Category: Shooting Fundamentals

In regards to most things in life, the fundamentals are among the first things you learn for a reason. Fundamentals may appear obvious at first, but mastering them may take a good amount of time and discipline. When it comes to shooting fundamentals, learning trigger control plays a key role in your ability to hit your mark consistently.

Proper Trigger Discipline

By definition, trigger control refers to the shooter’s ability to manipulate the trigger on a firearm. Contrary to popular belief, this process is far more complex than merely pointing your gun and squeezing a trigger.

Manipulating the Trigger

The first thing you need to understand about trigger control is that you never truly “squeeze” the trigger. Instead, you should press the trigger towards the back of the firearm. Your focus should be on allowing the trigger to rest between the tip of your index finger and the first joint for the optimal amount of control.

When manipulating the trigger, the most important characteristics of trigger control are speed and motion. Each pull of the trigger should be smooth and consistent, allowing you to catch a sort of rhythm with your shots. Without a smooth follow-through with your shot, the impact of the round you shoot could be affected, effectively wasting the precious time you spent aiming and lining up your shot.

Trigger Control Training

If you’re looking for a great place to practice your trigger control exercises, you’ll love the selection of different firearms available for you to shoot at the Vegas Machine Gun Experience. Book a gun range package and work your trigger finger today.

One of the most important things to do before you take any gun out to shoot is inspect and familiarize yourself with it. Each gun is different and has its own unique properties that set them apart from one another and learning to operate each one safely should be one of your top priorities. Another factor that is important to account for in a gun before you start shooting is its mechanical offset, also known as sight offset.

What is Sight Offset?

Mechanical offset refers to the distance between the center bore of the gun’s barrel and the sights or optics you use to aim. This distance is different based on the type of firearm that you are using. With rifles, the sight offset usually sits around one to three inches whereas handguns stay at fractions of an inch.

Why Does Sight Offset Matter?

Sight offset comes into play most often when shooting from behind cover or with an object as a base. This is because with the sight offset, a scope may be clear of the object, but the bore-axis isn’t. This means that you may have a clear line of sight with your target, but with the bore-axis still behind an object, you would still be shooting at a wall.

Accounting for Sight Offset

Before you start shooting, take a good look at your gun and become familiar with its own mechanical offset. Practice in an open shooting range to get a feel for how your particular gun operates.

If you’re looking for a great place to practice shooting a wide variety of guns with all different types of mechanical offset, book one of our gun range packages at the Vegas Machine Gun Experience.