5 Dec 17

“Trigger Control”

“When you walk, just walk. When you sit, just sit. But, whatever you do, don’t wobble!”

Ummon

“The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing. It expects nothing. It reflects, but does not hold. Thus, the perfect man can act without effort.”

Chuang Tzu

My friend and colleague, Frank Sharp, recently editorialized eloquently on the subject of trigger control, and indicated, correctly, that it is the most difficult subject we teach, and more than a few students never “get it,” despite their sincere efforts, and ours!

“Acting without effort” fluently describes the perfect trigger press!

But, few operate at that level. It is indeed an elite fraternity that does not include me!

Some competitive shooters approach the “perfect trigger press,” but they invariably do it with extremely light triggers!

With real triggers (5-7lbs), that come from the factory on real guns, that real people are going to actually use, in really serious situations, “perfection” is unlikely, nor is it particularly relevant!

The “trigger-jerking bacteria” that infects all of us, to one degree or another, will be annoyingly present every time we operate guns.

And, as with most things in medicine, we have no “cure.” What we are able to do is teach you to “live with your disease”

With the serious use of guns, we usually have an “area target.” Be it the “thoracic triangle” or “body-midline rectangle,” when bullets are impacting within several centimeters of our exact point of aim, that is usually “close enough” to produce the desired outcome.

When your “disease” is thus “under control,” a “good outcome” is still probable, even though you haven’t been “cured,” nor are you ever likely to be!

So long as we are all made of protoplasm (living tissue), a “perfect” trigger press will continually elude most of us.

Competitors, who work in the abstract, will ever tormentingly pursue it.

Operators, who relentlessly train for “The Test,” which we know and understand can come at any moment and without warning, endlessly strive for an acceptable compromise between accuracy and speed, worrying less about “perfection,” and more about victory!

“With the unstable, there is no self-control.
Without self-control, there can be no harmony
In the absence of harmony, chaos pervades
And, for the chaotic and aimless, how can there be happiness?
Boundaries are essential
Without boundaries, a river becomes a swamp!”

Anon

/John