Been watching some videos on shooting basics, mostly proper grip for fast shooting. Mitigating recoil by gripping high with the shooting hand is old knowledge as is a tight grip. This 45 deg. support hand position is new to me but it makes sense to get as much hand flesh on the grip as possible. Regardless of the nuances, the bottom line is still to control muzzle flip.

What I'm wondering about is whether folks still use a push pull technique. Push with the shooting hand, basically you're pushing the web of the hand high up on the grip while pulling with the support hand which is located lower. Your shooting hand is the fulcrum, the recoil force is above that so you pull on the lower part of the grip to counter the rotation around the shooting hand fulcrum.

At least that was the idea and I used to use that a lot when shooting hard kicking revolvers.

So...is that passe' now? If so, do folks just rely on a tight grip and locked elbows to subjugate muzzle flip?

It is all I use... No thumbs forward either...revolver or semi-auto...

Don't give a crap about shooting fast...too old for that now...accuracy only...

I was shooting my deep concealment handgun this evening shooting a 550 grain bullet at 1130 fps (not full power) and what I do is just as I jerk the trigger fairly hard I shove forward on the gun and close my eyes. Of course 550 at 1130 is fairly mild so i try not to shove forward as hard as I do on my 45 Auto.

I don't really keep up with the latest trends. I started out shooting hand guns using the push pull method and still shoot that way. It is what I'm used to and works well for me.

No push pull for the shooting I do. I try to keep everything about my shooting as neutral as possible without exerting any uneven pressure on the gun.

I just keep it suspended in front of my face. Shoulders relaxed, elbows slightly bent and definitely not locked, chin parallel to the ground, gripping REAL hard with both hands.

IMO, having the muzzle track consistently (as close to straight up and down as possible) and return to the same spot every time is much more important than eliminating every last little bit of muzzle rise. It’s gonna move, I just want to manage how and where it moves.

Tight grip, locked elbows, and learn to absorb recoil with your shoulders. Controlling muzzle flip is mostly a myth. The main idea is to grip the handgun with even muscle pressure in such a manner that the sights come back on target after the shot.

Firm, yet comfortably relaxed if that makes any sense. A death grip will have you shakin like a dog chittin a peachpit after very many rounds. I don't lock elbows but fairly straight arms, isosceles by definition I suppose would be the stance. Not a fan of the thumbs forward grip, it's the grip du jour now days and must work, everybody uses it? I was always a locked thumb gripper back when I first started IPSC and action shooting, that's how everybody did it then, and since crossing over to revolver shooting, the thumb lock grip is still the proper grip for a wheel gun and that's what I use.
You'll never be able to control recoil, it's what happen after the firearm goes bang. Like a few have mentioned, the best you can do, is have an even pressure grip, the hands press together, not push pull, and have the muzzle rise straight up and down back to previous sight picture.

If you have trouble with the pistol shaking when you grip it, try relaxing your biceps and shoulders. Try to grip with just your hands and forearms. I’ve found a lot of the shake comes from tension above the elbow.

Just something to try.

Jim,

Lenny's a bit of a windbag, and he's trying to hock his products, but he gives a good over view of the current philosophy behind the modern combat grip.

Skip a little past the 7 minute mark, pack where he's selling all the upgrades on his pistol.

Pay close attention to the "60% grip" with the strong hand, and 100% with the off hand. For me, it make a huge difference in mitigation recoil and permitting faster follow up shots.

Jerry Miculek is always worth a listen IMO. FWIW I lock my arms out normally especially under pressure and I tried his technique and noticed a difference. Now I just have to train enough to use it without thinking about it.

Yep,

Jerry's great.

Here's an older video where he explains, among other things, why Weaver and push/pull are not part of his technique.

For revolvers:

see MAX PRASAC.

Jerry Miculek knows his way around a revolver too. Mr. Michael knows fast shooting competition and defensive double action revolvers.

Watching Miculek is always worth while............guy is an amazing shooter.

Most top shooters today use an isosceles stand which is neutral as far as push - pull goes; a few who use a Weaver or some version thereof, tend to shoot with arms somewhat less that straight & with some degree of push - pull.

MM

Isosceles works well when you don’t have a lot of recoil to contend with. I have found a modified Weaver more advantageous. JMHO