NCJ Number
206789
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 66,68,70,71
Date Published
June 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examined the problems shooters have with an emphasis on trigger control.
Abstract
In troubleshooting the riddles of marksmanship, it is generally accepted that if the shooter has a problem it is with trigger control. When the FBI analyzed the problem, they found that 95 percent of the time, bad shots were made because of poor trigger control. If trigger control can be improved most shooting problems can be fixed. Trigger control is defined as the proper application of continuously increasing, positive, rearward, even, and uninterrupted pressure upon the firearm trigger by means of centering the first pad of the trigger finger on the trigger while maintaining optimum sight picture and avoiding lateral pressure to the firearm, until the hammer falls and the firing process is completed. The mission of firearms instructors is to isolate the point at which a problem shooter is making an error and then bring the shooter’s level of competency to acceptable levels or better so he may join the roll call of qualified police shooters. The instructor uses aides and drills to help the shooter and instructor work together to determine any problems. The key to correcting any problem is to correctly identify it and then, through proper analysis, use techniques to fix the problem. This article reviews techniques utilized by instructors to help shooters become more proficient marksmen. However, the examples do not include all situations and additional research is suggested to find the best solution for an individual.