Handgun Grip Tension vs Shot Placement

[Tar Heel]

I want to share with some newer shooters how your grip affects shot placement with a hard kicking handgun and why your grip strength needs to be consistent from shot to shot and session to session.

I have been shooting hard recoiling handguns for most of my life and have had to learn exceptional control to be consistent shot to shot knowing what to expect when the shot fires. I shoot a 41 Magnum, 44 Magnum, 454 Casull, 375-JDJ, 411-JDJ, 35 Remington, and 45-70 in handguns. While I have shot guns with recoil reducing grips like Pachmayr or Hogue, I like a lot of other seasoned hand-gunners, prefer smooth wood grips for the “clutch-like” operation they provide.

To show you how much grip consistency can alter your group placement, look at the attached photo whereby the first two shots were taken with an overly tight grip on the gun. In this case I am shooting a Ruger New Model Blackhawk (not a SBH as indicated on the target) in 44 Magnum with some pretty stout loads. Rather than let the gun free recoil, I applied excessive grip pressure to check the recoil. The first two shots were dead center.

I then applied lighter grip pressure allowing the gun to “slip” in my grip like it is supposed to do and the shot group moved two inches up on the target. If I had accidentally altered my grip strength from shot to shot or session to session, the shots would be all over the place. Most new shooters to hard recoiling handguns will chalk this large and disperse group up to a bad load when in fact, it is an inconsistent grip causing the large shot group.

Experienced shooters of hard recoiling handguns like the timeless Elmer Keith, know that by altering grip pressure, we can alter bullet strike point. That is the lesson here too. A tighter grip will flatten the trajectory for a lower impact point. A lighter grip will allow more free recoil and a higher impact point or farther zero if you will. I can assure you too that a lighter grip will hurt you less than a death grip on the gun. I use this technique when extending the range on my hunting handguns. I tighten up for 50 yard shots and loosen up for 100 yard shots; all with the same sight picture.

Those of you with magnum handguns and smooth grips can try this on your next range day. Start with a tighter grip of course and then lighten the grip a little bit for your next volley. Watch the group movement for yourself and become predictable with grip tension and impact point. Of course you will need a good load to perform this test since a tighter group will manifest the group movement. If your loads can’t keep a 6” group size at 25 yards, this test will be kind of counterproductive.

It goes without saying that the heel of the gun should remain floating and not anchored on the bench, rug roll, or palm of your support hand (cupping). Anchoring the grip heel, will really cause you some grief and very large groups. It will also exacerbate recoil to the point of absurdity.

Give it a try and see how much your group moves!

173547

Note: These two loads shoot to the same POI.

[bns454]

Hmm,maybe its not my loads or guns fault.I will try that out.

[bns454]

You know now that I thought about that.my boy shoots a .50AE,when he picks up my .44s he shoots about 4 in. lower than my hits,but when I shoot his .50 I shoot about 5 in. higher than his hits with the .50.Apparently I am limp wristed and he has a better(firmer) grip than I use.I better work on a more consistent hold,my shots are stringing vertically at times.

[Texas by God]

Thank you Tarheel. That is great info. Best, Thomas.

[white eagle]

Thanks for the intell being fairly new to handgun shooting and
hunting I look for all the information I can get my hands on
I have noticed grip tension but have never actually saw results from it
will be watching more intently now

[nagantguy]

grip, stance, sight picture , sight alignment, trigger control and follow through, they are the building blocks of good shooting be it Rifle pistol shotgun or bow or slingshot. with pistols and revolvers grip, our interface with the weapon system becomes very critical. Good advice given in the op, and very consistent with my own findings.
all things being equal I put sight alignment and trigger control, a smooooth consistent pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks with out disturbing sight pictures as the most important, grip can for one shot be less than ideal, stance, we'll you can shoot sitting or laying down, or after you've been knocked down, follow through , great unless you have to duck or follow a pack.of hounds after a wounded hog or the second coon you didn't see. don't have good sight alignment jerk that trigger, we'll we all know what happens then

[44man]

I have been preaching it since I first came here.
The OP still made a mistake about letting a gun "slip or roll." They should NOT.
I can not shoot a S&W 29 or a Bisley because the tiny amount of grip change can't be felt by me.
The 29 would group very tight but just setting the gun down and picking it up again would move a group 10" or more.
The ONLY grip I can control is the hog leg and can shift position on it without changing POI but tension needs to be the same.
It was good for him to show and it is true.

[Tar Heel]

The OP still made a mistake about letting a gun "slip or roll." They should NOT.


44man....I and a host of well versed handgun shooters will disagree with you on this point. Most notably are Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan, and Massad Ayoob to name a few. Experience has also proved to me that a small amount of slippage is benificial and reduces the brute-force slap of a hard kicking handgun. The slight slippage of the smooth grip provides more elastic force coupling and a recoil transition of force. Of course this won't work with rubber grips. You need smooth hard grips just like Bill Jordan put on all of his guns.

Please be mindful that my opinion is just that. It's fact based but still an opinion. Your opinion is just that - an opinion too. Neither of us is right or wrong and neither of us has "made a mistake."

My opinion however is more better. :bigsmyl2:

[HABCAN]

After about sixty years shooting all manner of handguns, I have to strongly agree with the info posted here. Well done, all of you!! Newbies, TAKE NOTE!!

[marshall623]

I agree with the info above , consistency is key . I'll also add that it is eccential to practice with it , just like you will hunting in the field .

[robg]

When I shot my 686 in comps I used pachmayr presentation grips and only shot double action kept my wrists locked but let my elbows bend slightly to allow for recoil as I thought I was cheating to use light loads in practical pistol used full power loads for skittle/log shoots as well .

[44man]

I seen thousands of pictures of the best steel shooters with muscles and veins bulging. They NEVER let the gun take over. Why do it with a big bore revolver?
Seen famous gun writers hold the sixgun wrong. Limp wrist, finger to the trigger at 45°. Fun to watch with a .475 or .500.
Seen guys with the trigger finger chopped up and the web between the thumb and finger cut by the hammer from ROLL. Ruined wrists with carpel tunnel.
Been shooting big bores since 56 and have gotten much larger over the years with no pains. Shot IHMSA for years with more wins with a .44 SBH then all put together.
Seen heads, foreheads and eyes bashed from the wimp holds.
Why does a steel shooter with a 1911 hold tighter then a revolver shooter?
I shoot my guns, they do not shoot me in the hand. Remember the rifle stuff, cheek weld, pull in tight to the shoulder, I wrapped the sling on the M1 so tight I broke one.
But some let a SA run free.
Where do shots go with wild recoil?
I would like to meet the man that can control ROLL and group.
I stopped reading the junk long ago, Massad was mentioned but see how he holds, could crush a pistol.
Slippage reduces recoil must be magic too. All it does is raise the barrel to miss.
A handgun is 100% dependent on recoil and hold.

[leftiye]

I'm not a famous pistolero, or even a good competition shooter, but I do hit what I shoot at, and I can be purty accurate out to two or three hunnert yards. I don't subscribe to white knuckled gripping force, nor even anything more than a natural strong grip on the gun. Gripping too tight results in shaking hands. I do like rubber grips, and my elbow lets the gun move (not my wrist). The issue I think makes a difference is the SAME grip all the time, so I like finger grooves and custom fitted hand made grips (I make my own) with upper and lower shelves on the palm side and thumb rests. Next is how fine you can aim. Using a scope shows one that iron sights are actually not aimed as well as glass because you can't even see things -details of the target- with the naked eye. Not to mention the point of impact/aim wandering around. The upshot is aiming at a detail of the target rather placing shots in "that part" of the animal.

[44man]

Want a firm grip, not to shaking. To hold real tight needs strength without shaking and that goes away with age so it gets worse.
You are right about the elbow pivot. Better grips help keep hand position.
As weak as age has made me I still maintain the grip but my arms do raise faster. I went most of my life shooting off hand with the same sight settings I got from the bench but now I am going to have to change that. I am hitting high off hand with the heavy kickers.
Every time you need to shift your hand back you will not hit the same.
Look at Olympic pistols, grips nestle your hand so it can't move, even a shelf over your thumb. They are adjusted to trap the hand.

[dtknowles]

I have a bolt action pistol in .22 LR and even shooting it off a bench rest, inconsistent grip pressure will open up the groups. Consistency is more important that style. I am able to be more consistent with a fairly firm grip than I am with a light grip. The most powerful hand gun I shoot is a .357 maximum but the gun is so big and heavy the recoil is mild. I have a pistol that shoots a powerful 9mm round and it is a challenge to shoot accurately because of grip shape and sharp recoil.

I often in testing both rifles and pistols have groups that split into two different groups, sometimes it is the wind and sometimes it is my hold.

Tim

[dtknowles]

..................Experienced shooters of hard recoiling handguns like the timeless Elmer Keith, know that by altering grip pressure, we can alter bullet strike point. That is the lesson here too. A tighter grip will flatten the trajectory for a lower impact point. A lighter grip will allow more free recoil and a higher impact point or farther zero if you will. I can assure you too that a lighter grip will hurt you less than a death grip on the gun. I use this technique when extending the range on my hunting handguns. I tighten up for 50 yard shots and loosen up for 100 yard shots; all with the same sight picture..........

A couple comments on this. It might have been OK for Elmer to try something like this and there might even be others who could duplicate it but for actual hunting I would suspect that very few shooters would apply it successfully. My advice would be maintain a consistent grip and learn your pistols trajectory and adjust the sights or hold over don't loosen your grip for long shots. The following is not quite right "A tighter grip will flatten the trajectory for a lower impact point." It will lower your point of impact but I don't believe it will flatten the trajectory, it just changes were the barrel is pointing when the bullet exits.

Tim

[popper]

I took some pointers from the Army pistol text. Pressure between the palm and knuckles, not finger tips. Improved right away. Finger tip pressure changes with trigger finger tension and will cause a horizontal pull.

[white eagle]

fired today from my 50 yard bench
173763

[44man]

A rising barrel sure will not FLATTEN a shot. The fact is, it will ruin groups so bad at long range you waste all the work. Try at 500 meters once! 547 yards! I spent years shooting my revolvers that far and it needs a more firm grip then 50 does. Distance needs total grip control.
Other things can make poor groups, inconsistent boolit tension, primer, powder and charge and even alloy.
I get fliers if I air cool WW boolits, even if aged. WD and they go away. I have owned many guns I could not control or keep a POI. They all grouped great.
Even archery is tough depending on the grip. I had one that was trouble so at matches I had a big stick of coco butter. I greased my hand so it slipped into the grip to one place only.

[white eagle]

for my shooting that above group is outstanding
I am not in a competition to shoot 1 hole groups at 50 or 500 for that matter
minute of whitetail is my main goal which is what I have achieved

[dave524]

At closer ranges, before the lack of velocity causes the bullet to drop , low speed loads will often print higher on a target than high speed loads. The barrel has not risen under recoil as far before the bullet exits the muzzle with hi speed loads therefore printing lower than the slow loadings. I would think a weak grip would exaggerate this

[Edward]

I "ll give it a shot,as your target says it ain"t your 1st attempt [smilie=l: