🔍 What is a Popgun Pattern?
The Popgun pattern is a unique breakout trading setup formed by a combination of an Inside Bar followed by an Outside Bar.

👉 It signals a shift from low volatility to high volatility, often leading to a strong breakout move.
📈 Structure of the Popgun Pattern
The pattern consists of two key candles:
- 📦 Inside Bar
A small candle completely inside the previous candle’s range, showing consolidation. - ⚡ Outside Bar
A larger candle that engulfs the inside bar’s high and low, showing sudden volatility expansion.
👉 This transition often leads to a sharp directional move.
💡 Psychology Behind the Pattern
The Popgun pattern reflects a market pressure build-up followed by explosion:
- Market first enters a quiet consolidation phase
- Traders become uncertain and volatility drops
- Sudden aggressive buying or selling breaks the balance
👉 This creates breakout opportunities with strong momentum.
🟢 Bullish Popgun
📈 Signal
- Breakout above the outside bar high
- Indicates strong buying momentum
👉 Often appears before bullish continuation or reversal.
🔴 Bearish Popgun
📉 Signal
- Breakdown below the outside bar low
- Indicates strong selling pressure
👉 Often appears before bearish continuation or reversal.
✅ How to Trade the Popgun Pattern
🔹 Step-by-Step Strategy:
- Identify the Inside + Outside Combination
Look for volatility contraction followed by expansion. - Mark High & Low of Outside Bar
These become breakout levels. - Wait for Breakout Confirmation
Enter only after price breaks the outside bar range. - Entry Point
- Buy above outside bar high
- Sell below outside bar low
- Stop Loss
Place on the opposite side of the outside bar. - Target
Use support/resistance or volatility-based targets.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ❌ Trading before breakout confirmation
- ❌ Ignoring market trend
- ❌ Using in extremely low-volume markets
- ❌ Confusing candle order (must be inside → outside)
🔗 Popgun vs Inside Bar
| Pattern | Volatility | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Bar | Low volatility | Consolidation |
| Popgun | Low → High volatility | Breakout setup |
👉 Popgun is stronger because it includes volatility expansion.
🚀 Pro Tips for Better Accuracy
- Combine with Support & Resistance Zones
- Use volume breakout confirmation
- Trade with overall trend direction
- Use higher timeframe confirmation
The Popgun pattern is a powerful breakout setup that combines consolidation and volatility expansion into one strategy.
👉 Traders use it to identify explosive breakout opportunities after quiet market conditions.