Grip question re: Pistol and Revolver....your thoughts on this please!

[ares338]

I know there are very many knowledgeable individuals and professionals that use this forum and I have a question concerning my grip on the pistol and revolver. I have adopted the modern thumbs forward two handed grip that encompasses the pistol 360 degrees. Although at the moment I shoot better with the Weaver Stance I believe that the benefits of changing to and sticking with the Isosceles Method are obvious.

My main question is on the revolver and it's grip compared to the pistol. My observations of gifted amateurs and professionals alike show some form of thumb over thumb or thumbs curled down grip. I know why we wish to keep our thumbs out of the way of course. I have seen disturbing pics of damaged thumbs ripped apart by the explosive gases.

One Utube video had a gentlemen advocating changing the pistol grip to a thumb over thumb. He opined that in a SHTF situation you would inadvertently get confused between the two grip styles. Of course now, when I switch between the pistol and revolver there is no confusion. Mainly because there is no adrenalin flowing. I know I can't change the grip on my LCR 357. I use a left thumb over right thumb strangle hold because I enjoy shooting the 357 round and it's kind of like strangling an Emu; if you let go, someones going to be hurt.

I'll stop rambling on now and get to my main question. Do you gentlemen have distinctly different pistol and revolver grips.

[Jay Cunningham]

Yes, I use a distinctly different grip when I shoot a revolver. Pretty traditional, thumbs crossed pointing down.

[Al T.]

it's kind of like strangling an Emu; if you let go, someones going to be hurt

That is funny! Insert witty remark concerning chickens here.

I shoot revolvers quite a bit and lock the thumbs down. As for the different grip for an autochucker, IIRC, Ayoob advocates thumbs down as well. I'm going to his MAG 40 class in a couple of months and plan on trying it his way.

[Jay Cunningham]

Besides the whole cut/burn your fingers possibility, there's some additional real reasons to do things one way and not the other.

We hold semi-automatic pistols the way we do for several reasons, and one of them is that the sharply canted forward support hand wrist helps to mitigate muzzle flip and control it in a way which is beneficial for our following shots.

Mechanical muzzle flip results from the mass of the slide rocking backward and then springing forward. This phenomenon does not occur in a revolver therefore does not require a grip to mitigate it.

[joshs]

I use an identical grip when firing pistols and revolvers. On the revolvers I shoot regularly, I am able to use this grip and keep my thumb clear of the cylinder gap. If this wasn't the case, I would certainly modify my grip to avoid burns/amputation.

[Josh Runkle]

To be honest, I've only owned 2 revolvers in my life, and I sold one of them. I've rented or borrowed revolvers for quals or classes, and I've found that for 95% of them, my thumbs just happen to be short enough that I'm not even close to then end of the cylinder.

Being in my scenario where I RARELY use them, and being that my thumbs are short enough, I prefer to maintain a standard "thumbs forward" or "stacked thumbs" firing grip, just like I would on an auto.

[ares338]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen! I am going to work on using one grip for both pistol and revolver since I carry both pistol and revolver.

[jetfire]

I use a thumbs forward grip on both pistol and revolver, but I also shoot a full size revolver. My thumb turns black, but it doesn't really get burned. However, different revolvers will put your thumbs in different positions. I wouldn't shoot a .500 Magnum the way I shoot my competition revolver; but then against I wouldn't shoot a .500 Magnum anyway.

[jlw]

I use a thumbs forward grip for pistols, but I use the overlocking thumbs for a revolver. This allows for thumb-cocking the hammer more easily. I don't usually go to single-action on a DA revolver, but I do occasionally shoot an SA revolver.

[TCinVA]

I tend to use Jerry Miculek's J frame grip on revolvers...even my model 629.