One of the most poorly understood elements of handgun control is how to grip your pistol.

A lot of people struggle to properly position the gun in their hand. There are varying opinions on how much effort, or gripping pressure to use and how to maintain that pressure.

Here are some pointers on how to improve your grip and control over a firearm. 

 

1. Get A Firm Grip

Most shooters are told to relax and not grip the pistol tightly. This is ok if all you will ever fire is  a .22, but even that gun is going to kick.  You need to hold firmly.

A new shooter or beginner may have better things on which to concentrate, but even they need have a strong enough grasp to completely control their gun. If you’re an experienced shooter, you can just go ahead and ignore the “relax” part all together.

 

2. Lock Your Wrist

Many shooters have too much movement in their wrist. This leads to problems returning the gun to alignment and can cause you to move the gun out of alignment prematurely when trying to shoot fast.

Try to immobilize your wrist joint. Being too loose can, in extreme cases even cause weapon malfunctions. When trying to gain speed, the old adage “do not jerk the trigger” should be replaced with “do not move your wrist”.

Keep everything solid as if the gun was mounted in a vise.

 

3. Position The Gun In Your Hand So You Can Reach The Trigger

The angle the gun sits in relation to your arm is not that important. Being able to place your finger properly on the trigger is.

 

4. Two Hands Are Better Than One

If you can get two hands on the gun, do it! The whole point of a two-handed shooting stance is to create a triangle between your shoulders and the gun. Doing so allows the force of the gun to be transmitted through your torso, making recoil much easier to control.

Here how you do the two hand basic grip:

  • Place the gun in the web of your hand as high as possible.
  • Move your index finger above the trigger guard.
  • Move your thumb forward and slightly upward.
  • Squeeze the rest of the fingers around the grip. You should use the strength similar to what you need to use a hammer.
  • Put the middle of the weak hand index finder under the trigger guard
  • Form a fist with your weak hand, squeezing around your strong hand. Use slightly more strength with your weak hand than you use with your strong hand.
  • Make sure that the base of the thumb of your weak hand touches as much metal of the gun as possible.

 

5. Keep The Pressure On

Do not vary the amount of pressure you exert on the gun when pulling the trigger. This will cause a shift in the gun’s alignment and start a whole avalanche of problems. Keep it solid and consistent.

Here are the proper steps to pull the trigger:

  • Place the point between the first and the second phalanx of your index finger on the trigger
  • Pull it back until you have picked up the slack.
  • Squeeze the trigger, steadily increasing the pressure. No jerking movements.
  • Make sure you squeeze directly backward, without applying any pressure to the sides.
  • The shot should happen suddenly, surprising you. That will prevent you from jerking the gun in anticipating movement.

 

6. Practice Holding On Tight

Gripping properly will not just happen. This is an issue even with many experienced, top-notch shooters. Most think it will just come with practice, but it doesn’t unless you think about it. One area that dry fire can really help is maintaining a tight grip while pulling the trigger.

It’s easy to pick up bad habits from dry firing with no live fire to support the techniques being learned. If you never have to deal with effects of the gun firing, muzzle flip and recoil, you will never learn how to control them.



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