What size Backstrap do you prefer?

[Edos]

Go easy on me...this is only my second post

It would be interesting to hear some opinions on this topic. Perhaps there is only one right answer…

I was listening to a firearms podcast today and one of the questions that were sent in to the host was. “What size Backstrap should you use on your handgun”?

Well most people might shot out….”the one that feels the best” but is that true?

Option 1: Should you use the smallest one that allows your strong hand to fully wrap around the grip and gives you a great feel and grasp, but leaves no room for your support hand to take up on the other side of the grip panel and leaving only the ability to wrap your support hand fingers around your own strong hand.

Option 2: A larger Backstrap that doesn’t offer you a full grip, but leaves the necessary gap on the other side of the grip panel to place the palm of your support and allows you to apply an equal hand crush grip with both of your palms.

I would think Option 2 makes the most sense and the one I prefer to use.

BUT I’m also thinking if I could only use one hand in a self-defense situation. Maybe the support hand was holding onto a child or I sustained an injury … maybe the full wrap around grip would be a great option and best for dealing with one hand shooting and recoil with multiple shots…

Any Thoughts…

[Luke]

I want two things out of my back strap.

1. I want a clean trigger pull. I want to pull the trigger straight to the rear and I want hand placement to help make that possible.

2. I want room for my support hand.


I shoot a 320 and love the small grip trigger wise, but not enough room for my support hand, the medium is a happy medium (ha!).


Chasing different backstraps sizes is a deep dark scary never ending hole. Be careful.


Keep in mind what feels good has nothing to do with what is actually good. Facts matter, feelings can lie use a target and a timer to help make the decision.

[Kennydale]

Have average male hand both Glocks G17 gen 4 and G19 gen 4 NO BACKSTRAPS. Fits my hand perfectly !

[RJ]

1. I want a clean trigger pull. I want to pull the trigger straight to the rear and I want hand placement to help make that possible.

I agree with Luke. Whatever gives you the least front sight movement.

So maybe spend an evening dry firing all your combinations? You could probably cover it while doing it Mr.
White's 'Press Six Hundred' drill.

I definitely know what you mean. I have three backstraps on my M&P. My HK VP 9 had 3 backstraps, PLUS 3 left and 3 right side panels. Right now I have small panels/backstraps fitted on both guns. I find it's somewhat trial and error. My problem is I'm pretty new to shooting, and finding good diagnostic instruction in shooting is pretty hard. And of course doing it over the Internet is problematic.

Can you find a good teacher in your local area?

[PNWTO]

XL gloves for most brands. I used the medium 'straps on my 4th gens.

[Sero Sed Serio]

Keep in mind what feels good has nothing to do with what is actually good. Facts matter, feelings can lie use a target and a timer to help make the decision.

This. When I was playing with M&Ps, the small backstrap FELT the best, but I PERFORMED the best with a large backstrap, even though it felt the worst. Take what you have to the range and run them all. Use whatever backstrap (or combo for you P30/VP9 folks) gives the best performance.

[Robert Mitchum]

Large on my M&P 45 .. I go by feel and results and Large just works for me.

[EricM]

I started a similar thread a couple years ago. Ignore my final post in that thread, I later came to different conclusions and now shoot Glocks lol. I just bring it up because there was some good input from others there.

I have settled on Gen 4 Glocks with medium backstraps (or Gen 3 as they come). I've tried all the factory backstraps on a 19 and 17, grip reduction, cutting off portions of backstraps, all three Grip Force Adapters, even gluing together backstraps and Grip Force Adapters in ways nature never intended. I was obsessed with finding the right combination so then I could focus on the shooting and never worry about it again. Deep dark scary never ending hole is right...been there, done that, still in rehab. I do think I've emerged with a better understanding of what matters (at least for me)...but was it the most effective use of my time and ammo?...uh, no.

One thing I've come to feel is important is having your strong hand palm flat on the side of the grip. Too large or too small of a grip and I start to get a gap that can make it easier for the gun to shift in my hand and also lead to inconsistent indexing. If you grip the gun lightly with your strong hand, watch the sights, and then squeeze harder, the gun shouldn't move much...if it does, something in your grip is not neutral. Same thing when adding the support hand into the mix...grip moderately with your strong hand, take a sight picture, add your support hand lightly, then clamp down with your support hand and see what happens. To be clear, an issue here isn't necessarily due to the grip size, but that can be one of the factors involved.

As mentioned, strong hand only and weak hand only is important when evaluating a grip setup. I have experienced what you described, in that an XL grip feels good freestyle, with lots of room for the support hand to get on the gun, but is too big for a solid grip when shooting one handed, causing recoil management and trigger control to suffer. To maximize support hand influence on a smaller grip, focusing your support hand pressure at the top of the grip can be useful (such as by raising your elbows while gripping hard without unlocking your wrists), as that area is less obstructed by the strong hand fingers. May require grip tape or stippling as not all guns have texture in that area.

[BCL]

I usually use whatever a particular gun comes with, with few exceptions:

On Gen4 Glocks, I use the medium beavertail backstrap so I don't get slide bite.
On HK P30/VP9s, I use the small side panels to make the grip as flat as possible on the sides.

As long as I can physically reach the trigger I typically don't mess with it. I did several years ago when I first got a P30, then figured out it didn't change anything for me time- or accuracy-wise so I leave it alone now.
I have average size hands FWIW.

[spinmove_]

Personally I still experiment from time to time, but by and large, I generally just stick with whatever comes as "default" with most pistols. So with Gen4 Glocks, I've transitioned back to using no additional backstraps. On M&Ps, I typically use the medium backstrap. As long as you can get enough finger on the trigger and manipulate it without disturbing your sight picture (apart from other gripping anomalies like milking, flinching, and torquing) then you should be fine.

It's a rabbit hole that I wouldn't recommend exploring as it really can lead to paralysis by analysis. Start with the "default" and work from there. Timers will tell you the truth, don't trust your feelings on this one.