Am I shooting wrong?

V

veamon

New member
I have a Taurus 651 .357 (think J-frame s/w), and its great for a conceal carry. I've noticed when I shoot this (and most other pistols), I lay my index finger parallel to the barrel, and pull the trigger with my middle finger. It seems more comfortable for me.

I took my wide shooting with her uncle (he teaches the Boy Scouts shooting) so she could start to learn how to handle a weapon (I've been shooting for 20+ years), and he didn't understand why I was shooting this way.

Am I doing something wrong, and not being as accurate as I could be? My shots are pretty spot on with my method, and I'm a "whatever works" mentality, but I'm always open to improvement.
 
A couple of points....

a. you want to keep your hands away from the gap between the end of the cyclinder..and the barrel ..../ as you fire a round / there is a significant amount of hot and fairly high pressure gas escaping from that gap - that can hurt you.

b. your grip may be making a smaller frame revolver stable...because its small..../ where a little larger frame might fit your hands better ( K or L frame S&W )....

c. the smaller and lighter the gun ....for a given round / it means you'll get more recoil than a heavier gun.
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The grip you're using may be ok for "bulls eye" accuracy ....but probably not your best option - for double action firing for Tactical drills. It may be slower ....or that finger on the cyclinder might "steer" the gun ...and cause you to lose accuracy at some distance....
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But if it works for you ...its probably ok .../ but there may be better more consistent options that you might consider...
 
I think one of the things that happens with revolvers, esp small ones, compared to autos, is that the gun doesn't seem to naturally point where the index finger points. Make a gun with your bare hand, like kids playing, and point your finger at the target. Now grip a J frame and your pointer finger is pointing down, your wrist has to rotate a little to compensate.

Do the same thing with a 1911 or a full sized Baretta and the point of aim tends to be a lot more in line with the natural point of the index finger.

I think squeezing the trigger with your bird finger is not inherently problematic, as long as you're hitting what you want to hit. But the areas I'd be concerned with is -

1) index finger near a dangerous hot gas spot, as BigJim points out

2) If index finger is floating around in mid air it's not contributing to the stability of the grip. If you've found a way for the index to ride on the frame, out of harm's way, then that concern is probably eliminated. Might even be more stable with your index on the frame.

Just don't burn yer fingers...:eek:


Sgt Lumpy
 
I don't shoot that way (pulling the trigger with the middle finger while using the 'pointer' finger to point the gun) and I'd never instruct someone to start shooting that way.

But my grandfather shot like that and he was notoriously good at hitting what he was pointing at so if it works for you...well what are you going to believe? Our opinions or your own eyes?
 
My biggest concern with your grip on a revolver would be be the liklihood of your finger to possibly prevent your cylender from turning appropriately.

I think you also run the risk of having your finger on the trigger when you don't want it to be. The point to having the finger along the side of the weapon is to ensure that it does not enter the trigger guard. I would try to re-teach yourself to pull the trigger with your index finger.
 
You are not necessarily doing it "wrong," but you certainly aren't doing it the way anybody I've ever heard of teaches shooting, and I wouldn't say that you are doing it "right."

I think you would be doing any new shooter a severe disservice if you teach them to shoot that way. If you're not comfortable teaching people to shoot the way 99.99973 percent of shooters do it (there is a reason why the first finger is called the "trigger finger," after all), then I respectfully suggest you bow out and send them to an instructor who teaches a more conventional way of shooting.
 
OK, I am bringing this back up after thinking about it. Looking at your revolver more closely, I am wondering if the grips you are sporting might be part of the problem. I remember holding some of my revolvers with smaller grips that make using my index finger for the trigger more difficult compared to a set of target/boot grips. Perhaps changing out the grips to a larger set might make using your index finger easier.
 
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