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Establishing a Proper Grip

Establishing a Proper Grip

Pistol fit is always key in handgunning, and it's even more crucial in one-handed shooting. Fortunately, today we have pistols with interchangeable grips and families of guns with various grip sizes, so finding a pistol that fits your hand is no longer a problem.

These techniques will help you build a good one-handed grip.
€¢ Gun in hand or holster, touch hammer/slide's rear with thumb
€¢ Center the gun in your hand
€¢ Grip gun as high as possible.
€¢ If you're working from the holster, close hand as in making a fist and draw gun (at this juncture, thumb or another finger may also release holster retention device)
€¢ Lock thumb down on middle finger or ride thumb safety on some pistols
€¢ First pad of index finger should fall on trigger's face without resting against pistol's frame.


It takes about 2,500 repetitions to engrave neuromuscular skills on the subconscious mind. Practice getting the proper grip and then, depending on your goals, work on obtaining the proper grip from the holster. This will form the basis for a correct draw.

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