REMARKS.—­The right arm may be slightly bent, although the difficulty of holding the pistol uniformly and of keeping it as well as the forearm in the same vertical plane makes this objectionable.

137.  THE GRIP.—­Grasp the stock as high as possible with the thumb and last three fingers, the forefinger alongside the trigger guard, the thumb extended along the stock.  The barrel, hand, and forearm should be as nearly in one line as possible when the weapon is pointed toward the target.  The grasp should not be so tight as to cause tremors of the hand or arm to be communicated to the weapon, but should be firm enough to avoid losing the grip when the recoil takes place.

REMARKS.—­The force of recoil of the pistol or revolver is exerted in a line above the hand which grasps the stock.  The lower the stock is grasped the greater will be the movement or “jump” of the muzzle caused by the recoil.  This not only results in a severe strain upon the wrist, but in loss of accuracy.

If the hand be placed so that the grasp is on one side of the stock, the recoil will cause a rotary movement of the weapon toward the opposite side.

The releasing of the sear causes a slight movement of the muzzle, generally to the left.  The position of the thumb along the stock overcomes much of this movement.  The soldier should be encouraged to practice this method of holding until it becomes natural.

To do uniform shooting the weapon must be held with exactly the same grip for each shot.  Not only must the hand grasp the stock at the same point for each shot, but the tension of the grip must be uniform.

138. (a) THE TRIGGER SQUEEZE.—­The trigger must be squeezed in the same manner as in rifle dring. (See Chapter VIII, section 6.) The pressure of the forefinger on the trigger should be steadily increased and should be straight back, not sideways.  The pressure should continue to that point beyond which the slightest movement will release the sear.  Then, when the aim is true, the additional pressure is applied and the pistol fired.

Only by much practice can the soldier become familiar with the trigger squeeze.  This is essential to accurate shooting.  It is the most important detail to master in pistol or revolver shooting.

(b) SELF-COCKING ACTION.—­The force required to squeeze the trigger of the revolver when the self-cocking device is used is considerably greater than with the single action.  To accustom a soldier to the use of the self-cocking mechanism, and also to strengthen and develop the muscles of the hand, a few minutes practice daily in holding the unloaded revolver on a mark and snapping it, using the self-cocking mechanism, is recommended.  The use of the self-cocking device in firing is not recommended except in emergency.  By practice in cocking the revolver the soldier can become sufficiently expert to fire very rapidly, using single action, while his accuracy will be greater than when using double action.