Holding the Pistol

.22 Target Shooting

Holding the Pistol

• Strong Hand – This is the hand with which you will be operating the trigger. Most of the time, this would be the hand that you would naturally use to open the door, or point something out. There are certain exceptions – if you are cross eye dominant (you are ‘right handed’ but ‘left eye dominant’) you may wish to shoot ‘left handed’ (especially with rifles), but for the most part, choose the hand which would feel the most natural to shoot one handed.

• Weak Hand or Off Hand – See ‘strong hand’ above, then look at your other hand. This is the hand which will not be touching the trigger. Surprisingly, this hand is extremely important to your total grip effectiveness and recoil management.

• Trigger Guard – This is the strap which protects the trigger from accidental contact (Fig 1). As you will see below, the trigger guard is a good reference when placing your hands on the gun while shooting. Always keeping in mind where your hands are in relation to the trigger guard will help orient you the same way each time.

(Fig 1) Trigger Guard.

• Recoil – This is the reactant force of the pistol from the shot. Isaac Newton’s Third Law is “for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Basically, this indicates that the force provided to accelerate the bullet out of your gun has an equal and opposite force exerted on the pistol itself, which ultimately travels into your hand. Fortunately the pistol weighs significantly more than the bullet, so the acceleration imparted is easy enough to handle.

• Eye Dominance – Very few people know which of their eyes is more ‘dominant’. Just as people are right or left ‘handed’ you will have an eye which is significantly more dominate than the other. There are a myriad of reasons for this: plain human physiology, poor sight in one eye. Statistically, people who are right handed tend to be right eye dominant and vice versa. To figure out which is your dominant eye, extended your arms out and make a small triangular hole with your hands (Fig 2). Pick a small point on the wall in the distance (a light switch perhaps) and look at the object through your outstretched triangle. Close your right eye, then open it and close your left eye. Whichever eye you see the object with is your dominant eye. As far as your brain is concerned your other eye just provides a ‘second opinion’ on what’s happening in the world.

(Fig 2) Make a small hole with your hands you can look through to see small distant objects.

• Strong Hand Position – While holding the pistol, the strong hand is trying to accomplish 4 things: Hold the pistol steady, make sight alignment as natural as possible, reduce recoil displacement when firing and place the trigger finger in a position which supports proper trigger pull. We will start with a discussion on the overall placement of the hand and build up from this base. The first point on hand placement is to get as high up the grip as possible. As we can see from (Fig 3) the recoil of the pistol happens along the direction of slide travel, which is higher than the grip. As we are unable to get directly behind the slide itself, getting as high as possible will help to reduce the upward rotation of the pistol and keep recoil more manageable. (Fig 4) shows an incorrect low grip. Notice how there is space between the web of the hand and the tang of the pistol. (Fig 5) shows a correct grip with the web of the hand as high as possible. There are a few instances where one may choose to hold lower however, a high grip which is tight under the back of the pistol is the way to go. Every time you pick up your pistol, grab high on the grip and push the web of your hand firmly up into the back strap.

(Fig 3) The Direction of travel of the slide shows the primary recoil force.

(Fig 4) Incorrect grip with visible space between top of hand and back strap of pistol.

(Fig 5) Correct grip with hand as high as possible at back of pistol.

• On hand placement – This is the secret to accurate shooting, it's how the hand aligns when it grips the pistol. In gripping the pistol, most people will have the tendency to ‘over grip’ and wrap their hand too far around the front of the pistol. To determine if we are over gripping the pistol, one needs to look at the space on the middle finger between the first and second knuckle (Fig 6) and orient this space correctly. With over grip, the second knuckle will be in line with the trigger guard and be pointing down the line of the barrel, which sets the direction of recoil off center to the wrist. This can create problems with natural pointing and result in misses when firing quickly and furthermore an incorrect grip can lead to pressure points and pain when firing. (Fig 7) shows the very common incorrect ‘over grip’ on a pistol. To obtain a correct grip we must come back around the pistol so that it aligns with our wrist and forearm.

The easiest way to do this is to ensure that the 1^st and 2^nd knuckle on your middle finger are on either side of the trigger guard, which will bring your thumb further back and around the pistol grip. (Fig 8) shows correct grip with 2^nd knuckle visible to the right of the trigger guard. When you first do this it may feel awkward, or at the least a little odd but with time it will become second nature. (Fig 9) Again shows the difference between an offset and correct angle grip.

(Fig 6) Correct orientation of hand to trigger guard.

(Fig 7) Overgrip - Knuckle is below trigger guard and forearm does not directly support recoil.

(Fig 8) Correct grip - Trigger guard is between knuckles and forearm supports recoil.

(Fig 9) The difference in the two grips.

• Grip Strength – Here we have a few differing schools of thought but we'll explain both. First school of thought is to grip the pistol hard, or white knuckle grip it and back off a little so it doesn't break your hand. The advantage is less noticeable recoil and no reflexive gripping of the whole hand when you pull the trigger. This can lead to a reflex action that tightens all 4 fingers when one pulls at the trigger and can throw off your shot, which is easy to notice if you are shooting long distance with rifles. With the hand tight there shouldn’t be the opportunity to tighten it up inadvertently. There is one disadvantage of a tight grip though, which is the loss of fine dexterity in the trigger finger. Try this – Make a fist but point your trigger finger out from the fist. Now squeeze your fist very tightly. While keeping your grip try to bend your finger enough to pull an imaginary trigger. Now loosen your fist and repeat the same trigger movement with the hand more relaxed, this likely feels easier with improved fine motor control. Last but not least, the strong hand grips the front and back of the handle. Don't worry about maintaining contact with or gripping the sides.

• Weak Hand Position – Few people realize just how important the ‘weak’ hand is to proper shooting form. They simply throw it in there as an after-thought. The weak hand position is very important. Canting on the off hand. That’s not CAN’T as unable to, it’s CANT as in ‘angle’. The off hand should be angled so that the Metacarpophalangeal joints (Them big knuckles where your fingers meets your hand) are at a 45 degree angle to the ground. (Fig 9) shows the hand straight forward, while (Fig 10) shows the hand at the correct angle with the thumb directed along the axis of the barrel. (Fig 11) and (Fig 12) shows acquiring a 2 handed grip and how one can use the fingers on their strong hand to orient and provide groves for the off hand. This grip allows good, strong contact on the primary hand and the pistol itself, and assists greatly with minimizing vertical recoil displacement. To achieve the downward angle of the hand at extension, the off arm needs to be quite straight, which we will address later.

(Fig 9) When left hand is straightforward thumb points upward.

(Fig 10) When the left hand is correctly pointed downward the thumb naturally points forward.

(Fig 11) Correct Left hand grip directs fingers towards ground and thumb towards target.

(Fig 12) Full grip. Use finger grooves in strong hand to correctly locate off hand fingers.

• Placement of the hand – Chances are, regardless of your age or gender, placing the left hand correctly is as easy and important and will affect how you shoot. The following three pictures (Fig 13), (Fig 14) and (Fig 15) show how the palms of both the right and left hands fit together to get maximum purchase on the off hand side of the grip. By filling the gap or ‘hole’ left by the strong hand we are also removing another path of least resistance from the recoil force. In fact, without providing counterforce on this portion of the grip, one will see a tendency for the pistol to recoil up (as the barrel is above the grip) and to the side opposite the strong hand grip where the ‘hole’ is found.

(Fig 13) Shape of palm on strong hand.

(Fig 14) Curve of off hand palm as viewed from behind.

(Fig 15) With off hand canted downward, both hands align to fit like a puzzle.

• Recoil – Management and placement height of the weak hand. Recoil can certainly add to the fun of shooting – or the pain. A detailed analysis of recoil would include Moments, Inertia, Force Vectors etc. When a force is applied to an object, but the force is not in line with the center of gravity of that same object, a rotational movement is imparted. (Fig 16) shows the outline of a pistol with its center of gravity (CG) marked. Any force in line with the CG would simply move the entire pistol in the direction applied. Force F (in this case, the recoil force from firing a round) is not in line with the CG, and will cause a both rotational reaction (called a Moment) in the pistol as well as a component force R moving the pistol backwards. As the front of the pistol begins to rotate ‘up’ with Moment 1 (M1), the bottom of the pistol, or the front bottom of the grip, will be moving forward relative to the CG (M2). By angling our off hand, we have increased the strength and leverage of our pinky finger which we can now use to counteract M2 – thereby reducing M1 and the front sight’s pointing to the sky. To do this, the pinky is brought into contact with the bottom of the grip where the magazine is found so that it will impede any forward movement.

(Fig 16) Forces and moments resulting from firing.

Some shooters will tend to sit the fingers on the off hand high and will have 2 fingers sandwiched under and in contact with the trigger guard (Fig 17). I tend to sit my off hand lower (Fig 18), with only one finger touching the trigger guard to get the pinky on the grip to counteract the rotational component of the recoil. In theory, a higher grip *may* make it easier to reduce recoil by increasing available grip strength, however I find the lower grip to be more successful. In the end whichever keeps you warm at night is good enough for me.

(Fig17) High off hand grip with two fingers in contact with trigger guard.

(Fig 18) Low Off hand grip provides control on recoil flip by countering upward rotation.

• Thumb – Most new shooters find that their thumbs are in the way, unsure where to put them. The answer is simple – the weak hand thumb points to the target and runs along the side of the pistol while the strong hand thumb rests on top of this (Fig 19). Either way, DO NOT EVER wrap your weak hand thumb over your strong hand (Fig 20) or your pistol's hammer will pinch you between the thumb and index finger which is called the thenar space.

(Fig 19) Strong hand thumb rests on top of weak hand, off hand thumb points towards target.

(Fig 20) Wrapping the off hand thumb over the strong hand (in the way of the slide) is not ideal.

Last but not least, the off hand grips the sides of the pistol as well as the strong hand. Go ahead and grip hard if you wish, as this will help keep the pistol snug and comfortable to handle while firing. Many people say that a 60/40 or 60% grip from the off hand and 40% grip from the strong hand is the ideal mix and this is ideal for shooting accurately. When shooting under stress go 100/100 for fast follow ups and as it is easier under stress than trying to feel your grip and modulate to perfection. Feel free to experiment with what you find most comfortable.

• Single handed shooting – When shooting with only one hand, the strong hand grip address above remains the correct choice. The positioning of the palm, fingers and web of the hand remain constant, with only the thumb given a few options. One can either maintain the thumb straight along the side of the grip (Fig 21) for natural pointing, or one can bend the thumb down to provide a little more support on the off side (Fig 22). Revolver shooters will often adopt a thumb down position as they are used to this whereas those used to predominantly shooting semi autos will be more accustomed to straightening the thumb.

(Fig 21) One handed grip with thumb forward.

(Fig 22) One handed grip with thumb pointed down for more support.

• The Arms and Torso – Originally shooters were taught to blade themselves and provide as small a profile as possible to their adversaries. This led to a 45deg angled torso and a bent left arm and straight right arm (for RH shooters) (Fig 24), which is often known as a ‘Weaver’ stance after the gentleman who first popularized it. One of the advantages of this is the countering forces of one arm pulling and one pushing against one another. Over time positions have evolved to the current model where most competitive shooters or combat shooters take a stance which squares their chest and shoulders to the target (Fig 25). This provides good support along both arms for recoil, and a steady body framework for shooting. To accomplish this, stand with your shoulders parallel to the target facing forwards. Obtain the correct grip and push the pistol out to the target. In reality you will not make a perfect triangle with your arms, but a triangle with its apex (the pistol) centered across from the dominant eye. Extend your arms but do not lock your elbows as you want to have some small bend to absorb recoil. At extension it is likely that you will have a very straight off hand arm and a slightly bent strong hand arm. This is simply because the off hand arm must travel further and be straighter to point the thumb towards the target and get ahead of the strong hand palm. In regards to your back, you should be leaning towards the target, never away from it. Many people will subconsciously try to get away from the loud flashy thing in their hand and end up leaning back as far as they can – which incidentally destroys your balance, robs you of recoil absorption, and provides a good way to fall over.

(Fig 24) The weaver stance.

(Fig 25) Isosceles Stance.

• The Feet and Legs – How you hold your feet is not nearly as important as the upper body and can vary from person to person considerably. The two things you always want to achieve with your stance are balance and mobility. Regardless if you lead with either leg or table your legs to the target, your feet should always be shoulder width apart, with your weight on the balls of your feet. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Your strong-side leg should be slightly behind the weak-side leg.

• Grip Safety – People seldom consider the grip of the pistol in regards to safety, but as we are trying to create habitual methods in both hand and body position, we need to consider how we hold the pistol in regards to barrel direction. This is especially true when we are at rest. It is not uncommon to see someone lower their pistol safely and then relax while it is pointed at the ground, which is not a problem until ‘pointed at the ground’ becomes ‘pointed at their foot’. To minimize it's best to adopt a method of holding the pistol when at rest (it is not either on a shooting table or holstered) that keeps the muzzle direction under control and will place the firearm where it is unlikely to be bumped into, swung or forgotten about. This position (Fig 26) is called ‘Sul’ which translates to ‘South’. To obtain Sul, come off the grip with the support hand and place it flat on the center chest all while keeping both thumbs in contact so that the hands are indexed and it is easy to re-establish proper grip. It is likely you will need to relax the strong hand and slide down the back of the pistol grip a little to ensure that the barrel will be pointed directly downward. The disadvantage of this hold is that it causes torque on the wrist and the discomfort can lead to the habit of relaxing the wrist by pointing the pistol off to the side somewhat (Fig 30). This is dangerous if standing in close proximity to others as on a firing line as you can seep the legs or feet of those around you. If you are going to use Sul, insure that you concentrate on keeping the muzzle down and do not let it creep off to the side.

(Fig 29) 'Sul' Position with wrist relaxed and barrel pointed off to the side.

(Fig 30) Your shooting pals will not appreciate this one!

SUMMARY or WHAT DID WE LEARN?

• Strong hand goes as high as possible on the back of the pistol.

• Align the trigger strap between the 1^st and 2^nd knuckles on middle finger of the Strong hand.

• Grip the pistol tightly but maintain dexterity on the trigger finger.

• Strong hand grips front/back.

• Weak/off hand grips side/side.

• Weak/off hand provides much of the strength in the grip.

• Angle fingers on week hand down.

• Weak/off hand palm fits strong hand palm.

• Don't wrap thumb over back of hand/pistol.

• Arms straight, not locked.

• Table shoulders to target.

• Feet shoulder width apart.

PAGES: .22 LONG RIFLE STORY - PISTOL TERMS & SAFETY -HOLDING THE PISTOL -SIGHT ALIGNMENT -TRIGGER PULL -VARIOUS SPEEDS -EXOTIC .22'S - MY .22 COLLECTION