Does it really matter how I hold the Gun?

[meanwhile]

Apparently I hold my gun "wrong" when shooting. Nevermind that I hit the target "dead on" six out of ten times.

Does it really matter how I hold the gun? It is a 357 Magnum snub-nose. I only have it for "emergencies" (Translation: If some nut is trying to come in the house.) I target shoot on a regular basis and have improved.

My sons are insisting that I need to change where I hold my left hand. Usually I grab my right arm on the forearm to steady my arm. The sons claim I must use the left hand to hold directly on the right "fist" area but not touching the gun.

Does it matter? Any videos showing a proper hold? Thanks.

[ryanthomas]

Yes, it matters. But not so much for a revolver.

[tinknal]

If when driving you only "hit your target" 6 out of 10 times would it be acceptable?

[JuliaAnn]

I hold my revolver in the manner described by your sons--held in right hand (I'm right handed) and left hand cupped around my right hand. My hands are small and for me, this grip works very well, it feels good.

Now when I use a rifle, especially on a bench, my husband ridicules me because I hold it to my right shoulder, right hand on the trigger area as usual, but I extend my left hand and sort of align my left index finger along the barrel of the rifle out toward the end, sort of like you hold a pool cue. It helps to steady the barrel for me, and like you I not only hit the target within the bullseye zone, but have tight grouping as well. It works for me, I have taken numerous deer with this position, all clean kills. I don't know why I hold it in this position, except that it feels natural for me.

I would personally say that whatever works best for you in terms of accuracy and comfort is good. But especially accuracy.

[fantasymaker]

It seems to matter to your sons,not so much to the target.

[Old Vet]

If hitting the target six times out of ten is good enough why change. If you want to hit the target nine out of ten you can try. In shooting a revolver I always use the single hand. But if you are not strong enough to hold it on target then just about anything you do to steady it is OK. I have taught a lot of people to shoot and what works for many may not be for you. I use the single hand by turning my body sideways to the target and holding my revolver out to the side. This gives a smaller target to the other shooter and it is easier to steady the revolver. I never learned to shoot when strait on to the target.

[Txrider]

Originally Posted by meanwhile

Apparently I hold my gun "wrong" when shooting. Nevermind that I hit the target "dead on" six out of ten times.

Does it really matter how I hold the gun? It is a 357 Magnum snub-nose. I only have it for "emergencies" (Translation: If some nut is trying to come in the house.) I target shoot on a regular basis and have improved.

My sons are insisting that I need to change where I hold my left hand. Usually I grab my right arm on the forearm to steady my arm. The sons claim I must use the left hand to hold directly on the right "fist" area but not touching the gun.

Does it matter? Any videos showing a proper hold? Thanks.

Yes it matters.. The steadier and more stable your hold, the steadier your aim is.

Though if you only use is for self defense in the home, you might do well to practice several holds, shooting from several positions, and maybe even shooting left handed.

[meanwhile]

I have tried holding the gun in the manner instructed by the boys, however, it "feels" off and I have not been able to improve my accuracy that way. I have improved when I just hold my right arm with the left hand.

I tried it again today but, again, did not like it.

Seems to me that it will be best for me to just keep practicing "my way" and improve but at the same time, just try the other way so that in any emergency, then both ways will be familiar to me.

I have weak wrists and after target shooting I have to take advil or alleve for the wrist pain. I guess for those of us who have weak joints, we just have to practice and improve as best we can.

Thank you everyone.

[ArmyDoc]

Your stance can make a big difference in how steady you can hold the weapon. Try googling "weaver stance" or "modified weaver stance". There are a lot of pictures out there, and whole web pages dedicated to shooting technique. Here are two.





Usually instructors teach that the dominant hand holds the weapon, with the non-dominant hand wrapped around it. For further stability, many people recommend pulling in with the non-dominant hand while pushing out with the dominant hand.

The first picture has you standing square to the target, leaning slightly in with your arms forming an isosceles triangle. The other has you take a step forward with the non-dominant foot and slightly bending the non-dominant arm.

Which is better depends on who you talk to, but I think you will find using the non-dominant hand to support your dominant hand at the weapon will be more stable than supporting your dominant hand at the wrist.

[kirkmcquest]

As long as you don't look like this guy;

[ronbre]

no it doesn't matter as long as you are hitting the target..each person has their own abilities to do things their way..like I hold a pencil different than my husband ..and we are both different than most people..

[Bearfootfarm]

You'll be MORE stable with the proper grip, like ArmyDoc posted.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by kirkmcquest

As long as you don't look like this guy;

Roffle...that came to mind when i saw the thread title

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by meanwhile

.... Any videos showing a proper hold? Thanks.

Here's a video of a very charming lady shooting her .454 Casull revolver (which is a bit more powerful than your .357 mag). The video shows a proper hand hold (BTW, if you're not using a proper hand hold with a .454 Casull, the revolver would fly right out of your hands!)

Click on the photo below to watch the video:

[Cabin Fever]

The steadier you hold any high power handgun - revolver or semi - the faster you will be able to get the sight back on target. It is especially important to hold a semi steady to prevent the stovepipe of spent cartridge (read: jamb) which is caused by a "limp wrist."

[Yvonne's hubby]

A buddy of mine used to criticize my method of gripping my 357 with one hand outstretched and the other behind my back. That stopped the day we were riding and spotted a snake crossing the road about 200 yards ahead of us. I popped its head off with the first shot, put the gun back in the saddle bag and just sorta grinned at him. He wanted to see me do it again, but obviously I couldnt, the snake only had one head and it was gone! I would say you should hold your weapon anyway you feel most comfortable. It has always worked well for me.

[Pink_Carnation]

Originally Posted by tinknal

If when driving you only "hit your target" 6 out of 10 times would it be acceptable?

Umm I don't have targets when driving.

I would say though that hitting the target dead on 6 times is great but the real issue is how far off are the other 4?

[Cascade Failure]

As long as you can consistently hit your target I don't care if you shoot with your feet.

That said, six out of ten leaves room for improvement. Try some of the suggestions posted here and see what works for you.

For the record, anytime I shoot I will practice one handed and off-hand shooting but I am consistently more accurate using the Weaver stance Armydoc posted.

[Ed Norman]

There is nothing wrong with using the proper or most stable techniques. Grabbing your right forearm to steady it still leaves the right wrist free to wobble. Grabbing the left hand like ArmyDoc showed locks the wrist, especially with a slight push-pull. Not enough to make a tremor, just enough to firm things up. Then if you kinda tighten your neck a bit and lean your head slightly forward, you can solidify your whole spine, handy for when you compete at the highest class levels.

Hitting 7 out of 10 is better than 6, etc.

[Cyngbaeld]

Get a couple of rubber balls or hand exercisers and work on strengthening your grip.

Or get some dairy goats and hand milk. I can hold and shoot my .38 revolver one handed since I started hand milking.