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ericf
03-30-2011, 09:36 AM
With the newer generations of auto's, they all seem to have the interchangeable backstraps for a better hand "fit". But no where can I find a description of what that "hand fit" should be.
Should the grip size be based on comfort? Hand wrap around the grip? Finger length?

Just how should one judge the proper grip size in order to utilize the correct backstrap?

The small feels right, the Medium feels right, the large, I can get used to (ala Glock 17 gen3).
I'm currently enjoying the M&P 9 Pro.
Thanks for he help.

JV_
03-30-2011, 09:45 AM
This may offer a few tidbits for you:
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?50-Signs-of-a-good-grip

ToddG
03-30-2011, 09:55 AM
Choose the panel(s) that gives you the best access to all controls -- trigger, mag release, slide release, safety, decocker -- without compromising the way you want to manipulate the gun.
If multiple configurations meet the requirement of #1 above, choose the panel(s) that turn in the best accuracy and speed as you shoot. For many people, this will be a bigger grip than feels most comfortable.

scothill
03-30-2011, 10:11 AM
I just put the different ones on and ran the gun doing varous drills and slow fire accuracy. After that it was pretty clear to me, which one fit me best, and it actually wasn't the one that felt the best. In my experience there was a noticeable difference in how naturally the sights lined up, now easy a correct trigger pull was, access to controls, etc... However, in my first Vickers class I ran medium and in the second large and did fine with both. I liked the medium for feel and ended up running the large on my M&P9s. On the 45, I am still bouncing back and forth between the medium and large, but it is kind of moot as I am running a 1911 this year.

JV_
03-30-2011, 10:23 AM
and it actually wasn't the one that felt the best.

IME - That's pretty common.

Kyle Reese
03-30-2011, 10:47 AM
Having used all 3 of the M&P backstraps, I have found that the Large is the most comfortable, but I shoot best with the Medium.

As a result, the Medium is on, and will stay on, all of my M&P 9's.

jetfire
03-30-2011, 11:00 AM
I ended up going with the large in my M&P Pro Series .40 S&W. I could "cheat" with the 9mm, but with the .40 the extra snap of recoil forced me to pay more attention to my grip. I put the large backstrap in because it gave me more contact area between my support hand and the gun.

JHC
03-30-2011, 11:18 AM
If multiple configurations meet the requirement of #1 above, choose the panel(s) that turn in the best accuracy and speed as you shoot. For many people, this will be a bigger grip than feels most comfortable.


THAT was a big shocker to me but proved true with the M&P Pro9 I had an my Gen 4 Glocks. In the case of the Gen 4 Glocks, with the large backstrap, I get TIGER level slide bite however. ("You'll fight TIGERS!")
I think it moves my hand just that much higher, which I like, except for the incessant bleeding. And pain. LOL

jslaker
03-30-2011, 01:25 PM
IME - That's pretty common.

This is why I tell people to rent/borrow the guns they may be interested in and actually shoot them. Fondling them in the gun store doesn't really tell you much more than how it feels, which can by misleading.

YVK
03-30-2011, 02:50 PM
but it is kind of moot as I am running a 1911 this year.

To me,1911 is a first pistol with interchangeable "panels" and "inserts" and most of my experimentation in regards to fit comes from 1911. Between different shape mainspring housings, regular vs. slim bushings and grips, and trigger lengths, you can get a lot of variability.
That said, I try to go for a slimmest, narrowest profile possible as long as it is not uncomfortable or impeding to manipulations. I've not found a lot of difference in performance between different profiles when shooting two-handed. With one-handed shooting I can control pistol a lot better if grip is slim. We can argue how important it is to shoot well one-handed on a big scheme of thing, but, since I, and for that matter most people I've seen, don't look too hot on one handed drills, I find this a welcome benefit of slimmer grips.

JHC
03-30-2011, 03:14 PM
I tend to think it's possible - based on my experience - that with the smaller grip I can manage reloads faster but the larger seemed to hit a sweet spot for managing the trigger and recoil. No problem, just balance the trade offs as one sees fit.

Because of the bleeding thing again, I've tended to gravitate to smaller to save the time on manipulations because there was not a huge difference in shootability.

MechEng
03-31-2011, 11:41 AM
My experience, experimenting with different handguns & grip configuration, mirrors what Todd said. For me the smaller grip size would always “feel” better but a slightly wider grip would help with recoil management and sight tracking, while shooting rapidly. With 1911’s I would go with wider panels and even had great success with those old school wrap around Pachmayrs. They didn’t feel quite right but I shot well so I eventually got used to them. With my P30 (current carry gun) I went with the medium back & large side panels even though the small back & side panels “felt” better. With the small back & side panels, I had issues with the slide release locking back the slide prematurely. Switching to larger panels fixed this problem and I was still able to release the slide effectively.

Something you can try, that has worked for me in the past, is to do some dry fire practice with different grip configurations. Use a blank, light colored, wall as your target. Close your eyes, draw your handgun, press out, place your finger on the trigger without pulling it and then open your eyes to see how your sights are aligned. Repeat this drill several times until you get a good idea of where your sights naturally align with that grip configuration. Expect them to be off at least a little bit each time you press out. The key here is to see where your sights consistently line up and adjust your grip configuration to where your gun points and sights align, more naturally. Then go to the range and see if your speed and accuracy improve.

ericf
03-31-2011, 02:35 PM
Mecheng.
That sounds like a plausible idea.
Sure, The "small" insert feels the best in my hand. Which is why I started with it.
Toddg. - no matter which grip panel is in, I have to rotate the pistol slightly to reach the mag release (small thumbs I guess). I thought of switching the release around to use the trigger finger, But the idea of having to use one way for the M&P and thumb it for the others didn't appeal to me.
Right now, I'm playing around with using the weak hand hand to release the mag while it's in route to the magazine holders. Appears to be working, need to perform the maneuver about a thousand times though.
Thanks for the info all.