brospizza Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I was out practicing and i tried making my grip firmer as the shots got harder it ended up being successful for me i was getting better points on the harder targets, it does seem like it was a little slower on the easier targets but it was worth it I was wondering if anyone else does this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I do it too but I don't want to. My focus is kinda backwards from yours though, close hoser targets have me relaxing the grip pressure in both hands to avoid trigger freeze. Everything else I shoot best with maximum grip pressure in the left hand and moderate pressure in the right (strong) hand. Separate the two hands and see what happens, can be interesting....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I do the opposite... strong grip for close shots and much more relaxed for shots out at 25yds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Where's the popcorn when you need it?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reneet Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I do the opposite... strong grip for close shots and much more relaxed for shots out at 25yds. Me Too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el pres Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I do the opposite... strong grip for close shots and much more relaxed for shots out at 25yds. Me Too. Me Three !! At 50yds I'm barely holding the thing at 1yd I'm squeezing the hell out of it. As for what HSmith said, I might think this over as I have expirienced trigger freeze a time or two. One time I was already leaving the position !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Griffin Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Work it backwards; at long range you need delicate trigger control, so strong-hand pressure will be working against you. When you go cyclic on a 3yd target, all you want is recoil minimization, so gross trigger control is sufficient, and strong-hand pressure works to your advantage. That being said, if you work out a world-class grip and trigger control/timing, you don't need to change, period. For me, about the only thing I ever think about is shooting better at long ranges, i.e. concentrating on the little things that allow for my greatest accuracy. In my case, the thought is usually "grip mostly with weak hand, light on the trigger". That's what allows me to break my best possible shot. It's still the same grip, I'm just paying more attention to what makes a perfect grip. If I could do it all the time when running .16 splits or 50yd plates, I would. And I'm working on it, believe me. H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 (note: Houngan posted before I got this post in.) OK... I don't want to sound like there is just one "right way"...but y'all are doing it wrong. It sounds like most here are thinking about the grip as if it is all "one unit". Then, you are adjusting the whole unit of grip to get you through certain situations. The (faulty) reason you want to grip harder is in an attempt to control the gun. Yet, gripping harder can lead you to trigger freeze and/or slow shot times...or just plain bad trigger control. The deal is that...thinking of the grip as one unit in that way...you are always trading something off to get something else. The line of thinking that I suggest is to seperate your strong-hand and weak-hand...in your mind. The weak-hand is for gripping the gun. The strong-hand is for working the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reneet Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 (note: Houngan posted before I got this post in.)OK... I don't want to sound like there is just one "right way"...but y'all are doing it wrong. It sounds like most here are thinking about the grip as if it is all "one unit". Then, you are adjusting the whole unit of grip to get you through certain situations. The (faulty) reason you want to grip harder is in an attempt to control the gun. Yet, gripping harder can lead you to trigger freeze and/or slow shot times...or just plain bad trigger control. The deal is that...thinking of the grip as one unit in that way...you are always trading something off to get something else. The line of thinking that I suggest is to seperate your strong-hand and weak-hand...in your mind. The weak-hand is for gripping the gun. The strong-hand is for working the trigger. Agreed. Upon further thought and breakdown, my grip doesn't actually change but I think that the amount of tension in my forearms does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well...those are the muscles (forearm) that make up your grip. Ideally, the shooter's weak-hand would be fully "cammed" into the gun and would be at tendon lock (requiring less muscular input) for the "flip" portion of the grip. As for the grip strength on the weak-hand, I like a bit of pressure in the "C-clamp" fashion. It's not really a lot, but it is firm. Let's think about the grip as if it were a Ransom Rest. The jaws of the rest would hold onto the grip of the gun. Strong-hand grip pressure is on the front and back straps and is about 30% of the grip pressure when compared with the weak-hand. The weak-hand pressure is exerted on the sides of the grip and makes up about 70% of the pressure. The spring action in the Ransom Rest wants to hold the gun down, with the muzzle on target. This is the camming of the weak-side wrist. The spring action of the rest pushes the gun against a mechanically stop...think of this as taking the camming to tendon lock. The trigger is then able to be operated in a relatively independent manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Griffin Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 An important point is that the harder you grip, the less separation you have from sympathetic muscle response. Everybody I teach to shoot starts out shooting low and left, and I have to tell them that it is perfectly normal, they just need a few thousand rounds downrange to stop gripping the gun so damned hard. Then I give them a .22 for a while, switch them back to a 9 or .40, and their first shot goes in the X. Not so much for the subsequent shots . . . I also tried, for the first time, demonstrating recoil control by taking my strong hand off of the gun completely and firing a round with just my weak support (thumb on same side as fingers) grip, just actuating the trigger with a fingertip of my strong hand. As a bonus, I accidentally hit a popper downrange, which added quite a bit to my cred. J/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Just to throw a slight monkey wrench in the whole discussion, but Open guns tend to be a little different in this regard. I'm always amazed at closeup pics of the top shooters....their forearms often look like they have to be putting quite a bit of oomph into their grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I also tried, for the first time, demonstrating recoil control by taking my strong hand off of the gun completely and firing a round with just my weak support (thumb on same side as fingers) grip, just actuating the trigger with a fingertip of my strong hand. As a bonus, I accidentally hit a popper downrange, which added quite a bit to my cred. J/ I do something similar with new shooters moving up to centefire guns. I'll hold the gun with my left hand thumb, middle finger and sometimes a little bit of ring finger (depends on the grip shape) and press the trigger with my left forefinger. They see the gun will flip a bit, but it won't go flying, so it's not going to hurt them. I haven't hit a popper that way, but usually get decent hits on reasonably close paper. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 The timer and target tell the right way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwb01 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I have been having trouble shooting at long distances 20+ yards. I am curious If you should change your grip pressure when shooting at these distances or should the pressure be the same all the time? I find that if I put more pressure with my support hand at these distances my hits are much better. Any Help is greatly appreciated, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelgubber1911 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I personally try to apply most of my grip pressure with my support hand so that the musles in my trigger hand are more relaxed Relaxed muscles react faster and smoother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Grip and stance should be a constant regardless of the targets you are shooting at. Consistency is key. What happens if you increase support hand pressure at close distances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Jake is a hell of a lot better shooter than I am...... The key for me is to put 95% of my grip effort into the weak hand (100% is where I start to shake) and let the strong hand relax some, maybe about 60%. I shoot my best regardless of distance with this 'setting' and don't trigger freeze on hoser targets. This is also the 'setting' where my gun is the flattest shooting, my limited gun hardly moves..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 (edited) Your issue is probably more trigger control and possible flinch/jerk Dryfire and shooting groups off a sandbag then free handed will pay off in the long run. Pay attention to the sight on the bags and work towards calling your shot. Shoot groups from 5 yards to 50. Edited June 12, 2008 by BSeevers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I would suggest getting a laser bore-sighter. Check the gun is empty and ram it in the barrel. Get a weighted magazine and insert into the gun, so the weight is the same as if you were shooting. Pick a wall as far away from you as possible. Try and hold the gun steady enough so that the movement of the laser is as small as possible. Try dry-firing with the dot moving as little as possible. You will notice that when the hammer falls the dot will move a little. With this you can experiment with different grips and stances without wasting a bunch of ammo (+ you can practice in air-conditioned comfort). You'll never get the dot completely stationery but you should learn enough to ensure that when the shot breaks that the dot is where you want it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwb01 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks Everybody ! I try to apply more support hand pressure that strong hand. Like BSeevers said it may be more of a trigger control issue than I am realizing. I have been dryfiring at a very small target and focusing on follow through this past week. I am gonna go to the range soon and translate my dryfire practice to live fire and see how things shake out. Sorry Flex, I didn't see the other post. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Sorry Flex, I didn't see the other post.Nick No worries. Topics merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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