Sage Advice For A Grip Apprentice

Two key elements of a proper grip: web of hand pressed firmly against
the grip tang and trigger finger squarely across the face of the trigger.

It was a typical day at the Lewis & Clark Rifle and Pistol Club. On the pistol range every bay was in use. Shooters of various skill levels were firing at targets from three yards to a daunting 25 yards. The pistol range has target stands at 50 yards as well, though they mostly remain in pristine condition.

The Senior Member was sitting comfortably with coffee and a Stephen Hunter book in the shaded area well back from the firing line. In his day the Senior Member had been a good competitive shooter, winning hundreds of ribbons, medals and trophies. Age and stiff joints had gradually ended the competition years. Now his main shooting interests were maintaining skill in defensive handgun shooting. But the range was still his happy place. Sipping coffee and reading a book was more fun to a background of gunshots and shooter talk.

Most DA revolvers have a modest rear grip tang compared to semi-auto pistols.
The right pressure makes it work, as shown here with this S&W .44 Magnum.

The Young Apprentice

Looking up from his book the Sage noticed Rodney Patmore carrying his gear bag from the parking lot. Rodney was a new member, but the Senior Member approved heartily. He was pleased to see Rodney pitch in and help on cleanup days. The Sage noticed such things. He especially liked how Rodney showed respect for his elders. Seeing he would have to wait for a bay on the pistol range, Rodney walked over to chat with the Senior Member.

“Greetings, young fellow. I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on your shooting. It has improved markedly since you first showed up with your first handgun.”

“Thank you!” Rodney was pleased. “I still have much room for improvement. Tell me, you were a good shot at one time …”
“I still am a good shot,” the Sage said coldly. “I just can’t run and jump anymore.”

“Er, yes, of course. I’ve been reading different views on how strongly one should grip the pistol. Some say 40% with the shooting hand and 60% with the support hand. Some say grip it with about 60% of full strength and others say grip hard enough to crush the grip panels. What do you say?”

“I say we should go over to the workshop and lend a hand repairing shooting benches.”

At the workshop Rodney joined the work crew nailing on new supports and braces. A half hour later they were back in the members’ area.

Fast strings of fire really reveal any lack of consistency in grip.

Sage Advice

You did well driving nails, young Rodney,” the Senior Member remarked. “Tell me, how strongly did you grip the hammer? Were you using 40% of your strength, 70%, 100%?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. Never gave it a thought.”

“And yet you must have got it right. The hammer didn’t slip out of your hand and go flying. There was enough flexibility in your wrist and arm to make tiny corrections to your aim in order to hit the nail squarely, which you did. Most of the time.”
“So, what are you saying?”

“Just this. Your grip on the hammer was strong enough to keep it under full control. Yet it wasn’t so stiff and rigid as to lose the flexibility to strike accurately. And you figured it out without a lot of overthinking about strength percentages.”
Rodney thought this over. “Are you saying I have some sort of inborn natural instinct in using a hammer?”

“Not at all. It’s a skill you learned. How did you learn to drive nails? From reading magazines? Taking lessons?”

Rodney had to think a minute. He hadn’t given five seconds’ thought to how he had learned to use a hammer. “I guess I watched my dad, and then I just started doing it, getting better with experience.”

“You learned by experience. Learn to grip a pistol the same way — strongly enough the pistol doesn’t shift in your hand while firing, and with enough flexibility to correct small errors even during a fast string of fire. You learn by shooting, not reading.”

“What are you saying, Old One, do novices need no instruction at all?”

“If the novice is lucky, there’ll be a coach to point out obvious errors. The most common error this old-timer sees with beginners is taking too low a grip on the gun. Sometimes there’ll be a gap between the web of the shooting hand and the tang on the rear of the grip. The web of the hand should press firmly against the grip tang.”

“Why is this important?”

“It helps form a consistent grip, and consistency, as you know, is the key to accuracy. And it helps control recoil, so the gun doesn’t shift in the hand while shooting. But enough talk youngster, I see a shooting bay just opened up and you better grab it quick!”

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