Trigger Protocol

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I was cleaning my Glock and after putting it back into working order I went to dry fire it. By mistake I used my middle finger to pull the trigger and positioned my regular trigger/pointer finger firmly up on the slide/barrel side touching the USA
stamp. I'm left handed.

For the first time I felt as if I had my Glock tight like in a vice which would allow me to get back onto point much quicker after firing & perhaps br more accurate.

Has anyone ever used this technique successfully?????

My new G43 will arrive either Friday or Monday & I intend to use method shooting the G43 which to be held tighter because of it's size & weight as advised in another post by everyone for accuracy and timing.

 

[DaleA]

Life's too short. Give it a try at the range and report back. What have you got to lose? Just for YOU it might be the perfect solution.

P.S. I had a grandfather that shot pistols that way.

 

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I will. the G43 came in today & I'll pick it up tomorrow. Can't wait to try it out.

 

[44 AMP]

Index pointing

There is, or was, a school of thought that felt the best (most accurate) way to shoot a pistol fast was to use the middle finger to pull the trigger, with the index finger pointing at the target.

It was meant for close in speed work, where it was felt that a person's natural ability to point at a target with the index finger would mean greater likelihood of a hit.

Unfortunately, this technique is not a good idea for a lot of guns. Right or left handed, with a lot of guns, especially smaller ones, it exposes your index finger to the cylinder gap blast on revolvers and the moving slide (and maybe the ejection port) on semis.

On semis, besides the risk of abrasion to your finger, if its touching the slide there is the possibility of it slowing slide movement, possibly enough to cause a malfunction. So, not a good idea there, I think.

On a revolver, the tip of my index finger is exposed to the cylinder gap blast on a K frame, and on a .38 Snub, index my fingertip reaches to the front of the frame! Not what I think is a good place for my finger!

Not to mention, after decades of experience shooting the regular way, it just feels very, very wrong to me.

IF it works for you, fine, it just doesn't work for me.

 

[SauerGrapes]

Funny, I just saw a young fella doing that exact method this weekend. Hope you have better results than he was.
I doubt I could train myself after all these years. The old dog new tricks type deal.

 

[Rangerrich99]

A friend of mine shoots like that, and he shoots very well that way. At least with a SIG P229 (never saw him shoot like that with anything else). I tried it one time and it felt very strange and I gave it up after just a few magazines. But if it works for you, have at it.

 

[jackstrawIII]

Unfortunately, this technique is not a good idea for a lot of guns. Right or left handed, with a lot of guns, especially smaller ones, it exposes your index finger to the cylinder gap blast on revolvers and the moving slide (and maybe the ejection port) on semis.

On semis, besides the risk of abrasion to your finger, if its touching the slide there is the possibility of it slowing slide movement, possibly enough to cause a malfunction. So, not a good idea there, I think.

On a revolver, the tip of my index finger is exposed to the cylinder gap blast on a K frame, and on a .38 Snub, index my fingertip reaches to the front of the frame! Not what I think is a good place for my finger!

This all came to my mind immediately when I read your post. Be careful!

 

[Doc Holliday 1950]

Okay. Went to the FFL/GS and picked up my new Glock 43. Bought a box of Hornady 100
grain 9mm ammo and also use 6- 115 gr. FMJ target ammo. I put the target at 15 feet.
The target had 10 different sized bugs & I randomly shot at each one. I used the technique of using my middle finger to pull on the trigger and my pointer finger up on the left side of the body. I worked like a charm. the ejection port is on the right side and there was no gas emission coming out on the left side. REMEMBER, I'm left handed. I had much more control and better second and third shots than ever before. I will work on this for hand memory and for some reason my hand instinctively without fail went straight into the new technique.
Last thing. I have a picture of the target but can't remember how to post it.

 

[44 AMP]

Glad it works for you. That's all that really matters, anyway.

I'm, right handed, and shoot too many guns where that technique puts my finger in harm's way. Plus decades of practice means I'm not gonna be changing at this late date.

Good luck, and good shooting!

 

[Cheapshooter]

Doc, don't get hung up on the this named style, or that named style. Any of which are only important to the self appointed gun expert that think it is the only proper way to shoot. Try what ever feels right to you. The "experts"aren't shooting your gun with your hand.

 

[Hal]

Has anyone ever used this technique successfully?????

Of course I have.

That and a few others.

The time to find out if you can fire a gun with an injured "trigger finger", isn't something you want to find out if/when someone is shooting at you!

If you own a gun for self protection, you really should know how to handle it under any and all circumstances.

Ok - I edited this because I think I'm coming across a bit on the anal side....

Sorry if it sounds like that, but,,,you really should give at least some type of attention to trying different things in case you are injured.

I recall the time I did a static line jump..
We spent a half hour on learning how to do PLFs (Parachute landing falls) & a whole afternoon on learning what to do if your chute doesn't open!

The moral there is - - sometimes you're just going to have to "get hurt", in order to survive.
Of course you don't have to get hurt to practice - - you can make a guard or something so you don't..

 

[Doc Holliday 1950]

All I can say is at the range today, I tried my new technique vs.the orthodox manner using both Hornady 100gr & 147 grain ammo in my new G43, and my aim was right on the button at 10-15-25 feet. Most of my shots were at the 10 foot range. For now, until something else happens, I will use this with the G43.

A for shooting my G19, I still use will use the traditional grip. It's heavy enough that my 124 gr. Gold dots or Fed HST's don't bounce all over the place.

 

[bandur60]

I've also used this hold on a 32H&R mag/ 38Sp deringer, gives a straighter pull on the (50 pound??? seems like, maybe only 20 :<{ ) trigger plus a lot better firing grip.

 

[mrdaputer]

I was cleaning my Glock and after putting it back into working order I went to dry fire it. By mistake I used my middle finger to pull the trigger


I am still trying to wrap my brain around this A new shooter?

 

[johnwilliamson062]

possible danger has already been covered but I agree there are lots of situations it is dangerous.

hold your hand out in the air empty, but as if holding a pistol in the prescribed grip. Squeeze your middle finger as if pulling the trigger and see how your index finger reacts. For most people it will close a little. Of course that happens with your middle finger when gripping the pistol traditionally, but the force is applied against the grip back into the palm, not out on the barrel. Maybe not a problem for you, but it is for me.

I have practiced shooting with middle finger as in case of injury, although I am not sure how recoil on an injured hand would change the effectiveness of that practice. I imagine even 9mm out of G19 recoil on a broken finger would smart a good bit. I've practiced left hand a good bit more.

The accidentally pulled with middle finger has my eyebrow raised. Things happen, and we have redundancy in the safety rules so more than one thing has to go wrong at a time to get an ND, but we should always be aware of when things don't go quite right to avoid future accidents.

 

[g.willikers]

No doubt others have been thinking this,
But if you shoot better with that technique, maybe your pistol shooting skills needs more attention.
Just a thought, no insult intended.
Most folks need better training.
And don't get me started on lack of driving skills.

 

[GarandTd]

Speaking of driving.....10 and 2 is the "ideal" position for hands on the wheel. Does everyone drive that way? Nope.
Can you drive a car with your hands in other positions? Sure can. Is it wrong? Maybe to a driving instructor.

I (and my son) noticed he(my son) was shooting the Apache 77 today using his middle finger on the trigger. It worked for him on that particular firearm. He doesn't use his middle finger on other firearms. He is a novice shooter, but I didn't stop him. If it works for you with that particular firearm, I say why not. I'm sure some of the world's greatest innovators we're told they were wrong...

 

[mrdaputer]

I am sure there are more ppl than I know who use the point shooting method. None of the top shooters to my knowledge tho. It is not advised for several reasons. One is you will have less control of the recoil. Another would be if your finger dragged the slide. I would highly recommend not letting your son doing this with a revolver because the gas chamber will tear up his finger. By no means is it wrong just not advised. My main point to the op was when he said
By mistake I used my middle finger.

 

[Doc Holliday 1950]

GarandTd said it correctly for me. My post was referring to & only to shooting my new Glock 43. The size of the 43 and my hand size makes this technique perfect
for me whether it was by mistake or intentional. Once again, I am left handed and there is NO INTERFERENCE ON THE SLIDE & THERE IS NO GAS EMISSION
PROBLEMS. Obviously, I have gone to my range and used this when firing the 43. When shooting my G19, I use the traditional method. Why???
Because it feels right for this particular Pistol.

 

[jhenry]

Jack Ruby used that method pretty successfully when point shooting Oswald to death. Of course he was missing his index finger.