Support index finger going to front of Glock trigger guard

[johnnyyukon]

Is this poor form? It's a glock 19 so it's a compact and my hands are a little bigger. My left index finger naturally wants to go there.

The trigger guard is textured and concave on the outside like your finger is SUPPOSED to go there. I'm guessing that I might get better groupings by changing this habit, but was wondering if anyone else does this.

I haven't really done a scientific testing at the range yet.

[TheTrevor]

Is this poor form? It's a glock 19 so it's a compact and my hands are a little bigger. My left index finger naturally wants to go there.

The trigger guard is textured and concave on the outside like your finger is SUPPOSED to go there. I'm guessing that I might get better groupings by changing this habit, but was wondering if anyone else does this.

I haven't really done a scientific testing at the range yet.

Every pro instructor I've talked to says it's a bad technique, and the textured front on the trigger guard is a carryover from the early days of semi-autos when good technique was still being sorted out. Support-finger-on-trigger-guard was specifically mentioned at Rogers as being a definitively bad practice during the theory/history lecture, and not a single shooter or instructor present during my class does any form of that technique. That's probably a clue of some sort.

By placing your left index finger on the trigger guard instead of wrapping it around the gripping fingers of your right hand, you are reducing your grip and leverage on the gun. For my hand geometry, using a grip that normally locks up the gun tight as I press out two-handed, it feels like about a 50% reduction in force from my left hand when I put my left index finger on the trigger guard. Basically, I'm unable to lock up on the gun with my support hand.

In playing around with this at the range, I also found that it was basically impossible to hold onto the front of the guard strongly enough with the left index finger to keep it on there through recoil AND avoid deflecting your aim to the side and/or down.

It's not my place to say what works for you... but I personally would not include that technique in my training, and I tell students not to do it.

[johnnyyukon]

Every pro instructor I've talked to says it's a bad technique, and the textured front on the trigger guard is a carryover from the early days of semi-autos when good technique was still being sorted out. Support-finger-on-trigger-guard was specifically mentioned at Rogers as being a definitively bad practice during the theory/history lecture, and not a single shooter or instructor present during my class does any form of that technique. That's probably a clue of some sort.

By placing your left index finger on the trigger guard instead of wrapping it around the gripping fingers of your right hand, you are reducing your grip and leverage on the gun. For my hand geometry, using a grip that normally locks up the gun tight as I press out two-handed, it feels like about a 50% reduction in force from my left hand when I put my left index finger on the trigger guard. Basically, I'm unable to lock up on the gun with my support hand.

In playing around with this at the range, I also found that it was basically impossible to hold onto the front of the guard strongly enough with the left index finger to keep it on there through recoil AND avoid deflecting your aim to the side and/or down.

It's not my place to say what works for you... but I personally would not include that technique in my training, and I tell students not to do it.

Ok thanks! That's really probably enough proof for me. I kind of figured as much, but wanted a pro's opinion.

Strange how they would still leave that design on the gen 4 which I believe was introduced in 2010, because in all probability, the recommended grip you described could probably be scientifically proven to be more stable. Maybe it serves another purpose.


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[JHC]

I'm blanking on the name but one of the world's top IPSC shooters from Europe uses this method. It's a little more common over there. But it's totally rare to encounter it here. I've given it a try and it seemed pretty awful to me.

[JV_]

I'm blanking on the name but one of the world's top IPSC shooters from Europe uses this method.

Eric Grauffel and Angus Hobdell.

Here's Eric (pic from ericgrauffel.com)



Jerry Barnhart (pic from jerrybarnhart.com):

[Wendell]

Both Eric Grauffel and Angus Hobdell use a finger-on-the-front-of-the-guard technique.

Each shooter has to decide for himself.

[1slow]

If memory serves, this was more common when a hard push-pull Weaver stance was mainstream.
It was not the taught technique when I went through Gunsite in 1982.

[cclaxton]

http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?t...3315#msg313315
Angus's reply on his grip.
Cody

[Don Gwinn]

I had always heard people describe it as something shooters used to think was helpful (past tense.) A few months ago, a local USPSA guy I respect advised me to try it, which really surprised me. I gave it a shot, but whether because of my bias or because it didn't work for me . . . it didn't work for me. I had the same problem with it pulling the gun around, the finger coming off the guard, the gun shifting relative to the weak hand, and also it puts my hand/finger so high up that it often interferes with my trigger finger (the tip of the trigger finger comes into contact with the weak palm/index finger.)

[HopetonBrown]

Jerrmy Miculek seems to do okay with it.