Trigger reach and acceptable grip

[Rex G]

It is not just a matter of aligning the weapon with the forearm bones, but steering that recoil energy in a direction that does the least damage. Depending upon the power of the cartridge, that can be significant. That which is probably OK with 9mm might not be so much OK with more powerful weapon.

My layman’s take-away is that a two-handed grip, with the forearms relatively symmetrical, should, indeed, help mitigate the effects of a imperfect grip. My big-city LEO’s take-away is that my support hand almost always has other things to be doing, at the moment one may have to react to a sudden threat, so, one-handed shooting MUST be thoroughly trained. Being retired from LEO-ing has not changed that perspective, with such things as pre-school/pre-K grandsons, slow-moving elderly relatives, and leashed dogs* being frequent factors. One-handed training is necessary; two-handed training is a nice luxury. My humble, but informed opinion.

To be clear, I am not any kind of expert.

*I do not consider a leashed dog to be a line of defense. I may let my GSD cover my/our retreat, but do not want her getting into my bullets’ paths.

[Backspin]

Re: getting forearm behind the gun.

Much to my surprise, getting the forearm in line behind the gun made a significant difference in recoil management even when shooting two handed. Yes, there is a slight angle created in the bore line/forearm alignment when you bring both hands together in an isosceles grip, but reducing that angle made for a markedly faster return on target between shots.

Re: trigger reach / press technique

Even if you have less leverage/finger on the trigger…if you can figure out how to move the TRIGGER straight back to the rear (notice I didn’t say finger), you can simply be more aggressive with your press technique if you need to break a quick shot.

If you’re pressing the trigger in DA and you see the sights move right, that means you are imparting rightward pressure on the trigger (no matter how much you think you are moving your finger/trigger straight to the rear, the sights don’t lie). I found a quick fix is to press the trigger in the opposite direction of the deviation—if the sights typically jump right, apply some left counter pressure on the press and it will keep the actual trigger movement straight to the rear.

[Cool Breeze]

I just watched that last night and thought the same thing!! This has made me feel better about pushing ahead.

Yes! I knew there were a few SMEs that spoke to it on youtube but when I looked through my notes I couldn't find the actual reference. Glad you found it.

[IDontDoQuests]

I’ve been shooting 92s and PX4’s for about a year now. Only shot strikers before that.

I’ve really enjoyed my PX4 but started wondering if I’m giving up recoil control or accuracy due to my grip. My understanding is it’s ideal to have the slide aligned with your forearm for best control, but is there a certain amount of flexibility that is “good enough”? When I miss with a first DA shot it’s almost always high right. I have the small backstrap on.

Here is my grip from the holster and giving me what I feel is enough trigger control.

Attachment 82218
Attachment 82219

Here is with a more textbook grip but doesn’t give me enough finger on trigger for me to be accurate.

Attachment 82220
Attachment 82221

Is my current grip acceptable or is the trigger reach just too far?

I didn't read through the whole thread so forgive me if I am just repeating what others are saying, but it doesn't seem to be THAT important. For instance, Jerry Miculeck actually likes to hold the gun not centered, but with his hand more towards the right of the gun so he forms a perfect triangle when he mates his support hand to the gun. Myself and a bunch of other guys prefer to have the gun centered in line with the forearm, I've heard Ernest Langdon say that there are benefits to doing it the way Jerry does. So I am really of the belief that it's personal preference, and/or doesn't matter too much. Maybe if you find yourself throwing shots to the left and cannot fix it, should you consider perhaps changing guns/trigger reach etc.

[Clusterfrack]

I'm not sure I agree with @IDontDoQuests that position of the gun in the hand isn't that important, but maybe he's actually saying that there isn't one best way to do it? If so, that's absolutely true.

I've arrived at a grip that works for me for most guns, with a fairly wide range of grip shapes and sizes. However, some TDAs with a long reach are a no-go for my Smedium hands. I've installed short-reach triggers in my Shadow2s. The OEM setup is ok, but a little longer than I prefer.

As well, I want a grip that works freestyle, SHO, and WHO.

[IDontDoQuests]

I'm not sure I agree with @IDontDoQuests that position of the gun in the hand isn't that important, but maybe he's actually saying that there isn't one best way to do it? If so, that's absolutely true.

I've arrived at a grip that works for me for most guns, with a fairly wide range of grip shapes and sizes. However, some TDAs with a long reach are a no-go for my Smedium hands. I've installed short-reach triggers in my Shadow2s. The OEM setup is ok, but a little longer than I prefer.

As well, I want a grip that works freestyle, SHO, and WHO.

I repeat, it MUST NOT be that important if different shooters at a high level are getting away with opposite philosophies on hand placement (aligned with forearm vs hand a little more towards the outside). OP must find out if it's affecting him negatively (with recoil control) or positively (with trigger finger/shot placement).

[Clusterfrack]

My point is that rotation of the gun in the grip may be very important for any single shooter.