Proper Pistol Fit
June 7, 2024
It’s no secret. Shooting a pistol with accuracy and consistency can be a challenge. It becomes even more challenging if your pistol doesn’t fit properly in your hands. While commonly overlooked, improper pistol fit is something that can be easily rectified and, when done correctly, can have dramatic positive effects on your shooting accuracy.
Everyone’s hands and fingers are sized differently but the technique of shooting your gun accurately remains the same: press the trigger while adding as little motion to the gun as possible. If the pistol fits you properly, you are less likely to introduce motion to the muzzle, making for a more accurate shot. At SIG SAUER Academy, instructors frequently evaluate students during live fire exercises. When they see students pushing or pulling their shots to the left or right of their targets, instructors will often identify an improper gun fit as one of the potential issues. Here’s how you can do this at home.
Pad vs. Distal Shooters
Some people are pad shooters, some are distal joint shooters and some prefer pressing the trigger somewhere in between. The pad is the area on the opposite side of your fingernail. The distal joint is where your finger flexes just below the pad. In some respects, shooting a pistol is similar to golf. For right-handed shooters, if you have too much finger in the trigger guard, it’s because you’ve gone past the distal joint which will cause you to slice or pull the shot right. Also, you could potentially touch your support hand on the other side of your grip, causing additional interference and pushing your shots off-target. The most common cause of this is a grip on your pistol that is too small. But if you have too little finger in there and you can’t get your pad on the trigger, you end up pushing the gun and hooking your shot to the left. This often means that your grip is too large. Of course, the opposite is true for left-handed shooters. SIG SAUER Academy instructors recommend dry-fire practice with an unloaded gun in a safe environment to perform these troubleshooting techniques.
How to Fix an Improper Pistol Fit
Most guns have detachable/replaceable grips with varying sizes that allow you to get a better feel. With the SIG SAUER Classic Line series (P220, P238, P226, P227, P228, P229, P938), replaceable grip panels are available, offering different sizes and contact areas to better fit to the size your hand. In addition, there is the E2 Grip Upgrade Kit which offers a significant reduction in size for your grip. You may also decide that you need to adjust the reach of your trigger to compensate for your hand size. Trigger adjustments are armorer-level adjustments and must be performed by a certified SIG SAUER armorer.
The Perfect Pistol Fit with P320 and P365 Grip Modules
For P320 and P365 owners, modularity is the name of the game and so adjusting the gun to your particular hand size is as easy as removing the slide, removing the fire control unit and placing it into a new grip module, a process that takes only seconds. SIG SAUER offers three different grip module width choices for the P320: small, medium and large. Not sure what size grip mod came with your P320? Just look at the back of the grip mod near the lanyard hole. You should see either S, M or L (small, medium, large). Most P320s ship with a medium grip mod so deciding on sizing should be straight forward. For P365 owners, grip modules are available based on the model of the pistol (P365 Standard, P365X, P365XL, P365-XMACRO). All grip modules are available for purchase at the SIG Webstore.
Flat and Curved Triggers
The choice between a flat and curved trigger can significantly influence shooting performance and comfort. Flat triggers help in achieving consistent finger placement. The flat surface provides a uniform feel regardless of where your finger presses, which can lead to more consistent shooting. Many shooters find that flat triggers give a cleaner and more direct feel during the pull. This can sometimes create the perception of a lighter trigger pull, which may enhance performance, especially in precision shooting.
For many shooters, curved triggers provide a more natural finger positioning, which can feel more intuitive and comfortable, especially for traditionalists or those with certain ergonomic preferences. The curved design can help in pulling the trigger straight back with minimal lateral pressure. This can enhance control over the trigger pull, which can contribute to better accuracy. Additionally, curved triggers have been around for a long time and are what many shooters learned with. This familiarity can translate into better performance for those accustomed to this style. Also, depending on the shooter’s hand size and finger length, a curved trigger might fit more ergonomically, providing a more secure and comfortable shooting experience.
VIDEO: Fitting Your Pistol to Your Hand (Grip Fit)
Once you have your gun perfectly matched to your particular hand size, consistent, accurate shot placement should be easier to attain. Looking for additional advice or training tips? Head over to the SIG SAUER Academy YouTube channel or better yet, book a class at SIG SAUER Academy either in Epping, New Hampshire or at one of the many remote locations around the country.
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