Trigger control

[Benchrat]

Howdy.

I'm struggling with trigger control. I'm slow on the rebound.

I spent years benchrest shooting with tuned 1.5 oz triggers.

let off was never an issue.

Got bored with rifles, took up handgun shooting.

I notice the delay in rebound less with good triggers, i.e. Sig Trailside, a well worn Sig P226 9mm, Sig 225, various 1911's.

My finger dragging the trigger is most evident on the dao S&W 340 PD.

I can do slow aimed shots, but for the life of me, I can't get my trigger finger out of the way of rebound.

It's not a terminal issue.

I understand there are some balance issues here. Probably liability also.

I can keep the 5 rounds available within 3"-4"

probably good enough for an 11oz .357

The ammo weighs more than the gun!

I keep hitting 3 and 2's

three dead center, 2 fliers that spread the group dramatically.

I can feel my finger riding the trigger back.

I know I'm being sloppy

I don't know how to cure it.

By the way, spent a load of time dry firing with the CTC laser sights.

Gun has been back to S&W twice for issues related to firing pin, firing pin retainer spring.

All covered but 4-8 weeks for repairs.

I want to shoot this pistol better than good I know the size is a challennge, I know the weight is a challenge.

My challenge is getting over the 6lb plus trigger, some flinch on my part

and keeping the groups to 1-2"

The gun can do it.

At the moment, I can't

Mark

[AriM]

Howdy.

I'm struggling with trigger control. I'm slow on the rebound.

I spent years benchrest shooting with tuned 1.5 oz triggers.

let off was never an issue.

Got bored with rifles, took up handgun shooting.

I notice the delay in rebound less with good triggers, i.e. Sig Trailside, a well worn Sig P226 9mm, Sig 225, various 1911's.

My finger dragging the trigger is most evident on the dao S&W 340 PD.

I can do slow aimed shots, but for the life of me, I can't get my trigger finger out of the way of rebound.

It's not a terminal issue.

I understand there are some balance issues here. Probably liability also.

I can keep the 5 rounds available within 3"-4"

probably good enough for an 11oz .357

The ammo weighs more than the gun!

I keep hitting 3 and 2's

three dead center, 2 fliers that spread the group dramatically.

I can feel my finger riding the trigger back.

I know I'm being sloppy

I don't know how to cure it.

By the way, spent a load of time dry firing with the CTC laser sights.

Gun has been back to S&W twice for issues related to firing pin, firing pin retainer spring.

All covered but 4-8 weeks for repairs.

I want to shoot this pistol better than good I know the size is a challennge, I know the weight is a challenge.

My challenge is getting over the 6lb plus trigger, some flinch on my part

and keeping the groups to 1-2"

The gun can do it.

At the moment, I can't

Mark

that is an absolutely punishing gun....if you can tame it and manage to get anything resembling a grouping....you are a better man than me....I have no suggestions, other than....you are already doing 100% better than I could....are you shooting max .357mg out of it?....man my wrist hurts just reading this thread...

[Duane Thomas]

I'm not sure what you mean by "getting out of the way of trigger rebound." Actually, we spend a lot of time and effort training ourselves to ride the trigger forward.

[G-ManBart]

I'm not sure what you mean by "getting out of the way of trigger rebound." Actually, we spend a lot of time and effort training ourselves to ride the trigger forward.

If you are, you shouldn't be

Why? It's a waste of time, and time is what we're trying to manage when we want fast, accurate shots. What you're finger is doing when the trigger is resetting has nothing to do with the next shot, which is all that really matters. It doesn't help the next trigger press, but it does mean you're going to be starting the next press later than when you could be. I like to think of it along the lines of the idea that you're either pressing the trigger or you're waiting to press the trigger. Anything you can do to get to the next press sooner, is good because it gives you more time to do so smoothly and gives you more time to align the sights.

If you have half a second to make the next shot, it's better to be using that time to press smoothly, and align the sights than it is to slowly following the trigger back to where it resets (which is the only way to do it precisely).

I've seen graphic evidence (combined with slo-mo video) that proves nobody, including the very best, can ride the trigger forward to exactly the reset point when doing anything other than an extremely slow split (think half a second or slower).

All kinds of great shooters think they go right to the reset point; that is until the machine shows them that's not really what they're doing. They do ride it forward, but they're going to a point well beyond, quickly taking up the slack (back to where the reset would be) and then finishing the press. You can look at the graph and see ten shots in a row and the wide variation in reset points is dramatic; sometimes it's 50% different from one shot to the next.

I will say that all of the above is with an auto, and a revolver would be slightly different, but it shouldn't make any difference. Get off, let the trigger reset, quickly take up the slack/light resistance and then begin the real press once you're at that point.

I really wish I could get some video of the trigger graph system so people could see what I'm talking about. It makes all these abstract concepts perfectly clear....to the point that nobody argues with it after experiencing it. Oh, the guy that designed the system was a National champion PPC shooter, so he was a pretty good round gun shooter back in the day. I know he's got an adapter for revolvers, but haven't seen it used. R,

[Duane Thomas]

I'm riding it forward, i.e. maintaining contact between my finger and the trigger, so the finger does not lose contact with the trigger, also so I don't let the trigger go all the way forward between shots and have to deal with all that reuptake travel again, so I can more easily and sooner get into all that "take up the slack, hit the link, smoothly pull the trigger" stuff. Though actually these days the "hit the link" stuff seems to be going away, on everything but the draw and transitions. For multiple shots on the same target it's become just smooth back-and-forth like a metronome - or a revolver.

[LPatterson]

The OP is using "the lighest weight 357 Mag ever made" think revo and get the finger out of the way on rebound or you will short stroke the cylinder.