Self Defense Tactics: Is Tactile or Audible Trigger Reset Important?

One of the complaints I hear a lot about some pistols such as the Browning Hi-Power and the Remington R51 is that there is no perceivable trigger reset. Trigger reset on a firearm is the point where, after firing a shot, the trigger is reconnected to the sear and ready for the next shot. Some firearms have a trigger reset, some do not. Single shot firearms do not. Fully automatic firearms do but it is somewhat irrelevant. Single action revolvers do not, double action revolvers do. All semi-auto firearms have a trigger reset. Generally, this reset occurs before the trigger has returned fully forward to a rest position. In some pistols, the reset can be heard by a slight click, or felt by the trigger finger.

Somewhere in the course of speed related competitions over the last 30 years or so, someone developed the technique of "firing from the reset". This involves pulling the trigger immediately upon detecting the reset without allowing the trigger to fully complete the return. It can gain a fraction of a second in split times between shots. 

The technique works with some guns but not with others. The Browning Hi-Power and Remington R51 already mentioned have no detectible reset short of full return. The 1911 may or may not have one depending on how it is tuned. Most double-action revolvers, and pistols have detectable reset well short of full return, as do many striker fired pistols such as Glocks and S&Ws.

This technique is especially suited to Glocks because the Glock has a distinctly detectable trigger reset. Many Self Defense instructors teach the technique. It is no coincidence that many SD instructors are Glock oriented. And students love it because it seems like one of those secret tricks the pros use that make the seem better than the average shooter. The advantage from faster split times can be demonstrated at the range, and in different formal competitions, but how useful is shooting from the reset in a real self defense situation?

It is well accepted that for most people, a self defense situation is a high stress situation, often accompanied by an adrenaline dump as the body responds with the fight or flight reflex. One of the results of an adrenaline dumb is the loss of fine motor skills. And it is fine motor skills that allow the detection and response to a tactile trigger reset. Another result is a suppression of audio sensation, which means that an audible reset is going to be undetectable as well. So for most people, in a SD situation, a detectable trigger reset is a moot point. They won't be able to detect it, much less respond to it.

Couple this with the fact that under high stress, one tends to revert to the training. Repetitive training develops muscle memory and reactions that become almost instinctive. If one has trained to wait for a trigger reset before firing a second shot, and that reset is rendered undetectable, the result may be a slower second shot, instead of a faster one.

Granted, there are a few people who may not experience an adrenaline dump when their life is in danger, but they are rare. For most people, the adrenaline dump will happen, fine motor skills will be lost and the idea of using tactile reset in a SD situation is just a delusion. To each his own, but practicing techniques that depend on a skill that may well be unavailable when needed is not something I see any advantage in doing.