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dyl · April 21, 2012, 12:12 AM

[this is long winded, I'm not an expert but I like thinking about these kinds of things]

When I started shooting, an older shooter taught me that in general, the "standard" way to shoot a revolver in double action is to center the farthest knuckle / distal joint in the trigger face. Some call it the "power crease/groove". There is a lot of leverage this way. This works very well for smooth combat triggers. I was taught that for any given revolver this is how your grip is determined - start with your preferred trigger finger placement and then wrap the rest of your hand around the grip. I'm guessing it's because the frame sizes for revolvers and the stocks on them vary by a lot - at least the trigger finger placement would be consistent and familiar.

Exceptions: My S&W 27-2 revolver however has a very wide and serrated "target trigger". Using this technique is a bit more difficult in double action - and I read that the serrated target trigger was meant for the other technique of using the pad of the finger for fine control in Single Action. The trigger is so wide that I find placing the joint on the right corner of the trigger moves the front sight the least during dry fire. I've also seen a video segment by Jerry Miculek (see youtube) where he recommends putting the trigger finger "square to the trigger face" - if that means using the pad, then this goes against the generalization. Jerry, being a professional, most likely has extraordinary finger strength and can shoot well this way.

I've also read that piece by Massad Ayoob that he prefers using the joint of the finger for semi-auto pistols as well. It does give a lot of control. If I started doing that however, I'd probably be scolded at the next class I went to (since I'm not Mr. Ayoob)

I too am still experimenting with a couple of my guns, trying to find the sweet spot. Or a sweeter spot. Especially every time I buy/try new stocks for my revolvers. I more or less use the crease of my knuckle for my revolvers.

Is it possible that since you were using the pad of your finger that at the last moment your trigger was sliding into the groove of your finger joint - and the gun shifted to the right? Aside from playing with the trigger finger placement itself, I sometimes play around with rotating my whole hand clockwise or counter-clockwise on the grip.

Have fun experimenting

April 21, 2012, 12:12 AM	#4
dyl Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,310	Generalizations [this is long winded, I'm not an expert but I like thinking about these kinds of things] When I started shooting, an older shooter taught me that in general, the "standard" way to shoot a revolver in double action is to center the farthest knuckle / distal joint in the trigger face. Some call it the "power crease/groove". There is a lot of leverage this way. This works very well for smooth combat triggers. I was taught that for any given revolver this is how your grip is determined - start with your preferred trigger finger placement and then wrap the rest of your hand around the grip. I'm guessing it's because the frame sizes for revolvers and the stocks on them vary by a lot - at least the trigger finger placement would be consistent and familiar. Exceptions: My S&W 27-2 revolver however has a very wide and serrated "target trigger". Using this technique is a bit more difficult in double action - and I read that the serrated target trigger was meant for the other technique of using the pad of the finger for fine control in Single Action. The trigger is so wide that I find placing the joint on the right corner of the trigger moves the front sight the least during dry fire. I've also seen a video segment by Jerry Miculek (see youtube) where he recommends putting the trigger finger "square to the trigger face" - if that means using the pad, then this goes against the generalization. Jerry, being a professional, most likely has extraordinary finger strength and can shoot well this way. I've also read that piece by Massad Ayoob that he prefers using the joint of the finger for semi-auto pistols as well. It does give a lot of control. If I started doing that however, I'd probably be scolded at the next class I went to (since I'm not Mr. Ayoob) I too am still experimenting with a couple of my guns, trying to find the sweet spot. Or a sweeter spot. Especially every time I buy/try new stocks for my revolvers. I more or less use the crease of my knuckle for my revolvers. Is it possible that since you were using the pad of your finger that at the last moment your trigger was sliding into the groove of your finger joint - and the gun shifted to the right? Aside from playing with the trigger finger placement itself, I sometimes play around with rotating my whole hand clockwise or counter-clockwise on the grip. Have fun experimenting