Trigger Control

Trigger control is the last link of an accurate shot, and the one that most often breaks it. You can build a solid stance, a firm grip and a level sight picture, and still throw the round low and left if the finger jerks the trigger at the final instant. The muzzle leaves the line a hundredth of a second before the shot, and no amount of aiming saves it. Good trigger control rests on two things. First, placement and direction: the middle of the first pad of the index finger rests on the trigger and pulls straight to the rear, along the axis of the gun, never off to the side. Second, isolation: only the finger moves, while the hand, wrist and grip stay perfectly still. The press runs from the slack, into the wall, through the break, and on a string you let the trigger out only to its reset before pressing again. The most common enemy of a clean press is bracing for recoil: the brain expects the bang and pushes the gun down early. This is why trigger control is built in dry fire, where there is no recoil to flinch against. Rep after rep, the flinch fades and the press becomes automatic.