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Hi everyone,

I was wondering if you change your trigger finger placement depending on say if it's single stack or double stack? Do the different grip sizes force you too?

I'm a new shooter. I have a shield 9mm and have gone shooting with it 3 times. I have medium sized hands and I still notice how relatively small the grip is.

I have been researching on proper shooting techniques. Everyone seems to say place your finger on the trigger with the first pad. That doesn't seem to work for me with this small frame.

I'm left handed, and when I tried shooting with the first pad of my finger, my shots would go down and to the right. Almost always outside the black center on the NRA targets, and a decent amount outside of the target circle completely.

Yesterday, I dry fired a bunch at home, doing the dime test. I decided to play around with my hand placement, and my finger placement.

I found I did pretty well when I used the second pad on my finger, a little past the first knuckle. I didn't even drop the dime a few times.

Last night I went to the range and the difference was huge. Immediately I was no longer shooting low. While at first I was still shooting slightly to the right, it was still much better.

By the end of the night, I was shooting almost completely inside the black center of the target, which I think is 3-4 inches in diameter. Shooting from 25 feet.

I am at about 475 total rounds fired, with 200 of them coming from last night.

Anyone else have to do something weird like this to shoot better?

Am I just strange, or is it simply because it's a smaller firearm?

A couple weeks ago I held a glock 19 at a gun shop and it felt amazing in my hand. Certainly better than the shield. I assume though with the thicker frame, I would need to use a more traditional finger placement.

Thanks!
 
Actually, there's nothing at all strange about altering your grip depending on how your hand fits the grip. I think a too small a grip is easier to overcome than a too large a grip. Working in the trades, I have very meaty and very large hands, but relatively short fingers. The bore axis of my hand is distanced from the grip, and therefore creates a longer reach to the trigger. To accommodate this, I must roll the web of my hand away from the sweet spot. The trigger is then better accessed, but it alters the recoil in my hand. Instead of recoiling straight into the web of my hand, it is more prone to rolling away from my hand. Therefore, the newer grip designs on disposable semi autos with replaceable smaller fillers has been a benefit to me. I can only imagine a larger filler would also be a benefit to those with larger hands and especially longer fingers.

P1050216.jpg

P1040495.jpg
 
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Agreed, but he wasn't really referring to grip, but more to what part of his finger he pulls the trigger with.
 
Good job! You are finding what works for you. Everyone is different. Stance, finger placement, etc. whatever you find that works for you, keep doing that with anything that you shoot. (muscle memory)

A buddy of mine was having huge problems. Come to find out he is right-hand dominant, and left-eye dominant. Yeah, his shooting position isn't "normal" but it works for him. He would also consistently shoot low and left. Then he found a PPQ that he had to have. He is accurate as anything with this from his first shot.

I try and look at these as "tools". They seem to work for me regardless what I shoot. Also Google "shooting wheel". Lots of suggestions. Remember "suggestions" may not work for everyone, but it may help.

Trigger finger placement.jpg
 
I notice that the location of my finger certainly has an effect on different gun. If I'm shooting my 938, its the first pad. If I set that down and pick up my 686 .357, its the crease between the two. If I try to shoot that the same way I shoot my 938 or even my old 229, it'll pull. Practice with your gun and whatever works best for you is what you should be using!

Always cracks me up when you're watching a movie and a guy picks up a random pistol off the ground is some kind of sniper with the thing. I don't have 2 guns that really shoot alike and have to use a couple rounds relearning everytime I set one down and pick another up.
 
Good job! You are finding what works for you. Everyone is different. Stance, finger placement, etc. whatever you find that works for you, keep doing that with anything that you shoot. (muscle memory)


A buddy of mine was having huge problems. Come to find out he is right-hand dominant, and left-eye dominant. Yeah, his shooting position isn't "normal" but it works for him. He would also consistently shoot low and left. Then he found a PPQ that he had to have. He is accurate as anything with this from his first shot.

I try and look at these as "tools". They seem to work for me regardless what I shoot. Also Google "shooting wheel". Lots of suggestions. Remember "suggestions" may not work for everyone, but it may help.

View attachment 423928
Good job! You are finding what works for you. Everyone is different. Stance, finger placement, etc. whatever you find that works for you, keep doing that with anything that you shoot. (muscle memory)

A buddy of mine was having huge problems. Come to find out he is right-hand dominant, and left-eye dominant. Yeah, his shooting position isn't "normal" but it works for him. He would also consistently shoot low and left. Then he found a PPQ that he had to have. He is accurate as anything with this from his first shot.

I try and look at these as "tools". They seem to work for me regardless what I shoot. Also Google "shooting wheel". Lots of suggestions. Remember "suggestions" may not work for everyone, but it may help.

View attachment 423928

This will point you in the right direction after you correct your finger placement on your trigger.;)

300566-972faff68558de473ff136e1745f8662.jpg
And to keep you in practice, use this one to keep yourself focused....:p
300567-a47a1e230f3361ca1e9c5078b8d2e93d.jpg
 
Not trying to be glib, sometimes the gun changes my trigger position.

A mild-mannered .22 target pistol with a heavy barrel and a can will certainly handle differently than a snappy lightweight .40SW.

Compare any long double action trigger pull (revolver or semi-auto) to say a 1911 with a Wilson Combat trigger and miniscule reset, which will handle way differently than... well... everything.

IMHO, they should all be fired frequently to maintain accurate proficiency.
 
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Not trying to be glib, sometimes the gun changes my trigger position.

A mild-mannered .22 target pistol with a heavy barrel and a can will certainly handle differently than a snappy lightweight .40SW.

Compare any long double action trigger pull (revolver or semi-auto) with say a 1911 with a Wilson Combat trigger and miniscule reset, which will handle way differently than... well... everything.

IMHO, they should all be fired frequently to maintain accurate proficiency.

GLIB....:D:D:D:p
 
Usually not depending on the gun, but rather depending on how fast I am shooting.

Generally if I am taking my time and shooting for accuracy, I use the first pad of my finger, otherwise I take less care in where my finger falls on the trigger.
 
Thanks for the input everyone!

I'll continue to see how it goes and adjust accordingly. That shooting wheel is great.

I was firing pretty dang slow, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I eventually try to pick up the speed.
 
Finger fing around is fun and all but I'll generally just try to haul the trigger back such that the sights don't move before, during and or after the drop. That'll pretty much put the toad in the hole.

but edit.. since that's absolutely impossible to do, just pray to the Jesus.
 
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I do if I HAVE to shoot a different gun. The smaller the gun, the trigger placement is closer to the joint since I tend to push otherwise. If I have a choice, I choose guns that have a similar distance from backstrap to trigger.

I bought a Glock 43 and noticed I was consistently to the left, as a right handed shooter. I am so used to the G34/17/19/26 frame size that it was difficult to remember to change my finger placement.

Since Im so used to standard double stack frame, I got rid of the G43 and bought a G26.
 

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