What's Wrong With this Grip?

[TDDude]

Quite frankly I find very little about the posted grip wrong but everything about it I believe could be improved.

For the grip I teach the finger is too far on the trigger. It is difficult to pull the trigger straight back with the finger placed in this far on the trigger. In the picture the finger is actually past the first joint.

The thumbs are wrapped with one under the other which does a couple of things. The off hand is lower on the gun leaving a lot of gun above the hand. Recoil can be controlled better with the gun down low in the hands. Also with the thumbs in the position shown it pulls the fleshy lower palm of the hand partially off the gun. Just like with car tires - more rubber on the road more traction - more skin on the gun more control of the recoil.

Also the knuckles of the off hand I can't see the dominant hand are white whick leads me to think the shooters is over gripping the gun.

These are just my opinions for what they are worth.

I posted the link to that video upstream but here it is again. http://www.stoegerindustries.com/video/index.php?v=6

Everything said by Compvest is confirmed by watching the video. Especially the recoil. That Cougar looks like it's a .50 cal the way it jumps in the dudes grip. They don't show where the bullet actually goes of course.

I guess I was already harping on the guy cause I stumbled on the video while doing some reading about Stoeger.

[WildBill]

Also the knuckles of the off hand I can't see the dominant hand are white whick leads me to think the shooters is over gripping the gun.

Wow, you certainly are observant! I never would have noticed that.

[flintknapper]

Also the knuckles of the off hand I can't see the dominant hand are white whick leads me to think the shooters is over gripping the gun.

Wow, you certainly are observant! I never would have noticed that.

Again, I would caution against critiquing this guy's grip too much... without benefit of seeing the shooter in his entirety and noting where the shots are actually going. We sometimes get caught up in a "this is the correct way" frame of mind, and then try to apply that to all people under all conditions.

Being an amateur photographer, I can tell you that the "white knuckles" alluded to (in this pic) are owing more to the lighting (highlights) than anything else. Note the highlight at the muzzle of the gun (slide) and again just above the trigger at the take down lever. Same thing is seen on the knuckles and the inside thumb of the strong hand.

Too, the camera angle lends to the idea that the trigger finger is "in too far", a shot from a different angle might yield something different. I did not watch the video, but deficits in recoil control are not always attributable to grip ONLY.

Yes, there are things that could be changed about this persons grip to produce that "perfect" grip that we "gamesmen" seek, but the fact is...in a quick draw-stroke where your very life is on the line, you are unlikely to end up with anything resembling what you do when shooting targets.

That is not to say that we shouldn't practice good shooting skills (grip included), because you WILL default to your level of training in a crisis, but I think it is a little unfair to suggest that this person is going to have errant shot placement based solely upon his grip (which really isn't that bad).

[KBCraig]

Back when my agency used S&W Model 10s (!), there was no such thing as a proper grip for anyone with normal, man-sized hands. The pull was so heavy and bumpy (thanks to decades of improper maintenance), that the distal joint was needed to pull the trigger. But the pull was so long that I usually had to rotate my grip before completing the trigger pull.

Thank goodness we got rid of those things!