Don’t Jerk It: Pistol Trigger Control Tips With Brian Zins

by
posted on January 16, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Last week for Part 1 of our “Precision Pistol Tips with Brian Zins” video series, we covered pistol grip improvement. Now for Part 2, Brian, a 12-time NRA National Pistol Champion, reviews his pistol trigger control tips (watch the video above).

Part 2: Trigger control
What is trigger control? Brian Zins believes that trigger control is the ability to manipulate the trigger without disturbing the sights. Trigger control, simply put, is “getting the gun to shoot, once you get the sights where you want them.” Brian tweaks this advice to, “Align the sights as you pull the trigger.” More on this later.

Brian Zins on pistol trigger control
Stance, grip and aiming are important, but you can have a perfect grip, and hold perfect sight alignment all day long―but it only counts when the gun goes bang and only one action causes the gun to do that―pulling the trigger.


According to Brian, there are two fundamentals in shooting, aiming and trigger control. Trigger control is the more important of the two, because it’s the only part of the gun that’s actually moving before the shot breaks. There’s no sense in aiming if you can’t pull the trigger without disturbing the sights. This is not limited to precision pistol―trigger control is key for all pistol shooting disciplines.

Trigger finger placement in bullseye
Now for bullseye, where should the trigger make contact on the finger? We touched on this a bit in Part 1, so if you have not watched it yet, be sure to review it. The trigger should be centered in the first crease of the trigger finger. Why you ask? We have always been taught to place the pad on the trigger. Brian would rather have the hard surfaces of the creases on the trigger, because when pressure is applied, we know the trigger is actually moving to the rear, and we are not just feeling the fat and skin of the finger being pushed out of the way.

Brian Zins shares his tips for pistol trigger control in bullseye
In Part 3, which is upcoming, Brian will marry up his concepts of sight alignment and trigger control.


Trigger control, you should make yours nice and smooth. Learn it, live it, love it!

In Part 3 of our video series, Brian will cover the relationship between sight alignment and trigger control. The tips in these videos are taken from Brian’s instructional clinics. Learn more about Brian Zins pistol training at www.pointblankrange.com/training-instructor-bios/brian-zins

Latest

Nrapistol Honoraryclub 1
Nrapistol Honoraryclub 1

NRA Honorary Club Recognition Has Returned

NRA announces Honorary Club recognition for Precision Pistol shooters who achieved elite scores from 2018 through 2025 after a six-year pause.

How Volunteers Are The Heartbeat of USPSA

Why volunteers are the backbone of practical shooting and how every contribution fuels the sport’s continued growth.

Turner Parcell Takes HOA at 2026 NSCA East Coast Championship

Team Remington’s Turner Parcell wins HOA with 187/200 at the 2026 NSCA East Coast Championship. Teammate Michael Luongo sweeps 12-Gauge and 20-Gauge events at Hunters Pointe.

Ole Miss Rifle’s Audrey Gogniat Secures Second Consecutive NCAA Air Rifle Title

Audrey Gogniat of Ole Miss defends NCAA air rifle title with a stunning come-from-behind win in the final at Ohio State on Saturday.

RCBS Adds To MatchMaster Precision Case Trimmer Lineup

RCBS adds a .338-caliber pilot and a pilot-free 3-Way Cutter Head to the MatchMaster Precision Case Trimmer, extending the line’s caliber range and speeding up bench workflow.

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser Surges to Win NCAA Smallbore Title

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser wins individual smallbore title at 2026 NCAA Rifle Championship with 466.0 final score at Ohio State’s Covelli Center.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.