Trigger-nometry
When it comes to correctly using the trigger, there are a lot of erroneous ideas out there. You can blame Hollywood for a lot of it.....I'm old enough to remember the Westerns that had the shooters literally "flicking" the sixgun at the target with each shot they took! And more recent movies with gang members holding the handguns sideways in an effort to look cool while being bad doesn't help matters much either!
But to narrow the focus of this blog entry, lets deal with how you should work the trigger on a gun that has a nicely adjustable firing mechanism, such as the R-series of guns from Beeman/HW. The Rekord trigger is famous for its adjustable behavior, and once you have the trigger to your liking, you can move on to dealing with how you actually "squeeze" the trigger, though that might not be the best description.
Now I'm not a professional shooter, but I've watched enough "how to" segments of firearm shows and read enough about shooting that I think I have a decent handle on the situation. As I understand the pros, you really should only use the pad of the fingertip to "squeeze" the trigger. Many people erroneously use the first joint, or crook, of the forefinger to actuate the trigger mechanism. This unfortunate habit has the side effect of minutely moving the barrel of the gun as the trigger is operated. If you use just the pad of the fingertip, you want to simply move the trigger backwards in a linear movement to cause the gun to fire. This linear movement allows one to stay on target easier without the side effect of disturbing your aim on the target.
I've heard more than once that the actual firing of the gun should come as a surprise to the shooter since they should be focusing on keeping the sights on target, and not anticipate the sear breaking upon moving the trigger. This is even easier done with an airgun since there is much less recoil than with a centerfire cartridge, and you tend to flinch less when you know there is no anticipated damage to your shoulder upon firing.
Most of what I've mentioned above is directed towards rifle shooters. If you are shooting a pistol/revolver, you have some adjustments to make. Pistols can use the same technique, but revolvers, if they are double-action, will require some adjustment. In the case of a double-action firing scenario, the crook of the finger should be used since the strength needed to move the cylinder through its range of motion when firing isn't as available if you are using just the pad of the fingertip. If you cock the double action so that you are using it in single action mode, then for ultimate accuracy you will want to use the pad of the fingertip.
So when you shoot, try out the different methods described, concentrating on getting the most accuracy you can from your air gun. The type of trigger your air gun uses will dictate to some degree how effective this technique can be, but if you have a decent trigger that is light and adjustable, then you can enhance your accuracy by using less of your trigger finger.
