Revolver grip

[ruchik]

I asked this question a while ago, but didn't really get a straight answer. I have REALLY small hands. My handspan, from the tip of my middle finger to the base of my hand is all of 5.75 inches. I wear men's extra small gloves. Now, I'm looking into revolvers. The K-frame or L-frame revolvers are just about the biggest I can go; the N-frames are too much. I'd really like an L-frame, but I have a question on grip. I'd like to try Jerry Miculek's techniques of revolver shooting. He advocates shifting the hand towards the strong side, to allow the trigger finger to reach further in to engage the trigger. This, from my understanding, pulls the gun out of alignment with the forearm. Here is a picture to help illustrate what I mean:



This was taken from a website called armedamericanreport.org, not mine. The author posts that this is the correct grip for a revolver. You can clearly see that the gun is not in line with the forearm. While this is probably an extreme case, it does help illustrate the technique Miculek proposes, and one suited to me because of my small hands. But it seems like your thumb would take one hell of a bashing. Is that really a correct way to hold a revolver?

[redcliff]

It's the correct way to hold a revolver if you don't have large hands and are shooting it double action or have grips that are too large for your hand. The leverage you gain on the heavier double action trigger pull makes up to an extent for the less secure grip on the revolver.

In an ideal world you'd have a revolver that let you grip it high and in-line with your forearm with a trigger reach allowing for a deep finger engagement on the trigger. As we know the world isn't ideal and N-frame's have a pretty long trigger reach. I personally use Hogue grips (without finger grooves), or pachmayr "small" n frame grips on my model 25's.

This is a very common problem on auto pistols as well; people tend to buy a pistol with a grip that is too large for proper ergonomics so have to resort to rotating their hand toward the trigger also. Especially when the trigger pull is heavier like on a dao or da/sa pistol.

I have medium hands and use slim grips, flat mainspring housings and short triggers on my carry and competition 1911's in order to keep the pistol properly indexed down my forearm.

[ruchik]

So I'm assuming if the gun is held like that, your thumb would take quite the beating?

[redcliff]

Depends on the load; I don't think you would find shooting .45acp out of an N-frame or .38 special out of a K or L frame objectional at all. Shooting 100 full power .44magnums would most likely be pretty painful, but I find that painful even if using a proper grip and shooting single action.

Recoil is greatly influenced by the weight of the firearm you're shooing it from as well as the power and bullet weight of the load.

[tzahoy]

I also wear a small to extra small men's glove. I rotate my hand slightly around the revolver to get a comfortable reach to the trigger, although not as far as shown in the picture, basically just enough. I also use Jerry's technique of clamping the left thumb over the right thumb to help tighten the grip around the backstrap without overly increasing tension in the trigger hand. This definitely helps control recoil.

I'm not sure what kind of grips are on your Ruger in the attached picture, but they look huge and are not helping. Look for something with an open backstrap, especially if you're not shooting a lot of full power loads. Some Nill grips come in different sizes. I have a pair of Small PPC Nills on a K-frame and they fit my hand perfectly. They were expensive but well worth the money given my hand size. It's a very comfortable reach to the trigger on this gun and I still rotate my grip slightly.

That said, I also shoot my N-Frame 625 and 29 a lot using the same hold without issue. I have the factory rubber Hogues on my 625, and they are very good, and some thicker Pachmayrs that I appreciate on the 44 that have more padding on the backstrap, but I can still shoot it well.

[tzahoy]

Hah, just re-read you're post and I see it's not your grip or your gun!

[9mmepiphany]

that picture does seem a bit extreme, but that is the technique you'd use with smaller hands.

the S&W K and L-frame use the same size grips. i'd suggest you look for grips that do not cover the backstrap with rubber or wood. i've also seen folks who have thinned wooden grips to fit their smaller hands

[ruchik]

I also wear a small to extra small men's glove. I rotate my hand slightly around the revolver to get a comfortable reach to the trigger, although not as far as shown in the picture, basically just enough. I also use Jerry's technique of clamping the left thumb over the right thumb to help tighten the grip around the backstrap without overly increasing tension in the trigger hand. This definitely helps control recoil.

I'm not sure what kind of grips are on your Ruger in the attached picture, but they look huge and are not helping. Look for something with an open backstrap, especially if you're not shooting a lot of full power loads. Some Nill grips come in different sizes. I have a pair of Small PPC Nills on a K-frame and they fit my hand perfectly. They were expensive but well worth the money given my hand size. It's a very comfortable reach to the trigger on this gun and I still rotate my grip slightly.

That said, I also shoot my N-Frame 625 and 29 a lot using the same hold without issue. I have the factory rubber Hogues on my 625, and they are very good, and some thicker Pachmayrs that I appreciate on the 44 that have more padding on the backstrap, but I can still shoot it well.

Are there any other grips you've tried that are really thin, apart from the Nills?

You've given me hope as a fellow small-handed shooter

[tzahoy]

The Nill PPC grips are not exceptionally thin, just very well proportioned. In fact they are somewhat more round in profile than most other grips I've tried. Still the best grip out there I've held, and I'm thinking about buying an N-frame set to try.

For N-frames the Hogue rubber grip is pretty damn good. I have a wooden Hogue Monogrip for a k-frame, but I don't like it at all. I have the small Pachmayr finger grooved open back rubber grip for a k-frame, I think it's the Gripper Professional if I remember correctly. It's a nice fit, small and comfortable, but ugly.

If you're located near the SF Bay Area we could arrange to meet at the range sometime if you want to try them all out.

[paul0660]

I also use Jerry's technique of clamping the left thumb over the right thumb to help tighten the grip around the backstrap without overly increasing tension in the trigger hand. This definitely helps control recoil.

I have found the above helps a lot with any gun it will work on, and especially J frames.