For those of you who already know what this is then congrats, You are ahead of the curve. Chappy of Beretta wrote a short article about the importance of the trigger reset.

For those not familiar with the concept, and there are a lot of people I have met out there who don’t, you might learn something important.

According to Chappy:

Trigger Reset is a term used to describe letting the trigger forward only far enough to reset the sear after the previous shot is fired.

Chappy goes on to briefly explain that trigger reset was a codified technique back in the 1920s for high power rifle shooters. It gave them an advantage during rapid fire stages.

Trigger reset has since then moved on to almost all types of shooting. It is very crucial in handguns. Chappy identifies three benefits of resetting the trigger.

1. Eliminates unnecessary motion. All motion equals time, and time is not on your side in a gunfight.

2. Minimizes movement of the sights thereby reducing time wasted realigning sights.

3. Helps reduce jerking of the trigger, which reduces the likelihood of missing.

When firing a handgun you would press the trigger to the rear but do not let go. After the gun cycles, you reacquire your sight picture and ease the trigger forward enough to feel the sear engage. Then you press the trigger again. Each gun is different. Some are better than others and a lot of it is personal preference. However if you follow the three key components above, the shorter the rest the better. Of course this applies to firearms that have a trigger reset. Although, you can apply this to a DAO trigger. Revolver shooters will pull the trigger to the rear and learn the proper distance before the hammer is released. If you practice doing this, you will become a better shooter. Great example is Jerry Miculek and how he can rock a revolver fast and accurately.

Chappy then explains that learning the reset distance is only a first step. To advance your skills at pistol shooting he then suggests learning to reset the trigger as soon as the gun is recoiling. This is a rather advanced move. He calls it “reset under recoil”. It will feel odd. But if you can practice this and be proficient at it, your followup shots will be quicker and more accurate. Chappy goes further and recommends that a shooter learn this so well that not only will the shooter be proficient and comfortable resetting under recoil, but it will feel strange to do so any other way. When a shooter can be that proficient, then the shooter can be more focused on other things.