How practical is using trigger reset? This article will address whether it will work for self-defense as opposed to competition. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus mainly on handguns, since that is what industry trends seem to be concerned with these days. And let’s face it, if we use a firearm for defense, it is extremely likely that it will be a handgun that we use.
If you’ve been involved in the firearms industry for any length of time at all, you’ve seen that it runs very strongly on trends. Trigger reset seems to be a trend, albeit one that’s been here for a little while (i.e., several years). I’m not sure it will fade any time soon, either. We even see trigger reset mentioned in marketing occasionally, making it a selling point for some handguns.
What is trigger reset?
Trigger reset is trapping (or “pinning”) the trigger to the rear after a shot and not letting it move forward. The shooter then begins to realign the sights with the target while allowing the trigger to move forward until it resets (the shooter will feel a “click”part of the way through the movement). This should happen before the trigger reaches full extension. When the reset is felt, the trigger is pulled again, breaking the next shot. That’s about as simple as I can boil it down.
There are advocates and there are opponents to trigger reset, with each side seeming to be entrenched in their respective stances on the subject.
Why use it?
Advocates claim that a shooter can fire more quickly by only allowing the trigger to extend to reset before pressing it again. The premise is that the trigger (ergo, your trigger finger) has less distance to travel. That makes sense, right? The fastest route is the most direct route between two points.
During certain situations when firing a gun, fast shooting is very desirable: competition and defense are two that come to mind immediately. We want to use the fastest, most effective techniques possible during these activities for obvious reasons.
New shooters may benefit from using the reset because they will learn about how the trigger operates and trigger control. In fact, an outstanding instructor whom I know uses this technique, and it seems to make new shooters more aware of trigger operation.
Why not use it?
In my opinion, there are a number of reasons against using trigger reset for serious shooting (read that as defensive/combat shooting).
Efficiency
The first reason is sort of two-fold. First, it makes sense to control the trigger as it’s being pressed to fire a round. We want a smooth, even press straight to the rear. And our grip on the pistol also plays a huge role in the whole process. A smooth, straight press goes a long way in getting us the accuracy that we are after.
The second part of the equation is control of that trigger as it is being released forward (i.e., moving it toward the reset). If we spend time and concentration slowly letting that trigger out and searching for that reset, we are actually slowing ourselves down. Letting the trigger out has nothing to do with firing the handgun and it seems like a waste of mental and physical resources to take the time and effort to recognize the reset.
An additional problem is that some people, in their quest to hit that reset quickly, manage to short-stroke the trigger squeeze. In other words, they begin trying to get the next shot off before they’ve actually reached the reset point. This just adds additional time to the whole equation.
Defensive Incidents
Adrenaline is another massive factor that comes into play. You know, that stuff that courses through our veins during serious encounters. During my decades on duty in law enforcement, I’ve experienced adrenaline dumps more times than I can count.
I’m not talking about butterflies in our stomach before an important test type of adrenaline. I’m talking about incidents where people are attacked with knives and hacked apart.
The adrenal dump created by critical incidents plays havoc with our system in a number of ways (I’ve experienced all of these, sometimes all at once):
- Auditory Exclusion: Hearing is drastically reduced or shut down and sound seems to be coming from a long way off if there is any at all.
- Tunnel Vision: Peripheral vision is shut down and all vision appears to be at the end of a tunnel as the mind focuses on the threat.
- Tachypsychia: The perception that time slows, where everything seems to be operating in slow motion.
- Pain: We often do not perceive pain until after the incident is over, despite possibly grievous injuries.
- Loss of Fine Motor Skills: Because blood flows from our extremities to our core, control of fine motor skills can diminish greatly. Your hands will shake (and feel more like flippers than hands). This is a huge impediment to being able to operate trigger reset, which is the focus of this article.
- Increased Strength: We can sometimes do physical feats far in excess of what we’re normally capable of.
These factors greatly affect our ability to do certain things during defensive incidents. Especially the loss of fine motor skills. I know quite a few people who have voiced that this will not affect them during a critical incident. One thing that nearly all of them have in common is that they have never been in a life-and-death critical incident. They claim that, because they train a lot, they will overcome the adrenaline and its effects on their body and mind.
Mind you, I’m all for training. The more the better! Quality training can help us to perform better during incidents. However, for those who have never experienced a critical incident before, the shock to the system will be devastating. It’s my belief that expecting to be able to perceive the trigger reset under a full adrenaline dump is almost laughable.
When I tell that to trigger reset supporters, they tell me that I haven’t trained enough. The fact that I’ve been involved in a few hundred violent encounters on duty does not seem to phase them; they are convinced that I don’t know what I am talking about.
The bottom line in this department is that if you are able to shoot using trigger reset during a deadly encounter, you are one hell of a human being, and certainly, a damn sight better shooter than I am.
Other Opinions
Apparently, I am not alone in my thoughts on the subject. I’ve spoken to quite a few people who agree, largely for the reasons that I’ve listed. A number of them are people who have been in critical incidents, be it in law enforcement or the military.
I also spoke to a friend of mine, Brian Johnston, who is a sponsored competitive shooter. He also trains for defensive shooting as well. He said, “None of us who are in speed/competition/defense shooting advocate holding the trigger back until the gun fully cycles.”
Regarding trigger reset, he states, “For slow fire or precision shooting, it has a place, but for combat, no…get off the trigger after the shot as fast as possible.”
I’ve also heard quotes from other professional shooters, including the great Jerry Miculek, who absolutely do not advocate using the trigger reset.
The Alternative to Trigger Reset
Rather than riding the trigger out to reset, there is an alternative. Some call it “slapping the trigger,” but we don’t literally slap the trigger. Rather, we let it extend out to its full length. Some people keep their finger in contact with the trigger while others let their finger go slightly off the trigger, then establish contact again. At that point, we administer another trigger press.
This is the method that I advocate in the event you find yourself in a defensive shooting situation. It is simpler and you’re not expending time and energy to ride that trigger to the reset.
Actual Trigger Distances
Let’s take a look at the actual distances traveled between a fully pulled trigger, reset, and the trigger fully extended at rest.
Glock 19X
For the Glock 19X, I measured the distance traveled from the trigger being pinned to the rear to the reset point: approximately 1/4-inch. From the reset position to the fully extended, at rest position: approximately another 1/4-inch.
Smith & Wesson CSX
On my S&W CSX, the distance from pinned to reset is 1/8 inch. Since the reset occurs when the trigger is fully extended, I could not measure any additional distance. The CSX is a single-action pistol, so it makes sense that the trigger’s distance is shorter.
Glock 43X
For my Glock 43X, from the pinned position to reset is about 1/4-inch, and another 1/4-inch from reset to fully extended (the same, incidentally, as the Glock 19X trigger).
To me, that’s not a huge amount of distance, especially with how fast our finger is likely to be moving if someone is trying to kill us.
In Conclusion
Many people who are in the know advise against trying to use trigger reset during violent, defensive encounters. It is probably not realistic to expect it to work for the reasons listed above. The physiological responses that the body undergoes are simply against it. That said, I haven’t met anyone who claims that using trigger reset is completely impossible. Perhaps there are some unique, gifted, and experienced individuals out there who can pull it off. For those special folks, more power to them. They are truly skilled, indeed.
For competitive purposes or target shooting, most of us can’t see that using trigger reset would hurt anything.
Naturally, you are free to do as you see fit. We’d love to hear from anyone who has experience using a handgun for defense or in the line of duty who has been involved in a critical incident. Please feel free to leave a comment, your thoughts are valued.
