On some handgun grips, your trigger finger is aligned or parallel with the bore axis whereas with another gun or grip the axis of the trigger finger is not aligned but diverging from the bore axis to a lesser or greater degree.
With automatic pistols, the grip is most often fixed by the curve of the tang or beavertail above the backstrap and while grip side panels and backstrap inserts can change the width of the grip or the amount of palm-swell, the alignment index and height of the bore axis usually have a fixed relationship. Automatics tend to have alignment indexes that are close to parallel and fairly low bore axis in part because they do not have a large cylindrical magazine between the bore and the trigger like most revolvers.
Some guns like the 1911 or P226 have a greater bore axis height but maintain a near parallel alignment index. An AR pistol would be an even more extreme example. Other guns, striving for an even lower bore axis can have a grip so high on the backstrap that axis of the trigger finger begins to diverge from parallel. Glock and the Steyr M9 would be examples.
With revolvers, the size of the cylinder and frame usually determine the height of the bore axis above the trigger. It can also vary a little with the diameter of the chambers and how many are bored in the cylinder. The alignment index is somewhat determined by the shape of the grip frame and the style of grip panels or stocks. There is a lot of freedom in the design of these parts on a revolver compared to an automatic where the grip frame most often contains the magazine. There is also often a greater degree of freedom in how the revolver stocks are gripped.
On a traditional single action grip (i.e.1873), the alignment index with most people's grip is close to parallel. The bore axis is quite high, and with most guns, the opportunity to take a higher grip is limited by the cocked hammer spur. This could be mitigated to some degree by reshaping the spur or with short-stroke parts, but as the palm begins to ride higher on the backstrap, the alignment index begins to diverge.
With double-action revolvers like Smith & Wessons or Rugers, going from the smallest to larger frame sizes there are increasingly greater bore axis heights, but all the frames have substantially higher backstraps than the traditional single-action shape. This allows one to take a low grip and keep a closer to parallel alignment index, or to grip the gun higher on the backstrap sometimes resulting in extremely divergent alignment indices. Stocks with finger grooves tend to force a certain grip height or you suffer misaligned grooves, whereas smooth stocks allow for more freedom in the grip choice.
I've noticed that speed gunners that seem to live for low split times tend to prefer and advise the highest grip possible. They can have the grip so high on the backstrap that they need to bob the hammer. For them, it seems that this is the only way of controlling recoil in rapid-fire where there is a power-factor requirement that can achieve the fastest times. It results in a difficult alignment index but I imagine they simply determine to overcome this with lots of training.
Revolver shooters from other disciplines, especially those where a timer is not used, might have a different perspective.
What is your discipline, and do your grip your revolver high with the trigger finger at a steep angle or lower and nearer to parallel with the bore axis?
I grip my revolver so the web of my thumb just barely overlaps the very top of the backstrap. It is possible to go about a quarter-inch above the backstrap before the double-action hammer stroke begins to hit the web. I am considering the trade-offs of lowering my grip so the web is about an eighth of an inch below the top of the backstrap. This seems like a small change in grip height, but the effect on the angle of the alignment index is significant. The difference between 0 degrees and 20 degrees is not huge, but the closer you get to 90 degrees, the difficulty increases greatly. Try wrapping your hand over the top-strap and pulling the trigger.
With automatic pistols, the grip is most often fixed by the curve of the tang or beavertail above the backstrap and while grip side panels and backstrap inserts can change the width of the grip or the amount of palm-swell, the alignment index and height of the bore axis usually have a fixed relationship. Automatics tend to have alignment indexes that are close to parallel and fairly low bore axis in part because they do not have a large cylindrical magazine between the bore and the trigger like most revolvers.
Some guns like the 1911 or P226 have a greater bore axis height but maintain a near parallel alignment index. An AR pistol would be an even more extreme example. Other guns, striving for an even lower bore axis can have a grip so high on the backstrap that axis of the trigger finger begins to diverge from parallel. Glock and the Steyr M9 would be examples.
With revolvers, the size of the cylinder and frame usually determine the height of the bore axis above the trigger. It can also vary a little with the diameter of the chambers and how many are bored in the cylinder. The alignment index is somewhat determined by the shape of the grip frame and the style of grip panels or stocks. There is a lot of freedom in the design of these parts on a revolver compared to an automatic where the grip frame most often contains the magazine. There is also often a greater degree of freedom in how the revolver stocks are gripped.
On a traditional single action grip (i.e.1873), the alignment index with most people's grip is close to parallel. The bore axis is quite high, and with most guns, the opportunity to take a higher grip is limited by the cocked hammer spur. This could be mitigated to some degree by reshaping the spur or with short-stroke parts, but as the palm begins to ride higher on the backstrap, the alignment index begins to diverge.
With double-action revolvers like Smith & Wessons or Rugers, going from the smallest to larger frame sizes there are increasingly greater bore axis heights, but all the frames have substantially higher backstraps than the traditional single-action shape. This allows one to take a low grip and keep a closer to parallel alignment index, or to grip the gun higher on the backstrap sometimes resulting in extremely divergent alignment indices. Stocks with finger grooves tend to force a certain grip height or you suffer misaligned grooves, whereas smooth stocks allow for more freedom in the grip choice.
I've noticed that speed gunners that seem to live for low split times tend to prefer and advise the highest grip possible. They can have the grip so high on the backstrap that they need to bob the hammer. For them, it seems that this is the only way of controlling recoil in rapid-fire where there is a power-factor requirement that can achieve the fastest times. It results in a difficult alignment index but I imagine they simply determine to overcome this with lots of training.
Revolver shooters from other disciplines, especially those where a timer is not used, might have a different perspective.
What is your discipline, and do your grip your revolver high with the trigger finger at a steep angle or lower and nearer to parallel with the bore axis?
I grip my revolver so the web of my thumb just barely overlaps the very top of the backstrap. It is possible to go about a quarter-inch above the backstrap before the double-action hammer stroke begins to hit the web. I am considering the trade-offs of lowering my grip so the web is about an eighth of an inch below the top of the backstrap. This seems like a small change in grip height, but the effect on the angle of the alignment index is significant. The difference between 0 degrees and 20 degrees is not huge, but the closer you get to 90 degrees, the difficulty increases greatly. Try wrapping your hand over the top-strap and pulling the trigger.