I wsa just watching a promo video for the Wilson EDC X9. Bill Wilson, no slouch at shooting, is slapping the hell out of the trigger. Finger coming out of the trigger guard with every shot, then coming back down on the trigger, instead of riding it to reset and pressing again.

I remember Rob Leatham saying something about "just slap the hell out of the trigger," but at the same time, Leatham cleans up with anything he shoots, in any discipline and can probably do and get away with a whole lot more than most any of us.

Thoughts on slapping the trigger? I don't, largely because it's challenging enough for me to stay on it and keep my place, and still hit reliably, let alone slap it...but it does seeem to work for some experienced shooters. I'm guessing that if trigger control is so well ingrained as it is to shooters at that level, perhaps the way the trigger is approached doesn't matter as much.

Looking at another video of Bill Wilson doing is "New Bill Drill," he has some slow motion of the shots, and it looks like while his finger comes far off the trigger, there's a very deliberate return and press, rather than a slap. I'm interested in other's thoughts on the subject.

https://youtu.be/sijipZriMz8

This is the one bad habit that I most correct when shooters ask for help at the range. I always attributed it the high number of trap and skeet shooters that I come into contact with. Pistols and shotguns require a different trigger discipline for most shooters. Experts can perhaps get away with this but not occasional shooters. Trigger slapping is bad juju for most folks.

There's a fine line between slapping and gently smacking.

I learned on pistols and then went to shotguns. Sporting clays folks are surprised at how fast you can shoot a true pair if you are not slapping and actually waiting for reset and re-pulling the trigger. I have been accused of having the gun double fire on me but with 2 broken targets the proof is out there.

The trap guys and skeet guys seem to slap the worst, I wonder if that is how so many end up with release triggers

Do what works for you.

Wow... Mr. Wilson has skills way beyond mine. I have enough challenges without introducing another potential to push left with my… stealing this from blume9mm… booger hook.

The essence of pistol shooting is aligning the sights then causing the pistol to fire without disturbing the sights alignment
There are essentially 2 ways to do it:
Carefully apply controlled trigger pressure to discharge
Or
Have such a secure grip that no matter poorly you slap the triggerthe gun doesn’t move

If you can grip the gun like Bill Wilson or Rob Leatham you can do whatever you want with the trigger.

If the front sight doesn't move it shouldn't matter how hard you slap the trigger. Those guys are pretty good at what they do.

Teach new shooters to pull the trigger straight to the rear without disturbing the sights. Then teach them to do it fast. Then teach them to do it faster. It's not hard, just requires dry fire practice. Prepping the trigger, riding resets, etc makes shit more difficult and creates training scars that are difficult to undo.

Its true. People get there in different ways. Rob Leatham and Phil Hemphill are both great at what they do despite their respective technique being quite a bit different.

I met Rob Leatham at an open house here in SC for a range day. He was doing some demonstrations and BTW VERY friendly and approachable. He showed one of his competition guns with a "1LB Trigger". He said he likes to just tap it.

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
If you can grip the gun like Bill Wilson or Rob Leatham you can do whatever you want with the trigger.

That. I know a few extremely competitive GM shooters that do most of the national and area matches. One of them is like that. His grip is so solid that it really doesn't matter how the trigger is pulled, as long as it's pulled.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackwater:
There's a fine line between slapping and gently smacking.

One leaves a red mark......lol

Shoot a Makarov. Russian trigger slap you.

In my very humble experience, I find that trigger control is a part ( and a pretty major part), of accurate shooting, but not the entire picture. As has been stated, if you have a rock solid grip, you can get away with less precise trigger prep and pull. Also if I am shooting a 5 yard open target, I can get away with a pretty sloppy pull, ( and just generally pointing the gun), but on a 20 yard no-shoot target, I will prep and pull.
Grip matters, but also the difficultly of the shot. Great shooters make this adjustment unconsciously , while I have to plan and tell myself to do so

Jerry Miculek comes off the trigger every shot also, when shooting semi-autos. He does okay.

quote:

Originally posted by thezoltar:
This is the one bad habit that I most correct when shooters ask for help at the range. I always attributed it the high number of trap and skeet shooters that I come into contact with. Pistols and shotguns require a different trigger discipline for most shooters. Experts can perhaps get away with this but not occasional shooters. Trigger slapping is bad juju for most folks.

I saw the interview with Wilson and just cringed every time he slapped it. Don’t care who slaps the trigger I am not going to do it. I will watch Jerry a little closer and don’t care what Leatham does. Anymore the Static shoots like the bianchi cup look like karate to me, very structured, unchanging, mega tricked out guns go for it, glad people can make a living that way.

Watching slow motion video of Jerry, he brings his finger slightly off the trigger on the return but he also begins prepping it immediately while the gun is in recoil. The trigger press is still controlled, just fast.
That's not slapping the trigger to me. It looks like, to shoot as many types of guns as he does quickly and consistently, he's honed a technique that works across the board and that includes coming hard and fast off the trigger press so that he can begin prepping quicker.

quote:

Originally posted by jaaron11:
Watching slow motion video of Jerry, he brings his finger slightly off the trigger on the return but he also begins prepping it immediately while the gun is in recoil. The trigger press is still controlled, just fast.
That's not slapping the trigger to me. It looks like, to shoot as many types of guns as he does quickly and consistently, he's honed a technique that works across the board and that includes coming hard and fast off the trigger press so that he can begin prepping quicker.

Thanks for that had to be, can’t shoot that quickly otherwise and over a range of different triggers. I never ever did slap but doing controlled pairs forces one to prep the trigger and one quickly learns where the trigger breaks, how much to take up. Shooting revolvers double action while different mechanically teaches one where the trigger breaks if you can pause and hold it just before it breaks. I am about to put straight triggers on most of my handguns will see how that changes things up as most afford shorter reset and movement needed.