Proper Grip?

[saibot]

Hello all!

I'm as green as they come. I just bought a pistol and learning how to use it. I want to be sure that I don't start off with any bad habits so I thought I'd post this picture of my strong hand grip angle to see which would be considered the proper grip. I watched the excellent video from Todd Jarret (http://www.downrange.tv/show6/) where he marked the shooter's hand in the proper position and was hoping to achieve the same grip. But it's really hard to tell. There is so much difference with even the slightest movement and I want to be sure I'm doing it right. I ordered Brian's book, does it explain this?

Sorry the picture isn't very good, but should it be A, B, C, or D?

Thanks for your help!

[atbarr]

Welcome!

I'll let someone with more experience answer your question.

Good Luck,

A.T.

[Matt Cheely]

Need better pictures. They all look about the same. I'll see if I can find some pictures...

[Matt Cheely]

[saibot]

Thanks, Matt!

These photos are great.

Ya, you're right. Pictures are probably not the best way to figure this out.

Not to belabor the point, but if you were to look from above at the grip with a clock overlaid on it, muzzle pointing at 12 o'clock, where are you applying pressure with your strong hand? 12 and 6? When I try to align everything perfectly strait with the bones in my arm if feels more like 12:30 and 6:30.

Thanks again for your time!

[kgunz11]

Wow Matt, you get REALLY high in the gun. I need to try and get a little higher I guess.

[cas]

There is so much difference with even the slightest movement and I want to be sure I'm doing it right.

That's the difference between a gun that fits/matches your hand well and one that doesn't. I LOVE how the CZ-75 and it's clones fits my hand, it feels right. The problem is it feels "right" no matter how I hold it, which leads to slight changes in grip and poor shooting. So unmodified it may feel great, but it's poor choice for me. I have to mod the grip so it only feels right when held ONE way.

"A" looks about the best. However....

..that's your classic Bullseye grip. You're holding the gun with one hand, straight out. It's highly unlikely you'd have that same wrist alignment when shooting with two hands... but your gun to hand relation should be the same, regardless of wrist angle. (one handed or two)

Edited November 4, 2008 by cas

[kevin c]

I have to admit hearing a lot about the ideal straight alignment of the forearm bones with the barrel axis, but never have been able to do that myself without haveing to tilt my head over to get on the sights, and being in an extremely bladed position, weak side forward.

For me to get a useful two handed grip, with my anatomy, I have to break the strong side wrist (in cas's picture, that would be a 20 degree cant of the muzzle to the right) so that the gun is in front of me, in line with the aiming eye.

For the guns that fit my hand, the backstrap/MS housing is snug into the web of the thumb and on the meaty part of the palm below it. As far as how far around the grip my hand goes, I can only say that, when I straighten out the trigger finger, it naturally points at the target, parallel to the slide. I guess that means that the palm is flat on the strong side grip panel.

I try to press front/back with the strong hand, and on the sides with the weak hand, and I think that'd be true no matter what angle the wrist is at.

fwiw,

kevin

[cas]

The wrist isn't the important part thought, it's the alignment with the web of the hand. It just so happens it lines up with your wrist when you hold the gun that way.

That's your "old school" answer straight out of things like Hebard' s "Pistol shooters treasury" and the like.

Fact is for action shooting, I know folks who hold the gun every which way and do rather nicely for themselves. What or how you do it doesn't seem to be nearly as important as you doing it the same way every time.

[saibot]

Thanks everyone for your excellent advice! I'll do some experimentation and see what seems to work for me. Maybe honing in my grip will fix my shots which are consistently high and left.

Thanks again!

[Duane Thomas]

http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_trainin...0306/index.html

[Flexmoney]

(note: I skipped ahead and didn't read the whole thread. If my post seems out of phase, that is why.)

Strong hand grip should be in the most advantageous position to squeeze the trigger straight back into the gun, IMO. That would be my reference point.

Others reference the "flats" of the fingers (between the 1st and 2nd knuckle) on the front strap.

TJ's video...I'd have to watch it some more and try to figure out his basis. Seems a bit old school to me on the surface of it, but I could be wrong (haven't given it too much attention).

We don't talk about it much, but some guns probably don't fit shooters as well as they should...to allow a preferred grip AND allow the trigger to be pulled straight back into the gun easily. We do have some options, however.

[saibot]

Others reference the "flats" of the fingers (between the 1st and 2nd knuckle) on the front strap.

Flexmoney, that was the piece that pulled it all together for me. The M&P feels great anyway I hold it so there isn't "keyed" grip. Following all of the great advice from you all I was able to find the correct grip and I shot my M&P better than I ever have before!!!! I used to shoot high and left with pretty loose groups, but now it's much tighter and in the black.

Thanks again for all your help!