cayugad

I have noticed with almost every rifle I shoot, that the further back from the target I get, the more to the left I seem to hit. And this is with almost any rifle. So today I wanted to see if it was me or the rifles.

I used my White Bison because it has a 4x Simmons Pro Diamond scope, is very accurate, easy to load, and normally very accurate. I used the standard load for it of 70 grains of Triple Seven 2f and a Bull Shop .5045 that I sized down to a .503. It just loads nice in this Bison.

At 25 yards I shot my first target. Here I expect a hole with this rifle.



I shot the top target first, made a three click adjustment and then shot the bottom three. Now I figured I was on pretty good to the bull. So I swabbed the barrel and moved the target back to 50 yards.



Even though I was aiming for the white head of that turkey picture, note.. the bullet holes have moved to the left. So I swabbed the barrel again, and moved the target back.



I could only get back to 72 yards because somehow a tree was shot off, and laying across the trail. These muzzleloaders might have a little power after all.

Here I note that the POI is moving even further to the left. The group has opened a little but I expect that. I suspect it is now trigger pull on my part. Actually the first three hits looked like the deer picture pattern kind of. So I started to really look at the trigger pull and my finger.



Here I made an adjustment. I placed only the very tip of my finger on the trigger and basically let it surprise me when it went off. While the group moved back to the right, I have to admit I did not enjoy the trigger this way when I fired.

So my question is.. what kind of trigger/finger is correct? Are you supposed to get a lot of meat on the trigger? How do you do it? Also I suspect it is my trigger control. What do you think?

SWThomas

What works for me is to put the trigger where the first knuckle is. That way you pull straight back. The more finger you have wrapped around the trigger, the more likely you are to move your POI.

Semisane

I use the center of the pad on the Distal Philange my trigger finger. When I was a "lot" younger I used the joint between the Distal Philange and Middle Philange. Then I got into bench rest shooting and found I got a "straight back" pull with the finger tip pad, and a slight pull to the side using the joint. So its been the tip pad ever since.

sabotloader

cayugad

If I go all the way back to high school and back to my ROTC rifle team training I can still remember getting chewed out by the Sargent about where I was putting my trigger finger on the trigger.

I had been shooting 22 for several thousand years before high scool ROTC and I was really good at it - but apparently not good enough for the rifle team - they changed several things that I thought I knew. Will not even mention about breathing or thinking to much.

Our instructor wanted the trigger finger to be placed on the trigger near the end of the pad - not really the end of the finger but beyond the middle of the pad. Hooking the trigger in the joint was discouraged as you have no feeling for the trigger. Going to the end of the finger did not allow for even pressure on the face of the trigger.

His words were do not pull the trigger... apply pressure and feel to the trigger and be consistent. His example would be he would lay a 22 shell on the hardwood floor ask you to bend over and pick it. with just the thumb and fore finger.... where the shell fit in your finger is where the trigger should fit. It is tactile sensitive at that point...

Be interesting to see what Lee says... he was a big time bench shooter - competeted for a lot of years in that field.

Me I am just a back yard mechanic that likes to shoot...

Underclocked

center of the pad on the Distal Philange - instinctively. Much more impressive than my post on MM where I described that as halfway between tip and first joint, thanks Semi.

Semisane

Yeah UC, I got CLASS!

cayugad

Well the last group that did not stray too much.. I was using the middle of the first pad. And it seemed to hold the group. I would have shot more, but figured if I did, I would ruin that group. I kind of liked it.

I guess I have to pay more attention to that finger/trigger thing. I always knew where it should go, but when it started to throw them, I checked and was really putting the meat on that trigger. All the way into the joint itself. Funny how you stop paying attention to things after a while.

Also for fun I shot that little 22 inch barrel Bison with 100 grains of Triple Seven 2f and that 460 grain conical. WOW!! it lets you know you shot a gun off. Good thing that cheap Simmons scope has good eye relief.

MLKeith

Those Whites sure do keep putting the bullets in the same area. Sure wish they could have kept the guns in production. My only problem is with the rear bolt cap assembly under the spring pressure it is getting difficult for me with the arthritis in my thumbs to get the cap back on. Maybe I need to trade for 91's?? Anybody????

Semisane

Now Cayugad, don't you go calling my favorite inexpensive scope "cheap".

RobertSubnet

What a great topic! I always suspected the distal philange was where I should be placing my trigger finger. But I have developed a bad habit of using the knuckle. This is a habit that needs to stop!

Thanks for posting this topic.