Match pistol shooters - how tight do you grip?

[Inspector 71]

In the absence of an SI unit of pistol grippiness, I know this is a very difficult one to quantify and describe but any pointers would be appreciated.

[Turnup]

Individuals will vary. I favoured a quite strong grip ( not quite a death grip) and it worked well for me. I also held on aim for much longer than conventional advice suggests but again it worked for me. This is not advised for heavy recoiling guns - when I moved on to .357 magnums I got tennis elbow and found that a much more relaxed grip was the ticket.

Experimentation will help you to find your personal style, but do give it a fair go before changing anything - it takes quite a while to get the best out of any grip or stance adjustment.

[Bjacobs571]

If you grip too hard your hand will start to shake so that's too bad.
If you grip too much with your middle finger it will affect your trigger finger and that's bad
The little finger is along for the ride so you don't grip too much with it either.
This leaves the ring finger to do most of the gripping.
With an anatomical grip you don't need to grip much anyway, as the pistol doesn't recoil much and the pistol will sit in the hand with almost no grip at all.

If shooting 9mm or a 45 then do most of the gripping with your left(weak) hand and not with the strong hand. Push with your strong hand and pull with your weak hand as this will give you the most stable hold for rapid target acquisition and quick follow up shots. For competitions that require a double tap on the target.

[hwtyger]

It also varies per pistol. Some group better with tighter grip and vv.
So try and see.

[Jehoolio]

For 10m match pistol I don't grip I hold the pistol.
rhat is wrap my fingers around the grip and support the pistol.

[Bobster123]

The previous post is totally correct... if you are "gripping" the pistol the grip is not correclty suited to you.... you should "hold" the pistol.

If you get an anotomical grip you will see what "hold" means.... very much like a well fitted glove.... the grip will sit in your hand in the correct position every shot you make.

[tufty]

Imagine holding a tube of toothpaste,tight enough to hold it,not tight enough to squeeze any toothpaste out

[magicesperanto]

I used to grip tight enough to hurt a womans hand.

I also gripped high, so that the tight grip pulled the receiver down onto the top of my hand as I gripped.

Maybe that is why I never liked revolvers much, but loved my Ruger Mk l.

[Inspector 71]

During practice over the weekend, I found that if I gripped (squeezed), my shots went consistently to the right.

When I held the grip without applying any additional pressure over a natural supporting touch, things went fine.

[AC99]

Use a firm grip which is sufficient to hold the pistol steady while the trigger finger, moving independently, does not disturb the hold.
As has already been said if the grip is too tight then it can result in shaking and after thirty or so shots then your muscles will tire and your scores will not improve.

[trick cyclist]

And it's not so much a case of how firm the grip is, consistent grip pressure is the key to repeatable accuracy.

[Eric fwb 65]

http://www.pilkguns.com/anatoli.shtml



http://www.pilkguns.com/anatoli2.shtml

please have a read of these 2 articles. They helped me a great deal.

cheers

[BigEars]

My hold seems to feel like the pistol is leaning on my middle and ring fingers. The hand is relaxed enough to allow the trigger finger independent movement.