How Important Is The Perfect Grip?

[McCoy]

Have you looked into having a grip reduction done by ROBAR or one of the other reputable outfits. I've only heard secondhand but that has seemed to fix the problem for some small handed folks. A few hundred to make the Glock she likes fit perfectly would be money well spent.

I was actually looking into that just now, since apparently I'm going to spend my day reading forums rather than working.

The consensus seems to be that ROBAR/other grip reductions don't actually reduce trigger reach all that much, if at all. I have no idea first hand, but it's a common refrain.

[23JAZ]

This is a bit of a long question, so I apologize in advance. As a long-time lurker, I figured you were the guys and gals to ask.

My girlfriend got into firearms a little less than a year ago after a guy started stalking her at her job and advanced to progressively creepier and more threatening acts and the cops took the (understandable) position of, "Call us if he actually commits a crime." I'd gotten my CCW license and started taking classes a few years prior, though I still consider myself a novice. We shopped around a bit, test fired a lot of rental guns, and she eventually settled on a Gen 4 Glock 19 (which is what I carry now as well, in case, you know, we get into a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style multiple assailant gunfight in the streets of suburbia and need magazine interchangeability or whatever).

I figured she wouldn't keep up with it, but she's surprised me, and recently got her own CCW and has been taking a lot of classes (which is great), including several outstanding female-oriented ones that she really seems to like. The problem is, she has tiny hands, and it's becoming more of an issue the more she starts working seriously on things like drawing from concealment. If she gets the proper grip on the gun - seated directly in the web of the hand so it's lined up with the forearm bones, etc. - her index finger just isn't long enough to even make it to the trigger. If she shifts her strong hand to the right a little, she can get to it, but the gun's just slightly offset from that perfect alignment, and that's really started to annoy her.

Her solution is to move to a 1911. She's been banging away with one I have but don't carry, and found that a short 1911 trigger with thin grips lets her both get the "perfect" alignment and get enough finger on the trigger for proper trigger control. She's slowly shopping around for a 1911, and I'm trying to talk her out of it. My argument's pretty simple; I think sacrificing some perfection on the grip in favor of sticking with a far less expensive gun she already owns beats transitioning to a less concealable, heavier, far more expensive pistol with less capacity. She shoots the 1911 better, but only marginally so (at least as far as her time and accuracy on the drills she shoots goes). I can field strip a 1911, but that's really about it, and I know that I'd find one a pain in the ass to carry and conceal every day, so I'm thinking it'll be even harder for her to carry (as she's a hell of a lot smaller than I am), and the extra maintenance/knowledge burden might turn her off completely after a while.

So what's the verdict? Is proper gun-wrist-forearm alignment absolutely necessary, or should I keep banging the drum on sticking with the less-than-perfect grip on the Glock? She'll do what she'll do anyway, but I'd like to talk her out of throwing a kilobuck at a Colt Railgun or whatever if I can.

Send the G19 to Robar for a grip reduction and texturing.

just read the post that already suggested Robar. My wife is 5'2" with very small hands her Glock had a grip reduction done to it and she says it feels a million times better in her hand. Might be worth giving it a try or like someone else said try out the shield.

[McCoy]

Send the G19 to Robar for a grip reduction and texturing.

just read the post that already suggested Robar. My wife is 5'2" with very small hands her Glock had a grip reduction done to it and she says it feels a million times better in her hand. Might be worth giving it a try or like someone else said try out the shield.

Interesting. Conflicting reports on the Robar.

Worth a shot, I suppose.

[Kimura]

She'll do what she'll do anyway, but I'd like to talk her out of throwing a kilobuck at a Colt Railgun or whatever if I can.

Why? If she's uncomfortable with the Glock and wants to change, why shouldn't she? Part of gaining experience as a shooter is learning what does and does not work for the individual. She seems to be well on that course. Yes good shooters can generally shoot anything well, but everyone has his/her own preferences. Since she's not issued the gun, why not let her decide through her own experiences what works best for her.

[Alpha Sierra]

There are other solid alternatives to the Glock 19

The ones I am familiar with:
CZ P-07, P-01, and 75D PCR
S&W M&P9c
SIG P229

[McCoy]

Why? If she's uncomfortable with the Glock and wants to change, why shouldn't she? Part of gaining experience as a shooter is learning what does and does not work for the individual. She seems to be well on that course. Yes good shooters can generally shoot anything well, but everyone has his/her own preferences. Since she's not issued the gun, why not let her decide through her own experiences what works best for her.

That's a fair point.

I'm concerned that she might wind up throwing a $1300 solution at a $500 problem, though. Having done that a lot myself, I've lived to regret it. And personally, I think the 1911's disadvantages outweigh its advantages as a carry gun for novices. I may well be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

But as I said, it's ultimately up to her. If she chooses to go that route, I'm not going to stage a sit-in or anything. Mostly looking to back up my opinion that the bore-forearm alignment thing isn't world-ending crucial. Someone, either in this thread or another, mentioned Tori Nonaka, and I think there are a lot of similarities in the way they grip Glocks, so I may just point to her as an example.

[JV_]

The 229 is an interesting option. A Sig 226/229 with an E2 grip and a short trigger might be worth a try.

[JV_]

I imagine the reason you were asked was due to it being uncommon for Glocks and such to crap the bed, while it is very common for lower priced 1911s to do so.

Exactly.

[McCoy]

There are other solid alternatives to the Glock 19

The ones I am familiar with:
CZ P-07, P-01, and 75D PCR
S&W M&P9c
SIG P229

The M&P 9C and some varietal of Sig with the E2 grips are definitely on the list of things to try out at the range.

The 229 is an interesting option. A Sig 226/229 with an E2 grip and a short trigger might be worth a try.

Is Sig QC still a roll of the dice? I've always wanted a 226, but back when I was seriously thinking about picking one up the intertubes suggested that they not only malfunction but make inappropriate comments about your mother while doing so.

[Clusterfrack]

... Mostly looking to back up my opinion that the bore-forearm alignment thing isn't world-ending crucial.

Not only isn't world-ending crucial, it's probably not a good way to grip a gun for a modern isosceles stance. While your wife may think she's doing it wrong, it may actually be right.

CZ P-01 has a very long reach to the DA trigger. I'm guessing that's a no-go.

Sigs or other higher bore axis guns, in the hands of a newer shooter who has yet to develop a strong, high grip may result in not-so-great performance. If she's really focused on hand feel, the HK P30 and VP9 are worth a look. They have one of the most adjustable grip systems.