Ideal fit with interchangeable grip panels: Is there a science to it?

[1slow]

Interesting. I understand Ernest Langdon runs the large back on his P30, and feels that allows him to get higher on the pistol, and control recoil better.

I actually like the feel of HK45 small back strap better than any P30 back strap. If I could get a large P30 back strap that was not rounded off at the bottom but continued like a flat mainspring housing 1911 I think I would really like it. It would help seat that very solid part of the heel of the hand in front of the ulner.

[Surf]

I just personally fitted / oversaw the fitting of 650 people on the Gen4 G17 in the last 5 months and put them through a 2 day course. Another training group had the same number of individuals. The following held true 99.9% of the time.

There are 2 concerns. The first and most important is the Trigger Reach. Proper placement of the trigger finger and its movement throughout the trigger pull is the #1 consideration. The second concern is the reach to the magazine release button. Adding a backstrap for smaller hands or short fingers may dictate a rotation of the weapon to hit the magazine release button. Many shooters are pretty adept at doing this, however IMO it is more optimal to maintain your master grip and not have to "flip" or rotate the weapon in your hand to hit the release.

Speaking specifically in regards to the Glock Gen 4's, many like to add a backstrap due to how it might feel in the hand. However it should not be based off of feel or comfort but rather how the shooter actually performs with the pistol. Some individuals are stubborn and go against a recommendation, however their shooting will always tell the truth. Some shooters just need to see their performance, or lack of performance, then you get them to go with a correct fitment with correct technique and compare results. The Glock with the humped backstrap is also very sensitive to grip nuances and does not like to be crushed from the frontstrap to the backstrap. Therefore many old school "push / pull" shooting types (mainly Weaver / Chapman types) may have some serious issues with the pistol as in being low, or low and left for a righty and opposite for a lefty. Also those who cannot isolate their trigger finger and avoid a sympathetic finger movement in the other 3 fingers closing the grip when the trigger is manipulated also suffer issues.

[1slow]

I actually like the feel of HK45 small back strap better than any P30 back strap. If I could get a large P30 back strap that was not rounded off at the bottom but continued like a flat mainspring housing 1911 I think I would really like it. It would help seat that very solid part of the heel of the hand in front of the ulner.

Spelling ulnar while tired .

[Sheep Have Wool]

That's a good way to think about it, Surf.

Sigh. I guess I'll be screwing around with mine more.

[CCT125US]

Very timely thread. I switched from small to medium back strap several months ago and noticed an improvement in myb overall shooting. Within the last week I have been dry firing using the large strap. Based on movement of the laser or lack thereof, it adds stability. It also changes the angle of my wrist, time will tell if that is good or bad. I use the small latteral panels so it makes the gun feel very flat sided and seems to increase friction and increase leverage (thanks Proctor). The thing to keep in mind is that when consciously evaluating one thing, other areas may suffer. The FS may not be as crisp or the trigger pull may suffer. Being honest with yourself as to why you saw improvement or a decrease is the fun part. That whole slowing down to speed up thing. More later

[CCT125US]

Finally some range time after 2 weeks. So I worked some drills using the small side panels and large backstrap on the P30 v3. I typically will start with my 3 square drill. 3x3 post it shot at 7yds with 3 rounds from concealment <2.5 par. Started out dropping some shots because the gun is essentially different. But by run 3 I was shooting it clean <2.25, shot the 10-10-10 from concealment in 7.56sec with 97-5x all in black (12.83 HF). It seems to track more consistently and is easier to steer with less input. I did like the feeling that the trigger broke sooner with less effort. Which is odd because i have small hands. Is it because of the grip change? Or the dry fire? Or not shooting for 2 weeks? Not sure yet, but it was a noticable improvement that warrants more ammo....

[Tom Duffy]

I always hate grip panel threads. I keep wondering if I picked the right ones or if I ought to try a different combination.

With my HK45C, I shot about 2,000 rounds with the installed small back strap, then switched to the medium back strap and liked that better. Since HK only gives two choices for the HK45C, that was easy.

Then I got a P30L with three back straps and six side panels. Uh-oh. But this turned out to be pretty easy too. As soon as I put on the large back strap, it was an instant, "Oh, wow! This is it." I picked the large strong hand panel to fill the palm better and the small support hand panel, since it is the flattest, to get as much of my support hand on the grip as possible.

Of course, there's always people saying "X backstrap feels better, but I shoot better with the Y backstrap." And neither one feels as good to shoot as my 1911.

[Alpha Sierra]

This is a 100% individual issue, since obviously we are built differently, not just in hand size, but in reach, torso length, and every other biomechanical measurement that matters.

The value in threads like this is to discuss the process, not the result.

[KevinB]

Of course, there's always people saying "X backstrap feels better, but I shoot better with the Y backstrap." And neither one feels as good to shoot as my 1911.

That's me

Shoots better is often in the individual perception, with ones goal.

If I was concentrating on slow fire accuracy I'd be running large grips on my M&P - they feel the best, and place my trigger finger in a great spot.
However speed on the draw and control executing rapid multiple round targets and target transitions led me to a medium, then small grip.
Ideally I would love both - but was not getting it - so I adopted the configuration that I felt met my criteria the best.

[Failure2Stop]

There are 2 concerns. The first and most important is the Trigger Reach. Proper placement of the trigger finger and its movement throughout the trigger pull is the #1 consideration. The second concern is the reach to the magazine release button. Adding a backstrap for smaller hands or short fingers may dictate a rotation of the weapon to hit the magazine release button. Many shooters are pretty adept at doing this, however IMO it is more optimal to maintain your master grip and not have to "flip" or rotate the weapon in your hand to hit the release.

^^This^^
Along with thumb/finger reach to the slide lock/release; all with both hands.