Hurley's Gold

What is your preferred grip method?

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  • SIG_Fiend

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    As the title says, how do you prefer to grip your handguns when shooting in a conventional two-handed stance? As always, pictures are great and more than welcome if you would like to post some of your preferred method. To get the ball rolling, here is mine:

    10.png



    This method is what some call the thumbs forward approach. I apologize for the poor quality of the picture. Basically all this grip consists of is taking the support hand and canting it forward so that your support thumb is inline and parallel to the barrel. As far as the rest of my preferred upper body stance goes, it is somewhere between a "modified" Weaver as some call it and the Isosceles. Basically I stand with a very slight bend at the knees, very slight forward lean towards the target, arms pretty much equally extended and centered on my torso with the sights brought up to eye level (I try to keep from leaning down to the sights). Also, I generally try to keep my head centered with no cant to the side. I'm still an amateur when it comes to handguns, and since I am cross dominant (right hand / left eye dominant) it has taken a lot of trial and error trying to find something that works consistently. Here's a good video that explains this technique a bit: Link
    Military Camp
     

    LHB1

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    My grip is very similar to that except that the left hand sits farther back. The right thumb is lower and the left thumb rides on top of the right thumb. The left thumb actuates the safety with semi-autos and cocks the hammer with SA or DA revolvers for single action shooting. Thus one grip serves for both types without having to change back and forth.
     

    idleprocess

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    In reality, I try to do the following. Not sure if it's what the experts recommend, but it works for me.
    • I grasp the grip naturally with my right hand
    • Layer my left hand over the right hand
    • Left thumb goes into the thumb indention in the left side
    • Right thumb rests on left thumb, typically near the slide release
    • I apply some pressure to the backstrap with the right hand and push the right hand fingers into the front of the grip with the left hand
    • Fingers on the right hand do not grasp the grip overly hard
    • The web of my right hand is usually crowding the beavertail (or whatever approximates it) on the grip
    I do not doubt that there could be room for improvement here, but it for me it beats teacupping, shooting one-handed, etc.
     

    mac79912

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    Texas 1911.Thats how the guys in my platoon shot.Oh and don't forget the rolling driveby stance.
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Hehe, seeing that stuff always makes me feel better about my accuracy though I still need plenty of practice myself.
     

    Texas1911

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    Hehe, seeing that stuff always makes me feel better about my accuracy though I still need plenty of practice myself.

    They got a human sized target, no joke, and had it at 5 - 7 yards.

    The guy with the .38 Revolver down on lane 1 that one day had about a 36" group at 10 yards.

    The kids shooting the rental full size AR at 25 yards, theres a challenge!

    There's always some comedy at the range.
     

    M. Sage

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    I use two different grips. On autos, I go thumbs forward. On my J frame, my strong side thumb goes low and my weak side thumb goes over it, locking it tight. It's the best way I've found to keep the sights from wobbling when I pull the trigger. I also grip it high enough that it sometimes interferes with single-action operation.

    It's all about accuracy and managing recoil for me.


    That grip looks low. Get your hands as high as you can without getting cut by the slide. If I my wife weren't at work, I'd have to take a picture of how high you should have your hands, but on my P220 (tip would be near/touching the slide release on a non-SAO), my strong side thumb goes over the safety and the tip of my weak-side thumb actually rests on the take-down lever. The web of my hand is jammed up against the "bump" under the hammer, and I reach down to pull the trigger.

    Also, if you're cross-dominant don't be afraid to simply cant the gun slightly to the left to bring the sights in line with your eye. Won't change the point of impact at all.
     

    navyguy

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    I like to get as high as I can with my strong hand grip, and ride my thumbs just under the slide and away from the slide catch. I use a modified isosceles, or modified Weaver how ever you care to describe it. Strong arm extended and elbow locked. body bladed about 30 degrees, and weak arm slightly bent to compensate for the bladed stance. Feels comfortable and seems to work form me.

    IMG_0957.gif
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    I actually grip the gun higher than in that picture. My grip looked like that because of some weird thing the way I was standing and trying to line my arms up for the camera, I had shifted my grip down. My actual grip looks a lot more like this:

    HGcombatg_100206D.jpg
     

    M. Sage

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    Yeah, that's more like it.

    As for stance, I like to be square to the target, feet either as square as the rest of my body or one slightly in front of the other, depending on how carefully I want to aim. If I'm going to unload shots quickly at closer range and maybe run, square. If I'm taking longer shots, I put my left foot in front of the right and stand up a little taller. Feet shoulder-width apart (unless I'm walking, then it's a tight rope), slight bend to the knees, bend forward just slightly at the waist, head and shoulders up and relaxed, arms extended with elbows just short of locked, and every fiber of my being focused on the target. Mentally as well as physically, every part of me is focused on one thing: It. Will. Die.
     
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