Left hand sliding forward when rapid fire?

[Canman]

Help me out here. While at the range last Sunday I noticed my left hand sliding forward to the point where I would have to regrip the pistol. Only did this with my HK45. Thinking maybe some grip tape where my left palm contacts the pistol.

[Sin-ster]

Help me out here. While at the range last Sunday I noticed my left hand sliding forward to the point where I would have to regrip the pistol. Only did this with my HK45. Thinking maybe some grip tape where my left palm contacts the pistol.

I had this same exact problem, and it was mostly notable when shooting my M&P .45 FS (which I carry every day).

That led me to pay more attention when running my game guns, and sure enough-- it was happening even in the soft-loaded 9mm's as well.

My first thought was to improve my hand strength, and subsequent grip pressure. Even as I progressed in this department, the problem persisted; I discovered that squeezing as hard as physically possible (WAY too much for making the sights track properly), I could still move the gun quite easily with just physical pressure-- far less than I face during recoil.

I went with skateboard-style grip tape on my G17, and it made a pretty big difference. However, I found at times it was still happening. Oddly enough, the .45 was very aggressively stippled, as is the current M&P 9 Pro I shoot in Production-- and they still show some movement.

One day while dry firing, I discovered that the stippled guns got slippery as heck within 5-10 minutes of me handling it, while the material that makes up the skateboard tape took a lot longer to show the same effects. It hit me then that my problem wasn't with grip strength, or even "slippery surfaces"-- it was with oily hands!

I had been given a dose of ProGrip a few matches previous, and marveled at how much of a difference it made. The stuff basically works in conjunction with the oils your hands produce to really dry them out-- and lemme tell you, it REALLY activates when I put it on! For a while, I was putting it on before every stage and numerous times during live fire practice-- but I discovered that this was overkill. After the initial application, although the powdery residue may fade/transfer to the gun, my hands stay dried out-- which was the root of the problem from the beginning.

I suggest you give the product a try. There are probably several shooters at your local club that use it, and I'm sure they'd be willing to give you a squirt to try. It's not very expensive for how well it works, and using it sparingly will make the bottle last for a long time. I've gotten one bottle that had dried out a bit more than others and didn't seem to be as powdery after application, but it still works to suck the oil out of my hands-- and that's the only thing that matters!

Keep in mind that you WILL need to practice with it, as weapon manipulations will be different as the gun doesn't move so easily in your hand. This includes the drawstroke (especially in the beginning), and magazine changes (if you're a "flipper" like me).

[Dis-1-Shooter]

To OP, I used a version of the ProGrip at a major for the first time. Stage required hands on top of head and fingers interlaced. The buzzer goes off and my are STUCK...lost some time on the draw. After I shot the stage the grip enhancer was in the trash. I now use gym chalk...just another option.

[StravIs09]

try getting your hands dirty using the dirt on the range. gladiator style.

[167]

You may already do this, but I find rotating my support side elbow up helps to press the meaty part of my support hand into the gun helping with the grip. Lots of guys already do it, but anyway. Thought I would throw it out there because I was having the same issue until I started doing that.

[Canman]

Thanks for the replys. I never thought about my hands being oily. Thats it though just sitting here on the PC I can tell they are alittle oily. Headed to the range to give it a try.

[sdm74]

I use the pro grip also works great. And if you ever see that one stage in your shooting career where you have to interlock your fingers at a start, just make sure its dry before you lock your fingers

[Sin-ster]

Thanks for the replys. I never thought about my hands being oily. Thats it though just sitting here on the PC I can tell they are alittle oily. Headed to the range to give it a try.

Just be aware:

For me, at least, trying to wipe them off on my pants or even wash them with soap and water had no real effect. Dirt/grime helped a little bit, but was not 100%. You really need something to pull that oil off or neutralize it entirely, in my experience.

I'm sure ProGrip isn't the only solution, but it's the one I found the easiest!

[mda]

While a moving weak hand grip can be sometimes be wet or oily hands, it is usually a poor grip technique not correctly locking in weak hand with gun and strong hand.

MDA

[Sin-ster]

While a moving weak hand grip can be sometimes be wet or oily hands, it is usually a poor grip technique not correctly locking in weak hand with gun and strong hand.

MDA

That's a very, very good point.

If your sights are tracking properly and promptly despite the slip, you're probably looking at an equipment fix. I found that even moving, the performance was still pretty good. The same can be said for missing the placement of my support hand out of the holster or after a reload.

If the gun goes crazy, especially on the first shot, it's probably a technique issue.