Learned more about finger placement today.

P

Prof Young

New member
Shooters:

I've had a hard time getting my Beretta 92fs (9mm) on target. It groups just fine, but always to the left. I figured that had to do with placement of the finger on the trigger, and that I was pushing the gun to the left as I pulled the trigger. I've been experimenting with trigger placement to no avail. I figured that I needed to put more of my finger on the trigger to pull it back to the right. It was bad enough that I was starting to think it was the gun not me. Well, today I got the range master to take a few shots. He nailed the ten ring four times in a row. Then he looked at my grip and finger placement. He had me put the very end of my finger on the trigger. Amazingly the placement came back to the right and I started hitting what I was aiming at. It's going to be a while before I can hit the ten ring four times in a row, but I did much better.

So much to learn.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
finger placement

i ran into the same problem. blamed it on old age and shaky hands. still not doing as good as i did 25-30 years ago but much improved.
 
A lot of the time, the reason for off center shots with two handed shooting is due to the support hand not doing its job.
Or due to a less than effective stance and grip with one handed shooting.
 
Typically, it's due to squeezing the entire hand as the shot breaks instead of just moving the trigger finger.

Test it: grip something snugly in your hand. Break your wrist slightly as though to align your sights. Then, squeeze the crap out it all the way around (fingertips included). More than likely, your wrist will tend to straighten out. If you're a righty, that will make your shots go left.
 
For single action firing, the best placement is the end pad of the index finger on the trigger. For double action or the equivalent, that point generally does not provide enough strength, so the second pad is better.

The problem arises with a DA/SA pistol after the first shot is fired DA. Do you shift finger position to get better trigger control in SA? But that takes time, which you might not have in an emergency, and could result in unintentional firing. So many folks learn to use the middle finger joint for all shooting with a defense handgun, revolver or auto.

For target shooting, the end joint is still best, though.

Jim
 
I like the Beretta 92FS but it is a challenge for many to shoot well. Not only does one need to master the transition from the first double action shot to the subsequent single action shot(s), the thickness of the grip makes for a difficult reach to the trigger in double action mode, even for those with average sized hands and fingers.

This might not be much of an issue if the pistol is used only as a range gun and shot single action exclusively. I prefer to be able to use the pistol for self-defense and practice paired DA/SA shots every time I shoot. I have at least average sized hands for an adult male, but with the stock trigger and plastic grips, I found that the trigger reach for double action shooting was too great to allow me to use the "power crease" opposite the distal knuckle of my trigger finger.

I have seen a lot of people try to get around this by shifting the pistol in the strong hand so that it is no longer aligned with the bones of the forearm. This allows a bit better reach to the trigger, but usually results in poor accuracy. I swapped my stock trigger for a Wilson Combat short reach trigger and a pair of VZ G10 grips, which are thinner than the stock plastic grips. The WC SRT reduces the reach to the DA trigger only a little, but the combination allows me to reach the DA trigger with the pistol properly aligned. I also have a reduced power mainspring which lightens up the DA trigger pull a fair bit.

With these modifications I find that I can pretty easily manage the DA trigger pull by positioning most of the last joint of the trigger finger over the trigger. I find a compromise position where I have enough leverage to easily pull the trigger DA and do not reposition my finger for the SA shots.
 
I always shot my Beretta to the right. Nice groups but to the right. I, too, blamed it on finger placement and small hands but could never consistently remedy the problem. I started adjusting aim to the left, thus creating a new bad habit to compensate.
 
I have been having accuracy issues with my newest pistol. I think I am flinching or jerking the trigger or both
 
Thanks . . .

Thanks for all the thoughts and info. i guess part of this is in developing "muscle memory" (Which we all know isn't really in the muscles.) It's like playing a banjo. The more times you jump from one cord to the next the easier it becomes. The more times I get a straight back trigger pull on my Beretta the easier it becomes.

Live well, be safe.
Prof Young
 
at first ,when firing our Beretta 92fs. I was shooting left too.Quite a bit. It was my trigger finger pushing left. Corrected that . It started again but this time in the finger corrected position(from the earlier issue).... it turns out many Beretta 92 fs have their rear sight drifted left at the factory. I pushed it right now POA=POI for once it was not my lapse during the trigger push:rolleyes:
 
Are you able to SEE THE SIGHTS SHIFT off? If not, fix that first. Learn to keep focused on the front sight as the gun fires, no blinking. If you can't see your mistake, it's very hard to correct.
 
I take it you are right handed. If you are hitting left (7 o'clock) it's because you are pulling the trigger rather than squeezing the trigger.
 
Thought I was squeezing the trigger but . . .

Well, I thought I was squeezing the trigger, but in the same session with the range master noted above he said I was pulling more than squeezing. So, I guess I need to "lighten" up.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
The only handgun I have to really pay attention to when shooting is the small Beretta 950BS 25 auto I have. It only fires in the single action mode. If I put my finger through the trigger guard I pull it hard right every time. As long as I have a firm grip and use just the tip of my finger to pull the trigger I do a pretty good job of shooting it.

If you rest that gun it will surprise you with its accuracy at least out to 12-15 yards. But its a real booger to shoot off hand without lots of practice. But heck, practice is fun.:D
 
Prof, I appreciate the thread concerning finger placement. Just a thought ; have you installed the "D" spring in you 92FS? It makes a world of difference in shooting that gun. With that spring change the trigger is lighter and more controllable in both DA and SA.
 
Thanks for the suggestion . . .

Bentonville:
Thanks for the suggestion. After watching the range master nail the ten ring with my gun I'm thinking I just need to learn to shoot that gun well and not mess with any changes. Then again, we change all kinds of things looking for accuracy like loads etc. But for now I'll think I'll keep it stock.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
what causes a guy to shoot high left about 11:00 ? He is right handed

sorry I apologize I didn't mean to high jack this thread.
 
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I have found that doing a lot of double action shooting with a revolver (using the end pad of my finger) has really improved my trigger control. It just forces you to pull straight back and isolate your index finger movement through the entire double action pull while keeping the sights aligned. I'm always careful not to stage the trigger. Smooth and straight back to a clean break.
My groups with a 1911 single action improved A LOT once I started shooting a double action revolver regularly.
 
Most of the errors occur because of recoil anticipation: you're fighting recoil that isn't there yet and not watching your sights.

Do a ball and dummy drill: load magazines with live rounds and snap caps. Start with more dummies than live, perhaps just 1 live round.

Watch that front sight very carefully as the hammer drops. If it does anything different than before the hammer dropped, you've identified a problem.

Part of the mental game here is not becoming complacent and immediately racking that round out of the gun and yanking the trigger again. Give it a pause to determine how and to where those sights moved.

Eventually, you will hit that live round and it should be quite a surprise. The bullet will, most likely, go exactly where you wanted it to go (where your sights were aimed). The very next trigger pull is telling: do your sights dip/move like with the first dummy or two?

Work your way up to more live rounds in the magazine/cylinder.

Even for experienced shooters, going back to this drill from time to time can really help identify and eliminate bad habits.
 
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