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Old October 16, 2017, 09:27 PM   #1
Roland Thunder
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Re-applying my grip between rounds

I have had several people at the range tell me that as they watched me shoot, they noticed I have the habit of releasing and re-applying my grip between rounds. Any ideas what causes me to do this and how to overcome the habit. I'm certain it is affecting my shooting.
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Old October 17, 2017, 12:40 AM   #2
JohnKSa
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It is slowing you down. You can't shoot very fast if you have to re-acquire your grip between each shot.

It could be just a habit, in which case you could probably eliminate it with a dedicated dryfire program where you focus on keeping a solid grip through an entire string. You might also be able to work on it at the range with a .22LR handgun where the recoil is so light that it doesn't distract you enough to take your mind off keeping a solid grip.

It could also be the result of a shooter/handgun or shooter/handgun grip mismatch. If you can't maintain a proper grip on the gun during recoil, then you will be forced to reacquire your grip after each shot. If this is the issue, then you'll need to work on improving the interface between you and the handgun. Grip strengthening exercises might help, a grip that fits you better might help and more aggressive grip texturing would likely help. Finally, if you can't find ways to make progress in any other way, shooting something with lighter recoil could help.

Or it could be a combination of the two issues.
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Old October 17, 2017, 01:45 AM   #3
Rangerrich99
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First, everything John told you I agree with fully. Adjustments between shots will definitely slow you down. Dry-fire practice will help eliminate the issue. And your gun's grip may not be ideally sized and shaped for your hand.

Note: I'm not an instructor or a LEO, or a former military firearms instructor, so you can take the following with any number of grains of salt.

However, I fairly recently was doing in my own shooting what you're describing in your own, and I found these two videos by Rob Leatham extremely helpful in eliminating my issues with grip adjustments between shots and shooting faster. In case you're unfamiliar, Rob Leatham is a world champion competitive shooter.

This one deals with how to grip a handgun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNNlb7QjfGI

And this one describes the three most important things a handgun shooter needs to be able to do to shoot faster with accuracy (ignore the subtitles in chinese):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0rGtXh23I&t=7s

Now I won't lie, it's not nearly as easy as he makes it look, but it made a huge difference in my ability to hold onto the gun so I didn't need to readjust my grip, control recoil, muzzle flip, etc. in a relatively short period of time.

Hope that helps.

P.S. I should also mention, that in case you're interested in more Rob Leatham videos, he's got about 50 of them on youtube. Many of them are instructional.
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Old October 17, 2017, 09:57 AM   #4
Roland Thunder
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I am thinking that maybe I am gripping the gun to firmly to start with and then I am unable to maintain the tight grip on it and letting up. I always find that whenever I am experiencing muzzle flip, gripping the gun tighter improves my accuracy (maybe not speed). To get more speed, I may have to ease up on the grip.

So, I guess I have to decide if I am want more speed or more accuracy.
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Old October 17, 2017, 12:46 PM   #5
zukiphile
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Roland, I found myself doing just what you describe because the pistol shifts just slightly under recoil, and I end up shifting back with a re-acquisition of the original grip position.

I addressed that slight shift with a stickier grip. I use bicycle innertube. It prevented the shift between rounds for me. I know some people use gritty tape. I prefer innertube because it is free and non-permanent, but it is a monumental pita to get on.
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Old October 17, 2017, 04:18 PM   #6
ShootistPRS
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Grip consistency will give you the most accurate outcome. If you find that your hand tires then you are gripping it too tightly. Putting the pressure of the recoil as high on the grip (as close to in-line with the barrel) as you can will reduce muzzle flip. A mild grip won't tire your hand and if you can learn to grip the gun consistently at that tension you will get faster and more accurate results.
The biggest problem that I have noticed while watching others shoot falling plates is that under recoil they tighten their grip. If you find that you are shooting low after the third shot your grip is being affected by the recoil. When you miss you tend to tighten the grip to hold the gun on target. That hard grip shoots low every time.
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Old October 17, 2017, 07:00 PM   #7
larryh1108
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The first thing that came to my mind is that your grip may be too big (or too small) for your hand. What kind of pistol are you shooting?
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Old October 18, 2017, 02:53 AM   #8
mete
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Handgun POA is rather sensitive to position of the gun in the hand . So if that changes with every shot your accuracy is not what it should be !
Repositioning the gun at each shot takes time and is a distraction.
A different grip [shape and material , rubber etc ] may help.
For dealing with recoil I find it very helpful to slightly bend my elbows which will then bend more in recoil .Shock absorbers ! without having the gun move in the hand . Very good idea for a 44mag .
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Old October 18, 2017, 01:09 PM   #9
Roland Thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larryh1108
The first thing that came to my mind is that your grip may be too big (or too small) for your hand. What kind of pistol are you shooting?
It's a Colt Government Model 1911, 45acp
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Old October 20, 2017, 10:03 AM   #10
Slopemeno
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Put some skateboard tape on your front strap.
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Old October 21, 2017, 10:40 AM   #11
mete
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My 1911 has front strap and back strap checkered with flat top checkering. The mainspring housing of course you can use flat, curved or form to your needs .I use flat top checkering as it gives secure grip without wearing out clothing if used for CC. Various lines per inch can be used but I prefer 20LPI
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Old October 22, 2017, 12:10 AM   #12
SonOfScubaDiver
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I haven't been shooting or all that long, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I hope I explain this in a way that makes sense.

When I got into shooting, it was with two 40 cal guns my father left me when he passed away. As you may or may not know, 40 is known for being snappy. Well, I had a lot of trouble with it, and I was constantly having to readjust my grip. What I realized that I was doing was gripping the gun too tightly and I was trying to overcome the muzzle rize of the gun. I had to learn how to maintain my grip on the gun while allowing the gun to rise up. The only way I can explain it is to say I was trying too hard to work against the recoil rather than with the recoil. There's almost like a predictable rhythm to it that I was fighting rather than allowing to happen. Once I figured that out, my shooting got much better, I stopped having issues with constantly readjusting my grip, and was finally able to shoot in rapid succession. So, maybe what you are doing is working too hard against the natural recoil of your gun rather than flowing with it. I don't know if this will help or even makes any sense, but I hope it helps.
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Old October 22, 2017, 12:29 AM   #13
Ghost1958
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Try shooting one handed for a while.
It will do two things.
1. It will make crystal clear if your grip is slipping or not.
2. It will force you to work with the recoil instead of fighting it.

In the more potent calibers there is a huge difference between controling muzzle flip which is very possible. And eliminating it entirely which isn't.
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