Exercises for trigger control

[Cal44]

I'm wondering if anyone can suggest exercises to develop trigger control for revolver shooting -- other than just shooting a lot and dry firing.

My interests lie in getting better at shooting double action revolvers.

I'm a 66 year old guy, and fortunately have no problem with arthritis or joints.

But I spent my whole working life in white collar jobs so have just normal hand strength.

I'm thinking maybe improving in this area would make it possible to hold the gun steadier -- particularly when pulling a long heavy trigger.

 

[bigwheelzip]

A quick Google search yielded this among others.

http://www.policemag.com/blog/firearms-and-tactics/story/2011/09/learning-the-basics.aspx

 

[loc n load]

Trigger control

I am in your same age range. I instructed revolvers for LE for years and also competed with revolvers for decades, shooting only DA. In your posts, you address two separate issues. Controling the long DA trigger pull and holding the gun steady.
Upper body strength is a factor in all of that. Holding a handgun at arm's length and maintaining a minimum of movement is a product of stance, grip, breathing and core body strength transmitted though the extended limb.
Maintaining sight alignment while then pulling that DA trigger to the rear complicates the matter. Hand strength / finger strength becomes a factor now and grip strength. I weight trained most of my career, free weights and body weight exercises. I also focused on exercises that would improve my upper body strength, including my wrists, hand & finger strength.
Dry firing is an integral part of the the DA trigger control skill set (IMO mandatory). You are using a specialized set of fine motor control variables for DA shooting. Replicating those & enhancing them with dry firing is very useful. One of the old tried and true techniques that I used and taught was to place a penny on top of the front sight blade, extend the revolver, acquire your sight picture, and roll through the trigger, maintain your sight picture, dry fire without toppling the penny.
Wrist curls, finger curls with dumbells and finger isolation exercises with a tennis ball are exercises I used for decades in developing finger, hand and wrist strength.
There is no "quick fix" for developing these skill sets. It requires proper technique, repetition, repetition and repetition.
I dry fired everyday, for years, several hundred rep's per sessison. I focused on the basics and tried to improve & enhance my skill sets while doing these "exercises". Hope this was helpful.

 

[gnystrom]

I have had tremendous success training just using a set of Crimson Trace lasergrips on my revolvers. A 1" dot on the wall 30' away, an EMPTY GUN, and just a few minutes a day will definitely teach you how to control your trigger.

 

[SuperMan]

I've been teaching Double Action shooting in NRA classes for about 25 years. This has worked well enough that when students are given a choice after they learn SA and DA they continue the course DA. In some of the classes 18 of 20 students shoot better and faster groups DA than SA.

Dry Fire:

1) Make sure NO LIVE AMMO is in the room where you will be practicing.

2) Use snap caps to prevent any firing pin damage.

3) It is nice if the DA is as smooth as possible. A #13 trigger return spring is a great help. Having a gun that has been professionally tuned is a big help.

First is understanding the mechanics. With the gun loaded with snapcaps look at the gun from the side while SLOWLY pulling the trigger. Watch, listen and feel. As the trigger is pulled the bolt drops and the cylinder starts to turn. At some point the bolt pops back up and rubs on the cylinder causing the cylinder rotation line. The hammer is coming back. Near the end of the stroke there is another click as the bolt drops into the notch on the cylinder stopping the rotation. After just a little more trigger travel the hammer is released and falls. Some guns lockup earlier than others. Some will drop the hammer just at lockup... Watch this enough times to know and understand what is going on and when the hammer is going to fall.

Second is learning initial DA trigger control. Hold the gun in front of you so you can see when is going on. Pull the trigger back just far enough to rotate the cylinder enough so when you let the trigger go forward it will rotate again. Do this several times. Next pull the trigger back until the bolt drops locking the cylinder but not releasing the hammer. Then let the trigger down and do it again. Once that is mastered looking at the gun put a blank piece of paper on the wall, aim the gun at the paper ffrom about 12" away and do the same drill trying to keep the sights in perfect alignment.

Next is the staged break. Again on the blank target concentrating on keeping the sights aligned pull the trigger back to cylinder lock and stop. But instead of letting the hammer back down SLOWLY continue squeezing until the hammer falls still concentrating on keeping the sights aligned.

This whole thing takes no more than 15 minutes.



Live Fire:

.22 Handgun

Distance: 5 yards

Benchrest Position....try to be seated fairly upright with everything from the bottom of your hands to your elbows supported on a thick blanket with your hands on sandbags.

Target: Blank

1) Once into position dry fire 10-15 times concentrating on keeping the sights aligned with the approximate center of the target. Squeeze the trigger back to the cylinder lock position, STOP and then slowly squeeze till the hammer drops.

2) Remove ONE snap cap and replace with a live round. Spin cylinder, close eyes and shut the cylinder. Repeat #1 till the round goes off. Replace another snap cap with another live round and repeat. Continue until all six rounds have been fired.

3) Next take out two empties not next to each other and repeat three times. Then take out three with two together and one apart and repeat twice. Then four, then five...but never all six.

5) Replace target with one having a 1" dot or square. Now try and keep not only the sights aligned but also on the dot. Repeat #2 and #3 renewing dots each time you go to another number of shots fired per cylinder.



Standing Position

5 Yards

Repeat #5 above

Once you have mastered 5 yards, back up two yards at a time. Continue to use only five rounds and a blank and make sure when you hit the blank NOTHING MOVES.

Final step is to have one smooth continuous DA pull without staging (stopping) the trigger. Back to snap caps and the blank paper at 12". Practice bringing the trigger back smoothly all the way through in one continuous stroke without stopping again concentrating on keeping the front and rear sights perfectly aligned at all times. Then repeat #5 above with live ammo....and eventually load the gun with all six.

Hope this helps...

Bob

 

[H Richard]

When I used to help train deputy sheriffs DA shooting, we also did the coin on the barrel, but we used a nickle. I guess we were easier on our students. This usually requires one on one training, (to keep picking up the nickle).

 

[Hopper]

I purchased a Laser Target that I have setup in my basement, and it's been a sound investment. Gives great feedback when doing dry fire practice with a laser cartridge.

I have also heard folks recommend putting a quarter on your top strap as you dry fire, which can help you concentrate on a nice, smooth trigger squeeze so as not to have the coin topple off.

 

[Cal44]

I have also heard folks recommend putting a quarter on your top strap as you dry fire, which can help you concentrate on a nice, smooth trigger squeeze so as not to have the coin topple off.

Well, we started with a penny.

Then went to a nickle.

Now we are up to a quarter.

I guess inflation has hit the trigger control training industry.

Thanks everyone, and keep the ideas coming.

 

[OKFC05]

Well, we started with a penny.

Then went to a nickle.

Now we are up to a quarter.

I guess inflation has hit the trigger control training industry.

You can blame it on me. To provide motivation, I changed my standard line to "Put a quarter on your barrel, dry fire, and if the quarter falls off, send it to me!"
From all the pennies and nickels I find on the sidewalk, I don't think many people value them anymore!

Also, I have a hand and forearm exerciser to improve muscle development. It is simply a foot long piece of closet clothes pole with a 5 foot piece of sash cord attached and a weight on the end of the cord (start light with a pound or 2). Stand up, hold the dowel in both hands at arms length in front of your face. Now, without turning loose of the dowel, twist the dowel back and forth in your hands to lower the weight to the floor and then keep winding to bring it back up. Repeat until your arms and shoulders burn. A 5 lb weight with 10 reps is about all a trained athlete can manage.

 

[hangnoose]

+1 dry firing

But mix things up alot. Make some drills about balancing the coin, some about sight acquisition, some fast, some slow, some most of the above. A great way to enhance the sense of feeling is to remove other senses from the drill like hearing & sight, which will make you keenly aware of feeling. A heavy revolver with a heavy trigger pull will build muscle quicker. I've thought of trying to find a worn out revolver that will no longer shoot, just for dry fire practice, slug the barrel & cylinders and paint it orange.