by Tiger McKee

Unless you're ready and willing to fire the finger is off the trigger and clear of the trigger guard.

The relationship between your trigger finger and trigger is a critical element to operating a firearm. It's a primary safety issue. The only time your finger should be on the trigger is when the sights are on target and you're ready and willing to fire. Placing the finger on the trigger at the appropriate time is also a large part of accuracy. The issue we see with a lot of shooters is timing. When do you place the finger on the trigger, and when should it be off the trigger? As you draw the pistol, or come up from a ready position with handgun or rifle, the time to place your finger on the trigger is right before the sights intercept your line of vision. The muzzle and sights are on target you just don't have a sight picture yet. The finger is placed on the trigger so that when you do obtain the sight picture needed it's ready to begin pressing. (The exception is firing from a retention position, in which case while the sights are on target you don't actually have a visual sight picture.) Just because your finger is on the trigger doesn't mean you have to press. But, it's there and ready to press. One common issue is waiting until you have a refined sight picture to get on the trigger. There are a couple of problems with this. First, by getting a sight picture, then placing the finger on the trigger, you're wasting time. In a fight fractions of a second are critical. You can perform both actions at the same time. Second, the act of placing your finger on the trigger, especially with pistols, is going to move the sights around. Here's a simple test to perform. Bring your pistol on target with the trigger finger straight. Get a sight picture. Focus on the front sight and put your finger on the trigger. Take it off the trigger. Do this several times, focusing on the sight, placing and removing your finger on and off the trigger. The sights will move, sometimes a lot. Another advantage of placing the finger on the trigger right before obtaining a sight picture is that under stress you don't have to rush to get on the trigger to fire the shot, jerking or slapping the trigger. The finger is already on the trigger, and again once you have a sight picture it's ready to start pressing. Placing the finger on the trigger too soon is dangerous. It won't make you any quicker on firing a shot and increases the chance of a negligent discharge. The finger should also be off the trigger during all manipulations. Once the shooting is done it's "Off the trigger and off the target." The finger comes off the trigger and clear of the trigger guard, where it requires a conscious decision and physical act to get back on the trigger. The muzzle comes off target, into a low ready position so you can see what needs to be seen, like the guy on the ground or the corner he ran around. The finger and trigger act may seem like a small thing, but it's a major component to gunhandling. Work on this constantly to insure safe and efficient operation of the weapon under stress. Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of "The Book of Two Guns," writes for several firearms/tactical publications, and is featured on GunTalk's DVD, "Fighting With The 1911 - http://shootrite.org/dvd/dvd.html Website: www.shootrite.org http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shootrite-Firearms-Academy/156608611038230?ref=ts