Changed finger position on trigger

[Windmill01]

I have always shot any rifle by placing the first pad of my index finger on the trigger. Yesterday I was shooting my Titan and as usual I took several shots before I was on the money and then I decided to experiment with finger placement. The trigger on the Titan is not the best and I found that when I moved my finger in further, right up to where the finger bends under the knuckle ( hope I’m explaining this well) my groups became smaller and more consistent. 

I tried this finger experiment again this morning and the groups were excellent This maybe working because I am unable to feel the beginning of the second stage and by using my finger this way eradicates me contemplating the break of the trigger. Haven’t tried this in my German rifles but may experiment with the LGV.

Gary 

 

[likkitysplyt]

I was watching one of the guys from Utah Airguns on a video one time and just happened to notice the placement of his fingers on the trigger. He didn't wrap his thumb around the stock as so many of us are prone to do. He laid it on the side of the stock just barely touching it because we all have a pulse in our thumb. Then the surprising thing was that he took the end of his finger, not the pad, and placed it directly on the trigger blade like he was pointing back at his body. I thought to myself, " Darn, I've never seen anything like that! " But I couldn't get it out of my mind so I figured " What da heck " and I tried it a couple of times and even modified it by placing the tip of my thumb on the tip of my trigger finger to add a little stability to the actual pull after all the slack was taken out of the first stage. Then gently pull till it breaks. The thing I like about it is that when I use the pad of my finger, there is always a tendency to pull a little right or left when encountering some resistance from the second stage. When i use the end of the finger, that isn't there. Anyway it works for me off a shooting rest, hunting ... not so much!

 

[FelixS]

Yep, I learned early on to get your grip where it feels most comfortable, then place your finger on the trigger where it travels straight back. It improved my shots greatly since I tended to pull to the left or to the right depending on my finger placement.

 

[stoti]

I was watching one of the guys from Utah Airguns on a video one time and just happened to notice the placement of his fingers on the trigger. He didn't wrap his thumb around the stock as so many of us are prone to do. He laid it on the side of the stock just barely touching it because we all have a pulse in our thumb. Then the surprising thing was that he took the end of his finger, not the pad, and placed it directly on the trigger blade like he was pointing back at his body. I thought to myself, " Darn, I've never seen anything like that! " But I couldn't get it out of my mind so I figured " What da heck " and I tried it a couple of times and even modified it by placing the tip of my thumb on the tip of my trigger finger to add a little stability to the actual pull after all the slack was taken out of the first stage. Then gently pull till it breaks. The thing I like about it is that when I use the pad of my finger, there is always a tendency to pull a little right or left when encountering some resistance from the second stage. When i use the end of the finger, that isn't there. Anyway it works for me off a shooting rest, hunting ... not so much!

Holding the stock without wrapping the thumb around it is a very common hold for bench rest shooting. My pistol grip on my Impact even has a thumb shelf(I’m a lefty). There are varying thoughts on proper trigger/finger position but one of the most widely used finger placement is using the pad of the finger because it gives you the best feel and allows for a rearward pull without the sideways movement that can be common if you use the crotch of your finger. Whatever works best for you is the grip and finger placement you should use. Have a great evening. Stoti 

 

[270windude]

I like shooting bench rest style but the military trained me to use the “meaty” part of index finger. I generally have to change rifle to rifle. 

 

[stoti]

What do you mean by meaty part of your finger? The index finger pad? That’s what I feel is most accurate too because of the straight rearward press, with no side to side movement. Have a good one. Stoti

 

[270windude]

Yes that’s what I was referring too. It’s just what I hear over and over in the military. I didn’t particularly care for that description but went with it.

 

[stoti]

I’ve seen lots of unorthodox stuff that works for some darn good shooters over the years. If something works, I say stick with it. 

Stoti

 

[Bill_in_TR]

When shooting from a bench rest there is one approach I have seen used pretty often. You place the pad of your thumb on the back of the trigger guard and the pad of your index finger on the trigger. Then you just pinch your thumb and index finger together. I have tried it and it seems to work well with a heavier rifle. Not so well with a lighter rifle. But I found it awkward for anything but shooting off a bench rest. And I have been shooting a light rifle (HW30S) lately so I don't use that technique much at all.

 

[Mossonarock]

Your trigger pull needs to work with your arm length, the LOP and pistol grip of the gun. I prefer to do a pinching type trigger pull that is more like pinching the trigger with my forefinger and thumb; however, none of my guns really let me do it well because of the LOP and pistol grip type of the gun. It all has to work together and you will likely have to make compromises and those compromises are likely to hinder accuracy. Short of building a custom stock, there's not much you can do. Is there anything in life that cannot be improved upon? IME, everything falls way short.

 

[bandg]

Whatever produces the best feel with the least motion usually works best, and as noted above that often depends on the individual and the mechanics of the rifle. In the LGV thread, I noted using a setback trigger. It produces a smoother release for me with that rifle. Another shooter with different hands and/or a different gun might need something different for best results.