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Feast your eyes on 20 of the finest custom rifles from the David Miller Co. courtesy of the new book Custom Rifles: Mastery of Wood & Metal.
This photo gallery is an excerpt from Custom Rifles: Mastery of Wood & Metal.
Where Disaster Strikes – Duluth Deluge
It's being called the “Duluth Deluge.” The worst flooding in more than a century hit the Lake Superior port city in northern Minnesota on Wednesday, June 20, as well as surrounding towns.
The rain came fast and hard, dumping 10 inches in a matter of hours. The flood ripped apart paved roads, washed away vehicles and even hoisted animals over their Lake Superior Zoo compounds.
The geography of Duluth compounded the flash flooding. Much of the city is built on a hill leading into Lake Superior. This natural waterway focused drainage through city streets. It trapped many residents who couldn't get out in time.
This is why a bug-out bag is so important. Having something portable to grab during an emergency allows for a quick exit. This also helps first responders. Their resources can be focused on the elderly, injured or disabled.
Don't wait another minute. Click here for instructions on how to make a bug-out bag.
6 Tips for Transporting Survival Guns
When sudden disaster strikes, where will you be? No one can be sure. Add the additional variables such as whether the disaster will be more or less localized in nature (fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, unknown localized disorder) or one that is national (economic collapse) and you realize daily preparedness is crucial.
There is a very strong likelihood that you and your family won’t be at home near your stored provisions and SHIP (Shelter In Place) protection when it happens. I spend more than 80 percent of my waking hours at least an hour away from home on any given day. Getting back home from work in the event of sudden disaster requires forethought and preparedness than just packing an off-duty or concealed carry handgun. The locale and habits of the population you will need to travel through to get home will dictate just how much gear you will need in your vehicle with you daily.
For 32 years there hasn’t been a day I left home without an off-duty handgun. Until I joined our SWAT team at the Union County sheriff’s office, a handgun, a reload or two, a cutting tool, a less-lethal weapon and a small flashlight was all I felt I needed.
Ten years ago I was right, but not today. While on the team I carried my M4 carbine, sniper rifle and call-out gear in my car on a daily basis, and haven’t been without a rifle in my vehicle since. I still keep a similar response kit in my car as I am on 24-hour call status with the Baltimore PD. Law enforcement everywhere now views a long gun as our primary off-duty gun, with the handgun as backup.
Prepared cops and law-abiding civilians taking the same view must ensure that when they carry long guns in their vehicles they are in compliance with the local, state or federal laws applicable to their jurisdiction.
In addition to legal compliance, consider the following tips for transporting survival guns:
1. Unless you keep your vehicle VERY close at hand, you should have the long gun securely locked in the trunk, with an additional locking mechanism that can actually be bolted to the body of the car or truck-such as those available from Santa Cruz Gunlocks.
2. Don’t display any firearms-related decals on your car. It’s like sticking a “Help Yourself to My Guns” sign on it.
3. How quickly can the weapon you selected safely be brought into action from a loaded or unloaded condition? This must be practiced.
4. If the gun is kept in your vehicle long term, what are the maintenance requirements?
5. Any electronic device on the weapon can fail or pose other risks. A nearby agency lost a SWAT vehicle and gear when a weapon’s light was bumped into the “on” position in the case, causing the vehicle to catch fire. Save electronic devices for home-based SHIP guns.
6. Don’t use an expensive or irreplaceable long gun as your travel gun. It shouldn’t break your bank or heart if stolen. At the low end of expense and magazine capacity but at the high end of reliability and intimidation are pump shotguns. A fine example is the 12-gauge Mossberg 590A1 with a collapsible buttstock. The collapsed stock takes up less room than a standard stock model, and its Mil-Spec reliability is legendary.
Prefer a higher round capacity? A direct impingement AR-15 with military-style iron sights and a carry sling is hard to beat.
Two good examples are the value priced Del-ton Alpha 220H, 20-inch, full-size AR-15 A2-style rifle, and the 16-inch Panther Lite M4-style carbine by DPMS. Quality is high on both and neither will monopolize your funds. Both can mount a bayonet.
Keep these rifles clear of add-ons so they can be brought into action without turning anything on, adjusting anything else, and focusing on something other than your threat. The full size Del-ton rifle allows the 55-grain 5.56mm round to work to its full ballistic potential.
The Sporter Rifle from IO firearms is an AK variant that is value priced, reliable in the extreme and very smooth handling if you favor the Kalishnikov pattern.
If you live in an area that forbids semi-autos rifles, you could consider a lever-action gun such as the Marlin Model 1894 in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. Lever guns were the first assault rifles, and the 1894 is powerful with low recoil and holds ten rounds in the magazine tube.
Depending on where you live and work, you may or may not want or need to incorporate a long gun into your daily travel plans. That is up to you. If you do, make sure you stay focused on the issues of legality, safety, weapon security and practice.
What are the Best Survival Guns?
When Mel Tappen wrote Survival Guns in 1979, he set out to answer that very question. Since then, the book has reached classic status. Whether you're looking for an urban survival gun or something for the wilderness, Survival Guns is required reading.
Click to order Mel Tappen's Survival Guns for $29.75 (15% off retail).
Gun Photos: 25 Tactical Rifles
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This photo gallery is an excerpt from the Gun Digest Book of The Tactical Rifle – now On Sale at GunDigestStore.com!
More Recommended Tactical Rifle Resources
Gun Digest Book of The Tactical Rifle
Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Tactical Rifles
Own the Night: Selection and Use of Tactical Lights and Laser Sights
Four Steps To Drawing from your Concealed Carry Holster
This is the last of our three-part series covering shooting fundamentals for the CCW holder. These elements come directly from Tactical Pistol Shooting, by Erik Lawrence. The book is available at the Gun Digest Store and offers incredible insight and tips for better shooting.
Drawing a pistol is a four-part operation, but keep in mind that if you need to can start firing from Position Two. The proper draw is broken down into these four steps. Take a look.
Position One
A threat is perceived and you decide you are going to draw and shoot, so you orient your stance towards the threat and begin your draw sequence. Quickly, your firing hand moves to form its grip on the pistol grip; this is the only chance to get a proper grip. Index with the web of the firing hand high on the backstrap (set your firing hand as high as you can on the backstrap), extend the trigger finger straight and then grip the pistol with the three lower fingers. Refer to Figure 6-1.
The thumb disengages the thumb break on the holster and then finishes forming the grip as you begin to pull the pistol from the holster. The non-firing hand is drawn to the body’s centerline and is open to receive the pistol with fingers extended and joined, oriented 45 degrees down. Move only what you must to accomplish these steps of the draw. Economy of effort and economy of motion allow you to do this quickly. Once you are comfortable with the correct step one, this step can be done as fast as possible as it is not a fine-motor function. This step is conducted at the fastest speed you can correctly do it.
Position Two
Your firing hand has its proper grip on the pistol and you draw the pistol from the holster. As soon as the pistol is clear from the holster, it is immediately pointed in the direction of the threat while moving to the centerline of the body to meet the non-firing hand. Refer to Figures 6-2.
The trigger finger can begin to take up slack in the trigger if you need to fire from the position of retention or an advancing
threat at close ranges. As soon as you are pointing the muzzle at the threat, you can take the pistol off safe. As you move to position three you may orient the pistol under your dominant eye to assist in picking up the front sight faster. Refer to Figure 6-3A. The speed of this step is also as fast as possible once properly learned.
Position Three
Your non-firing hand begins to complete the two-handed grip and the muzzle is directed toward your threat. In this position, the finger is still off the trigger unless you intend to begin shooting. If the threat is closing or taking offensive actions and is within in your ability range, you may begin to engage from this position as you complete your presentation. This is the preferred ready position, with your finger off the trigger. The upper body must be semi-relaxed; watch tensing your trapezoids. Refer to Figure 6-3. Also, do not hunch your head forward; keep it naturally erect to a slight bit forward (keep it comfortable).
NOTE: From position three to four, the slack and tension are taken out of the double-action pistols. At full presentation is the point when the shot should break and fire to attain great accuracy and speed.
NOTE: The pressing of the hands and pistol forward from position three to position four is at a medium speed (allowing you time to press your trigger and acquire the sight picture desired). Smoothness must be emphasized to time the shot correctly at full extension—the trigger press, movement, sight alignment and sight picture all come together at full extension with a properly placed shot.
Position Four
This position is considered full presentation, and your most accurate shooting will be done from this position. Refer to Figures 6-4. If you have time, review your shooting fundamentals before the shot. Do not maintain this position for long unless the situation requires it. Optimum time is no more than six to eight seconds after your engagement. Once the engagement is complete, remove your finger from the trigger (only if the problem has been dealt with; remember to reset the trigger in your
follow-through if the engagement is not complete) and take a breath in and exhale. Then scan and assess the situation; you should lower your muzzle one to two inches and look with three eyes (your two and your muzzle) by turning your head left and then right and then back to center. Actually see and analyze what is happening—you must turn your head (to the left, to the right, or wherever you need to look) as you look so you break the tunnel vision that is common in high-stress situations. When you bring the weapon back to position three, check the condition of your weapon (ensure it is in battery), decock and/engage the safety on your pistol, and then look over your shoulders to check behind you; this puts you in a good position if you must turn and engage or fight. To rest, go to the low-ready position or back to position three of the draw. Tactical Pistol Shooting provides real-world insight for anyone who carries a concealed pistol for self-defense. Build your foundation on solid fundamentals and follow the tips in the book to improve your training.
Don’t Conceal Your Curiosity: Dive Into CCW Insights
- Best Concealed Carry Gun [Field Tested]
- Best Concealed Carry Gun for Women
- Must-Have Concealed Carry Upgrades
- Best Concealed Carry Insurance – CCW Insurance Options
- Concealed Carry Optics – Red Dot, Green Dot, or Iron Sights?
Field Day: Ham Radio Emergency Communications Exercise
On the fourth weekend in June, amateur (ham) radio operators from around the country and world converge on the air for Field Day, a tactical and emergency exercise designed to demonstrate the long-range communications capabilities of amateur (ham) radio.
It's a chance to show the public that two-way radio communications are anything but antiquated in a world reliant upon commercial telecommunications networks — systems that indeed afford many modern conveniences (when they work), but are also the first to go down during natural or man-made disasters (when you need them most).
Today, amateur radio remains the backbone for Emergency Communications (EMCOMM) work across the world. That's because it allows FCC-licensed operators to set up independent two-way radio stations — networked locally, nationally and globally — to create built-in system redundancy.
“When All Else Fails” is the motto of ham radio, and Field Day is a time when these stations prove that out,setting up in the field and on mountain tops to practice for the real thing. For twenty-four hours, operation is powered by either commercial or back-up emergency power (such as solar, battery, wind, etc.). Wire antennas are hung from trees or mounted on make-shift poles. At no other time of the year is duct tape so in demand.
While the underlying point of Field Day is serious business — EMCOMM operation by ham radio is a formally-organized arm under the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security and works with agencies and organizations such as the National Weather Service, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and all branches of law enforcement and the military — the format is akin to a contest to make things fun. Points are logged in specialized software, and groups trying to work as many stations on as many frequencies and modes as possible fill the air waves, bouncing signals off the upper layers of the earth's Ionosphere into receivers in distant lands. Contacts spanning over one thousand miles are common.
For its first foray into Field Day, I joined a ham radio group in central Wisconsin. The plan was to erect some antennas and put the W9WAP club station on the air. To keep things simple, two antennas were deployed — a small dipole for the 6-meter band (VHF) at 35-feet, and a long-wire dipole for the 10-80 meter frequency bands for High Frequency (HF) work attached to the top of a 104-foot lookout tower.
From our two modest stations, we logged over 300 contacts using the phone and CW (morse code) modes from the east coast to the west, and even a couple foreign countries to boot. I was able to make about a dozen contacts on 6-meters with stations all over the U.S., while running 100 watts.
For many people, tactical gear and preparedness center on things like guns, ammo, food, lights and so on. As important as these things are, in real emergency situations the first thing to go down — the first thing you'll notice that tends to set off panic — is commercial power and communications, leaving you no way to call for help or get information. While ham radio has always filled a back-up communications role to address this, it is now much more: integrated with emerging digital technologies and the Internet, making it the only sure fire way to stay informed and in contact with an outside support system when an event unfolds.
Don't wait for the power to go down or telephone networks to fail to start thinking about the tactical gear and training needed for emergency communications. Get on the air now, while you still can. Field Day is one way to practice your skills and upgrade your equipment.
Click here to learn more about Field Day. Click here to learn more about amateur radio EMCOMM.
Portable Radio Harness
If you prefer your emergency communication to be portable, stuff your walkie-talkie into this high-quality radio harness. It also has room for a GPS, knife, magazine and other hardware.
Click to get this portable radio harness for $41.59 (16% off retail).
Blackhawk! Leather Pancake Concealed Carry Holster Review
I like pancakes; the kind you eat and the kind you hang on your belt to hold your pistol. The pancake concealed carry holster design is neither new nor is it revolutionary. It just has a long track record of being a holster that does its job without a lot of fanfare.
A good, leather pancake concealed carry holster keeps the pistol close to your body, which makes things much more comfortable during a long day. I also like the fact that the trigger guard is covered and a top snap provides a bit of extra retention.
Blackhawk’s Pancake holster incorporates all those design elements with the legendary quality for which Blackhawk! has become famous. This molded three-slot concealed carry holster comfortably contours to your body, providing exceptional concealment for your weapon.
Its two-piece, wet-molded, double contour-stitched construction contributes to the concealed carry holster’s incredible durability. The three-slots allow for a variety of carry options, including cross-draw for those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel.
With a concealed carry holster this solid, all you need now is a great belt. The Blackhawk! Pancake holster is available for just about every popular pistol on the market and comes in right- or left-hand draw in black or brown. Something for everyone.
Click here to get this Blackhawk! Pancake Holster for $50.39 (20% off retail).
Gun Photos: Smoking Hot 3-Gun Competition!
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This Photo Gallery is an excerpt from the new Complete Guide to 3-Gun Competition.
Gun Photos: 25 Tough AK-47s
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This Photo Gallery is excerpted from The Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS.
I Recommend these AK-47 Resources:
The Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS
AK47: The Complete Kalashnikov Family of Rifles
Tips for Custom Rifle Scopes
Wayne van Zwoll looks at the history of custom rifle scopes. He also offers tips for custom rifle scopes.
Custom rifles have served American shooters since flintlocks were fashioned on home forges. Then each rifle differed from the next.
For the most part, rifle scopes have been mass-produced. While scopes appeared on rifles more than 150 years ago and were even used by Civil War snipers, they didn’t take the hunting field by storm.
That’s partly because they were expensive. In 1926, well after smokeless cartridges like the .30-06 and .270 were sending bullets on flat arcs at over 3,000 fps, a Zeiss 4x Zeilvier cost $45. By pre-Depression standards, that was an enormous sum. Even twenty years later, as scopes inched up in price, you could still buy a Fox Sterlingworth shotgun for $65, a Winchester Model 21 shotgun for $111. A Parker skeet gun would set you back $184.
In 1926, you could buy a good house for a four-figure sum. Automobiles cost hundreds of dollars, not tens of thousands.
Then there was the reliability issue. Scopes fogged. Reticles of fine spider web broke. Windage and elevation adjustments were crude and didn’t always move point of impact as expected. Even when a scope functioned as intended, it was plagued by optical limitations of the day. Uncoated lenses lost up to 4 percent of incident light at each surface, producing dim images at dawn and dusk. Eye relief was critical and discouraged shooters who’d teethed on iron sights. Moving the adjustments moved the reticle in the field of view, so after zeroing, the reticle often appeared off-center. Sometimes it was far off center. Rain and snow not only distorted the sight picture by accumulating on outside glass but moisture could leak into the scope.
During the 1950s and 1960s, you could buy very good scopes at very reasonable prices. Coated lenses brightened images. Nitrogen injection prevented fogging. Mechanical advances brought the constantly centered reticle. Scopes became lighter in weight when alloy tubes replaced steel. Adjustments were refined to yield reliable quarter-minute adjustments. In that era, the switch from iron sights to scopes on hunting rifles gathered steam. Within another decade, barrels would appear without iron sights. Since then, as hunters came to consider scopes necessary on all but double guns for big African beasts, scopes have vaulted in price and sophistication.
There are now so many scope makers and models that you could ask: Why on earth does Leupold offer a custom shop? What could you want that’s not already on the market, sometimes replicated many times over? I asked Alan Ransom, who runs the CS at Leupold’s Beaverton, Oregon headquarters.
“For one thing, you can get a scope that’s no longer made,” grinned Alan. He knew I had draped myself in sackcloth and mourned many days when Leupold discontinued its M8 3x, one of the sleekest and most useful scopes for big game rifles ever made. “Our CS 3x isn’t exactly like the older model. It’s better, optically, and there are slight cosmetic changes….”
I interrupted him to order one.
Another CS service is the installation of custom reticles, in new scopes and as retrofits to those already in the field. You’ll see 18 reticle designs on the CS pages of Leupold’s current catalog. “We can also install a long-range reticle matched to your specific load,” Alan said. “You send us the factory load, or the ballistic coefficient and starting velocity of your pet handload, and we’ll build a reticle with marks that indicate dead-on hold to 500 yards, at 100-yard increments.” I’ve used those scopes – by Leupold and by GreyBull, which fits Leupold scopes with its own 1/3-minute elevation dials. For shooting at distant targets, such reticles boost your odds for first-round hits.
Cosmetically, the CS can put benchrest rifles and Indy cars to shame. From 24k gold plating of Leupold’s emblem, to brilliant colors – even multiple-color schemes – and the imprinting of names and illustration, a custom scope affords you the chance to make the tube uniquely yours.
Are there limits as to what’s available? Sure. “Illuminated reticles, for example, can normally be installed only in scopes already configured for illuminated reticles,” said Alan. And optically, Leupold must hew to the constraints already imposed on design teams at every scope company.
Alan pointed out that some scopes and features draw enough interest to keep them on a CS list of recommended items. “Though they’re not so popular as to justify standard production runs. We call them CS exclusive scopes. It does not include distributor specials like those Zombie cosmetics that flooded us with orders at the 2012 SHOT show.”
Here’s that list of exclusives:
1.5-4x Scout
1.25-4x VX-R Scout
3-9×40 AO
3.5-10×40 AO
3x
6×33 Compact
8×40 AO
8×40 Target
Photo Gallery: 54 Countries, 54 Mausers!
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This Photo Gallery is excerpted from Mauser Military Rifles of the World, 5th Ed.
Videos from 3-Gun Nation Pro-Series Competition
Check out these 3-gun competition videos, taken from the 3 Gun Nation Pro-Series during June 2012.
Complete Guide to 3-Gun Competition
Learn the history and get involved with the future of 3-gun competitions in the new book, Complete Guide to 3-Gun Competition. Whether you like to participate or just watch, author Chad Adams offers 3-gun news, photos and information that are sure winners.
Click here to order this 3-gun competition book for $21.89 (21% off retail).
Poll: Americans Love the NRA
A recent poll done by Reuters/Ipsos, “found that the National Rifle Association (NRA) was viewed favorably by 68% of Americans, and unfavorably by 32%,” Second Amendment author David Kopel recently noted in a column for the online news source, The Volokh Conspiracy.
“Unlike most polls, the Reuters poll apparently did not allow ‘unsure' or ‘undecided' as a choice. In each of the demographics which the poll provided-Republicans, Democrats, independents, whites, and blacks-the NRA was viewed favorably by at least 55%.”
Over the last two decades, America's view of the NRA has become increasingly positive. Kopel noted that, “A 2005 Gallup Poll had found a 60/34 favorable/unfavorable view of the NRA. Previous Gallup results were 52/39 (May 2000), 51/39 (April 2000), 51/40 (April 1999, right after the Columbine High School murders), 42/51 (June 1995), and 55/32 (March 1993).”
Kopel also compared the relationship between country's views of the NRA and its feelings about handgun control. A 2011 Gallup poll found that 73 percent of Americans did not support laws which would ban handguns, a record.
“As American public opinion has evolved from a majority to a super-majority which supports the right to own a handgun, public opinion has likewise moved towards a super-majority with a favorable view of the NRA.”
Kopel's conclusion: “Founded in 1871, the NRA views itself as ‘America's oldest civil rights organization,' an embodiment of American freedom values. These days, it seems that most Americans tend to agree.”
–Brian McCombie
Ohio PD Sells Guns for New Gear
Last September, the Springfield Police Division (SPD), Springfield, Ohio, acquired 17 new M-4 carbines with a value of just over $14,229.
Now, the Division is looking to upgrade its shotguns to the tune of some $15,000.
“The division, however, isn't using taxpayer money to acquire the firearms,” the Springfield News-Sun reported. “It's acquiring all that new equipment by trading other people's guns, each confiscated during a crime.”
Confiscated firearms used to take up space in the SPD property room.
“Now they're being swapped with federal firearms dealers to keep the division's firepower up to par in lean economic times. For Springfield's police division, it's a new way of dealing with the hundreds of seized firearms in its possession.”
“It's turning a negative into a positive,” said Lt. Brad Moos, who organizes trades for the division. SPD created very specific guidelines for potential trades. “Only sporting firearms-shotguns, rifles and handguns-used in misdemeanors or found by strangers and turned in are being traded.Guns also must have a visible serial number.”
“Something that's used to hurt someone, chances are, 98 percent of the time, that gun is going to the furnace,” said Police Chief Stephen Moody. “As a law enforcement officer, I don't want that gun back on the street. That's an affront to the victim.”
The firearm trades not only help SPD in these tough budget times. The trades have also freed up a good deal of space.
Last year's deal for the M-4's, for example, moved out 160 firearms.
“When I came down here,” said Sgt. Barry Eggers, who manages the property room, “we had 2,000 guns that go back decades. We had shotguns just lying all over the place.”
2012 Gun Prices
Before this Ohio police department buys new firearms, it'd be wise to do some research in The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2012. It contains gun prices for modern and vintage firearms.
Click to get this essential gun price guide for $16.15 (35% off retail).
Shooting Fundamentals for Concealed Carry Pistols: Stance and Grip
Last time around we talked about eye dominance and the importance it place on accurate shooting. Now we are getting into the building blocks of putting your rounds on target. If you need to draw your concealed carry pistol that means the fight is on. This is not target shooting. When the weapon comes out of the holster you need to be ready to fight, which means you need good balance and the ability to move. A fight is a dynamic thing, if you stand still, you will get killed. So let’s take a look at the proper shooting stance as outlined in the book Tactical Pistol Shooting by Erik Lawrence.
Stance
This fundamental of shooting is always important; it is the foundation for your shooting platform. For combat-type shooting, the stance should be solid, yet potently ready for movement. This stance looks like a fist-fighter’s stance. This stance should be very similar to your shooting stance for tactical carbines and shotguns and with the empty-hand martial arts. The less you have to change for different weapon systems, the more natural it will be. Make this stance a habit.
Feet
The feet should be shoulder-width apart. The non-firing foot is slightly forward of the firing foot (usually 3 to 6 inches) and is pointed to the target to be engaged. Your firing foot should be firmly planted and at up to a 45-degree angle outboard to provide you with balance.
Weight distribution between the non-firing foot and firing foot should be 60/40 and focused on your toes (essential in recoil management). Refer to Figures 5-2a and 5-2b. Your weight should be centered over the balls of your feet. This position also allows for quick lateral or forward movement.
Natural point of aim is very important for beginning shooters, as it is where the body naturally points and is a good starting place so you are not correcting for other mistakes. You can find your natural point of aim by acquiring your stance oriented at the desired target, closing your eyes, presenting your hands toward the target as if holding a pistol, and then opening your eyes. At what are you oriented? If it is not the center of the desired target, move your firing-side foot slightly forward or backward to bring your natural aim point to the desired area. Repeat until your hands are oriented to the center of the desired target.
Knees
Your knees should be slightly bent and your upper torso leaning forward. When you assume this position, you absorb the recoil through your body, which will allow you to speed up engagements.
Elbows
Your elbows should touch the side of your body. Stand with your head and shoulders square to the target and your head erect.
Your stance must be comfortable, so make sure you attain it every time you start your practice. It is quick to move from, you present the strongest part of your body armor, if used, and you are facing the known threat so you can analyze your courses of actions with the most amount of information available.
Grip
This section will teach a right-handed shooter who is right-eye dominant. You left-handers know the drill. If you are cross-eyed dominant you will still be using the same grip, just raising the pistol in front of your dominant eye.
With your unloaded weapon pointed in a safe direction and the index finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, use the non-firing hand to place the pistol in the web of the shooting hand. Make a fist around the handle of the pistol. Your grip should allow you to place your trigger finger so that you have maximum control. Your trigger finger should be straight and lie along the side of the frame or the outside of the trigger guard. Refer to Figure 5-4.
Be sure to fit the “V” of your hand, formed by the thumb and the index finger of the shooting hand, as high as possible on the backstrap of the frame. This placement is to help manage recoil more efficiently. Your grip holding the pistol should align the backstrap of the pistol with the wrist and forearm.
Your non-firing hand should now fill in the exposed grip panel from the back to the front to make a fist over your firing hand fingers. The thumb of your non-firing hand should be under the thumb of the firing hand, which is pushing down. The index finger of the non-firing hand should be indexed under the trigger guard, pushing up. Refer to Figure 5-5.
Try to apply most of the tension to hold the pistol with your non-firing hand, which allows you to relax your firing hand and obtain greater control with your trigger finger. My rule is a 70/30 ratio of non-firing hand to firing hand tension. Others think that equal pressure (50/50) is more easily learned and works well for some.
Use 100 percent of the grip panels; you can use skateboard tape to maximize friction. Pinch the heels of your hands together to get a complete grip. If you have extremely white knuckles or start trembling immediately, you are gripping too hard. You must find your happy medium, for this balance allows for sustained shooting if the need arises. You will find the more you lock your wrists using the top tendon, the more control you have with recoil management.
The arms form two sides of a triangle, your back the third, with your arms taking equal pressure in your position. The elbows are just under a full lock (keep it comfortable) to assist in allowing the recoil to go through the arms into your chest to help manage recoil. You may have to modify this grip and your elbows slightly as everyone has different hands, physical dimensions, and different pistols have various grips. Your grip must be consistent and comfortable. This isosceles of the arms is more natural to maintain under extremes than some forms of the Weaver technique. Train to use your natural instincts, not to counter them.
NOTE: Your grip will change as you become more proficient, and you should always check your grip before drifting any sights. Pistols come from the factory bench sighted in, and you should make your hand fit your pistol, not your pistol fit your hand. If you do this step correctly, you will be able to shoot quite well with any factory, out-of-the-box pistol. Try different pistols to learn which one fits you the best; there are many different grip angles out there, so check them out first.
These tips come directly from Tactical Pistol Shooting, the excellent book by Erik Lawrence available online at the Gun Digest Store. On Friday will talk about sight picture for the pistol shooter. Tactical pistol Shooting offers everything from shooting fundamentals like those shown here to dealing with extreme situations like shooting while wounded and speed reloading behind cover. This is a must-read for anyone with a CCW permit or who carries a pistol for work or self-defense.
To get your very own copy of Tactical Pistol Shooting at a great price, click here!
Free Download: Beginner's Guide to Handguns
Recommended Glock Resources:
The Most Important Gun in American History
If you were to try to determine which guns truly influenced the history of the world, you could draw a few conclusions.
Paging through The Greatest Guns of Gun Digest edited by Dan Shideler, you see the Colt Single Action and the Winchester 94, both guns that won the West and aided exploration into the last frontier. The Luger is included and that pistol played a role in WWII. The 1903 Springfield has a chapter dedicated to it and deservedly so as it was probably the greatest rifle in U.S military history. Many other guns are included in the book, and they are certainly great but how much did they influence the course of history?
What was one gun that was pivotal is changing the history of a society?
An obscure air rifle can be credited to have an enormous influence on how the young country of the United States of America developed.
It was a Girandoni, an Italian-made .46 caliber repeating rifle. How it arrived in America in 1803 is unknown but it became the essential weapon of Lewis and Clark on their westward explorations. Without the firepower of the Girandoni, Lewis and Clark may have never survived their journey.
Watch this brilliant video produced by the NRA's National Firearms Museum. It's the about history of the gun and how Lewis and Clark capitalized on its features which in turn, made their journey a success.
It is the most fascinating vintage air rifle you will ever come across.
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