Treo

When did people start teaching trigger discipline?

Might sound like a weird question but what I mean is this: I just watched El Dorado (60s?) and in one scene James Caan casually points a cocked shot gun at John Wayne’s head from a foot or so away with his finger on the trigger. Now I realize it was a movie but that’s not something that a person who had been taught muzzle or trigger discipline would ever do casually and the gesture had nothing to do W/ the plot or story line.

I also recall an episode of magnum PI (80s?) in which Magnum is shown W/ his finger on the trigger of his 1911 and you could actually see him realize what he was doing and take his finger off the trigger and place it on the frame. Again, not an acting technique but a habitual response of someone familiar W/ weapons Like the scenes in Quigley where Selleck picks up his rifle and clears the chamber.

I also recently watched “To Hell and Back”(1955) and I noticed all through the movie that Audie Murphy had lousy trigger discipline. I point that movie out because trigger discipline is (IMO) a habit that you either have or you don’t.

I personally don't change my behavior relative to the status of the gun so I assume Audie Murphy and Ton Selleck don't either

Now even though I realize that this may have been due to the fact that all the guns were unloaded and everyone knew it but I watched “Uncommon Valor” (1983) the other day and all the actors there practiced strict trigger discipline.

There was a short lived series on tv last year called "Life On Mars" The main character was a cop from 2008 who somehow got sent back in time to 1973. One of the things they did to show that Sam (the 2008 cop) was different from his 1973 co-workers is that every time he drew his gun he observed proper trigger discipline and his co-workers didn't signifying that this was a "modern" idea that wasn't practiced in 1973.

That's kinda of my point the idea of placing your finger alongside the frame rather than on the trigger is (IMO) a relatively recent thing and I'm curious when it started becoming prevalent.


I don’t recall an issue ever being made when I was in the army WRT to this (1988-2003)