Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Observation on how guns "feel"

I've tried two sets of grips on two different pistols recently and made some initial changes based on how the gun felt in hand.

The first was a Walther Q5. The large grip that comes with the Q5 is ridiculously uncomfortable and completely unsuitable for the human hand. It hurts to grip it hard. So I put on the medium grip on, which felt great, and started shooting. But the recoil was really erratic. Switching to the large grip made was less comfortable, but with it the dot tracked directly up and down very predictably.

And I had a similar situation with an M&P 2.0. The 1.0 medium grips are too thin for me so I've always used the 1.0 large grip, even though it feels too large for me. The new 2.0s have a medium-large grip that has the same depth as the medium with the palm swell of the large. It feels like Moses brought it down off a mountain just for my hand. But in use the large grip positions my trigger finger more appropriately and I'm less likely to push the gun around during the trigger press, even though it "feels" less comfortable.

Stuff like this is one of the big reasons I hate hearing "just see which one feels best" when selecting new guns. How it feels isn't as important as how it shoots. And the two don't always have a positive correlation.

I've noticed over the years that a number of guns that felt uncomfortably huge in the hand were actually comfortable to shoot. Not to mention triggers that were very uninspiring in dry fire that ran great. But that's what happens I guess when you try to characterize a dynamic system using a static test.

I have one of the Ruger 4.62" barreled SuperBlackhawks, which have the smaller Blackhawk grip frame.

Uncomfortable to shoot with full-snort loads. I just couldn't get a decent grip, and the recoil was uncomfortable.

A fellow mentioned that he had put some extended grips on his and noticed an improvement. So I ordered a set and tried them. With the pinky finger finally able to help hold on and the grip itself filling the hand better, the little .44 Mag is well-behaved and fun to shoot now.

Grips are from Texas Grips.

Vic, thanks for that picture. I like those. I've heard of those but had no idea where to get them.

You're welcome, sir. They made a noticeable difference for me.

I was going to get rid of the pistol, I simply didn't like shooting it.

Spot on.

I have hands like a yeti, so the G21 fits me the best (sans nubs)

I had that experience when I first shot the G21. I thought it was uncomfortably large, felt like I might drop it, yada-yada. But I shot it the best of any Glocks I've used. After a couple magazines I settled down, never dropped it when shooting weak hand, and discovered I really liked it. Still like holstering a loaf of bread, but I'm not in the Cop business so I don't care.

What you're saying is probably worth saying but...relate it to the old west. You're in a store and there are two brand new handguns available. One is a Colt SAA and the other is a Smith and Wesson Schofield. Both were issued to the cavalry in the mid-1870's. Both are quality guns and for some reason, the only available ammo is military surplus that fits in both (45 S&W). So you've got two guns relatively equal in size and weight and shooting the same cartridge. You pick both up. The Colt points naturally and feels like an extension of your arm. The Smith feels like a chunk of 2x4. You pick the Colt. You just picked a gun because it felt better.

To me, there is little difference between a Glock and a Smith M&P but the M&P feels better. I've got the M&P.

I have no idea what an imaginary scenario in 1870 has to do with anything. But if I were that guy the correct answer would still be to actually shoot the thing and make decisions off of hits rather than feelings.

Blue how hard of a grip do you use?
I grip almost every defensive gun with an absolute death grip. It’s never really comfortable form me as much as it is awkward/less awkward. Right or wrong its how I have learned to shoot fast and accurately. Take for instance Glocks with and without finger groves. It virtually doesn’t matter which one I have, the finger groves “disappear” figuratively Crush grip I give. Conversely I have a more organic approach to grip when it comes to hunting handguns where my focus isn’t on the balance speed and accuracy.

If your hands don't grip the gun completely I feel like you might not have as good of control over the gun as you would with a smaller grip frame gun. The glock 17, 19, 23 etc grip frames are easier for me to shoot well because I have a very high grip on the pistol with my thumbs pointed forward along the side of the slide, I cannot grip the G21 as well. I shoot a G17 better than I shoot a g21.

Nice sarcasm. Here's another one to gig: Neither the Schofield nor the SAA were around in 1870, so the scenario truly would be imaginary unless you were in The Comancheros.

I've owned and shot both guns. About the same accuracy. The Schofield is a little more delicate over the long haul. You couldn't tell that by shooting it a couple of times. The SAA is slower to reload. In the end, the SAA feels better and many would make the decision based on that. Same thing if you had a Glock and an M&P at the range testing them. About the same...so why not make a decision based on feel.

I disagree that you are making a decision based on feelings. "Feel" may be sort of subjective, which is what I guess you're saying when you say "feelings" but it isn't a decision based on emotions really. It's how the gun feels in your hand. I will say that I've been about ready to cry after shooting some guns, but that was due to recoil hurting my hand as opposed to...say it bringing up feelings of despair or the like.

Anyway, try very hard in an objective scenario to not consider how the gun feels if you wish. You have my blessings.

You are at the range and practicing your presentation. One gun is significantly quicker to get into action and make hits with. You can objectify the description of this "test" for your decision, or you can chalk it up to part of how it feels. Same for just picking it up off the table and scoring a hit. ...OR picking it up off the ground and shooting for some "dropped gun" drill.

The bottom line is that for most of us, how a gun feels is important. Telling a woman to simply pick up each in an array of guns and you'll get her the one that "feels" best is probably not a good idea though, unless you've already thoroughly tested them all and figure it's a wash between them anyway.

Excellent observations and spot-on.

Unless it's a Luger or a 1911, everything else feels like a club or a 2X4..

And 'how it feels' and 'ooh, nice balance' is usually determined in the gun store with an empty 15 round magazine.

It depends on the person. Almost everybody likes the feel of a Colt SAA. Lots of people used to NOT like the feel of a 1911. I've noticed quite a few people lately claim to like one, since Glock has pretty much taken over the semi-auto handgun market for serious purposes. Personally I really like how a 1911 handles but I'm sure that's because it was one of the guns I had the most experience handling, early on in my young life.

Of course. I was just stating my personal experience.

Sometimes small(er) grips may feel good when picking up a gun, but rarely does a gun shoot better with small grips than something slightly larger...............but there's also such a thing as too large.

But for sure, proof is in the shooting; good shooter can usually make most anything work, after a fashion, doesn't mean it's optimum for sure.

JMHO, JME

YMMV & obviously does for many.

MM

Curious, why did you stop shooting after World War One?