Some Tips on Choosing the Proper Grips for Your Handgun
by R.K. Campbell

The fit of your hand to the handgun is one of the most important aspects of successful shooting. Grasping a gun that does not fit properly is like picking up a 2 x 4 and trying to play baseball-it just doesn't work.
One of the worst mistakes shooters make is choosing a gun that is too large for their hands and compounding the mistake by choosing grips that are too large as well. Of course, the exact choice of grips depends upon the task. A larger pair of grips that absorb recoil are better chosen for a magnum revolver, while a self-defense revolver might be better served with thin, concealable grips. That is exactly why Pachmayr markets both the Decelerator and the Gripper. One is for heavy kicking magnum revolvers, the other for self-defense handguns.

Most of the factory grips-Smith and Wesson calls them stocks-that are available in target configuration are useless for anything other than target practice or plinking. They cover both the front and backstrap, leaving the shooter with neither feel nor leverage-both important components of handgun marksmanship and combat firing.

Target stocks are single mission stocks. Stock design is best kept as simple as possible, with the main concentration being on user skill. Some concepts such as thumb swells result in loss of frame feel. By the same token, some abraded surface is OK, but too much-such as skateboard tape on the revolver backstrap-will prove uncomfortable. Even many factory auto-pistol grips, which are usually simpler than those for revolvers, suffer from ill-designed palm swells, which break up the shooter's grip and impede tactical efficiency.
Then, What's Best?
There are many good choices, as well as good grips that are bad choices for some uses. I've narrowed the category a little and present them in this report.

Now, there are quite a few reasons for changing factory grips on a handgun. Simple vanity is a good one. However, factory grips do break, some are ill designed and others limit the handgun's usefulness to those with average large or small hands, not suitable for everyone. Fortunately, all of these problems can be addressed.

To begin with, some handguns are not in particular need of after-market grips. The Colt 1911's grip panel design is probably the best ever fitted to an auto-pistol. But more after-market grips are available for the 1911 than any other auto-pistol. Why? Since man first began carrying a weapon, he has liked to adorn and personalize them. No argument can be made to the contrary!

Firearms at both ends of the power scale-light, powerful hideouts and magnum hunting guns-demand grips that help control recoil. Many shooters make the mistake of attempting to control recoil with the trigger finger, which results in very bad shooting. Custom grips go a long way in helping control and accuracy.

We have to consider the use any handgun will be put to when choosing grips or stocks. Is the gun intended for service use or hunting? Will a double action revolver be fired double action or mainly single action? An attempt to shift the grip and make up for an uncomfortable handgun will not work. Trigger leverage, recoil control, and even sight picture will suffer. Even worse, the gun may malfunction if the hand is not applied to the grip in a straight-line fashion.
Some Considerations
There are many elements to be observed in getting a proper grip. The grip strap must be perfectly centered in the hand. If not, the gun will not be controlled well and the hand will take a bad rap when the gun fires. (Particularly if the gun is a powerful centerfire.)

The third finger of the shooting hand will get a rap from the trigger guard, which is why Skeeter Skelton liked larger grips that placed the third digit out of the way-the Skelton grips offered by BluMagnum are not just for looks!

In my revolver days at the police department, a common problem was holding the grip strap too high or letting the gun slip downward, and the hand up, in recoil. This was referred to as "heeling." Heeling an auto-pistol is less common, but results in a tough cut in the hand! Heeling a revolver results in a jammed hammer.
Take a good look at a Hogue MonoGrip. This grip was designed to minimize combat heeling. The grip is also well shaped to the average hand, with just enough pebble grain for a good hold. A very, very good choice.

The opposite of heeling is a too low hold. This can result in poor trigger leverage and more muzzle flip. The Hogue finger grooves eliminate this problem as well.
Better Control
Another special grip that recognizes and solves a problem is the Eagle Secret Service grip. Small, .38-caliber handguns recoil quite a bit with full power loads. For this reason, those using the guns as field guns have fitted Pachmayr oversized grips to their Chief's Specials and even .22 Kit Guns. These grips help the shooter control the handgun, and often they make a great deal of difference.

The problem is larger grips bulk the gun up. Secret Service grips are no longer than stock grips and little wider, but offer much, much better control. These are excellent grips for hideout revolvers.

A pardigram among handgun grips is the Skeeter Skelton style. These grips have an open back, plain front and enough wood for a nice convex feel. Skelton knew a lot about handgun shooting. Few realize he was a successful handgun competitor as well as a lawman and hunter. These are good all-around grips for a large handgun for those of us with average size hands. I like them very, very much.
When carrying an N-frame revolver, and all of the K-frames, I have often used standard grips and a grip adapter from Pachmayr or Tyler. This is an ideal setup for some handguns, especially for concealed carry. The gun stings a little when fired, but I have a solid grip and plenty of trigger leverage. I can control even magnum revolvers reasonably well with this type of setup. Six rounds of .357 or .44 ammunition is a little punishing with these grips but certainly tolerable. And as Frank Hamer once said, if we don't get our man with six shots, we are guilty of some pretty sloppy peace officering!
Personal Choice
I shoot a lot of single actions these days, and one of my Rugers-and more than a few double action guns-wear stag grips from Ajax. When I was very young, a legendary lawman in my community, Wilbur Helderman-later Capt. Helderman-wore a .38 revolver with stag grips. It kind of stuck with me. I like these grips very much and sometimes you have to go with eye appeal. My son Matthew also prefers this type of grip to all others.

OK, I'm not giving you a simple catalog. My experience with the major makers has been good and your needs will determine the exact choice. But I'll tell you how to choose the correct grips, perhaps the correct handgun as well.

Take your handgun in a normal, relaxed grip and attempt to place the first digit of the trigger finger on the trigger face. (With a triple-checked, unloaded handgun of course!) The first joint of the trigger should lie comfortably on the trigger face. In some cases, a long fingered shooter may find he can place the second pad of his finger on the trigger. It is best to use a crooked finger and use the first pad.
Trigger reach is the distance from the face of the trigger to the rear center of the backstop. Trigger reach may not reflect how a human hand will fit a particular firearm, and it is best to try several handguns. There are many variations in hand size, from large hands with short fingers to the opposite. As a general rule, slim-handled pistols such as the K-frame Smith and Wesson revolver and the Colt 1911 auto will accommodate the largest hands as well as most small hands.

If you have to move your hand off a straight line into the H-type hold, your gun is too large or the grips are too thick. There are guns too small for some hands but there are more that are so large they are suitable only for deliberate, slow fire. Some guns have such large grip frames they compromise retention. In between the extremes are comfortable handguns. Some need a little help.

Beware when choosing after-market grips, since all are not improvements. As an example, a number of Colt 1911 grips, including some offered by the factory, fail to support the plunger tube. This goes against John Moses Browning's intentions.

The 1911 is fertile ground for the custom grip makers. Some prefer utilitarian rubber, which works fine. Others like the burled, beautiful wood from Karl Nill of Germany. Still others like the dull warmth of ivory.
And then some avail themselves of the unique custom work of Twyla Taylor, a true artisan. Wife of Gun Week author Jim Taylor, she scrimshaws ivory grips, and does it right. Quite a few celebrities in our business have Twyla's grips on their Colts. Others like the checkered walnut grips from Bill Wilson, appreciating a reliable index and good hold.

Still others like the fancy Kevlar grips of Carbon Creations, a cutting edge grip material. For example I've used special grips with a cut-away area for the magazine release. Make me faster? Just a little, and it is by just a little that runs at competition are won.

Currently, ivory is expensive, but not prohibitively so. (There is a lot of faux or fake ivory around, so beware!) But there is nothing quite like it in feel, and it is a material that ages well with the gun. My personal Colt grips were crafted by Jim Alaimo, a master craftsman now doing work for the Colt custom shop. His work is breathtaking, well worth the investment in a quality handgun. It certainly won't lose its value.
According to expert Jim Supica, some older ivory grips are now worth in the neighborhood of $1,000 alone, off the gun! Ivory can turn yellow and develop craze cracks with years. In other words, it can age well with the handgun.

Summing up, the grip is perhaps the most important part of the firearm. It connects the gun to the man or woman behind it. Proper hand fit is critical. Besides the comfort and accuracy issue, firearms control and even function depends on a proper hold and a proper grip and handgun stocks. Some of the magnums will flex our wrists regardless, but with a good set of stocks we can avoid joint ailments for a time.

Careful consideration of the task at hand and our needs will result in satisfaction and efficiency. Shoot well, stay safe. And if you wish to show off a little-go ahead!
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