Striker Fired Trigger Pull Technique

[marb4]

This summer I bought my first striker fired pistol (Ruger SR9c). Its a great pistol but I'm having a heck of a time getting accustomed to the striker fired trigger pull. Its what I would describe as a long single action pull or a short double action pull. I'm having trouble getting a nice even smooth pull through the break but find I tend to "jerk" the trigger more causing my groups to open up. With this pistol, 3 inch groups at 7 yards is about the best I can do consistently whereas with my single action handguns that same group is about half. I know the best advice is practice practice practice but I want to be sure I'm practicing proper technique for this type of trigger.

Any tips or suggestions for properly operating a striker fired style trigger?

Any suggestions for smoothing up the trigger on an SR9c (other than getting an aftermarket setup)?

 

[offroaddiver]

triggers on different guns just require "trigger time". I use the coin trick before shooting competitions just to get used to the trigger. Before I forget the coin trick is balancing a coin on the front of the gun and dry firing the gun. If the coin falls I am jerking too much.

 

[Sam1911]

Smooth, straight back, watch the front sight. The "coin trick" or empty-case drill (whatever you can balance on the front sight) is really good for this.

Or take some time away from autos and shoot DA revolvers for a year. When you come back to the autos, no trigger will bother you!

 

[ResidentFarmer]

+1 on what Sam said. After shooting nothing but revolvers for over forty years except when I was in the service, I finally bought an auto. Rented a bunch and settled on an M&P. Love it . After I got it I started reading about what a crappy trigger it had. What? My trigger was great. What were all these people talking about? It slowly dawned on me that all these people had not had much experience with DA revolvers. Now I just read these posts and chuckle to myself. Getting another M&P next month. Great guns.

 

[the duck of death]

Or get a Glock and learn how to do a real trigger job. All mine are 2lbs w/minimum take up and all 3 safeties working.

 

[chris in va]

My first centerfire was an XD9. Couldn't hit anything with it, got a CZ.

Fast forward a few years, wanted to replace my PITA Sig 220 and got a Glock 21sf. I found it necessary to take up the initial 'mush' first just before the harder letoff, otherwise my shots would go...somewhere. Six months of this and I finally decided it wasn't going to work out.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Smooth, straight back, watch the front sight.

This...plus slow your trigger press way down. Notice I wrote press, not squeeze or pull.

Don't worry about the sights moving on the target, just keep pressing the trigger smoothly and slowly to the rear until it releases the striker.

I'd also recommend using as little finger as you can on the trigger which still allows a straight press to the rear...you likely have the trigger closer to the first crease (from the tip) than it should be

 

[BCRider]

Or take some time away from autos and shoot DA revolvers for a year. When you come back to the autos, no trigger will bother you!

OH BROTHER! ! ! THAT'S for sure ! ! ! !

I think learning to shoot my DA revolvers well was the biggest single factor in becoming better.

I like to think of the trigger pull as building up pressure in my trigger finger. The idea is to ramp up the pressure evenly and smoothly. The trigger will move as it wishes and the trigger finger will follow it. But the point is to build the pressure instead of moving the trigger. If you build the pressure evenly the trigger will move and finally break with no tendency to a snatch or jerking action.

I'm not really into stiker fired guns but I do jump back and forth between a few different hammer fired semis, DA revolvers and SA revolvers. The DA trigger skills helped all my trigger pulls immensely.

 

[carbuncle]

I love this thread, I need all the help I can get: I'm solid with a traditional DA auto and I just picked up a .22 Dan Wesson revolver but I shoot striker-fired guns like a buck rookie: wild left and trending low all the time.

 

[labhound]

Shooting my DA revolver or one of my DA/SA pistols in DA definitely helped my trigger pull technique on my SR9 to the point where I shoot it better than most of my DA/SA pistols in SA.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I love this thread, I need all the help I can get: I'm solid with a traditional DA auto and I just picked up a .22 Dan Wesson revolver but I shoot striker-fired guns like a buck rookie: wild left and trending low all the time.

You're being tempted by what you know is a shorter trigger stroke...I'll bet you're also overgripping the gun

 

[Ben86]

Are you used to shooting something else?

Any tips or suggestions for properly operating a striker fired style trigger?

Same tips for shooting anything. Start of by "studying" the trigger pull, I mean really get to know it and master it. Make sure that you are not putting too much finger on the trigger and pull straight back smoothly, letting the trigger break "surprise" you. Don't practice staging the trigger. Just pull straight back in a nice smooth motion without disturbing the sight picture.

I say get some snap caps and do a lot of dry fire practice.

Also, there are other things, such as grip "milking," that could be effecting accuracy. Make sure it's not any of those.

 

[carbuncle]

You're being tempted by what you know is a shorter trigger stroke...I'll bet you're also overgripping the gun

You're on the money with this, along with my crappy modified (half-assed) Weaver scheme and my cross-dominant eye...I need to modernize and solidify my technique.

 

[exavid]

I have three handguns that give good trigger practice, a S&W model 28, LCP and LC9. All three give a good demonstration of DA trigger technique. If you can develop good trigger control with an LCP you can do it with anything. It took me time and plenty of ammo to get reasonable results with mine.

 

[1SOW]

and pull straight back smoothly, letting the trigger break "surprise" you.

I don't agree with that statement. That's a good way to start "learning" the trigger.
Unless the target AND you are stationary, you want to be familiar enough with your trigger to know when it's going to break. When you practice enough to be very familiar with the trigger, it should become a learned habit to be able to call the shot when the sights hit the target.

 

[MyGreenGuns]

I know the "break" on my XD9 trigger better than any other gun. Its my first handgun and my most shot weapon.

I'm really good with this gun. I fully believe that is due to me being in love with it so long.

I have a couple SA/DA revolvers, but only recently started shooting them DA. I do not claim to be real good with them.

 

[marb4]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I have a Ruger GP100 that doesn't make it out to the range as often as it should and when I do shoot it its almost always in SA. I like the idea of practicing with it a bunch in DA. With my single action pistols (Beretta 92FS, Browning Hi Power, GP100, and a slew of 22s) I'm accustom to applying increasing pressure to the trigger until it breaks "suprising" me. The trigger isn't moving while applying increasing pressure with these so pressing through the SR9c trigger does feel akward. Practice with the GP100 in DA and the SR9c I think will help a lot. Keep the tips coming!

 

[9mmepiphany]

The trigger isn't moving while applying increasing pressure

Actually it is...otherwise it could release the striker.

A DA and SA trigger stroke are accomplished identically except for the distance the that the finger/trigger travel. That is why practice with a DA trigger will usually improve your ability to manage a SA trigger

I don't agree with that statement. That's a good way to start "learning" the trigger.

That is what we are talking about, "learning the trigger". Rushing through this process has a negative impact when trying to shoot faster or on moving targets

 

[Ben86]

I don't agree with that statement. That's a good way to start "learning" the trigger.

Staging the trigger, especially when inexperienced, usually leads to anticipation of the shot and then flinching. Staging the trigger may be a tactically sound thing to do if trying for a really challenging long range shot. But, as a general defensive practice I think it is not good.

I've had to help people unlearn their habit of staging the trigger in order to improve their shooting.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Staging the trigger, especially when inexperienced, usually leads to anticipation of the shot and then flinching. Staging the trigger may be a tactically sound thing to do if trying for a really challenging long range shot. But, as a general defensive practice I think it is not good.

This is true...it is the same problem with starting with a SA platform like the 1911.

But be aware that there is a difference between staging and prepping a trigger. I never teach to stage...once I've made the decision to fire a shot and the trigger starts to the rear, it doesn't stop unless I decide not to shoot...however prepping the trigger of a SA or striker fired gun is a valid defensive technique for rapid accurate repeat shots.

 

[Ben86]

But be aware that there is a difference between staging and prepping a trigger.

I thought they were one in the same. Can you expand on the differences between them?

 

[9mmepiphany]

Staging a trigger is starting the trigger pull, when you are on target, than stopping it just short of the letoff, refining your sight picture/alignment (which are also different), and then squeezing off the shot as you perceive the perfect sight picture/alignment.

Prepping a trigger is pre-loading the trigger, before the sights return onto target, and allowing the aligned sights appearing on the target to cue the final press to release the sear. It is the only way that I know of to shoot accurately at a speed in excess of 5 shots per second

One is a result oriented action, the other is a process oriented one.

 

[Sam1911]

9mm, I really like that description! Makes the distinction perfectly clear.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Thank you...it is a distinction defined by intent. But that intent makes staging and prepping completely opposite techniques

 

[BCRider]

Would it be fair to say that staging or prepping is best avoided for anyone struggling to learn a new trigger? I feel that either could easily lead to flinching or pulling the gun off target when they are not totally comfortable with the basics first.

For those with difficulty I've tried to get them to just continuously build up the trigger finger pressure in a smooth manner until the gun shoots. And that to let the trigger move or not as it wants while they just maintain this smooth build of pressure. I also tell them to hold the trigger back against the rear travel stop long enough to realize that the gun went off and that they are still holding the trigger back before releasing it.

By focusing on a full trigger travel stroke and holding it back for that instant of realization it helps to disassociate the BANG and recoil from the act of pulling the trigger. Most of the folks I've taught this idea to seem to get better groupings right away.


For a newcomer or even someone like myself who hasn't been shooting for long but goes out regularly staging can sometimes backfire too.

With my recently acquired .44Mag Super Redhawk the trigger has a very noticable "click" just before the trigger breaks. It's the PERFECT signifier that this is a good point to stage and make any last instant sight corrections. But I'm not so comfortable with the Magnum yet that I don't sometimes feel the urge to flinch a little as soon as that little telltake "click" occurs. When I feel the wrist want to jab down I have to give myself a mental slap upside the head to get back on track.... The good news is that I'm at the point where I can recognize that I'm about to flinch and catch it in time. Or that I flinched during a shot and conciously know I screwed up. That's a big one in itself.