Sight Alignment or trigger control?
What is more important, sight alignment or trigger control?
What do we think is more important when shooting a handgun? Have proper sight alignment and sight picture, or proper trigger control? The answer might surprise you.
So before we get into a discussion about what is more important, we need to start by defining what each of these items mean. Lets take a look at the shorter definitions of them.
1.) Sight Alignment
Proper Sight Alignment is placing the front sight in the middle of the rear sight notch, with equal light on both sides of the front sight. Between the front sight and the rear sight. Also aligning the top of the front sight in line( level) with the top of the rear sight. As shown below.
2) Sight Picture
Proper sight picture is the alignment of the sights properly with the target. There are in general two types of sight picture, center hold, and the six o’clock hold. See image below.
3) Trigger Control
Trigger control is defined in short, as the act of moving the trigger and firing the gun without disturbing the aim.
This process is often severely overlooked when shooting handguns. A lot of shooters are exposed to shooting rifles before shooting handguns. Trigger control is mentioned in those circles, but isn’t necessarily a pass/fail on each shot fired.
Let’s think about this, a rifle or shotgun is usually a 6-12 pound gun, with a 4 to 6 pound trigger press.
A pistol on the other hand, is a 2 to 3 pound gun with an 8 lb trigger press.
The lighter the gun is relative to the weight of the trigger press, the more important that trigger press becomes. A small error is pressing that trigger straight to the rear AS THE SHOT BREAKS, and before, will determine whether the sights are where they belong( sight alignment/sight picture), when the round leaves the barrel.
In short, if you press the trigger to the rear, and push the sights off target before the shot breaks, or even flinching before the shot goes off, then it will be a guaranteed miss, even though you had the PERFECT sight alignment and sight picture.
Conclusion!
Trigger control is FAR more important than sight alignment and sight picture when it comes to hitting our target with a handgun
They are both important, but if we fail the trigger press, we keep the round from hitting the target- period.
Find out more detailed information on Sight Alignment/Sight Picture and Trigger Control below.
