The days of click-bang training are numbered. People are beginning to see the folly of training shooters to pin the trigger.
Click-Bang folks make me laugh. They don't know better because they only know what someone told them. You line up the sights on the target, press off a shot, hold the trigger to the rear, let your sights settle back to the target, and then… you let the trigger out/forward until you hear and feel the click, then… you’re ready to fire again. Bang!
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
In all my years as a professional shooter, I’ve yet to find one “World Class” shooter who feels for reset or cares about the click when they shoot. I’ve shot with the best of them and call many of them personal friends.
Click-bang ended for me in the early 2000s with my time in the Feds. Working with pro shooters like JJ Racaza and Mike Seeklander opened my eyes to the fact that feeling for reset was not only a waste of time but a recipe for trigger jerk.
There is no faster way to shoot quickly and accurately than to reset during the gun's recoil immediately after the shot breaks. So why has "click-bang" been a training staple? If you got into all the nuances, but I'll keep it simple, you could probably write well over 2000 words on the topic.
A long time ago, someone’s daddy said, "Never let your trigger finger leave the face of the trigger." But why?
Theoretically and honestly, the less your finger travels when firing, the faster you can shoot. Travel equals time, and that's a real factor if you want to be the best in the world. If I teach you to ride the reset to the click/reset, you will learn to move your finger just enough and not too much. The problem is that it's a slow process, and most folks never get past it. It's also a recipe for a trigger jerk.
If you shoot your first shot well, and the next one goes low left or low right, it's because you are operating the trigger differently between those two shots. Press the first one, then feel the reset and snap the second shot. Click, Bang!
It's time to talk about the pressure wall. You're trying to find it but shouldn't come to it from the backside. If you went to the pressure wall from the front, through the slack, just like when you drew and presented for your first shot, you’d be more repeatable.
Much can be said about the pressure wall and the variety of triggers available. However, as it pertains to semi-automatic handguns, these triggers are generally two-stage.
The slack in front of the pressure wall is considered the first stage. The second stage is when you hit the wall and begin your press. For years, I heard instructors say, "Take the slack out" on the range. I never really understood it. But wouldn’t that mean I would touch the trigger and work it out before shooting?
They say you shouldn’t touch the trigger unless your sights are on target and you’re ready to shoot. I call B.S. I'm touching the trigger and working it through the slack and, in some instances, putting pressure on the pressure wall once my muzzle is oriented downrange and to the target. How else can I be fast and accurate?
What comes after the first shot, though, is a carbon copy of what happened for the first shot. Once the gun fires and begins to recoil, I'm off the trigger, returning through the slack/first stage and meeting the pressure wall for the next shot. As the gun settles back to my acceptable sight picture, I'm already applying pressure at the pressure wall. By the time I see what I need to see, the gun goes off again, if needed.
Here's a quick drill for you to run. This recoil management drill can eliminate your need to click bang. If you can’t get over the incessant urge to ride the trigger out, you’ll never come close to completing the drill with any cadence or rhythm.
Start Line: 20 Feet
Par Time: :03 seconds
Shots: 6
Target: IPSC A zone hits
Drill: From the holster draw on the timer and fire six, a-zone hits in under three seconds.
This Recoil Management drill seems easy enough to accomplish but given the time and accuracy standards this exercise is more difficult than expected. Propper trigger work is mandatory.
There are a couple of things to remember as you shoot and learn this firing method. First, is that a good solid grip does much to compensate for a piss-poor trigger press. Another is that the body will comply when the sights/sight picture is the mission. Lastly, we need to shoot without fear. No fear of muzzle blast, recoil, or performance. That means you need to focus on the process rather than the results.
Beware the man with one gun. He probably knows how to use it. This is probably very true for the person who trains properly and shoots with that one pistol.
The man with one gun knows the recoil impulse, trigger weight, and amount of travel his trigger finger needs to reset the trigger positively and get back to the pressure wall. I used to be that guy, but now, since I shoot so many different guns, I just let my trigger finger fly forward on recoil. For the most part, my finger leaves the face of the trigger. It's a very positive way to keep the gun functioning properly.
When I shoot one gun enough, my trigger finger begins to learn its path and travels forward less. That takes conscious effort, time on task, and a certain level of comfort.
Not all triggers are the same. Take some time to think about what I've addressed here. Come and take a class with me. Run some trigger management drills and learn to become smoother, faster, and more accurate by resetting the recoil. ~ Chris
Chris Cerino
Chris is a 28-year veteran of law enforcement. He has been a SWAT member, Federal Agent and more, but mostly he has always been a trainer. He trains internationally, competes regularly and works in the firearms industry in a wide variety of positions. Chris recently took the Producer of Training Content position at Gun Talk Media. His roles continue to grow each day at Gun Talk Media all while maintaining Double C Farms.
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