At some of the OpSpec Training classes I have attended, the instructors ran us through a helpful drill.

Your shooting partner would work the slide for you, as you learned to put just enough pressure on the trigger for the round to go off. The idea is to learn to apply just enough pressure so that the momentum of the slide does 90% of the trigger prep. This exercise worked very well.

MetronomePro, a smart phone app, goes to over 400 bpm. Right now I am still at the 260 pulls per minute stage when dry firing.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
Your shooting partner would work the slide for you, as you learned to put just enough pressure on the trigger for the round to go off. The idea is to learn to apply just enough pressure so that the momentum of the slide does 90% of the trigger prep. This exercise worked very well.

So, do you think it is finger speed for you as opposed to reaction time to the reset? If the pistol preps 90% for you in your technique, is it a timing question?

For curiosity, I downloaded a speed tap App - 358 bpm for me or .17 splits. Yours were about .23 splits if I calculated it all correctly.

If I lay my flat finger over the screen as if having the trigger on my first knuckle, my speed went to 524 bpm or about .11 splits. As I say, it's an interesting question.

The recent thread about using the first knuckle position as opposed to the pad of the finger position on the trigger face has had me trying different things to see if there are any benefits.

Note: The App requires me to sustain a speed over a 30 second test period. So, it is not like shooting but it does seems useful in measuring finger speed as opposed to reaction time or some other technique.

I think the issue is finger movement. While being tested everything did slow down and my finger just would not work any faster. I have tested my self when dry firing, and .22 is about where I am at.

The metronome app on a computer seems to be helping, but I am still at about 4.5 trigger pulls/second. Pulling a trigger is definitely slower than tapping. Try the Metronome4 app I mentioned, with an unloaded pistol. I think you will find your times slower than while tapping.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
I think the issue is finger movement. While being tested everything did slow down and my finger just would not work any faster. I have tested my self when dry firing, and .22 is about where I am at.

The metronome app on a computer seems to be helping, but I am still at about 4.5 trigger pulls/second. Pulling a trigger is definitely slower than tapping. Try the Metronome4 app I mentioned, with an unloaded pistol. I think you will find your times slower than while tapping.

Have you tried relaxing the grip of your strong hand? or relaxing in general? I know when I am tense or pushing for "faster, faster, faster", i do not get the results I seek.

I've sorta stayed out of this, as much of it is the product of my work. Most of the OP's issue is a mental thing, and some physical. For instance, "trying to make" reveals that it is a conscious effort, that has a visceral reward attached. That "faster" split.
I hate to sound trite, but the easiest way to learn to have a faster trigger finger is to train the finger to a cadence, that way it is a natural reaction and not a forced movement.
When we relate effort with success, we allow conscious "effort" to pollute the process of firing the gun. Think about the pre-ignition push that we have all had that is a consicous reaction to the gun firing. Same holds true with trying to "make" the trigger finger be faster. Or trying to "make" the body run a six minute mile, when you haven't ran in two years.

Want your trigger finger to be faster? Train it. There are a good many cadence drills out there, and many work extremely well. Also, remember that it isn't just about pulling the trigger faster. It is about integration of the amount of sight alignment and follow through that you need to successfully make the shot that is required.