May 20th, 2022
5minute read
Grasp is fundamental to good, safe handgun shooting.
It is literally where shooter meets gun, the interface between man and machine.
A less-than-hard grasp is also deleterious to accuracy.
Our fingers are sympathetic: when one tightens, the other wants to tighten with it.
It will become more pronounced the faster youre trying to shoot.
In fact, that term found its way into the lexicon of shooters many generations ago.
The Cure
So, whats the cure?
Simple: The Crush Grip.
Do an easy exercise with me as you read this.
Let all the fingers except the trigger finger relax.
Youll see your other fingers are closing with it.
Now, lets do that one more time.
But this time, close those bottom three fingers as tightly as you might!
Voila!You have just experienced the instant cure for milking the trigger.
But, Wait …
Some will tell you that if you crush with maximum force, your trigger finger will freeze up.
You just experienced for yourself the fact that it didnt.
I know I dont.
Primary Sources
If anyone tells you that great shooters dont grip the gun hard, theyre wrong.
Askins contemporary Bill Jordan was also an advocate of the very hard grip.
So was Col. Rex Applegate.
I asked Rex once what he meant when he advocated convulsive grip.
He answered, I mean hold the God-damned gun as hard as you’re able to!
Advocates of the crush grip dont just belong to the past.
And its not just about shooting; as mentioned earlier, it has an impact on safety.
