Instruction Video from Rob Leatham

[comprido]

Here's a quick instruction video from Rob Leatham talking about muzzle and trigger control. I could have posted it in the competition forum, but he talks about watching your sights lift. This seems to be something most of the strictly tactical guys don't talk about much as far as I can tell, but is a pretty fundamental part of competition shooting doctrine. I thought this forum might be interested in it. I don't think you'll ever be a fast shooter if you can't track your sights during recoil.

Also expect some heresy when he talks about pressing (or not pressing) the trigger.

Be warned: it's also a promo for a company that sells steel targets. He shoots their targets during the video, and there's a 60 second commercial at the end. If that's going to bother you, don't click the link.

Hope somebody gets something out of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLRxohRdIys&feature=related

[az doug]

Thanks for posting the link. Rob and I have some mutual friends that I shoot with almost every Friday. When in town Rob frequently shows up and sometimes goes to lunch with us afterward. I have heard his views on "sight picture" and "trigger press" several times and they are contrary to what us "traditionalists" have always been taught. On targets 25 yards away and in he focuses on the target, not his sights and he takes his finger all the way off the trigger and "slaps" it when he shoots.

ETA: His grip is "vise like" and he will tell you the hole trick is to manipulate the trigger without disturbing the sights. Some think it is his light triggers that allow him to accomplish this, but I have seen him do it with stock guns.

[Surf]

I will first say that Rob L. is a phenomenal shooter that I highly admire for his abilities with firearms. Having said that I do not disagree with how he is describing his trigger manipulation however I have a much different definition of "jerking" the trigger. Again I run my trigger pretty much in a very similar manner, but would define "jerking the trigger" differently.

[xrayoneone]

That is some good info. Tagged for reference.

[Preliator]

I have been trying to figure out a way to convince some of my more senior firearms instructors of EXACTLY what he went over in that video. Rob of course put it much better than I could have. Great post, I will be forewarding this video to some people.

[Jim D]

Heard more about this the other day from JD at Northern Red.

The issue isn't how the trigger is pressed, it's what the rest of your hands are doing.

They've literally done demo's where one shooter holds the gun with their finger off the trigger. Then they take a dowel rod and a hammer to set off the trigger. The shots go where the sights were lined up, despite the hammer blow to the trigger.

We didn't do it in class as it tends to break the trigger on most guns, but it's all about the separation of the trigger finger from the rest of your hands.

A "flinch" or "jerk" typically involves a lot more than just the trigger finger moving quickly. Once separated completely from your grip, the speed and force of the trigger finger moving has very little impact on accuracy.