In a situation where you or a loved one’s lives are in danger, any grip that allows you to effectively fire to stop the threat is the “proper” grip. That said, by practicing proper grip technique you can become more safe, proficient, and accurate with your weapon.
The first part of a proper pistol grip is understanding what we are trying to accomplish – Accuracy & Recoil Mitigation. Accuracy allows us to hit our target (duh) and recoil mitigation allows us to quickly reestablish the site picture for follow up shots. The infamous “double tap” is not possible without proper grip technique. We accomplish these by getting as much of our hand(s) onto the weapon as possible.
MASTERING THE ONE-HANDED GRIP
STEP 1: Hold the pistol in your dominant hand. The most important part of the grip is to get the “meat” of your hand up, and into the curved area of the backstrap. This is important because recoil happens when 1. the round discharges and 2. the slide moves back to chamber the next round and then slide forward again. By placing your hand high up into the pistol, you are mitigating as much recoil as possible.
Be careful of “slide bite” – when the meat of your hand is too high up and the slide “bites” you when it slides back over your hand to rechamber the next round. I have a beaver tail installed on my backstrap to prevent this, so far so good.
STEP 2: Wrap your bottom 3 three fingers firmly around the grip. The important thing is that you let your fingers fall “naturally.” If you try to wrap them all the way around to your palm, your pistol will be off-center. If you don’t wrap them tight enough, there will be empty space and your weapon will off-center the other direction. A good rule of thumb is to look at your grip from the top. Your weapon should look like an extension of your forearm and you should be able to draw a straight line from your elbow to the tip of the barrel while having a natural & comfortable wrist.
STEP 3: Thumb Placement. There is a groove on most weapons that allows you to rest your thumb along the side of the weapon. Resist the urge to curl your thumb down.
PRO TIP: By resting your thumb along the side of the weapon you can increase your accuracy. How? Practice pointing at the target with your thumb. By pointing at the target with your thumb, your weapon is already lined up and you should have a clear sight picture, ready to fire!
STEP 4: Trigger finger placement. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until you are 100% absolutely guaran-damn-teed ready to fire the weapon. Even if you know the weapon is unloaded, its best to practice this technique and treat every weapon as if it’s ready to go boom. Safety first fellas!
WHAT TO AVOID: Don’t use a death grip. If you squeeze too hard, your hand will tense up and your accuracy will suffer. If you don’t hold firmly enough, you obviously run the risk of the weapon flying out of your hand! My advice is to give your weapon a good, firm handshake. You aren’t trying to crush it but you don’t want to limp-wrist it either.
Congrats – You are now using the ideal one-handed grip! This grip will allow you to be as accurate as possible while mitigating recoil. This one-handed grip is fine for targets that are almost close enough to punch, but what if the target is a bit further away and you need extra stability? Yep, add your other hand! Often called a “combat” or “tactical” grip, adding your other hand into the equation ensures the most contact with your weapon for maximum accuracy and recoil mitigation.
MASTERING THE COMBAT GRIP
STEP 1: Place the palm of your OFF-HAND onto the exposed area of the pistol’s grip. Remember, getting as much of your hand(s) onto the weapon as possible is the key to accurate shots and recoil mitigation.
STEP 2: Wrap fingers of off-hand around the front of your trigger hand.
PRO TIP: SQUEEEZE! By squeezing with your off-hand, you get a super-strong grip on the weapon while still allowing your trigger finger to relax, ensuring smooth-as-butter trigger pulls!
STEP 3: Thumb Placement. The thumb of your off-hand should rest along the side of the weapon, under the extended thumb of your trigger hand.
WELL DONE! You now know how to properly hold your weapon with one hand, as well as the proper technique for a combat/ tactical grip. Now get out to the range and practice these techniques with a bit of live fire!
