atomicbrh Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) My son and I just started on this Competitive Handgun Sport after a long career in the Precision Rifle Sports. I am shooting a CZ Shadow and I have no problems because my hands are small. My son is the one that has the problem. He is 5 inches taller than I am and his hands are huge. Palms are large. Fingers are unusally long. But his hands are not meaty like TGO's but slender. Worst case scenario to fit him with a handgun. He is shooting a Glock 17 in Production because we have it but his hands swallow the Glock to the point where it is difficult to shoot. He rarely comes home from college but he is jamming as many matchs into his times at home as possible. I load 9 mm on a 650 but the change-over to .40 seems easy on the 650. We are willing to do the things for him to change Divisions if we can get a gun to fit. Options I have thought of: Sig P226 with large grips. This seems like the largest Production gun we have tried. Will it make weight with big grips and is the grip big enough? Advantages are staying in Production and not having to load a new caliber. I already have all the 9 mm. reloading components. 1911 Single Stack with longest trigger and largest grips we can put on it. Disadvantages are buying many magazines and I prefer Single Stacks in .45 ACP. More components to buy and a more difficult caliber change on the 650. Wait on a used SV/STI 2011 to come up in .40 caliber and switch him to Limited. Disadvantages are buying Limited Holster and mags. Advantages are already loading a Small Pistol Primer Cartridge. Along this line. Are the High Capacity Springfields as big in the grip as the SV/STI's? I asked on the 1911/2011 forum because this forum is where the big grips seem to be. What do you guys think? Bobby H. Edited January 19, 2012 by atomicbrh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) Have your son try handling some of the full size H&K USP's. If they fit well, he can shoot them in Production, Limited 10, or Limited. The down side will be that he won't be with the "in" crowd of the more popular guns. Edited January 19, 2012 by Skydiver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonF Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm in the same boat regarding the big hands/fingers thing and it is a major determining factor in the guns i buy and how i set them up. I have found that the grip is less important overall and trigger reach is really the key (at least for me). I have a Shadow as well and really tehe only issue i have is that the stock recurve trigger in SA mode is too close to the back of the frame when it breaks; i'm practically pointing back at myself when its in that position. I have a hogue wraparound and that makes it fat enough for my general grip comfort. To address my trigger issue, I installed the SA only flat blade and its much nicer now to the point i'd call it comfortable. The problem is that thats not legal for production and i dont want to shoot limited minor, so its just a steel challenge gun now. If i were to put a .40 slide on it, maybe i'd consider limited again, but i prefer production for the "back to basics" aspect. Without a CZ as a production gun, i need something else so i went to the M&P. I actually use the medium grip since the large feels too spherical with the emphasis on the palm swells so medium is more comfy. I added the Pachmayr sleeve to fatten it up a bit and for local matches its fine. For the trigger, i had Burwell do the forward break so the reach is much better than the apex kit for my ergonomics. These might not suit your son, but it does illustrate that there are reasonably available options fortunately for those of us with basketball hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Perhaps a CZ Tactical Sport for Limited? Fairly large grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm in the same boat regarding the big hands/fingers thing and it is a major determining factor in the guns i buy and how i set them up. I have found that the grip is less important overall and trigger reach is really the key (at least for me). I have a Shadow as well and really tehe only issue i have is that the stock recurve trigger in SA mode is too close to the back of the frame when it breaks; i'm practically pointing back at myself when its in that position. I have a hogue wraparound and that makes it fat enough for my general grip comfort. To address my trigger issue, I installed the SA only flat blade and its much nicer now to the point i'd call it comfortable. The problem is that thats not legal for production and i dont want to shoot limited minor, so its just a steel challenge gun now. If i were to put a .40 slide on it, maybe i'd consider limited again, but i prefer production for the "back to basics" aspect. Without a CZ as a production gun, i need something else so i went to the M&P. I actually use the medium grip since the large feels too spherical with the emphasis on the palm swells so medium is more comfy. I added the Pachmayr sleeve to fatten it up a bit and for local matches its fine. For the trigger, i had Burwell do the forward break so the reach is much better than the apex kit for my ergonomics. These might not suit your son, but it does illustrate that there are reasonably available options fortunately for those of us with basketball hands. If the SA trigger is in the CZ catalog, (and you can keep the gun as DA/SA) then it's legal in USPSA as per this NROI ruling: Aftermarket parts are allowed but restricted to those listed in Appendix D4, any other part must be OEM, either offered on an approved model for Production or in their catalog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonF Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 If the SA trigger is in the CZ catalog, (and you can keep the gun as DA/SA) then it's legal in USPSA as per this NROI ruling: Aftermarket parts are allowed but restricted to those listed in Appendix D4, any other part must be OEM, either offered on an approved model for Production or in their catalog. Unfortunately it's SA-only. No bueno for production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomicbrh Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 JonF, you described perfectly the way my son's hands are when you said "basketball hands". No problem for him to palm a basketball. The only thing he cannot do with a basketball is dunk flat footed. He has given many NCAA Division 1 players a run for their money on the court in the off-season. He told me that he was surprised about the moves that one top collegiate player did not have. Engineering takes up too much time to play on the team. Thanks for the replies guys. Anybody got anything else to suggest. It looks like I will be looking for a good running used 2011 that I can put a flat trigger in. Bobby H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bsbllrooster Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I say try out a 2011.. I personally have very large hands and long fingers and my hands feel right at home on a 2011 grip with an ice magwell. The magwell really "fills" my palm. I also run grit tape which helps keep the gun locked into my hands. I also run a long flat trigger which helps as well. I'm sure someone at your club has a similar set up. Ask to let your son handle one. I'm sure the owner wouldn't have a problem with it and would probably let him run some rounds through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
See_Archie_Shoot Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 There isn't a big difference between a 2011 and a 1911 with thick grips. Has he felt of a 1911 with thick grips. I have long fingers and both work well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIIID Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I would look at the Springfield HC forged frame-Limited-Open Springfield XDm 5.25 #3 back strap- Limited-Production. The .45 will have the largest grip size. Caspian HC frame with fat grips formed to his hands- Limited-Open SV metal grip that hasn't been machined for skate tape, with a checkered front strap panel added and a set of custom grips made for it. Limited-Open All would be an option to fill his grip size. Both the Springfield and Caspian can have their trigger guard moved forward and use long trigger inserts. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babaganoosh Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I am 6'6" with pretty large hands. I gotta say that my XD in .45 fits my hand pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NuJudge Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) I'm 6'4" and have big hands. I like the Beretta 92 and 96 better than the 1911's. Edited January 21, 2012 by NuJudge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Gene Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I have good sized hands, longer skinny fingers. I have a 2011 with Dawson "Big Ice" magwell and a long flat trigger. It seemed to really help me. Without the Big Ice, my hand does not want to fit firmly against the back of the grip, which can be a problem with the grip safety. I really do not mind the Glock either, as long as it does not have the extended slide lock lever on it. If he likes the Glock's basic function, and is more into college than shooting, why not consider a 21? If you are reloading anyway, you can down load the .45ACP. What Gen is the Glock he is shooting (does it have the adjustable backstrap)? Good luck. It is great you take him shooting! WG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerburgess Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 The biggest grip I know if is the G-20 and 21 I would suggest the G 30 with a 40 sw aftermarket barrel then you have a great limited/ L10 gun Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gundry Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I'm 6'4" with fairly large hands. Most any full size gun is shootable for me - heck I even prefer skinny grips on CZ's and Tanfoglio's! Are you certain he is gripping the gun properly? What doesn't he like about 'normal' sized guns? Is it really uncomfortable or just difficult to get used to? Are you both sure you're not just thinking he needs a larger frame to fill up his hands? The large frame Tanfoglio competition guns are pretty big - check out the Stock 2 if you want to stay with 9mm. My Witness Limited with Hennings skinny grips fits my hands pretty well, and my 1911 with a long flat SV trigger just feels plain right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaosshooter00 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I have big hands and have run into similar problems. I have multiple guns for different divisions and prefer my SVI .40 with an STI grip and a Cape magwell. The STI grip seems a little fatter from the get and I wrap it in grip tape. The Cape magwell gives me more room for my palm and in my opinion has a better angle. the easiest way for finding one comfortable is get with your local group and handle as many guns as possible. I bought and sold over a dozen guns before I came up with a good, comfortable combo, almost took me out of the game. Finally the local guys took pity on me and let me use as many guns as I wanted until I had an idea of what to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbauer67 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I'm 6'4" and have big hands. I like the Beretta 92 and 96 better than the 1911's. +1 on the beretta, the grip on the 92 is huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Glock 20 with .40 barrel since you are already set up to reload 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangedog Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'd try a Caspian.I've owned 1911, STI,Para and Caspian and I had to get rid of the Caspian, grip was just too big for me, the rest are all fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm surprised you say that. The Para grip is huge and brick-like. My Caspian is nicely shaped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexOsensei Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) IPSC standar division, SVI competition 40S&W grip big hand modified by Josh Biondi (italian Master ) using epoxy and metal sand.. Edited January 27, 2012 by AlexOsensei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hax Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm supprised that noone has brought up that with 2011's SVI makes grips for larger hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 That grip costs more than my Limited gun. Based on his first post I don't think he's in the market for a gun with that grip on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Although the video shows an EAA Limited (about $1000), the same mod can be done on a EAA Match (about $500) or a CZ Tactical Sport (about $1200), or most any other gun that you can get the putty to stick on: http://henningshootsguns.com/tech/tech.tanfoglio.bettergrip.html . Putty can be found in the plumbing section or adhesives section of most hardware stores. Obviously the modification is not legal for Production, but should be legal in other divisions. I've heard of a (Canadian?) shooter who shot a match or two first using some clay before committing to using the putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hax Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 That grip costs more than my Limited gun. Based on his first post I don't think he's in the market for a gun with that grip on it. What type of limited gun do you shoot that's under 500$? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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