Charles Graff
Moderator Emeritus
As a child I was utterly fascinated with handguns. As a geezer, I still am. Growing up, I would look long and hard at the handguns that rode on the hips of law enforcement officers. When I was old enough to get a library card, I would check out copies of the early Gun Digest and pour over the catalog section of Colts and Smith and Wesson in the back. I would use this knowledge to identify the handguns in the holsters I saw.
When I got old enough to have a handgun, I found shooting it was allot more difficult that shooting a rifle. The result was I undertook a serious study of how to shoot a handgun. I read everything I could get my hands on and asked questions and advice of everybody I knew that had or shot a handgun. There were no training facilities for kids or civilians either back in the early 50's.
After, I learned stance, grip, sight picture, trigger and breath control, one thing I learned was the grip on the handgun made a very big difference in how well I could shoot it. Thus began a life long search for the perfect handgun stock/grip. Here are a few things I learned early on.
1. The grip must be big enough to get a good grasp on the handgun, but not so big as your hand lost control wrapping itself around a huge piece of wood.
2. The grips may a big difference where the sights pointed when your brought the handgun up to eye level.
3. The grips made an every bigger difference when point shooting or shooting without sights. It made the difference between hitting and missing.
4. The grips made a big difference in keeping your trigger finger off the handgun frame.
5. The grips made a big difference in soaking up recoil and having the ability for a rapid second shot either single or double action.
6. The smaller the revolver the more important the grip is.
7. The grip really is the only contact point you have with the revolvers and they make a big difference because of the above reasons and more.
Over the past almost 6 decades I have bought , sold and traded for many hundreds of grips in search of what works well for me. I have learned that I must put aside nostalgia, romantic notions and aesthetics and concentrate on function. Too many people have the wrong grips because of these reasons. The good grip is the one that enables you to shoot the handgun effectively the way you shoot handguns.
Below is the grip I have on my Colt Detective Special. The closed back give me great double and single action control. The length of the grip keeps my hand away from the frame and the thickness keeps my trigger finger off the frame. These grips enable to shoot single action with deliberation and fast double action and recoil control is a snap. These grips work for me, but they may not work for others. Handgun grips are a very personal thing.
These are Mustang grips from the now defunct company of the same name. They are oil finished walnut and I keep them waxed for protection and to give the wood a tacky feel. These grips do not slip around in my hand.
Many of you have traveled down this same road. What have you learned along the way?
When I got old enough to have a handgun, I found shooting it was allot more difficult that shooting a rifle. The result was I undertook a serious study of how to shoot a handgun. I read everything I could get my hands on and asked questions and advice of everybody I knew that had or shot a handgun. There were no training facilities for kids or civilians either back in the early 50's.
After, I learned stance, grip, sight picture, trigger and breath control, one thing I learned was the grip on the handgun made a very big difference in how well I could shoot it. Thus began a life long search for the perfect handgun stock/grip. Here are a few things I learned early on.
1. The grip must be big enough to get a good grasp on the handgun, but not so big as your hand lost control wrapping itself around a huge piece of wood.
2. The grips may a big difference where the sights pointed when your brought the handgun up to eye level.
3. The grips made an every bigger difference when point shooting or shooting without sights. It made the difference between hitting and missing.
4. The grips made a big difference in keeping your trigger finger off the handgun frame.
5. The grips made a big difference in soaking up recoil and having the ability for a rapid second shot either single or double action.
6. The smaller the revolver the more important the grip is.
7. The grip really is the only contact point you have with the revolvers and they make a big difference because of the above reasons and more.
Over the past almost 6 decades I have bought , sold and traded for many hundreds of grips in search of what works well for me. I have learned that I must put aside nostalgia, romantic notions and aesthetics and concentrate on function. Too many people have the wrong grips because of these reasons. The good grip is the one that enables you to shoot the handgun effectively the way you shoot handguns.
Below is the grip I have on my Colt Detective Special. The closed back give me great double and single action control. The length of the grip keeps my hand away from the frame and the thickness keeps my trigger finger off the frame. These grips enable to shoot single action with deliberation and fast double action and recoil control is a snap. These grips work for me, but they may not work for others. Handgun grips are a very personal thing.
These are Mustang grips from the now defunct company of the same name. They are oil finished walnut and I keep them waxed for protection and to give the wood a tacky feel. These grips do not slip around in my hand.
Many of you have traveled down this same road. What have you learned along the way?