Let’s Get to the (Natural) Point…
If you ever get the chance to shoot a variety of guns at one range session, you might notice that you’ll do better with some pistols than others. For example, I can shoot quite well with a Springfield XDm but I can barely hit anything with my friend’s FNX-45. Now, I’m not going to sit here and say my distinct lack of skill isn’t a factor. At the same time, it might not be entirely my fault.
Yes, I’m going to show you why you might be able to blame the gun (up to a point).
If you pick any two different model guns from any two companies (1911s don’t count), you’ll notice that they are all radically different. That’s to be expected with today’s patents and copyrights and such. There’s also the fact that we are all different. There is no Goldilocks gun that fits every person perfectly. Smart people with all kinds of acronyms after their names wear lab coats and spend hours and hours trying to design gun grips that will fit as many people as possible. With the swappable back straps that many modern pistols come with, it means that a single design can fit even more people’s hands.
Ultimately, this means that pretty much any gun you pick up at a store is going to feel comfortable. The problem with that, however, is that comfortable to hold doesn’t always translate into shootability. Again, this is due to the differences in our anatomies.Let me show you what I mean. Pick a spot across the room. Focus on it. Now, close your eyes but try to keep your eyes from moving in the process. With your eyes closed, point at the spot. Now open your eyes. How close are you to the spot. I think that most of you will be surprised as to how close you got. This is your body’s natural pointing ability. Years and years of hand/eye coordination practice in your daily life has allowed you to be able to judge location like that. It’s one of the advantages of our binocular vision.
Now if you have a gun, make sure it’s safe and give this a try. Pick that same spot (provided it wasn’t a pet or loved one) and close your eyes just like before. Bring the gun up and put it at what you believe to be that spot (if you have some kind of a laser sight, this would work even better). Now, open your eyes and see how close the gun’s target is to that spot. In my own personal tests, I find that I tend to be aiming about 6 inches to a foot low with my Glock but I’m about spot on with my Ruger LC9 as well as my 1911. You can do a similar test at the gun store but, trust me, pick a spot on the floor that is a few feet away and not pointed at any other customer. Safety rules apply no matter where you are.
Everything from the angle and size of the grip to the height of the slide contributes to these differences. It’s important to try as many different models and styles as possible when shopping for guns. While we can learn to shoot well with any gun, if you’re just starting out it’s much better to use a gun that works with your natural point in order to give yourself a good head start on learning.
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