Position Your Finger Somewhere Other Than the Trigger

For several decades, shooting instructors in every discipline have repeated the mantra, “keep your finger off the trigger.” While experienced shooters usually find a place to keep their finger when they are not actually ready to shoot, the truth is that novices may not have any idea exactly what “off the trigger” means. Craig Douglas joins Rob Pincus to discuss his idea of “keep your finger somewhere other than the trigger.” This directive actually informs the shooter that they need to find a specific place for their trigger finger when they are not shooting.

2 Responses to “Position Your Finger Somewhere Other Than the Trigger”

1. john chapman December 30th, 2019

   For a variety of reasons, both personal and in general, I disagree with the “common knowledge” recommendation regarding always keeping one’s finger off the trigger until the moment that the trigger is to be pulled.

   Most training videos show the person with two hands on the handgun pointing ahead, but with the trigger finger not on the trigger.

   First and foremost in my case is the fact that my trigger finger has some arthritis and simply cannot be repositioned onto the trigger quickly and reliably. My solution is to place the finger on the trigger but point the gun downward. I can quickly and more reliably raise the pistol quickly to aim and fire. In the very unlikely event of an inadvertent trigger pull the gun is pointed down toward the ground.

   But even if I did not have arthritis, I also believe that the large muscles of the arms and hands can more reliably and quickly bring the firearm into firing position than repositioning the trigger finger onto the trigger in the heat of battle.

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2. Geoff B December 30th, 2019

   This is sound advice. I have long tried giving affirmative recommendations over negative ones. Instead of “don’t trip” try “please watch your step” or “please be careful going down the steps” or “use the hand rail, please.” Those provide an option for the audience versus a mere generalized warning. The use of “please” helps to put the listener at ease and not make the speaker sound too pedantic. This is especially important if one is trying to inform another less experienced person about a pitfall. Thanks for the article.

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