Gun Thread: A Quickie! [Weasel]

Time for a Quickie?

Hey! I'm talking about the delicious, wholesome and refreshing milk chocolate drink, you perverts!

Geez - has it been another whole week already? And how in the ever-loving hell did it get to be September? Frankly, I'm not done with last summer yet, much less this one! I was going to lead off with some sort of Labor Day theme, but since celebrating Labor Day is for Commies, I decided agin' it. With your permission I'm going to keep this week's thread on the short and quick side if that's OK.

With that, let's see what there is to discuss, shall we?

One thing we hear a lot from new shooters, or old shooters looking at a new gun, is a certain model doesn't "fit" their hand correctly, or doesn't "feel" right. What I suspect they mean is that the grip isn't comfortable for one reason or another. A great example of this are the smaller pocket pistols, like the Ruger LCP or Sig P238, and it may be because they aren't able to wrap all four fingers around the grip and their pinky is just sort of hanging there with nothing to do. If you follow the Sig link, you'll see some models are shown with a magazine (the "clip" for you retards) extension to accommodate the undercelebrated smallest finger, the pinky. You can see what I'm referring to on the slightly larger Sig P230SL shown below.

Sig P230SL - see the pinky extension?

The fact is, even with space to join the other fingers, the pinky doesn't realy contribute much in terms of grip strength and it doesn't really matter if it's on the grip or not. Having said that, comfort and feel contribute bigly to a shooter's confidence so from that perspective, it's still important. I want my grip to be firm and comfortable, but also realize the benefit of these small guns is, well, their smallness. You can often become accustomed to a grip that doesn't feel comfortable to begin with through practice, and I always advise people to try a gun on the range whenever possible before they buy it. Many ranges offer rental guns in same the models they sell, and shooting a hundred rounds or so can give you a much better feel for the handling characteristics than a minute or two with it at the sales counter.

The whole idea behind these small compact pistols is concealed carry and use in a self-defense situation. These guns may not even be your primary carry weapon, but rather the one you take along when your usual handgun isn't practical. With that in mind, in an emergency do you really think you would notice how happy your pinky is, or would you be more focused on drawing the weapon and addressing the situation before you? I have never been in combat or had to draw a weapon on anyone, but I'm pretty certain in that circumstance I'd be all jacked up on adrenaline and wouldn't be thinking very much about the mechanics of my grip. I'll be the first to admit this is entirely conjecture on my part. I've never been in that situation and can only surmise what my reaction would be.

What do you think? Have any of you have any actual experience with this and if so, do you remember thinking about your grip at all, or am I just full of shit? Do you think a magazine pinky extension would help?

Next week we'll take a look at larger handguns and some aftermarket replacement grips that might make an initially uncomfortable gun into a comfy one.

Link-O-Rama
Well, despite being a holiday for Commies, Labor Day is big for sales in the world of retail, with gun stuff and ammunition being no exception. It pays to be ahead of the supply curve and wait for sales and free shipping offers when you can, rather than buying when you need it. Here are a few sales that found their way into my inbox this week:

Ammunition Store: SALE!
Georgia Arms: SALE and FREE SHIPPING!
Fulton Armory: SALE!
AR 500 Targets: SALE and FREE SHIPPING!
Powder Valley: Black Powder FREE HAZMAT!
White Oak Armament: FREE Bolt Carrier Group Upgrade Offer!
Palmetto State Armory: SALE!
Brownells: SALE!
Lucky Gunner: SALE!

If I missed your favorite, don't forget to check them out this weekend - chances are they're having some sort of special offer. If you choose to share links in the comments, please use tiny URL to keep the margins intact. Thank you!

We've spent some time lately discussing different range time practice strategies, and a couple of you have mentioned spending time with the .22LR as an economical way to do so. Our pal Butch makes a great point about using the often overlooked cartridge as a practice tool.

Dialed back to a .22LR pistol (S&W22 Victory) to focus on fundamentals

The 22LR is a great cartridge, and is often passed over in favor of larger caliber cartridges which make a bigger bang. As Butch demonstrates, it's the perfect cartridge with which to practice fundamentals, and it's hard to argue with his results! Nice shooting, Butch!

Please note the new and improved gmail account morongunthread at gmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Open Blogger at 07:00 PM

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