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Old July 4, 2018, 06:43 PM   #1
Prof Young
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Grip same for big revolver as big semi-auto?

So discussion in a thread I started about my super blackhawk 44 mag has lead me to this query:

When shooting a larger caliber revolver would one's grip be the same as with a larger caliber semi-auto?

I've not really thought about it before but am taking both to the range with me next time I go to see if I do things the same or differently.

Thoughts and comments?

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Old July 4, 2018, 08:23 PM   #2
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It depends on what grip you use for semi-autos. If you use the "both thumbs forward" grip favored by most competition shooters and many trainers today, then you have to be careful with revolvers, because with that grip the support hand thumb is likely covering the barrel-cylinder gap, and you're at risk of flame cutting the tip off your thumb.

I don't shoot "thumbs forward." I use the same grip for both revolvers and semi-autos, and my strong hand grip doesn't have to shift at all if the support hand is removed. I borrowed this photo from the M1911.org on-line magazine, but my shooting grip is basically the same. This grip also works for revolvers because the thumbs are well clear of the barrel-cylinder gap.

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Old July 5, 2018, 08:48 AM   #3
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My grip has evolved over time into what looks kind of like the "thumbs forward" so popular today. Can't do the thumb over thumb anymore due to arthritic thumbs. Here's a picture that I took trying to capture muzzle flash. The gun is a 2.75" S&W M69 (L Frame .44 Magnum) loaded with 240gr JFP and 24gr WW296. I shot this way for I don't know how many thousands of rounds with no problem.



FWIW,

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Old July 5, 2018, 10:45 AM   #4
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I try to hold all guns the same, as much as possible; grip as high as possible with the strong hand, and get the thumb up and out of the way to increase the amount of space available for the weak hand.
With a DA revolver, that results in the tips of my thumbs against the recoil shield.

This isn't a great pic, but you can see my thumb is high, not curled down or riding below the cylinder (as it probably would if my hands were smaller).

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Old July 5, 2018, 12:28 PM   #5
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"...would one's grip be the same..." No. Your grip should not be the same on a pistol as it is on a revolver. Different things.
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Old July 5, 2018, 02:46 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T. O'Heir
No. Your grip should not be the same on a pistol as it is on a revolver.
Why not?
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Old July 5, 2018, 04:39 PM   #7
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Quote:
Grip same for big revolver as big semi-auto?
When I think of big semi-autos, I think of the Desert Eagle, Auto Mag, Wildey, and LAR Grizzly.

Quote:
No. Your grip should not be the same on a pistol as it is on a revolver.
I don't know about should, but your grip won't be the same, as the grips have a completely different shape. I don't grip an SA revolver the same way I do a DA revolver either. Also don't have the same grip on DA guns with small grips as I do on those with large grips.

yes, there are similarities, (I've only got the two hands, ) but each different shape and size of gun is a different grip, the way I look at it.

I don't use the same grip when shooting a Contender, either. The hand positions are my usual, but I don't try and control the recoil, (there's no point) so I'm not "gripping" the gun the same way I would for a DA revolver.

I don't shoot anything with my thumbs in the air. It may be what the experts recommend these days, but it doesn't feel "right" to me, some of the guns I shoot will BITE if you do it, and I don't shoot speed competition games, so I've got no incentive to change, rather quite the opposite.
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Old July 5, 2018, 05:28 PM   #8
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I use a thumbs forward grip for both. Works for me and I have had no issues with being burnt by gas escaping the cylinder gap. Of course if you have thumbs like Uma Thurman in Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, you might be at risk.
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Old July 6, 2018, 06:20 AM   #9
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My grip is pretty near the same for both.

For SA revolvers with a "plow handle" grip, I tuck my pinkie under the grip.

Hot stuff comes out of the front of a revolver cylinder, not the back.
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Old July 6, 2018, 08:04 AM   #10
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On most any handgun, I try to grip as high up as possible, especially DA revolvers and autos, but the SA grip is different...there I need to get my pinkie finger under the grip to facilitate cocking and to maintain uniformity of grip from shot to shot.

The support hand position with a SA revolver is also different, in that I use the support thumb to cock the hammer; crossing it over the gripping thumb and behind the hammer when firing. It's a good arrangement for me in that I'm as accurate with a SA revolver as I am with a good (read S&W) DA/SA.

I'd comment that the thumbs forward grip that's currently in vogue with action pistol participants, may allow the support thumb to be sprayed by hot gases and bullet particulates if it's abeam the cylinder/forcing cone gap. In magnums this can result in severe injury to the thumb. I'd not risk it under any circumstances.

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Old July 6, 2018, 08:07 AM   #11
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No, the grip is different.

Quote:
My grip has evolved over time into what looks kind of like the "thumbs forward" so popular today.
That was how Jeff Cooper taught it, it is hardly "new".
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Old July 6, 2018, 10:03 AM   #12
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Cooper put his weak thumb over his strong thumb.
I shot that way for years, but changed to the "currently in vogue", two-thumbs-forward grip over twenty years ago.
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Old July 10, 2018, 11:27 AM   #13
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So, how do you do it when you're only using ONE hand???
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Old July 11, 2018, 11:45 AM   #14
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Stop looking for what's "in vogue" , what " instructor XX " uses , etc.
Look for what is best for you ! We now have autos that have interchangeable parts [finally ] , custom grips or make your own grips . The size and shape of your hand must work with the gun !!
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Old July 12, 2018, 09:10 AM   #15
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This ^^^^^^^ Best Regards, Rod
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Old July 12, 2018, 02:08 PM   #16
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I would agree that what is popular isn't necessarily best or even right for everyone. Of course weapons and tactics continue to evolve, and dismissing new and improved as the flavor of the month is a mistake. A very high percentage of the best shooters use a thumbs forward grip. You may not like it and it may not work for you, but dismissing it as a passing fad is nonsense.
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Old July 12, 2018, 07:28 PM   #17
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Quote:
I don't know about should, but your grip won't be the same, as the grips have a completely different shape. I don't grip an SA revolver the same way I do a DA revolver either. Also don't have the same grip on DA guns with small grips as I do on those with large grips.

yes, there are similarities, (I've only got the two hands, ) but each different shape and size of gun is a different grip, the way I look at it.
The grip has to match the gun. Different guns = different grips.
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Old July 14, 2018, 11:26 AM   #18
4V50 Gary
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Thumb over thumb for either revolver or pistol for me. Small hands allow me to get away with it. Now, with the Broomhandle Mauser, I get hammer bite. That's with the small ring hammer too and not the earlier spur or large ring hammer.
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Old July 14, 2018, 01:29 PM   #19
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While I didn't get hammer bite, the Broomhandle Mauser (without the stock) was the most painful 9mm I ever shot.

The awkward shape of the grip, very high bore axis, and that large metal slot for the stock combined to make it hurt me more than a S&W .44 Magnum (with factory stocks).


Btw, did you know that "Broomhandle" is the English nickname, and the German nickname was "Kuhfuss Pistole" Because it was ugly as a "cow's foot".

I have handguns that range in size from the Jennings .22 through the Desert Eagle and up to 14" barrel Contenders. While I do use the same hands, I can't hold all of them exactly the same way, and I don't need to.

I met one fellow who was adamant that the "right" grip (for everything) was thumbs up. He even went so far as to inform me that I should be shooting my SA Ruger with my thumb ON the recoil shield (to counter the "natural tendency of the SA to shoot to the side....)

Any way,. when I repeatedly rang the 200yd gong on the rifle range, off hand, one handed, and NOT using his "correct" grip, he finally left me alone...

If it works for you, there is no "wrong" grip. Maybe a different grip might work better, maybe not. If you hit your target at point of aim (and the gun doesn't fly out of your hands, or bite you), I don't see anything "wrong" with what you're doing.
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Old July 14, 2018, 02:14 PM   #20
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Quote:
Any way,. when I repeatedly rang the 200yd gong on the rifle range, off hand, one handed, and NOT using his "correct" grip, he finally left me alone...
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Old July 14, 2018, 11:07 PM   #21
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44_AMP, I knew "Broomhandle" was the English nickname for it but I wasn't aware of Kuhlfuss. Thanks!

The hammer bite was even with the shoulder stock attached (this was in Germany that I was doing it).

I always try to hold the gun as high as possible on the backstrap and on revolvers, I never put a finger on the front of the triggerguard.
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Old July 14, 2018, 11:58 PM   #22
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I always try to hold the gun as high as possible on the backstrap and on revolvers,
For many guns, that's fine. Not the way I shoot a single action revolver though it is the way I grip some other guns. IT all depends on the gun and the size and shape of the grip.
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Old July 15, 2018, 08:45 AM   #23
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A consistent, hard grip on either handgun, auto or revolver is required for accuracy. The grip is not the same for a 1911 gun as it is for a Super Blackhawk due to the shape of the grips but you must grip both hard and the same way for each shot. Taint rocket science.
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Old July 15, 2018, 11:11 AM   #24
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A consistent, hard grip on either handgun, auto or revolver is required for accuracy.
I disagree with the word "hard". I think "firm" is a better word, and less misleading. And, even that isn't required for accuracy. Consistency (doing it the same way each and every time) is.

And, I would point out, in this case, I'm talking about accuracy alone, not accuracy+speed, which is a different matter.

The OP isn't asking about what is the needed (or best) grip for 7 yard speed shooting. He's asking about the difference(s) in grips between "big revolvers and big semi-autos.

The firm grip needed to control recoil so as to keep the pistol as on target as possible, allowing for the fastest practical repeat shots is not the only grip that can produce accuracy.

It may be the grip you use, it may be the grip you need, it may be the grip your semi needs to reliably function, but its not the only grip that can be used to accurately shoot a handgun.

A revolver doesn't care one bit about how "hard" you grip it. And having a "death grip" on a SA revolver is actually counterproductive to using the gun the way it was designed. Now, before we get into any discussions about how "not everyone shoots a SA revolver", etc., the OP has a Super Blackhawk, so SA revolver shooting is on topic in this thread, along with discussion of grip style when shooting other designs.

People talk about putting your grip as high up on the gun as possible, and for many semis and all the DA revolvers I can think of (save one) this is generally a good idea. For SA revolvers, its the opposite of a good idea.
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Old July 24, 2018, 11:45 AM   #25
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As mentioned it's difficult to have the same grip for revolvers as for semis. By "big revolver as big semi-auto" I assume the op is using that to just rule out subcompact guns, a J frame or Sig P238, etc. If he's not doing that than I'm not sure on where he draws the line on what's "big".

It's obvious that the grip on a single action revolver will be different than the grip on a da revolver or a pistol. The single action revolver with a plow handle grip was designed so that the gun, under recoil, rolls up in the hand to facilitate cocking. This meant smooth stocks.

Some don't like that, particularly with 44 Mag and up rounds, so they use rubber stocks on their single action guns to lesson the kick and muzzle flip, of the gun. Others who don't like it use rough stocks to prevent the rolling and limit muzzle flip. Those shooters tend to want to dominate the gun, rather than let it roll.

On da revolvers some grips, like the thumb forward, may expose the forward thumb to hot gases from the the front or rear of the cylinder. Something that is not a factor in semis but must be taken into consideration with da wheelguns.

On da revolvers the shape of the stocks greatly influence how the shooter grips the gun.

A grip that works well on a revolver in .357 may not work as well if the gun is in .454 Casull.

The size and shape of the shooters hand, as well as the size and shape of the gun, will make a difference. I take a high thumb hold on a 1911 and ride the thumb safety. That is not possible on many semis.

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