Gripping the Kahr

[CVShooter]

I've been carrying a Kahr CW9 for a while now & have at least a couple thousand rounds through it. I'm no expert in handguns but I've been working on getting better. My dot-torture drill still scores around 44/50 at 3-yards -- mostly dropped weak-hand shots. But still not a clean 50/50 yet.

I read somewhere that Kahrs sometimes like a more loose/relaxed grip for a single, accurate shot vs a more stout grip for running multiple shots. So I tried it out on my last range trip. While the usual near death-grip on the pistol allows me to get my sights back on target faster, which is better for a more defensive drill, the looser grip, indeed, gave me far better accuracy at longer distances. Before, I could keep my shots on a silhouette at 18 yards so not too bad. But the looser grip allowed me to keep about 10/15 within the forehead of that same silhouette -- something I never thought I could do with even a full-size SA.

Is this a special thing with Kahrs and their long, light DA trigger? Was it a fluke of me getting more practice lately? Or is this something that just tends to be true universally with handguns as it might be for rifles: firm but easy grip for accuracy & tight death grip for multiple shots?

[SloChicken]

I've been carrying a Kahr CW9 for a while now & have at least a couple thousand rounds through it. I'm no expert in handguns but I've been working on getting better. My dot-torture drill still scores around 44/50 at 3-yards -- mostly dropped weak-hand shots. But still not a clean 50/50 yet.

I read somewhere that Kahrs sometimes like a more loose/relaxed grip for a single, accurate shot vs a more stout grip for running multiple shots. So I tried it out on my last range trip. While the usual near death-grip on the pistol allows me to get my sights back on target faster, which is better for a more defensive drill, the looser grip, indeed, gave me far better accuracy at longer distances. Before, I could keep my shots on a silhouette at 18 yards so not too bad. But the looser grip allowed me to keep about 10/15 within the forehead of that same silhouette -- something I never thought I could do with even a full-size SA.

Is this a special thing with Kahrs and their long, light DA trigger? Was it a fluke of me getting more practice lately? Or is this something that just tends to be true universally with handguns as it might be for rifles: firm but easy grip for accuracy & tight death grip for multiple shots?

I would focus more on consistency and finding your natural point of aim and working toward making that posture a habit.
Further,
Lots and lots of snap cap and dry fire use is helpful.

I hold my p380 and formerly my PM9 the same no matter what.
I do think a firm grip will lessen cycling issues though.

[CVShooter]

I would focus more on consistency and finding your natural point of aim and working toward making that posture a habit.
Further,
Lots and lots of snap cap and dry fire use is helpful.

I hold my p380 and formerly my PM9 the same no matter what.
I do think a firm grip will lessen cycling issues though.

While repeating that posture & grip might make me a more accurate shooter on that single shot, the muzzle flip alone would make it terrible for anything timed with multiple shots.

I've never had much by way of cycling issues with my guns. I even let my 9 year-old son shoot the CW9 a few times and, though it flips up high in his hands, it hasn't ever failed to function.

[stevebla]

Try a grip wrap helped me with my P380.

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

At three yards the minor nuances of relaxed or firm grip shouldn't be making a difference. What will matter is if you have a change in grip pressure or a flinch while you're pulling the trigger, regardless if it's DA or SA. A firm grip doesn't mean you can't be accurate at a distance, either. https://youtu.be/DSOjHwI086E

[jyo]

9mm handguns require a firm grip, but not a "death" grip---I have two Kahr CW-9 pistols---one for me-one for my wife---although I have a couple other 9mm pistols, my wife is totally confused by the whole DA/SA thing and greatly prefers the simple DAO trigger of the Kahr. So I have the same gun available to me so as to not confuse her if she needs to grab my gun. I also keep an HK P2000SK with "light" LEM around and it's DAO too, so she understands this gun as well, but it holds more rounds. Both she and I (and several other folks) have shot the Kahrs, they have run 100%...

[k1dude]

When shooting rapid fire at short distances, a firm grip works best.

When shooting slow fire at long distances, a looser grip helps with accuracy and precision.

However, when shooting a semi-auto with a loose grip, it can induce malfunctions. Too loose of a grip with the long DA revolver type trigger pull of a Kahr can also affect accuracy and precision.

You have to find the just right lighter grip to prevent malfunctions while improving accuracy and precision at longer distances.

[tomrkba]

Paul Sharp's "Recoil Mitigation"

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtbs7wd5C-URhwiK2-y0Qn1ZED9qL9Ifj

Training points:

Mitigating muzzle rise from the wrist (Videos 1-4):

1) Lock wrist on each hand that is touching the gun
2) Hard pinky finger pressure
3) Push thumb(s) forward hard
4) Proper grip: High in the tang, high under the trigger guard. Forward thumb on support hand. Check by placing trigger finger and support hand thumb on frame. They should be equal on the frame (point up to check).

Test by attempting to bend the wrist upward. Instructor places finger on wrist tendon to verify (Video 5). The shooter will tighten up and prevent as much movement as possible.

Mitigating side to side muzzle movement (Videos 6-7):

1) Tighten the elbow of each hand on the gun
2) Tighten the shoulder of each hand on the gun

Test by attempting to move the gun in a circle.

Mitigating gun push backwards (Videos 8-13) :

1) Use hard push-pull. Some people think push-pull doesn’t work in a fight so an alternative is to bring your elbows down a bit to pinch your palms together.
2) Push from the primary hand shoulder.
3) If support hand is on the gun, pull back into the primary hand.
4) Nose over toes. Stance is aggressive and nose should be over or slightly past the forward toe. There are no stances in a fight, but this is the optimal case.

Instructor tests by pressing with continuous pressure against the shooter's hand. Their head should not move very much. The instructor should watch for head movement by comparing to a static item in the background. Properly done, the shooter's head will barely move during recoil. Watch the shooter's toes. They should not rise.

Video 14 is a summary of training points.

The only addendum I have is that you can pinch your palms together a bit to tighten your groups up at speed.

[tomrkba]

Don't change your grip based upon distance. That's for gun games. I do the same thing for 5 or 50 yards...doesn't matter. You're not going to grip it so tightly that the sights shake; back off just a bit.

Perhaps you should acquire 2,000 rounds and make a training plan. As part of that plan, attend a few classes from Tom Givens, Craig Douglas, Thunder Ranch and others. The rest should consist of very strict range sessions until you get to where you want to be.