Trigger control
Tonight I don’t propose for one moment of delve into the intricacies of perfect trigger control – there are those out there far far more qualified than I will ever be to opine on that particular topic. Rather I would like to very briefly (for a change) make an observation & comment of my own particular experience.
When I am on the range I always know the exact point in time at which the rifle will release the shot: that final exhale & as the cross hairs come up onto the target, I make a conscious decision to squeeze the trigger. However in the field when I am shooting something preferable cute & cuddly – shooting to kill if you like - it’s quite different.
The process all starts in the same way, the exhale & the recognition that the cross hairs now reside upon the point of aim. But after that nothing. When Bambi, Foxy Loxy, or Peter Rabbit get given the good news, I never seem to make a conscious decision to take the shot – the rifle just seems to go off in my hands, without thought if you like
Post shot, I’d say that my recovery & reload drills are very similar on the range or in the field– it’s simply that marked differential in the actual release process. One registers, the other doesnt. I’d be interested to hear if any readers experience anything similar
Comments
Me too. Sometimes I am so surprised by the loud bang it takes me a moment to figure out what to do next.
Posted by: Fred Z | June 18, 2009 2:01 AM
Makes me think of the old Marine Corp Marksman team trigger drill.
Stand in the offhand unslung position. Aim at your target. Then pull the trigger to the half-way point and hold everything as long as you can.
The doing is more difficult than the description.
Posted by: toad | June 18, 2009 4:22 AM
Uhm, I just tried that with my K-31. It is a bear. After you take up the slack you can't feel movement so you have to feel for how much pressure gets you to the half way point. I tripped the trigger about three times out of five and I'm not real sure I'd do any better and probably worse the next time. We won't talk about the way my sights wobbled all over the place. I'm way out of practice.
Posted by: toad | June 18, 2009 4:41 AM
Its the same with me,target falls when hit -in the right spot - but the Blaser trigger is soooo light and sweet. Most of the time I don't even register the noise of the shot, the smack of the impact and following echo yes, but bang, no. Its called 'follow through', namely you are concentrating so much on the point of aim that all the rest goes un-noticed. My shooting companion calls it 'gunner ear', or at least I think thats what he says.
Posted by: bambi-ski | June 18, 2009 8:33 AM
If you achieve the same on the range your shooting will improve considerably. That's the difference between thinking the shot off and deciding to fire. When you decide "right, I'll fire it now" you often as not mess up. In my experience anyway.
Having a v=good trigger helps A LOT!
Posted by: EX_STAB | June 18, 2009 2:27 PM
As Mr FM describes, when shooting for blood, I can recall only concentrating on the sights, then hearing a loud noise nearby. The trigger finger does its job automagically, and the beast is deceased.
Posted by: Denis | June 19, 2009 11:35 AM