Learn › Track 03 · Fundamentals

Trigger control

Coaches say a good shot should "surprise" you. That sounds odd. If you don't know when the shot will go, how are you in control of it?

Think first: Your sights are wobbling inside your aiming area. When should the shot break?

  • The instant the blade crosses the centre: press fast to catch it
  • When steadily rising pressure reaches the break point, wherever in the area the sights happen to be
  • When you decide the picture is perfect, with one firm pull

Two stages

A match trigger has two stages. The first stage (take-up) is light travel you take up deliberately. Then you meet a "wall": the second stage. More pressure on the wall breaks the shot. After the break, the blade travels a little further to a stop.

Drag through the travel. The shaded band is the second stage. The break must happen above the 500 g line.

Each part has a job:

  • The first stage should be comfortable. Too heavy, and you fire early and lose the feel for the wall.

  • The second stage should be crisp, and set a safe margin above the test weight.

  • A little after-travel means that a rough release disturbs the pistol less.

The trigger must hold at least 500 g. In the test, the barrel points straight up and a 500 g weight placed near the middle of the blade must lift clear without firing. Three attempts. Random checks follow qualification, and failing means disqualification.

The finger

Place the centre of the first pad of the trigger finger on the blade, with the finger at right angles to the barrel. Keep the rest of the finger clear of the grip. Then press straight back along the line of the bore.

Seen from above. Only the first-pad position presses straight back. Mirrors for left-handers.

Many diagnosis charts link "too little" or "too much" finger to a particular side, but sources disagree on which way each one goes. Treat the direction as something to confirm on your own targets or on an electronic trainer.

Continuous pressure

Take up the first stage with intent. Then increase the pressure on the second stage continuously, without stopping, while the sights move in your area. The release should happen almost by itself. You know it is coming; you don't know the exact instant. Don't "pull" the trigger. Keep pressing until it goes.

Most bad shots ("flyers") come from the conscious mind taking over. Under pressure the picture looks perfect, and you decide to "help" the shot. That is where clean trigger work breaks down.

Coaches differ on how much of the release should be a surprise. The common precision approach is a hybrid: a conscious, deliberate take-up, then a final release you don't anticipate, which happens while the sights are in your area.

The four classic faults

FaultWhat happens
Jerking (snatching)A sudden press as the sights cross the 10
Anticipation (flinch)The eye closes or the hand pushes at the moment of the shot
HeelingThe heel of the hand pushes up at the shot
MilkingThe other fingers tighten along with the trigger finger

Think first: A right-handed shooter has a good sight picture, then jerks the trigger: the whole hand squeezes as the finger slaps back. Where does that shot tend to land? (Left-handers: picture a right-handed friend.)

Think first: In dry fire, a friend watches your face. Your aiming eye blinks shut just as the trigger breaks. Which fault is that?

  • Heeling
  • Anticipation
  • Milking
  • A clean release

Dry fire is where you find these faults. With no pellet and no hole to look at, you can only judge the shot by watching the front sight through the release. Did the blade stay still? Calling every dry shot exposes jerking, anticipation, heeling and milking quickly. See Dry firing & holding drills.

Reading your target

Groups often leave a signature of the fault behind them. The chart below is a starting point, mirrored for your hand.

A preview of the diagnosis chart. Many entries were written for guns with recoil, which an air pistol barely has, so read them as possibilities. Rule out sight setting, grip fit and natural point of aim first.

The full method is in Reading your target.

  • Two stages: a comfortable, deliberate take-up, then a crisp second stage set safely above the 500 g minimum.
  • Centre of the first pad on the blade, finger at right angles and clear of the grip, press straight back.
  • Build pressure continuously while the sights move in your area. Let the release arrive; don’t decide it.
  • Jerking, anticipation, heeling and milking are the four classic faults. A jerked shot goes low-left for right-handers (low-right for left-handers).
  • Diagnose from patterns of 10 or more shots, and use dry fire to find faults.

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