How to Improve Trigger Discipline & Control

Why the Trigger?

It is amazing how the art of marksmanship and accuracy can be so simple, and yet so complicated. Trigger discipline makes up the foundation of marksmanship and can be overlooked or misunderstood when you first start your training journey. 

Handguns tend to be the most frustrating firearms to learn to shoot. Many of us think that we can fix our accuracy issues with new equipment because it has to be the gun! But the new triggers, ammo, and even new firearms are not the solution. Starting with training and focusing on the fundamentals of the trigger pull itself can shorten our journey to achieving our marksmanship goals.

The trigger is our method of communication with our firearms. When we want the gun to fire, we press the trigger. So we need to ensure everything is lined up and to our standards before letting the round fly. A firearm is a mechanical tool, so we must learn how to use the tool correctly. 

Triggers tend to have three sections to look for. If your finger is off the trigger completely, it is fully released. During the trigger pull, you will feel a “wall” where the trigger feels like it takes more pressure to pull it back. Sometimes there are multiple “walls” with some needing more pressure than others to get through. After you pass that wall, and the shot has fired, your trigger is completely depressed.

Firearms are tools, so before we get started, we must conduct safe practices. We need to make sure we are only putting our finger on the trigger when we are ready to shoot and always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Trigger Finger Placement

Placing your finger on the trigger in the right position can set you up for success. Your trigger finger placement can determine what direction your shot is pulled if you are left or right of the target. Too much trigger finger for a right-handed shooter makes the firearm pull to the right. Too little makes it pull to the left. If you are left-handed, you will see the opposite results on target.

For a semi-automatic handgun, the first pad of your pointer finger will be the main point of focus. Center your pad on the trigger and you will be on track to get straight-back trigger presses. 

For a revolver, the trigger finger placement is slightly more aggressive. Instead of placement on the center of the pointer finger pad, you will want to use your distal crease. The trigger should be aligned with that first crease of your finger because revolvers have slightly heavier trigger pulls compared to a semiautomatic handgun. 

The pounds of pressure required to pull the trigger can vary from gun to gun. If you would like to find the amount of pressure it takes to pull the trigger back, you can look through your user manual or check online. If you have an aftermarket trigger you can check the trigger manufacturers website! The weight of the trigger is important and can be a factor you can use in selecting a handgun that's right for you.

The Mantis Shooting Performance System can help you determine if trigger finger placement is your issue through drills like the MantisX Benchmark and, but not limited to, the Compressed Surprise Break drill. The following image is an example of how the MantisX can help you understand what happened during a shot, where the shooter had too little trigger finger.

Trigger Press Stages

In order to become a more accurate shooter, it can help to know how your tool functions. The trigger press has three main stages. The pretravel, break, and over travel. 

Pretravel: This is any “slack” or extra movement in the beginning of the trigger press. This is considered to be movement before the sear moves to fire the shot. 

Break: The break is when the sear is released. This is where your gun actually fires.

Overtravel: This is any movement past the break. So any movement after the sear has been released. 

Dry firing your handgun gives you the ability to feel the mechanics of your firearm without recoil clouding your results. Some guns have different mechanics to their triggers, so keep that in mind any time you train. The One Shot Dry Fire drill can be used to build up your familiarity and muscle memory with your firearm.

One Shot Dry Fire

Remember that you can dry fire while you are at the range to get the most out of your time and ammo!

Trigger Discipline

Have you ever worked with an instructor or a friend who kept emphasizing the phrase trigger discipline and you didn’t fully understand what they meant? Trigger discipline involves making sure your finger is off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Many instructors use the term high register to help distinguish the location on the slide where your trigger finger will rest when you are not on target and ready to shoot. 

Slapping the Trigger

Everyone has experienced slapping the trigger to some degree. Inexperienced shooters tend to “slap” the trigger to the rear when they perceive the sights are on target. They typically want the immediate gratification of hitting the target. Frustration ensues when they do not hit where they had intended. 

Slapping the trigger is when the trigger is pulled in a hurried fashion without paying attention to proper technique. Slapping the trigger can occur at any point where the shooter has sloppy movement of the trigger finger. Shooters who suffer from this ailment will tend to see their shot group to the low and left of the intended target (Right Hand Shooter.)

Focus on pulling the trigger steadily and directly towards the rear of the firearm. You will not want to see any muzzle movement even though you are moving your trigger finger. Try to keep the firearm as still as possible. Almost as if the gun is in a vise and is not affected by your external movement. 

One way to test if you are slapping the trigger is to put a penny or other coin on the top of the sight. Balance the coin on the firearm as you pull the trigger. If it falls off, repeat the drill until you are able to keep the penny balanced during the entirety of the trigger press.

Keep Notes

Track your training sessions by writing down what you worked on, what you struggled with, and what you plan to focus on for your next session. If you know that you tend to use too little trigger finger, make a note. The note will help you pick up where you left off for your next training session. 

Using the MantisX or the BlackbeardX will help you log those notes as you are training. Since they keep track of what you are doing wrong in history, you can always go back and check your progress. As you continue logging sessions, you will also get to see how your overall scores improve. To find the right firearm training system for you, check out our model comparison page.