Single action shooters, please show me your grip and grip technique.

[Zaydok Allen]

I do not yet own any single action revolvers. This seems wrong to me. Yet every time I pick up a SA revolver, they feel uncomfortable and strange, and I do not buy one.

For reference, I put larger grips on all of my revolvers than what comes stock, so I basically ignore how a SA/DA revolver feels in my hand and pay more attention to how it points, balances, and all the other revolver checkouts before buying. In fact, I almost never shoot a revolver with the factory grips on it at all because nearly all of them are too small. I wear XL gloves, but my hands are boney, so I know part of it may be that I am handling guns with grips that are too small for me. However, I think I've got to be doing something wrong. If you have substantial experience shooting SA revolvers, can you please describe the proper technique and share a picture.

I'm used to always trying to grip a revolver as high as is possible. This doesn't seem right with a SA gun.

If you have substantial experience shooting SA revolvers, can you please describe the proper technique and share a picture of the grip and HOW you grip the gun.

 

[huntsman]

View attachment 796501 This is the only pic of my Blackhawk currently on my phone so it’s not the best for viewing the grip.

I shoot this gun one handed off a stick because I hunt with it and went with the oversized grip because I shoot +p ammo.

 

[Jack B.]

I don't have a photo of how I grip a single action revolver but I pretty much grip it the way I grip any full sized revolver. But I have large hands and the stock grips are to small for me also. I shoot a New Model Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum and with the stock grip the square trigger guard was tearing up my middle finger. I ended up putting the Pachmayr Presentation Grips on and it made the revolver a pleasure to shoot plus the larger grip fits my hand better. I like the looks of the stock grips best but much prefer the Pachmayr grips for shooting.

 

[edwardware]

I'm used to always trying to grip a revolver as high as is possible. This doesn't seem right with a SA gun.

I do the same, and I find the SA plowhandle grip uncomfortable and odd as a result. I think it was designed to roll in your hand during recoil, exactly the opposite of my preference.

I chose the Bisley grip for my Blackhawk, and while it certainly doesn't have a beavertail to tuck into, it's much better about not rolling when launching anti-armor rounds downrange.

 

[the Black Spot]

If you have large hands, see if you can locate a ruger super blackhawk or bisley hunter they have larger grips. Also check out the 1860 army cap and ball for longer grips

 

[CraigC]

Folks who are accustomed to DA's seem to have a problem making the transition because the grip is so different. I always suggest learning to use the standard grip configuration and not try to fix it with oversized grips. The oversized grips completely change the way the gun handles. They place the hand too low in relation to the bore axis, accentuating muzzle rise and putting your thumbs out of reach of the hammer.

My strongside grip is the same whether I shoot with one hand or two. IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.



Here it is with both hands, showing where I rest my left thumb while shooting.



Which also puts it in a good position to operate the hammer with haste.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Folks who are accustomed to DA's seem to have a problem making the transition because the grip is so different. I always suggest learning to use the standard grip configuration and not try to fix it with oversized grips. The oversized grips completely change the way the gun handles. They place the hand too low in relation to the bore axis, accentuating muzzle rise and putting your thumbs out of reach of the hammer.

My strongside grip is the same whether I shoot with one hand or two. IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.

View attachment 796503

Here it is with both hands, showing where I rest my left thumb while shooting.

View attachment 796504

Which also puts it in a good position to operate the hammer with haste.

View attachment 796505

This is how I do it as well.

I will say that after many (60+) full power 45 Colt loads, your pinky will eventually get hammered.

 

[CraigC]

I'm usually good for at least a couple hundred standard loads. It's the XR3 on a Ruger .44Mag Blackhawk that beats mine up. Which is why it's now a Bisley.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Ask and you shall receive.

I bought my first single action cap & ball revolver in 1968, so I think you could say I have substantial experience shooting single action revolvers.

So there I was at the beginning of a CAS match about 15 years ago, and one of my friends was applying a band aide to the knuckle of his index finger. Padded side out. He said he had to do this because the trigger guard always whacked his knuckle in recoil. I thought about it for a moment and realized that my pistols never whack my knuckle in recoil, even with my heavy Black Powder loads.

That is because I always curl my pinky under the grip. ALWAYS! Pretty much the same as CraigC.

I have relatively large hands, I wear a large glove. Not extra large, just large. I never change out my single action revolver grips for larger grips, the old 1851 Navy grip, which most single actions use today, was about as perfect a grip design as ever made. It points perfectly. Despite what some may think, people were not significantly smaller in the 19th Century than the are today. The 1851 Navy grip is just as terrific today as it was way back then.






Here is the secret. With my pinky under the grip, that lowers my hand on the grip just enough to leave a gap of about 1/4" between my knuckle and the trigger guard. Look carefully and you will see it. This little gap is just enough that the trigger guard never whacks my knuckle. I can't tell you how many guys complain about getting their knuckles whacked when they try to cram their entire hand onto the grip, even with light cowboy loads. You will also notice that this grip allows me to reach the hammer spur just fine with my thumb. I always shoot my single action revolvers one handed.






Take a look at the grip in the photo Jack B. provided. Notice how the grip takes up most of the space behind the trigger guard. There is no way the trigger guard is going to whack your knuckle with a rubber grip like that, it does not allow the shooter to place his knuckle behind the trigger guard. Take a look at a 1911 some time. Same thing, you cannot physically place your finger behind the trigger guard. By curling my pinky under the grip, that lowers my hand enough for that little gap behind the trigger guard and everything is fine.



I tend to hold a single action revolver relatively lightly. And although my arm is extended straight, I do not rigidly lock my elbow.






The gun does rotate slightly in my hand in recoil, but the pinky prevents it from rotating too much. Under recoil, the gun rotates slightly in my hand, but when the pinky stops the rotation the recoil then lifts my forearm up a little bit until all the recoil impulse has been spent. Been doing it this way for a long time, and yes the recoil from a Black Powder 45 Colt load is stout.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Folks who are accustomed to DA's seem to have a problem making the transition because the grip is so different. I always suggest learning to use the standard grip configuration and not try to fix it with oversized grips. The oversized grips completely change the way the gun handles. They place the hand too low in relation to the bore axis, accentuating muzzle rise and putting your thumbs out of reach of the hammer.

My strongside grip is the same whether I shoot with one hand or two. IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.

View attachment 796503

Howdy

Ask and you shall receive.

I bought my first single action cap & ball revolver in 1968, so I think you could say I have substantial experience shooting single action revolvers.

So there I was at the beginning of a CAS match about 15 years ago, and one of my friends was applying a band aide to the knuckle of his index finger. Padded side out. He said he had to do this because the trigger guard always whacked his knuckle in recoil. I thought about it for a moment and realized that my pistols never whack my knuckle in recoil, even with my heavy Black Powder loads.

That is because I always curl my pinky under the grip. ALWAYS! Pretty much the same as CraigC.

I have relatively large hands, I wear a large glove. Not extra large, just large. I never change out my single action revolver grips for larger grips, the old 1851 Navy grip, which most single actions use today, was about as perfect a grip design as ever made. It points perfectly. Despite what some may think, people were not significantly smaller in the 19th Century than the are today. The 1851 Navy grip is just as terrific today as it was way back then.

View attachment 796508

These images are extremely helpful gents, thank you. I have never tried wrapping my pinky under the grip before, ant that's probably where my mistake is.

 

[cfullgraf]

IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.

As they say, you learn something everyday. It is obvious that the gun should not move in the hand under recoil but the repeated rapping of the trigger guard on my finger says otherwise.

Pachmayr Presentation grips solved the problem for me, and I like Pachmayrs in general but Pachmayr does not make a grip that fits all the various Ruger grip frames.

I'll have to put the factory grips back on one of my Blackhawks and give the "pinky-under-hold" a try.

In the personal preference department, I do not like the feel of a Bisley grip frame. I prefer the "standard" style grip frame.

 

[MedWheeler]

I only own rimfire SAs, and had to go get two of them out of lockup to see if I'm gripping it like others here are. I found that I'm not actually placing a finger beneath the stock. I don't think this is an issue for me, but I'll probably try it that way one day. One of the guns I checked against is a birdshead-grip model.

I'd take a picture or two, but they'd be backwards, anyway, as I'm left-handed.

CraigC, I dropped a like on your first post here before even reading it. Very handsome piece, there. Not often I see one in .38 Special.

 

[MaxP]

I have a little different take born of shooting heavy recoiling revolvers primarily as hunting firearms. Two handed holds are the norm as are Bisley grip frames (in the case of Rugers and BFRs). The photo shows how I use my support hand's (and a modified/bastardized Weaver stance) thumb to lock my hand on the revolver to prevent it from breaking my support hand's grip. This allows for better control particularly poignant when fast follow-up shots are necessary. Also important to note that I cock the revolver with my support thumb. Again, it speeds up the process exponentially.



This is a double-action, but the same technique applies in my case:

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I have a little different take

No pinky wrapped around the bottom on your shooting hand?

 

[Jack B.]

I've never tried the pinky thing either. Doesn't feel right. My wife uses MaxP style grip. She is also a good shot. She had a hard time adjusting her grip when she starting semi-autos.

 

[ATLDave]

No pinky wrapped around the bottom on your shooting hand?

I think Max is saying that he has Bisley-type/shape grips, which are longer. I think the pictures with the pinky-curling are original/plowhandle grips/frames. But I could be wrong about either/both.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I think Max is saying that he has Bisley-type/shape grips, which are longer. I think the pictures with the pinky-curling are original/plowhandle grips/frames. But I could be wrong about either/both.

Oh yeah. I think you're right.

 

[CraigC]

No pinky-under with the longer grip frames.

 

[MidRoad]

I have a little different take born of shooting heavy recoiling revolvers primarily as hunting firearms. Two handed holds are the norm as are Bisley grip frames (in the case of Rugers and BFRs). The photo shows how I use my support hand's (and a modified/bastardized Weaver stance) thumb to lock my hand on the revolver to prevent it from breaking my support hand's grip. This allows for better control particularly poignant when fast follow-up shots are necessary. Also important to note that I cock the revolver with my support thumb. Again, it speeds up the process exponentially.

View attachment 796634

This is a double-action, but the same technique applies in my case:

View attachment 796635

Thumb over is how I grip my sp101 since it's got a shorter grip. I seen it in a Jerry miculek video. I should try it on my single action too. Dunno why I didn't think of that,thanks max.

 

[GRIZ22]

Folks who are accustomed to DA's seem to have a problem making the transition because the grip is so different. I always suggest learning to use the standard grip configuration and not try to fix it with oversized grips. The oversized grips completely change the way the gun handles. They place the hand too low in relation to the bore axis, accentuating muzzle rise and putting your thumbs out of reach of the hammer.

My strongside grip is the same whether I shoot with one hand or two. IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.

View attachment 796503

Here it is with both hands, showing where I rest my left thumb while shooting.

View attachment 796504

Which also puts it in a good position to operate the hammer with haste.

View attachment 796505

I had the hardest time getting used to a SA until someone showed me the "pinky under".

No pinky-under with the longer grip frames.

This is true!!!!

 

[straightshooterjake]

When I work with new shooters, I require them to use a grip where the support hand thumb does not cross the centerline of the handgun. In other words, the support hand thumb stays on the support side of the handgun. And I require less experienced shooters to use this grip with all types of handguns.

Of course, as several highly experienced members have shown in this thread, it is actually OK for the support hand thumb to cross over to the other side when shooting revolvers. But the concern about having the support thumb cross behind the hammer is that a less experienced shooter may use a similar grip with a semi-auto, and then get bitten by the slide.

So overall, I consider that it is an advanced technique to use a grip where the thumb crosses behind the hammer on some handguns, and then to use a very different grip for other guns. This method is used with success by lots of experienced shooters, but it has also lead to less practiced shooters getting smacked by the slide as punishment for a momentary lapse.

I expect most people reading here will do just fine if they use a grip on revolvers with the thumb behind the hammer, but I still suggest keeping some awareness when you switch guns.

 

[doubleh]

Folks who are accustomed to DA's seem to have a problem making the transition because the grip is so different. I always suggest learning to use the standard grip configuration and not try to fix it with oversized grips. The oversized grips completely change the way the gun handles. They place the hand too low in relation to the bore axis, accentuating muzzle rise and putting your thumbs out of reach of the hammer.

My strongside grip is the same whether I shoot with one hand or two. IMHO, the grip should NOT slip through your grasp under recoil and the pinky-under hold prevents this anyway.

View attachment 796503

Here it is with both hands, showing where I rest my left thumb while shooting.

View attachment 796504

Which also puts it in a good position to operate the hammer with haste.

View attachment 796505

That's the way I've always done it. It's always worked well for me so I've stuck with it. I'll admit to experimenting some over the years but have always returned because it's what works best for me.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I wear a medium size glove and find that the SAA grip fits my hand good. I don’t do the pinky under the grip, just never worked for me.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Just curious.

Does the trigger guard ever whack your knuckle?

 

[MaxP]

Just curious.

Does the trigger guard ever whack your knuckle?

Who are you asking? With stock Bisley grips (Ruger Bisley, not Magnum Research) yes, with the custom grips I have made for my heavy kicking Bisleys, no - or rather rarely.