Is your grip affecting your accuracy?

There are several factors to take into account when deciding how you should be holding a semi-automatic pistol: type of firearm, situation and ability/comfort of the shooter. Although shooters will have different grip preferences, here are some fundamentals that should be adhered to:

1.    Strong hand should be seated as far up into the tang as possible.

2.    Allow your hands to cover as much “real estate” on the firearm as possible, minimizing voids or spaces between the hands and the firearm. The recoil will travel in the path of least resistance and any spaces left between the hands and the firearm will allow the gun to move in that direction.

3.     Grip the gun with as much force as it takes to track up and down with the least amount of muzzle rise. If your grip is too weak, the gun will experience a lot of recoil, making it harder to control your shot placement. If you grip the gun too firmly, the shooter may begin to experience fatigue.

4.    Generally, the index finger of your strong hand and the thumb of your support hand should be pointing down range in-line with the barrel.

5.    Your grip should never impede the normal functioning of the firearm. Some grips have the tendency to interfere with the slide or slide lock, which will not allow the slide to lock to the rear when the weapon is out of ammunition and can also lead to the slide injuring the shooter’s hand. 

At the end of the day, every shooter will have a slightly different grip based on performance and comfort. Changes to grip can always be made as long as the shooter is able to shoot accurately, consistently and is able to operate the firearm safely. Each shooter will have to spend time on the range finding what grip works for them and then put in the practice.