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Gun-Day Sunday: Trigger Control, and the K31
By Lt Col P
Had a great range session this morning with good friend, fellow Marine and frequent commenter MDL. He brought his DS Arms FAL and his straight-pull Swiss K31, of which more anon. I brought the M1 Carbine and the 1911 .45-- of course, since I carry it-- and some odd boxes and clips of ammo, basically to blow the existing low stocks for each. Since I had a limited round count, I decided to focus on trigger control and rapid follow-up shots.
If I came late in life to the True Path of practical shooting, i.e. the teachings of LtCol Jeff Cooper, et al., then I came later still to trigger control, more accurately trigger reset. I don't know why, but I didn't "get" trigger reset until I did John Murphy's two-day handgun course. It was indeed a most glorious revelation, and it has greatly improved my abilities. Taming and harnessing trigger reset is the key to rapid, accurate follow-up shots, as in the "controlled pair" and the "failure drill," and all of their manifestations. (If you don't understand what I'm talking about, see below the fold.)
Bottom line is that while you should always strive to know your trigger and master its reset, a low round-count or limited range-time is a great way to evaluate and improve your ability in this critical skill. It is also, I hasten to point out, a fine dry-fire drill as well. And is dry-fire not the foundation for good shooting?
The M1 Carbine performed well. Not flawlessly, but well. I love the way it handles, mounts and points, but the feeding and ejecting needs some attention. I'm using quality ammo, so I don't know if it's magazines or the gun in need of a tune-up. Probably the latter. Anyway, I like that gun, and I'll do what I need to do to get it into fighting trim. MDL shot a full magazine from it, and expressed approval in terms that denoted his desire to acquire one. I have seen that before, and it usually means a visit to g u n b r o k e r . c o m ... For my part, I put 20 rounds through his FAL, and felt some lustful urges of my own. Nice piece of gear that, and the .308 "strikes with authority," as John Farnam says.
Speaking of gun-lust, MDL also brought the K31. A beautifully made article, and like he said, with "laser-like accuracy." I can't describe the feeling adequately here, but it was the smoothest bolt-action military rifle I've ever fired. And the six-round group at 50 yards offhand, minus two fliers, was something I'd expect from myself from a supported position with a familiar rifle. That's a rifle that should not be underestimated-- I'd rather face a hundred peasants with AKs than ten trained marksmen with K31s.
Go forth and shoot. And mind your trigger reset; the effort will repay a hundred-fold.
OK, trigger reset, in my own words... As you know, after you fire your semi-auto pistol or rifle, the recoil mechanism recocks the weapon and pushes the trigger forward too. If you let go of the trigger, you won't notice it. However, if you maintain contact with the trigger, you notice that the process pushes against your finger. You can use this to your advantage: allowing your finger to ride the trigger forward while it resets itself steals a march on your next shot, because it takes up whatever slack and creep are present and lets you follow up with a very rapid shot.
You can try it with dry-fire. Best way to start is to take your pistol, remove the magazine and clear the chamber. Then do it again, just to be sure. Then point it in a safe direction and take a good dry-fire shot, but DO NOT let go of the trigger. Keep it pressed hard to the rear. Now, with your support hand, reach over and rack the slide to the rear and KEEP YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER. Pay attention to how the trigger moves forward. Do this several times, and you'll notice that the pressure you need to apply for a follow-up shot is minimal.
Now, when next you go to the range, try it out. Obviously you won't need to manually cycle the action, but what you will notice is how smooth your follow-up shot can be. In fact, you will probably surprise yourself and think that the gun malfunctioned and fired a double. And if you control the recoil and practice good follow-through, you'll also notice how fast and accurate your follow-up shots are getting. This nice little self-revelation will mark a significant step in your training.
And BTW, it'll work with any auto-loader or pump-gun, as long as you can work the action without taking your finger off the trigger.
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Comments
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
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We taught the reset concept in the department, and were also impressed, and impressed the members. Cool.