For years I’ve struggled with “cold” performance – my performance with my chosen handgun when I first start. Specifically, I find that depending on the conditions, my hands might need a little time to warm up before they’re ideally suited to run drills that demand a strong grip such as a bill drill. This is less than ideal for shooting on demand, especially in a defensive context. I have adequately strong hands (can close a CoC #2) to run the guns and loads I’m shooting.
I will often ask about the following when I’m in a class or around other shooters better than myself:
- How do you apply your support hand to the gun in a manner than allows for consistency under speed? Do you index up under the trigger guard before rolling the hand back onto the gun for example? Or do you perhaps apply the portion of the hand that interfaces with the gun first and then wrap the fingers around over the strong hand?
- What portion of the support hand do you consider critical to have contact with the surface of the gun? I’ve traditionally rolled my elbows up and out to force the meat of my support hand (under the thumb) to press into the grip, but other shooters bring their elbows down and in to allow for more of the support hand further down at the base of the wrist to make contact.
- Do you apply any sort of isometric pressure to aid in keeping your hands together – a push-pull or an inward pressure?
- Do you consider grip enhancements such as tape or stippling a necessity?
For the more experienced shooters on the board, mind providing your feedback to the questions above? Thanks in advance...
Eric