Seth Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I have notice a correlation between the firmness of my grip and the speed at which the gun recovers AND tracks. While I haven't found the 'sweet' spot between them, what I noticed was that at 25 yard shots I'm gripping firmly and the gun isn't returning to its natural point of aim. I have overtightened and actually need to bring the gun back down to take the next shot. Similarly, I've been practicing at speed and have found that an overgrip ruins the tracking of the front sight and it moves at an angle instead of up and down. I haven't proven it out yet, but I'm willing to believe that there's a loss of accuracy and speed there as well. What say you guys? The obvious lesson is there, but I'm wondering if there's a greater lesson to be learned? Is manhandling the gun actually slower than letting it recoil and return? I have always shot from a very stable, strong platform, but I'm second guessing the value of that and am wondering if a more relaxed grip and stance won't prove to be more accurate through better sight tracking and faster? Thoughts? Seth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I have overtightened and actually need to bring the gun back down to take the next shot. You mean that gun just levitates...and even holds your hand up there too? You may have just defeated the force of gravity! LOL OK...it is important to explore your grip. One good way is the Burkett timing drills. Your *hand*grip isn't holding the gun up in recoil, though...right? That has to be coming from your shoulders. Unless you are breaking just at the wrists? (I hope not.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsEye Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I started out gripping tightly too. For me it has been advantagous to reduce how hard I grip it. Now I hold it just hard enough to control it. It seems to track much better and returns to my natural point of aim more consistantly. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 ive read a lot about not fighting the gun, letting it do its thing, etc etc. Still trying to get the hang of it myself. I do want to try Matt Burketts timing drills. shooting groups with dif grips to see how the gun reacts and what groups they yield. Sounds like your a little ahead of me. Im sure the "veterans" will be along to share their input, at least I hope so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 I have overtightened and actually need to bring the gun back down to take the next shot. You mean that gun just levitates...and even holds your hand up there too? You may have just defeated the force of gravity! LOL Well thank you, mr helper! I learn something new and you want to tell jokes? I might cry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calmwater Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 He had good advice in the teasing though. The Burkett timing drills specifically address this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 It's a pretty good revelation to realize that the gun isn't just hanging up their in recoil by itself. If it stays up there...we are the ones doing the staying. I wanted to point out that that is likely a different issue from your grip force. (sometimes humor helps us remember...which is probably how I learned this particular lesson) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 How many smilies does it take to acknowledge that I get the joke? Is there a standard? I'm forum-challenged, it seems. There is something to be gleaned here. I realize its ultimately an experiment til I find what works best for me, but there might be another leap to be had here. The front sight tracked entirely differently based on grip tension. I imagine that a lot of it is the transition back to irons from the dot (I've been shooting predominantly open for the last 4 months), but I feel like there's something new to be learned. I've done the Burkett drills a lot and never got this information out of it. I guess my brain was looking for something else at the time. Might be an occasion to revisit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 How many? Yes, a revisit once you are on to a "new thing" can open up all sorts of good stuff. You are there (opening up awareness), so you don't need us telling you too much of what you are "suppose" to notice. Keep up the good work and let us know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 What can I tell you? I get nervous bladder when I find something new.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa C Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 After being taught different grips from many firearms instructors, the last instructor put me on the right path as far as my grip. I used to over grip because one instructor or another told me to grip with one had pushing forward while the other pulled back. Another said to push together from right to left, etc. What I've finally concluded is treating the grip like an egg. If you hold an egg and squeeze it with one hand, it won't break because there's equal pressure surrounding the egg. So, I make sure there are no gaps between my palms and the gun and no gaps between my thumbs which are always flush against the side, pointing forward. If one were to quantify the strength to hold the gun by each hand, mine would be 40% grip hand and 60% support hand. I stopped trying to control how much pressure I was using to hold the gun. If everything is in its place, the gun isn't going anywhere. To take this a step further, after getting this new grip down, I learned to fire a shot and let the sights settle on the next target. After doing this a few times, I forgot about 40/60, 30/70, etc. Letting the sights settle on the next target put everything else in place. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Lisa - Thats a very good explanation, well done. That push pull is the old out dated Weaver and Chapman kind of thing ok for a couple shots but not what we do, by the third shot you would be off balance. Next time I practice I'm going to try what you said and see if I can fine tune my grip. What you did is take the recoil steering out of your grip by getting the right balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 A shooter with big hands and a lot of upper body strength may over grip, but a guy like me, with wrists like a 12 year old girl may need to "apply significant force". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 What I find works best is just to watch the sights. Let your grip take care of itself. Your subconscious mind is going to figure out how you're gripping the gun when it tracks well, when it tracks poorly. Just relax, open up your visual inputs. In short order you'll find the sights start tracking much better. Why? Well, obviously your technique changed. Maybe your grip changed. How did it change? Who cares? All that matters is that the sights are tracking much better now. Watch the sights. Maybe a few years from now you'll pay attention to how hard you're gripping the gun. Maybe not. Who cares, as long as what you're doing works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_Seehawer Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Wow, after that IQ robbing buzzer goes off I'm not even aware I'm holding a gun much less how much I'm gripping it. Maybe thats why I'm a C......... Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Wow, after that IQ robbing buzzer goes off I'm not even aware I'm holding a gun much less how much I'm gripping it. Maybe thats why I'm a C......... Brad I think that the only time you focus on the grip is when you are at practice perfecting your form and style, lol what style. Like Duane says when shooting in a match you are pretty much oblivious to the gun, not hearing the noise not feeling the recoil totally focused on target acquistion and the front sight or dot letting the shots break on their own basically. You have the stage diagaram in your head and it just seems to flow along on its own when that happens your shooting your best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I have no idea how hard I grip my pistol. I do know I tend to break thumb safeties... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Perhaps a subtle clue that you're gripping the gun really hard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Perhaps a subtle clue that you're gripping the gun really hard? Ya think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Boy, this thread didn't get ANY of the detail I was really hoping for. Where's the great insight on the evolution their grip from M and GMs? I guess its not as monumental a revelation as I had hoped..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Maybe it's just not that important? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I've always found it hard to quantify what my strong/weak hand pressures are. I'd say for the most part 50/50. There are times when I use more, possibly too much with my strong hand and too little with my weak hand. I think the grip should shift one way and the other depending on your targets and distances. The front sight will tell you how you should grip the gun. Is that helpful? EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Eddie, I reread the section in Brian's book about grip last night and he emphasized a neutral grip with a minimal influence on 'controlling' recoil. I need to get some more rounds downpipe this week and play with it... but my grip is negatively effecting the sight track. I just don't know what to do with it yet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Boy, this thread didn't get ANY of the detail I was really hoping for. Where's the great insight on the evolution their grip from M and GMs? I guess its not as monumental a revelation as I had hoped..... The revelation isn't always in the details. As I said in post #9, you are now aware of "new stuff". Continue exploring that awareness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now