Teach me the need for beaver tails? How does slide bite happen?

[PNWTO]

My 19 without any back straps or a GFA doesn’t touch me; but my 43 leaves kisses and the 17 and 20/21 frames take skin after a few mags. Go figure.

Data point: I wear XL gloves in most brands.

[Btp2332]

I’m lucky I guess I have gen 3,4,5 Glock’s never got bit.

[Duke]

Beavertail earning its worth....and saving my fat hand from some level of doom

[Navin Johnson]

I don’t understand the need for beaver tails because I’ve never had slide bite before. I mostly shoot glocks. I think I have a fairly high grip on the gun. But don’t get close to having the slide bite my hand. I’m guessing it has to do with hand size and maybe people with huge gorilla hands need it more? Just wondering!

Are you just looking for people to reply to you so you can have attention? You just joined and you're asking a question that's easily covered by any kind of Google search.....

[JAH 3rd]

The one thing I wish my M&P 2.0 had is the beaver tail (?) of the 1.0. For me, the 1.0’s beaver tail helps to secure the pistol in my hand. That bit of the frame in the web of my hand is missed in the 2.0. I know S&W had their reason for eliminating it, but I for one miss it.

[MattyD380]

You could slice meat with the bottom edges of the slide of a PPK. I used a mill file to round off the bottom edges of mine and made it mo-bettah.

The beavertail itself on my PPK could break skin after a box or two. It was angled down just enough so it really poked into the flesh. I guess it's preferable to the slide cutting railroad tracks into your hand.

Caveat: I'm not necessarily a PPK hater. Mine was very accurate, small, DA/SA and reliable within certain limits.

[Rosco Benson]

Hands differ. I can shoot a Glock without a beavertail without getting cut, but I like a Grip Force Adapter. The narrow tang of a GI grip safety on a 1911 will make the web of my have sore in fairly short order. For me, a proper high-sweep beavertail is so much more comfortable that I consider it a necessity.

Rosco

[Cory]

My G17.4 will cut my hand open without using the medium beavertail backstrap. With the backstrap I'm fine. I do not have large hands. I wear a size medium mechanics glove. My grandfathers old Colt woodsman 22 cut my hand the first time I shot it too.

I think having a high grip, or especially having high thumbs really make the difference. My 92s don't bite me at all.

-Cory

[Lost River]

For me I can shoot pretty much any Glock with zero issues, but a standard GI 1911 with nail me and remove flesh within the first magazine. I love the look of the small, minimalist beaver tails on 1911s and have experimented over the years trying to find one that is the Goldilocks of the bunch, in terms of size and ability to still get a high grip, still disengage, and not bite me..

[Wondering Beard]

I have L sized hands but not "meaty", Glocks don't bite me, no matter the size. 1911s with the original grip safety don't bite me but that angled down grip safety pushes hard in the web and makes it uncomfortable after a while. The spur hammer of a BHP bites me a little. The only gun that drew blood was a German P220 in 45ACP and I think it was the grip tang that was rather sharp and pointed.