Don’t Jerk It: Pistol Trigger Control Tips With Brian Zins

by
posted on January 16, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Last week for Part 1 of our “Precision Pistol Tips with Brian Zins” video series, we covered pistol grip improvement. Now for Part 2, Brian, a 12-time NRA National Pistol Champion, reviews his pistol trigger control tips (watch the video above).

Part 2: Trigger control
What is trigger control? Brian Zins believes that trigger control is the ability to manipulate the trigger without disturbing the sights. Trigger control, simply put, is “getting the gun to shoot, once you get the sights where you want them.” Brian tweaks this advice to, “Align the sights as you pull the trigger.” More on this later.

Brian Zins on pistol trigger control
Stance, grip and aiming are important, but you can have a perfect grip, and hold perfect sight alignment all day long―but it only counts when the gun goes bang and only one action causes the gun to do that―pulling the trigger.


According to Brian, there are two fundamentals in shooting, aiming and trigger control. Trigger control is the more important of the two, because it’s the only part of the gun that’s actually moving before the shot breaks. There’s no sense in aiming if you can’t pull the trigger without disturbing the sights. This is not limited to precision pistol―trigger control is key for all pistol shooting disciplines.

Trigger finger placement in bullseye
Now for bullseye, where should the trigger make contact on the finger? We touched on this a bit in Part 1, so if you have not watched it yet, be sure to review it. The trigger should be centered in the first crease of the trigger finger. Why you ask? We have always been taught to place the pad on the trigger. Brian would rather have the hard surfaces of the creases on the trigger, because when pressure is applied, we know the trigger is actually moving to the rear, and we are not just feeling the fat and skin of the finger being pushed out of the way.

Brian Zins shares his tips for pistol trigger control in bullseye
In Part 3, which is upcoming, Brian will marry up his concepts of sight alignment and trigger control.


Trigger control, you should make yours nice and smooth. Learn it, live it, love it!

In Part 3 of our video series, Brian will cover the relationship between sight alignment and trigger control. The tips in these videos are taken from Brian’s instructional clinics. Learn more about Brian Zins pistol training at www.pointblankrange.com/training-instructor-bios/brian-zins

Latest

Rangeready 1
Rangeready 1

What a 21-Time Bianchi Cup Champion Can Teach You About Range Day

Real Avid’s free Range Ready portal pairs a 26-page field guide and worksheets with lessons from 21-time Bianchi Cup champion Doug Koenig.

Longshot Cameras Adds Dandy Trickler to Portfolio

Longshot Cameras has acquired Dandy Products and its $140 2-speed Electric Powder Trickler, a battery-powered tool for topping off weighed powder charges.

Collegiate Rifle: No. 2 Kentucky Stays Ahead of No. 15 Akron

No. 2 Kentucky beat No. 15 Akron 4718-4693 in Lexington, but the Zips posted their highest team score of the season.

New: WOOX Hand-Finished Grips for Your 1911

WOOX’s new 1911 grips come in American walnut ($89) or Micarta ($79), each with Plain, Diamond or X-Grip textures.

Canik Unveils Onyx, Phantom Optics Lineup

Canik launches four pistol red dots in open-emitter Onyx and enclosed Phantom families, priced at $259.99 and $299.99.

Collegiate Rifle: Muller, Perkowski Shoot Perfect 600s in NCAA Air Rifle

Alaska-Fairbanks’ Teagan Perkowski and WVU’s Océanne Muller shoot perfect air rifle 600s, Muller’s third of the season and a program record.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.