Is there any truth to Glock grip angle?

[mete]

I applaud those pistols that have interchangeablr grip panels !! Finally.
1911 - I need flat mainspring housing
BHP - perfect !
HK P7 -perfect
These are for combat shooting , I won't have extra time to adjust my grip in combat.
Glock, Ruger 22 ,Luger make me shoot high.
Finger grooves - do they fit YOUR fingers ? If not they're a waste !

 

[AK103K]

It's as simple as this, while I shoot Glock's fine, they don't point naturally for me as other pistols do. When plenty of guns out there fit my hand better and point natural for me, I see absolutely no reason to shoot Glock's and have to force myself to work around the problem. It's like wearing a pair of shoes that don't fit right.

I think youre missing my point here. If you picked up the Glock, and just shot it for a short while, it "would" very quickly point naturally for you, and continue to do so later, even back and forth between different makes and supposed grip angles. Same goes for someone who only shoots a Glock and switches to a 1911, SIG, or whatever.

Its all you in your brain, telling yourself you can or you cant. Like that old Henry Ford quote..."If you think you can, or if you think you can't, either way, you're right." Thats about as simple as it gets.

Hey, Im as tired as going over this as the next guy, but it seems the same people always want to insist that there is a problem here. All Im saying is, its not a problem if you bother to really give it a try and find out. I have, and I dont have the issue. Why I choose Glock or you choose something else, is really meaningless. If you cant shoot any of them reasonably well, its not the guns fault, simple as that.

You boys can keep going over it, Ill step off and let you keep trying to convince everyone else.

Oh, and as far as what Im biased to, go back and search back through the ages here, and I think youll find I was just as big on a bunch of things over the years, especially 1911's and SIG's. Glocks are just the flavor of the decade, and for the reasons I stated above. $$$

 

[rs97]

Glock grip angle measurements misleading.

Glock grip angle measurements shown in posts 17 and 20 are misleading. It is not about grip handle to the slide which is important, it is the position of the shooters hand to the slide which is. Draw an imaginary line (you can use a marker, but will have to clean the computer screen later ) between middle of the trigger and the top of the backstrap, where your hand is actually going to be. With Glock the angle is much more vertical, with 1911 it’s much more horizontal. There is a big difference between the two.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

It's more than the grip angle alone. It's the fat butt. It's the exaggerated back strap hump. It's the ridiculous molded in finger bumps. It's that unrelieved area between the front strap and the trigger guard. It's the cheesy feeling two piece trigger.

The grip angle is a minor sin compared to some of the other ergonomics goofs in the Glock.

Except for the G19/G26 backstrap, I made mine to fit just a tad better.

Looks better in person without the florescent light. Thing is, they feel a lot better this way. I've never had to modify any other poly gun grip in any way, just Glock.

 

[RickB]

Draw an imaginary line (you can use a marker, but will have to clean the computer screen later ) between middle of the trigger and the top of the backstrap, where your hand is actually going to be. With Glock the angle is much more vertical, with 1911 it’s much more horizontal. There is a big difference between the two.

Exactly. The trigger is about even with the top of the backstrap on a 1911, while the trigger is well below the top of the backstrap on a Glock.

 

[Bart Noir]

so maybe it's natural only for people who are from Austria

Exactly why Arnold has secretly been collecting every model of the Glock.....that's actually Cali legal

The sad face is for the very concept of having to be Cali legal.

Nak--ronin, I see those guns have the finger grooves taken off. But did you also undercut the trigger guard a little?

Bart Noir

 

[TunnelRat]

I couldnt care less if you like the Glock, or what ever. Thats youre choice. Just say so. No need to nit pic non issues, or make crap up just to justify your decision. You like HK, great, have at it. Nice guns. Do they do anything better than a Glock, nope!

I like most of them, and shoot a lot of them, all the time, and I really dont have a problem with any of them. Do I have certain guns I like better, sure, we all do.

My reason these days for going mainly with Glocks, is simply a matter of value. I get more Glocks and accessories for my money, than anything else so far. My SIG's worked great, so did my HK's, Colts, S&W's, etc. Thats never been an issue. Getting almost 2 for 1 of something that works just as well, and in some cases better than the others, why wouldnt you?

Im not really a brand snob. If they work reliably out of the box and I can shoot them well, I dont see a problem. I have yet to come across a good example of any of them, that isnt easily shootable, once you put in a little time to learn the gun. From a lot of the pissy stuff you hear thrown about about any of them, its not to hard to tell who hasnt bothered to do that.

The level to which you take this so personally that you insult people just to justify your own purchases (to whom I can't figure out) is incredibly sad (I love that you felt the need to mention HK just because I own them, even though I've owned a half dozen Glocks). You literally can't accept that some people would find it an issue can you? Wow, I've seen fanatics before but this takes the cake. Instead of accepting that people are just different, you feel the need to tell them why they are "wrong". How are preferences "wrong"? Take a step back and consider this.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Nak--ronin, I see those guns have the finger grooves taken off. But did you also undercut the trigger guard a little?

Yes on both, but just a tad. I know some people go as far as they can, but I didn't want to butcher them too much.

 

[Gats Italian]

fat butt.....my Combat Commanders grip is "fatter" than any of my Glock's at the widest point. Commander...1.34", Glock 17...1.21

You are ridiculous. If some 1911 fan thought his or her weapon's grip were too fat, slimmer grips are an internet order away. You have to burn a glock's grip down to slim it or ship it somewhere else.

exaggerated hump..... I just measured the "hump" to frontstrap measurement on my Combat Commander which has an arched MSH and it measured 2.26". My Glock 17 which is stippled, making it slightly larger than the non stippled guns, measures 2.24 at the same point.

Again, a flat mainspring housing is how most 1911s come standard. No change required. If a 1911 does come with an unwanted arched MSH, it's not rocket science to swap out that part in mere minutes.

The Commander measured at the narrowest point, grip safety depressed to the underside of the trigger guard at the front, measures 1.93". The Glock at the same point, 2.07". . . .that unrelieved area between the front strap and the trigger guard...when I hold the 1911 next to the Glock at the trigger guards, I get basically the same relief radius.

I must be imagining all of the Glock hackers out there who will relief cut that part of the receiver for a fee.

It's the cheesy feeling two piece trigger..... come on, just admit you dont like Glocks and be done with it. You dont have to make stuff up.

Compared to any one piece trigger, the Glock one feels like a piece of flimsy articulating crap. Don't care for any implementation of it, not from Ruger, not from Walther, and not S&W's hinged doohickey workaround either.


Snipped most of an anecdotal hissy fit.

Those of us who shoot them all, know its all BS.

Yes, the guy who posted pics of his cut and highly modded Glock grip must be a delusional BSer with no pistol experience whatsoever.

Get over yourself. There are perfectly valid complaints about Glock's ergonomics choices, and you conveniently skipped the most reviled of them after the grip angle/back strap knocks—the stupid finger bumpers—ones which represents the most common grip alteration undertaken by DIYers.

There's something a little crazy in the fact that people out there permanently alter Glock frames rather than simply rid themselves of the fitting problems by dumping the misshapen plastic brick entirely.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

There's something a little crazy in the fact that people out there permanently alter Glock frames rather than simply rid themselves of the fitting problems by dumping the misshapen plastic brick entirely.

I like having Glocks because they're the most common pistol out there. Police either are given them free or close enough to free. If I'm going to keep them just because, I had to make them fit correctly. I have M&Ps, 1911s, Berettas, XD/M/S and all those others, but I just felt a Glock or two in the stable was good to have.

 

[JohnKSa]

Anyways, is there any truth to this being the "proper" way to aim? I have no experience with Glocks, and I've only handled one, never shot. Not looking for Glock or anti-Glock war, just wondering about the potential theory behind it.

Different people find different grip angles/shapes/sizes suit them better because people are built differently.

Once you get very accustomed to a particular grip angle/shape/size, you may find that adjusting to a different grip angle/shape/size is irritating and/or difficult.

There are lots of different guns with lots of different grip angles, sizes and shapes. Buy one that fits you and don't concern yourself with what fits other people.

 

[ArizonaTRex]

4thPoint, thank you for the image in post 17! My Glock 17 was the first pistol I purchased for CCW many years ago. I am a lefty and liked the "safety". Carried it for many years until last year when I retired it for backup only and replaced it with my 1911. Why? That image showed me something. I had always "felt" that the Glock didn't quite fit but I wanted the larger magazine so I stuck with it, but never shot it as well as I felt I should. My 1911 I purchased a few years later shot perfectly for me right out of the box. In looking at the image a little light bulb went off. I placed the pointing finger of my weak hand under the Glocks "beavertail" and snugged my grip up to it and voila it pointed great, sights lined up first try without me having to think "aim". Of course none of my fingers lined up in the grooves... Seems I grip the Glock way too high for me to shoot well. My trigger finger actually drags along the bottom of the trigger guard unless I consciously lift it up. The grip aligns my finger pointing slightly downward. That does not happen with the 1911. When I place my finger outside the trigger guard, on the Glock it naturally lays along the frame- I have to bring my finger down to place it on the trigger, hence the angle causing finger drag. With the 1911 my finger lays along the trigger and trigger guard-I actually have to raise it up to "safe" it along the frame. Bringing it down to the trigger is natural and smooth and aligns with the trigger.
Always figured it was something I was doing wrong and sent so much ammo down range trying to correct it and aim properly. With ammo being harder to find I realized I was shooting alot more with the Glock to stay proficient, and shot the 1911 only for fun, but shot it way better.
So I shoot the Glock well, but the 1911 better, better wins for CCW. And since I shoot the Glock just as well weak handed (lefties generally use our weak hand more, stupid molded right-hand only scissors ya know)-it now has secondary backup/or bug out bag duty.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

It's the hump I tell you it's the hump ! lol

Front of the grip angle is one thing but the way the hump on the lower end/back side of a Glock pushes into your palm it changes the angle of the wrist (Note: I have not held a gen 4 enough to include). You just have to study the way it fits in your hand to understand it's nuances. Not sure if the hump was designed to keep (push/force) the hand up for a high and tight purchase into the web of the hand ( and it does do that) but it does force the wrist to bend more to aim the same.

Notice in the pic on post #20 that the lines run through the hump. The angle is right but the hump changes the wrist angle not the technical angle of the gun. In the end however, the result is the same as a different angle when gripped and aimed. And people wonder why people are running around grinding it off!

 

[8MM Mauser]

After shooting a Ruger MKII for years I find the Glock grip angle points very naturally for me, but I tend to shoot pistols low-left so it might be helping to correct for that.

 

[JN01]

Get over yourself. There are perfectly valid complaints about Glock's ergonomics choices, and you conveniently skipped the most reviled of them after the grip angle/back strap knocks—the stupid finger bumpers—ones which represents the most common grip alteration undertaken by DIYers.

If you don't like the ergos, you shouldn't buy one. But you can't deny that LOTS of people are OK with the way Glocks are and shoot them just fine.

There's something a little crazy in the fact that people out there permanently alter Glock frames rather than simply rid themselves of the fitting problems by dumping the misshapen plastic brick entirely.

So if I like everything about the gun except the finger bumps, I'm crazy to fix it with a bit of sandpaper and a few minutes time rather than sell it? What, is it going to ruin the collector value?

What about all those 1911 owners who permanently alter their gun frames with extended beaver tails, melt jobs, forward cocking grooves, etc? Wheel gunners used to have S&Ws converted from square butt to round, chopped hammer spurs for DA only, and cut barrels to different lengths. Going full custom and having a Glock grip reduced isn't really much different.

Everyone has different needs and preferences. Nothing wrong with a little customization if that is what suits you. I don't think I own a gun that I haven't altered in some way, although the grips on my Glocks are stock as the finger grooves actually fit my hand.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

If you look at competitive matches, the number of Glocks used suggest that the grip can be mastered.

Next, if you ever find a study that takes new shooters in randomized groups assigned to different guns and then after an appropriate training interval find significant differences and effect sizes suggesting real world consequences let me know.

Then, there will be more than 'truth' chatter on the Internet.

 

[TailGator]

It's the hump I tell you it's the hump

It definitely is a factor, and it doesn't help that the hump is in different places on different frame sizes. Among the 9 mm Glocks, I shoot the G26 and G19 fine, but the full-size G17 hump bothers me and I am less accurate with it.

Once again, personal preference and fit matters a lot. Could I practice with it and get better? Probably, but my desire for a G17 isn't strong enough to make me do it.

 

[Dragline45]

If you don't like the ergos, you shouldn't buy one. But you can't deny that LOTS of people are OK with the way Glocks are and shoot them just fine.

If you look at competitive matches, the number of Glocks used suggest that the grip can be mastered.

No one is denying that. The fact of the matter is that the grip doesn't work for some people. What is ridiculous is that Glock fanboys cant accept that and make up a bunch of excuses or say that oh you just need more practice with it. I have shot enough handguns to know what fits my hand, and there are enough handguns out there that do fit my hand and point naturally where I shouldn't have to force myself to use a Glock, and have to spend countless hours getting that thing to point naturally for me which in the end very well might not.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Next, if you ever find a study that takes new shooters in randomized groups assigned to different guns and then after an appropriate training interval find significant differences and effect sizes suggesting real world consequences let me know.

Here's my opinion to this statement I've seen attached to Glocks and their odd grip. When I can pick up over 95% of the firearms out there, bring them to eye level and have them point naturally for me, why would I re-train myself to break my wrist to use a gun or two that points high? Better just to modify those few guns to point like the others.

 

[mrdaputer]

I had a glock 19 didn't like the grip so I sold it for a pistol that has a better grip to me and a much much better trigger