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Words of wisd..... Yeah right.... We all know better than that!

Certainly a GREAT "Big Girl" purchase indeed! That H&K will serve her well! I carried an H&K USP 9mm for a while and LOVE that pistol. You are right...top notch in the performance department!
 
Nice, but I'm a Glock man myself. Man those grips need some stippling! Reciprocity.........not when you live in NY like me. We hate everyone else's licenses so they in turn hate ours. I had to get my two other state licenses just to piece together enough states to travel freely here in the east.
 
Blade-meister said:
Nice, but I'm a Glock man myself. Man those grips need some stippling! Reciprocity.........not when you live in NY like me. We hate everyone else's licenses so they in turn hate ours. I had to get my two other state licenses just to piece together enough states to travel freely here in the east.
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Glock has a weird grip angle for me. Nothing bad about the firearm, but it doesn't match my point shoot. I need to consciously adjust my sight plane.

Stippling? Which one? Mine has industrial "skateboard" tape on it and you almost have to pull it out of your hand.
Hers has different sized palm and heel swells that you can change. It actually fits very well in the hand and I dont think would have a great benefit from it.
 
ShawnF said:
Glock has a weird grip angle for me. Nothing bad about the firearm, but it doesn't match my point shoot. I need to consciously adjust my sight plane.

Stippling? Which one? Mine has industrial "skateboard" tape on it and you almost have to pull it out of your hand.
Hers has different sized palm and heel swells that you can change. It actually fits very well in the hand and I dont think would have a great benefit from it.
Click to expand...

Yup, you are right about the grip in some aspects. I never liked the thumb anchor spots so I just modified them until they fit my thumb. Since I shoot with both hands, both sides of the grip have to fit both hands comfortably. I also modified the back of the grip to give me more room there. You just have to be careful with the mods because there isn't much material there and wearing a spot through would really ruin your day.

I didn't look closely at yours. At first glance it looks factory which is way better than what Glock puts out from the factory. I just have issues with the lack of grip up near the top of most handguns. When you are sweaty or bleeding those spots can become slick unless you have tactical gloves. I've never been a fan of the various tapes out there vs. stippling. I do my own stippling because I've seen some poor jobs of it done out there.
 
You know...now that you guys are talking all Glock and H&K and all sorts of man stuff... 🤪

Really though. My usual carry (though I don't carry as much as I should) is a Glock 23 (.40) and it is super comfortable to me. The last time I went out shooting and more than just a few rounds in my pistol,I noticed something. I would go from 1911 to .44 Mag Revolver to Kimber Micro 9 to whatever else we were shooting (there were a few of us and all had multiples to shoot). I noticed that shooting all of the above and more, I was just fine...sight alignment, sight picture, controlled grip and trigger pull, etc. and my shots were pretty much perfect. Always hitting what I was aiming at. The last thing I shot was my Glock 23 and it took me some considerable thought and concentration to get my shot on target...at least as well as the others. Never thought about grip angle. I know it could be other things too...but this gives me pause.
 
@dangerousdon I'll let Shawn comment. I think Shawn knows more about handguns than I do. I find one that works and it's just a tool for me and I use it until it's broken then I get another one just like it. 😆 My brother had a heart attack when I told him I stippled my Glock because it would hurt the resale value.........that is until he saw the nice job I did.
 
If I ever decided to carry, my choice would be quite impractical. Romanian Tokarev. All of my pistols are full-sized. :(
 
dangerousdon said:
You know...now that you guys are talking all Glock and H&K and all sorts of man stuff... 🤪

Really though. My usual carry (though I don't carry as much as I should) is a Glock 23 (.40) and it is super comfortable to me. The last time I went out shooting and more than just a few rounds in my pistol,I noticed something. I would go from 1911 to .44 Mag Revolver to Kimber Micro 9 to whatever else we were shooting (there were a few of us and all had multiples to shoot). I noticed that shooting all of the above and more, I was just fine...sight alignment, sight picture, controlled grip and trigger pull, etc. and my shots were pretty much perfect. Always hitting what I was aiming at. The last thing I shot was my Glock 23 and it took me some considerable thought and concentration to get my shot on target...at least as well as the others. Never thought about grip angle. I know it could be other things too...but this gives me pause.
Click to expand...
Since @Blade-meister called me out, I guess I need to reply....

Full disclaimer, I never consider myself an "expert". I am always learning, and there is always room to improve. There are definitely people out there that know a lot more than I do.

I think you know, and some others may, but for any interested and reading I guess I can list credentials for what they are worth. I have been taught some tips and tricks by a friend of mine that is a veteran of 25 years in the SEAL teams. I am an NRA rifle, shotgun, and pistol instructor, combat pistol instructor, and I have shot defensive pistol matches at an expert class level for around 17 years.
I'm not trying to impress anyone, just letting you know where I draw my experience and opinions from.

When I have a shooter that has the basics, and is looking for a good everyday pistol I tell them to look for a few things.
One is how easily you can manipulate the firearm. Can you operate the controls without drastic changes to your grip.

Another is how well does it fit your hand. Can you get a full grip on it. I am not a fan of the tiny pocket pistols personally. A full grip gives you the most control over your recoil, and the firearm itself if a situation should ever arise that retention becomes an issue.
It also allows for more rounds reducing the time before needing a reload, and making a reload easier while maintaining full retention of the pistol.

Then there is what brought us to here. Grip angle.
Everyone has their own natural grip angle. different manufacturers make different models with different angles. As you found out, some are better fits than others.

I tell people to pick up the firearm they are interested in, clear it, check it, and check it again. (Yes even at a gun counter after watching the attendant do it.)
Take your stance and point at a safe spot on the wall. (I teach an Isosceles stance. I use a combination of things when shooting, but the Isosceles seems to be the easiest to teach and learn for transition shooting.)
While still in shooting position, close your eyes.
With your eyes closed, relax. Drop the pistol down out of the sight plane, move your shoulders a bit, pick your head up and move it, and generally just get out of your shooting stance while maintaining muzzle discipline and keeping your eyes closed.
With your eyes still closed, come back up to your shooting position and bring the pistol into your sight plane. You are aiming for that point on the wall again.

Now open your eyes and look at your sights. You don't need to be on the exact point on the wall as that isn't what we are looking for right now. You want your front and rear sights to be in the proper horizontal alignment. If they are, then that pistol model matches your natural grip angle.
Standing at a target, you have time and brain capacity to compensate for one that isn't. In an "I need this right now" situation, you won't have either. You need something that is going to point where you point. A 2 to the chest and 1 to the head drill isn't going to be as effective if it turns out to be 2 to the knee and 1 to the thigh because your firearm points low and you are under too much duress to compensate for it.

So that was a really long post to just say, Yes... Grip angle is important and something that should definitely be taken into account.
 
ShawnF said:
Since @Blade-meister called me out, I guess I need to reply....

Full disclaimer, I never consider myself an "expert". I am always learning, and there is always room to improve. There are definitely people out there that know a lot more than I do.

I think you know, and some others may, but for any interested and reading I guess I can list credentials for what they are worth. I have been taught some tips and tricks by a friend of mine that is a veteran of 25 years in the SEAL teams. I am an NRA rifle, shotgun, and pistol instructor, combat pistol instructor, and I have shot defensive pistol matches at an expert class level for around 17 years.
I'm not trying to impress anyone, just letting you know where I draw my experience and opinions from.

When I have a shooter that has the basics, and is looking for a good everyday pistol I tell them to look for a few things.
One is how easily you can manipulate the firearm. Can you operate the controls without drastic changes to your grip.

Another is how well does it fit your hand. Can you get a full grip on it. I am not a fan of the tiny pocket pistols personally. A full grip gives you the most control over your recoil, and the firearm itself if a situation should ever arise that retention becomes an issue.
It also allows for more rounds reducing the time before needing a reload, and making a reload easier while maintaining full retention of the pistol.

Then there is what brought us to here. Grip angle.
Everyone has their own natural grip angle. different manufacturers make different models with different angles. As you found out, some are better fits than others.

I tell people to pick up the firearm they are interested in, clear it, check it, and check it again. (Yes even at a gun counter after watching the attendant do it.)
Take your stance and point at a safe spot on the wall. (I teach an Isosceles stance. I use a combination of things when shooting, but the Isosceles seems to be the easiest to teach and learn for transition shooting.)
While still in shooting position, close your eyes.
With your eyes closed, relax. Drop the pistol down out of the sight plane, move your shoulders a bit, pick your head up and move it, and generally just get out of your shooting stance while maintaining muzzle discipline and keeping your eyes closed.
With your eyes still closed, come back up to your shooting position and bring the pistol into your sight plane. You are aiming for that point on the wall again.

Now open your eyes and look at your sights. You don't need to be on the exact point on the wall as that isn't what we are looking for right now. You want your front and rear sights to be in the proper horizontal alignment. If they are, then that pistol model matches your natural grip angle.
Standing at a target, you have time and brain capacity to compensate for one that isn't. In an "I need this right now" situation, you won't have either. You need something that is going to point where you point. A 2 to the chest and 1 to the head drill isn't going to be as effective if it turns out to be 2 to the knee and 1 to the thigh because your firearm points low and you are under too much duress to compensate for it.

So that was a really long post to just say, Yes... Grip angle is important and something that should definitely be taken into account.
Click to expand...
About time we had some wisdom posted in this journal..... 🤪
 
MilkCrate said:
My usual is Springfield XDS.
Click to expand...

I had a full size XD40. Decent firearms for sure. (y)

bentheduck said:
If I ever decided to carry, my choice would be quite impractical. Romanian Tokarev. All of my pistols are full-sized. :(
Click to expand...

I carry the H&K pictured earlier, or my SIG 229. Both are considered full size, and I am not. 5'8" and still wear a 29 inch waist jeans, (although may be needing a 30 the next time around) and carry in a IWB holster.
 
@ShawnF Not trying to call you out bro, just deferring to your knowledge. You've probably put more rounds down-range with your handguns than I will in a lifetime. I know I could learn some things from you if we ever get together to shoot. SEALs are great shooters, and plenty glad you could spend time with one and absorb some of those skills.

Sorry gents, I only used to have a 32 waist :LOL:
 
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