't control precisely when the gun goes off: you can't pick the time where the reticle floats exactly over the target spot.

Should I be practicing fast trigger pulls so I can do it that way?  I actually did a global Google search and didn't come up with anything definitive.  I feel like I should be practicing quick trigger pulls so that I can precisely time the rounds but with such a long trigger pull, I'm finding that the movement of my finger causes significant deviation in the trajectory.  Anything wrong with the slow pull method other than not being able to time the shot perfectly?

Thanks for any tips.

Mike

[benjaminnpaw]

I did a search and didn't come up with anything really on topic.  
Thanks for any tips.

Mike

When i used your topic title as search words, i found on page 1, in '5 seconds', this...

Rifle triggers, (opposed to i.e. shotguns) on the other hand, are meant to have a slow, gentle squeeze. In most rifle shooting situations, including most hunting, precise shot placement is more important than speed. Actually, in target shooting, unless you're in the biathlon or some sort of action shooting contest, you really don't want to know when the rifle goes off. Anticipating the shot is a major culprit when it comes to flinching. Instead of pulling a rifle trigger back suddenly, you gradually add pressure at the same rate to the trigger, with the sights correctly aligned, until the rifle fires. This keeps the rifle pointed steadily at your target and helps to avoid flinching. This kind of trigger release is called a "surprise break."

Achieving a good surprise break is even more crucial to top accuracy with a handgun than it is with a rifle. This is because a pistol is lighter in relation to the weight of its trigger pull than a rifle. For example, my .270 hunting rifle weighs 9 pounds with scope and has a 3 pound trigger pull. The trigger pull is thus 1/3 the weight of the rifle. If squeezed gently and properly, the trigger should release without appreciably moving the much heavier rifle. Now consider a 3 pound hunting revolver that also has a 3 pound trigger pull. The trigger pull is suddenly 100% of the weight of the gun! Clearly, applying enough force to the trigger of that revolver to make it go off is much more likely to move the gun. Unless the shooter is a very experienced pistolero, a surprise break is absolutely essential to achieving any kind of accuracy with a handgun. The two key factors to shooting a handgun are focusing on the front sight (not the target) and squeezing the trigger until the gun fires, seemingly by itself (a perfect surprise break).

More on:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/trigger_pull.htm

[aack73]

i would try and fix my trigger to a more consistent pull and break of your liking. absolutely one of the most important things about a rifle to me, is a nice crisp trigger.


not sure which gamo you got but this would be a good start. everyone raves about those triggers.

http://charliedatuna.com/GRT-III%20Trigger%20New.htm

instead of bending to the unfavorable qualities you don't like,  make them work for you.

[MustangMike]

i like some travel in the first stage so i can draw up slack to the 2nd stage bump, make sure im on target and then i start the slow squeeze untill the shot fires

[yote300wsm]

That's why I like a crisp 2.5 lb. single stage trigger on all of my PB's. I have never had much time for 2 stage triggers. Even when I shot Rifle Team in the Navy, I adjusted the trigger on my rifle to eliminate the first stage. I have no time for 2 stage triggers.

[Addictedtoair]

It's just too easy and beneficial to simply upgrade the trigger with a CDT trigger replacement. It literally makes it feel like a different rifle after the swap. I have done two rifles and they have worked perfectly.

Brett

[mikeyair]

When i used your topic title as search words, i found on page 1, in '5 seconds', this...

Thanks.  Take a look at that first page of search results you (and I) found in 5 seconds, however, and you'll see that all of them reference handguns and not rifles much less air rifles.  In addition, on just the first page you'll find results that directly contradict the one you picked out.  Hence why I asked here.

Mike

[MACPAPPY]

Check out this link. This gentleman knows a just a fraz about shooting. Not all in this clip applies exactly to our airguns, due to the type of grip shown in the vid,  but I think the principles are the same.

[Jay]

Good info made by Jerry in that vid(wish I could shoot like that man), but really the biggest thing he made for AG(or any trigger) Mike is using the flat or front of the pad on your index/trigger finger to "press" the trigger directly to the rear while watching your sight picture an allowing the shot to break as a surprise, Mr. Bob's golden trigger is a most also on any AG it fit's just to get the trigger weight an travel down to a reasonable amount, not thinking about the break is good put not if you have to wait on it like a kid for christmas, on the choice of a 1 or 2 stage trigger that is alway's up to the shooter, myself I like the trigger to have 1/8" take up(I know I'm on the trigger then) an no more than a 2 or 3 pound clean break after that, I also remove any "over" travel beyond the break if I can.

[mikeyair]

Perfect, thanks!  One thing I notice is that I need to shift my finger position and work on using the tip of my finger.  I've kinda been using the area at the first knuckle.

Mike

[Bullit]

Using the flat padded area of your fingertip, square to the trigger, is good practice.
Trying to isolate that pull "straight back", is your main concern, with a slow pull.
I also have found that if I rest my thumb on TOP of the grip, (rather than actually around the grip), that this will help eliminate the thumb from the equation, and avoid the stock from turning, when you pull the trigger.  Your remaining fingers should lightly hold the grip.  Good Luck to you!

[yote300wsm]

When I squeeze the trigger, it only involves my thumb on top and my finger on the trigger squeezing the two together. The rest of the fingers staying loose. Kind of a "pinching" motion.

[jengineer]

My technique is from years of practice on a 10 metre comp.  I think the release is measured in grams or as I say if you fart when your finger is on the trigger you just lost the shot.

My trigger is set up so that there is a light pull until the sear engages for release.  On the flat of the finger I gently take up the slack then gently squeeze to release the shot.  One of the big pointer I got many years ago it to follow through.  Sounds off at first as you hear of follow through in baseball and golf.  The same here.  Keep you eye on the target even after you are done with the shot.  Also get int he habit of calling your shot.  This after you have squeezed the trigger mentally call out where the shot went.  Determine if your mental picture of where it was supposed to go actually got you there.  That will help in getting you shot to the tatget.

the other help I got was to set up your shot close your eye for 3 seconds and then open them.  If you body is not in a "natural" position then you will have moved off the target.  get you body lined up.

je

[mikeyair]

This is one of the most helpful forums I've ever joined!  Thanks all!

Mike