Grip angle, balance, and overal feel.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I know I am sensitive to Grip angle, balance, and overal feel of all types of handguns.

Has anyone else here noticed the same thing?

I have never been able to accurately shoot a 1911 type 45...except one time I shot someone elses expensive race gun which had some funky grips that actually changed the grip angle.

I prefer Wheelguns, and so does a close friend of mine. My friend dislikes the shoehorn style grip of most SA revolvers (ie Ruger Bisley Blackhawk)...Myself, I really like that style of grip, I like how recoil of a big bore just lifts the barrel and rolls up on the hand which minimizes felt recoil.

Why am I starting this thread...after reading the current thread on Taurus revolvers, those that really dislike the Taurus, I am wondering if they actually are just sensative to the feel of them ? I've never shot a Taurus revolver, I do own a couple of PT 24/7 autos, one in 40 and one in 45. I really like them, they feel right in my hand and shoot accurately and so far (fingers crossed) have been reliable.
Jon

[cajun shooter]

I have shot and owned several revolvers including Taurus. The new rubber grip that they put on the guns is quite comfortable to shoot. Most people grip the revolver wrong and also stand leaning back instead of to the front. The first thing that is taught is proper grip. The web of the hand should be at the very top of the back-strap.If not you will not be in control of the gun. The first bend in your trigger finger should be in the center of the trigger on DA guns. Stock S&W grips are built backwards from a persons normal strength of grip. They are skinny at the top of the grip where you have the most reach. They are fat at the bottom where you the least amount of grip. Use a pair of grips that are not only comfortable but fit your grip and hand size. Most persons should not purchase a gun for defence that has a barrel less than three inches in length. You also don't want a gun with a 7 1/2 in barrel as it will hinder you in certain conditions. A 4 in barrel is about the best for all around for most people. Before everyone starts telling me I am wrong I am speaking of the general population. Another firearms instructor friend of mine shot the qualification course with his gun upside down. 18 rounds were fired from the 25 yd line. I did it firing a 25 auto made by Bauer. The 4 in gun will be an easy to carry and shoot gun.

[44MAG#1]

I don't agree about angle etc. when it comes to precision shooting. If you hold a revolver whether it is a SA, DA and or a semi auto with the same hand position, grip tension, finger placement on trigger each and every time with proper sight alignment and proper trigger contol the shot will be good. If you let your mind wander from those things the shots won't be good.
Now if you don't shoot enough to acustom yourself to the gun your shooting will suffer or if want the angle etc. to make a difference it will. This is in the mind though so i am not going to entertain that as the mind is a fickle thing.
Kinda like my buddy that chewed Beech nut tobacco. He hated Redman and said he could tell a distinct difference between the two. I put Redman in a Beechnut pouch one time and he chewed it and did not know the differerence. Other things I could give an example on but won't.
Now speed shooting coming from the holster and hip shooting it will be at first as witness most hip shooting with a 45 ACP 1911 will inverible hit way low for me as opposed to a revoler but after a few shots to accustom myself with the 1911 it does as well maybe better as I have a single action pull all the time.
Precision shooting is 1. Trigger control 2. Sight alignment. Nothing else matters as long as it is consistant. One just has to work on the consistant thing harder on some than others if one isn't familiar with that particular launch platform.

[Snapping Twig]

IMO, grip FIT is most important.

Stock grips may or may not fit and give you a bad impression of a particular firearm.

I shoot a round butt 3" .44 magnum with heavy cast boolits and I use wood grips. In this case they are Hogue finger smooth and they fit me. The wood combat grips directly from the factory (S&W) are highly desired and appropriately expensive, but for me they are a torture device. I have a set that came on a revolver I bought new and I keep them in a pile of grips I have discarded. They are not for sale BTW.

The SAA grip, or calvary grip is another I can not deal with. Too short and the ergonomics are just wrong for me. Bisley, now we're talking! Those work for me.

If I could give any advice, it would be that thick or thin, smooth or textured, you need to find the grip that fits YOU.

[gray wolf]

Grip angle, grip angle---the post is about grip angle and Taurus revolvers.
Most people that I know that do not like Taurus hand guns--including myself, don't like them because they are poorly made on average. That does not mean you can't get a good one.
But most I have put through the test are junk, and there customer service is a joke.
As for the 1911 and it's grip, or for that matter it as a platform is not for everyone.
Some reasons are justified and some are mental ( made up ) like some folks that have spent good hard eared money on something and will not for any reason admit it is junk they have bought. ( the nature of people ) just the way it is.
Back to the 1911, if you grip it wrong it will not shoot consistently, grip it high and it may shoot low, grip it low and it will shoot high. Use a week grip and it may not function.
The person with a death grip may not complain about recoil and getting back on target.
If you need a special set up for a 1911 it may not be the platform for you. But there are some simple Mods. that can be done to help improve the feel and the shooting.
How long the trigger is, a thinner or thicker grip panel, or a main spring housing with a different angle that will let you grip the pistol in a way that will raise or lower the angle of the bore.

[44MAG#1]

"Grip angle, grip angle---the post is about grip angle and Taurus revolvers."
I really don't care about the brand in the least...
As far as my memory goes Taurus makes a double action revolver of different shapes and angles, also did make a Single action revolver and makes a 1911 model too with a couple compacts thrown in.
Now what I said surely will cover Taurus products as well as a host of others.

[Lloyd Smale]

yes it does. I shoot better groups with a bisley frame then a standard blackhawk. Its just easier to get a consistant grip on for me.

[Bass Ackward]

yes it does. I shoot better groups with a bisley frame then a standard blackhawk. Its just easier to get a consistant grip on for me.


I agree. But it depends on the purpose of the gun too.

I love the Bisley for SA paper but it ends there. It ain't worth a darn for instinctive work. It has no repeatability. The XR3 Ruger allows repeatable hand position for snap work and the angle when fired in this position (waist area) improves hit percentage even though it doesn't .... quite .... fit my hand.

Grip fit for me is the key. I get Herrett grips made for Smiths. The Jordon (for strong hand only) or the Combat Shooting Masters (dual or either hand) are wonderful for me.

Strange how every thing enters into it, but I actually get less felt recoil from a hard (wooden) grip that fits my hand. I assume that is because the grip force is .... uniform and the recoil is dispersed over a larger surface area, but what ever the reason is, it shows up. Especially in long shooting sessions where rubber can cause your hands to ache from over squeezing and that ain't a good thing.

[bobthenailer]

for certian types of shooting those things are a contriubting factor for your absulate best shooting but for anything less demanding i can shoot any handgun that i have owned over a 45 year period with good to excellent accuracy, every gun is different you just have to shoot it enough to get comefortable with it

[MtGun44]

I strongly prefer the 1911 grip angle, but can do very good work with any handgun
IF the grips work with my hand. For example, my 1937 S&W Brazilian N-frame
.45 ACP (identical to 1917 model) with original grips puts the steel corner of the frame
exactly on the thumb knuckle joint of my shooting hand and this is horrible after one
cylinder of factory power loads. Change to the Hogue or Pachmyr rubber grips and
it is a joy to shoot. Ruger std auto has dramatically different grip angle and size from
1911, but I have won a bunch of matches with one.

I have strong PREFERENCES but can work with most grips, some are more of a challenge.

Bill

[Heavy lead]

I like most DA grip angles, as long as the grips are correct. I do not like any rubber grip, nor checkered grips. I generally have a death grip on a handgun, maybe that's why, most of my grips are smooth wood and a couple of Badger smooth corian that I like as well. I prefer thick at the top, thinner on the bottom, the smooth S & W N frame round butt grips are my favorite period, with the Ruger Bisley grip a close second. I have three SBH's, I just do not shoot them as well, nor as consistant, with the big Hogue Wood grips they are usable for me, but still would rather have the Bisley. 1911's are fine, I do prefer smooth wood grips though. I also shoot commanders much better than any 5" full size I've ever shot. The full size always shoot low for me, nomatter what. I've never shot a Colt Bisley, but have handled them, I think I would shoot them well. I just cannot get consistancy from the roll of a regular single action plow handle.

[Char-Gar]

I find some grip angles more comfortable and more natural that others. BUT..with proper grip I can shoot them all equaly well.

For pure comfort I like the German Luger and the Ruger Mk I, II and III. But it really doesn't matter. I find other features of handguns more worthy of attention than grip angle.

[jmsj]

I'd have to say put me in the Bisley grip group. The most accurate centerfire pistol I have ever owned is a Bisley/Vaquero .45 Colt., 4 5/8" barrel. With hot loads it seems to kick a lot less than my S&W 629 6 1/2" barrel in .44 mag.w/ rubber grips. Now I am working up loads for a Ruger Bisley SBH Hunter.
I have two 1911's and seem to have a harder time w/ consistency w/ them.
I also own a Taurus 605, it is a J frame sized 5 shot 3"barrel .357. I did have to do a little work to get the trigger smoothed out but I find in rapid fire double action w/.357 magnum loads it is very controlable and about as accurate as I can shoot that style.

[Echo]

I really don't care for the Bisley handle. I like to curl my little finger under the handle - I have fairly large hands, and it works for me, but not on the Bisley.

I think I can shoot any pistol to it's best accuracy, but grip/frame design may play a part in my enjoyment of the process!

[Oyeboten]

I was out shooting an old S&W N-Frame today...with the stouter Loads, kept banging my middle finger knuckle against the rear of the Trigger Bow.


Guess I should grip a little tighter maybe...Lol...

Plain, original, ( ie" not an A1 ) un-messed with Colt 1911, is probably the most natural and easy for me, grip wise.

[Maven]

I have small hands and have found that the grips on my Ruger Old Army (BP), BH, and SBH fit me very well, but the newer Vaquero's with the thinner grips aren't nearly as comfortable. Moreover, my DW .357 and S&W Mod. 10, both have large grips, which serendipitously fit my hand. (Both were purchased used and came with large grips.) Similarly I changed the skinny grips on my Ruger Mark II Gov't. target pistol to the thicker Hogue rubber ones and couldn't be happier. As far as I'm concerned, how a pistol or revolver fits your hand makes all the difference in the world with respect to comfort, repeatable hold, and accurate shooting. Practice doesn't hurt either.

[OutHuntn84]

Needed an inbetween answer on this one.
I selected no it does not. Put me on a bench with any gun and I can put lead on target. Sight allignment trigger pull it's all the same process with any gun.
On the other hand to efficently put that lead on target, yes I am sensative to the "feel" of different firearms.

[jandbn]

Thanks for typing t out for me 84. Ditto to your reply.

[44MAG#1]

I still stick to my first post. I believe it is a mental thing plain and simple.
There is no reason why one should not be able to shoot if he can shoot. If you grip the gun the same way every time and operate the trigger correctly while keeping sight alignment the shot will be good.
Now the grip may not suit your whims but if you remember to do it correctly, even if the grip angle, size and whatnot is not to your standards, you will still have a good shot.
I am not talking about hip shooting, point shooting where one goes by the feel of the gun.
Can anyone say different and really believe it.
I shoot 3 different grips styles and cannot place the blame on either one when my shooting goes sour. It is generally operator and I cannot place blame on the gun, grip angle, load or any other thing except me.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I know I am sensitive to Grip angle, balance, and overal feel of all types of handguns.

Has anyone else here noticed the same thing?



You have simply not tried hard enough. This is NOT a condemnation; some of us must try harder than others to shoot a handgun well, and you may be one of those people.

I started off at age 10 with a 1911 (with a 22 conversion unit). I lived, ate, breathed, and pretty much did everything with that gun strapped to my hip, in my hand, or in my head thinking about it... Eventually, several other handguns (automatics) came along, including a Ruger-Luger (talk about a different grip angle and shape), and many others. Not only did I not own a revolver until I was 17, I didn't touch one until I was 16. (Dad was an autoloader-guy; saw no sense in that old-fashioned revolver thing... Had to befriend someone with a revolver to even feel what one was like, let alone shoot one! :veryconfu ) But from age 10 to 20 (when I went off to live at college), every spare moment was about guns, usually handguns.

In the 35 years (or so) that I've owned handguns, I've continued to acquire, learn about, and shoot them every bit I can (why I reload, cast bullets, belong to gun-forums, etc.). I even got into a field of work that had a significant component of carrying and shooting handguns. (Nothing is quite as good as to be a gun afficionado and getting PAID to go shoot and use up someone else's ammo...) I'd guess I'm up over a couple hundred now, and in most calibers. Still have a few (dozen) I want to acquire to finish up the collection.

Now, with all that said, I can honestly say there are guns that come along that take some getting used to. After my first "automatics stage" from 10 to 17, I had a big affair with revolvers (and still do, but not to the exclusion of autos). Then, my department authorized us to switch to autoloaders, and I was back to them, but I didn't LIKE it. It was hard going back to them, mainly psychologically, but also because I was used to the fine triggers and grips on my S&Ws. I did some studying (along with several gun-wise friends, on and off the department - and this, of course, required purchasing several examples to compare and test :mrgreen: ) of different designs. I even bought a Glock. Now, you want to talk about a change of style!?! Try going from a custom-gripped, fixed frame and barrel, ultra smooth DA revolver to a fat-Luger-gripped, plastic, heavy and MUSHY triggered Glock!!! :shock: It all worked out, and I actually own more Glocks nowadays than any other single brand of handgun in my collection. (S&W and Ruger are real close though.)

Where this all leads is that I have lived, ate, and breathed handguns for 35+ years, and over that time I've struggled with various designs, triggers, grips, etc. BUT, the important thing is to persevere and never give up. Somewhere about 10-15 years ago, with enough shooting and enough owning of different designs, I got to a point that I could pick up ANY handgun and shoot it well. (My most-recent "weird" acquisition is an H&K PSP (P7), and that raked-grip with the squeeze cocker FEELS very unnatural to me, but I shot it very well...) What these experiences have taught me is that the most important thing to shooting a handgun well is to not psych yourself out and concentrate on applying the same fundamentals you use when shooting any handgun. If you can shoot one kind very well, you should be able to shoot any handgun (of reasonable manufacture - this don't count for the Lorcin's of the world) well, even if it requires slowing down and being deliberate with it. So, now you have an official excuse for more ammo, more reloading, and more range-time. Just tell the wife you have to improve your skills and get used to your handgun...

[Wayne Smith]

I used to think it didn't matter much, I could shoot my SBH and my Smith's about equally well. Then I went and got a pair of Uberti Cattlemen, one the traditional plow handle 7.5" and the other a bird's head 4.75". Both in 44-40. I can shoot the longer barrel, traditional grip as well as my SBH but can't seem to hit a thing with the little birds head. It's small and slides around in my hand. Those tradational sights don't help, but don't matter much with the other one.

I shoot a CZ 52 and a 92 as well as Makarov's and a SIG 238 all equally well. It's just that little bird's head that drives me crazy. Oh, I even shoot the LeMat well. Talk about a different grip angle!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

You have simply not tried hard enough. This is NOT a condemnation; some of us must try harder than others to shoot a handgun well, and you may be one of those people.
>>>SNIP
After thinking about this again recently...I believe I now agree with you.

[Bazoo]

I think most of being able to shoot a handgun well is in ones head. I've traded a lot and shot a lot of different handguns and I'm confident enough that I can pick up a handgun I've not tried and do well with it. Confidence is key I think. I don't like some grips as well as others, and shoot best when the gun feels right to me.

I shoot well with xr3 red grip framed Blackhawks/single sixes that have original sized grips. A buddy had a 357 BH with thinner gunfighter grips and while I shot it okay I didn't care for it. I shoot glocks pretty decent but prefer 1911a1 pistols with short trigger and arched mainspring housing. One of the things that helps me is having checkering or texture on the grips to help with getting a consistent hold.

[Texas by God]

Focus on that front sight and manage that trigger no matter if it's a flintlock or a Glock. And shoot one handed every so often. If the handgun is a good one, it'll hit where the sights are pointed when the primer pops.

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[GhostHawk]

Proof for me came in the form of a Rock Island Armory model 200 4" in .38 special only.

Came with fancy rubber grips that for me were a bit too large. First groups with those grips were not up to my usual standard.

Went browsing on the RIA site and found a set of wood grips for same model, under 20$, and a speed loader. Total with shipping was something like 42$.

They arrived, looked good, nice wood, nicely checkered, swapped them out.
And instantly got a better group. Plus it was faster/easier to single handed cock the gun, and to reach the cylinder release.

Considering I only paid 240$ for the gun I'm darn tickled. Thing runs like a clock, no issues, and I'm getting used to the flat black cerakote or whatever finish they used.

Beauty queen it is not, functional, it certainly is, and seems solid as can be.

What really clinched the deal for me on this one was the single action trigger.
It is just plain perfect. Short, no creap, breaks clean, light. Double action of course is longer and harder, but still not bad.

So yes, design does make a difference. There is a reason I prefer my Ruger .22lr in 22/45 configuration. The grip is simply more comfortable. YMMV.

[curioushooter]

I really would like to figure out why I prefer some grips and angles to others.

I know I find the typical SA revolver grip detestable and the Bisley Blackhawk's tolerable, but I always liked my Hogue Monogrips on my N-Frame better.

I hate the raked grip angle of the Ruger MKII but liked the relatively raked angle of the H&K P7.

I find 1911s blocky and uncomfortable.

I find that many K/L frame grips are too large. But I find the three finger J frame grips too small. The two finger ones (Hogue bantams) fit me great.

I find the CZ75 and High power's grips fat and ungainly...why I like single stacks

Probably the best pistol grip I have held are Kahr K9s which come with Hogue Monogrips. I also liked the S&W 1076 with such grips.

I couldn't really tell if it effected performance much except in the MarkII. I coukd shot 22/45s better, and my Contender much better.

[Bigslug]

USE THE SIGHTS LUKE!

Sure I've got grip preferences - 1911-A1 (arched MSH) over 1911 (flat); Peacemaker over Bisley; don't have the "points high" issue folks complain about with Glocks - but it really comes down to holding the gun in such a way that you maintain sight alignment as the trigger is pressed. If you haven't figured that out for a particular firearm, you just need to put more ammo through it.

[rfd]

for me, it's the same as the grip on a stickbow or the backshape and dimensions of a guitar neck - some just feel better, but none are deal breakers and most any will work for me one way or t'other. to each their own.

[rbuck351]

Bullseye shooting and combat shooting are different for me. I can shoot most any handgun fairly well in bullseye. In combat shooting if the gun isn't a natural pointer it takes more time, practice and concentration to force the front sight on target rather than just having it on target when pointed in. A glock points in high left for me where the 1911 and an M28 S&W are spot on. After much practice I could shoot the glock well enough but it is easier with the 1911 or the S&W. The difference is enough that I don't need the sights for body shots up to 10yds unless using the glock. The extra time gained by shooting twice as the gun is moving through the body A zone rather than aligning sights is used for making sure the head shot is in the A zone. I shoot a natural pointer better and faster than one that does not come from holster to target with the sights already aligned.
A gun that fits right is easier to shoot and takes a lot less ammo to get where you want to be. Slowing down to make a good hit could get you killed in a gunfight. So yeah it makes a difference to me.

[Bazoo]

I've got large hands but not long fingers. A double stack grip like a beretta 92 is too fat for me. In single action I can shoot one pretty good however. The smith and Wesson single stack autos like the 39 and 3906 fit me well.

The wife's 686 has magna grips but I've reshape them to suit her. Shortened them so they are the same length as the butt of the gun. I sanded off the checkering and thinned the grip. They fit me pretty well now also.

While I can shoot one well I don't care for the shape of the Ruger 22 auto grip, but the 22/45 grip is okay.

[Texas by God]

Three vastly different grip styles but the basics remain the same. Front sight and manage the trigger. The Tomcat could use a higher rear sight. Offhand at 10 yards using two hands.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190412/d6262267d4bb895a3b6d8b07e5fbf9ca.jpg

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