Free For All Friday 6-6-2014: 10mm Glocks and Grip Technique
Summer is here. In Florida that means two things: crippling heat and the constant threat of hurricanic apocalypse. The first makes it difficult to shoot at my beloved outdoor gun club. The second will drive you crazy if you sit there worrying about it all the time. Now, I know I’m not the only one that shoots outdoors and Florida certainly isn’t the only place that gets hot. We’ve talked in the past about how heat can affect your guns. The short is: you might notice them acting a bit more…lively…when you shoot them. Just as important: stay hydrated. Getting overheated saps your strength and impairs your thinking. Drinking a large amount of fluid will do wonders to alleviate that. Heat stroke is a horrible experience and one that’s pretty easy to avoid.
Let’s get to some scorching hot questions, shall we?
“I’m not a first time shooter, but I’m going to be a first time gun owner, after proper licensing and education. And I’m wondering what you think of the glock 20 10mm auto for a first time owner. I’ve shot one before and from what I remember I really liked it. So what’s your opinion on this gun for a first time owner?” -H
If someone ever says “Glocks are terrible guns” with a straight face, you can safely assume that anything else they say can be dismissed. That’s different, however, from “I don’t like Glocks” as that’s a personal opinion and they just don’t seem to fit some people. That’s a different discussion, however. The end result is that you can never go wrong with a Glock. They’re solid guns and a great value. The only thing I’d recommend is to check the grip angle. We talked about how to do that in an earlier post. Glocks have an angle that doesn’t jive with a portion of the public. That just leaves the 10mm round. You say you’re not a first time shooter so I would assume that you’re comfortable with recoil and such.
That being said, the 10mm round is a beefy round. To say it’s snappy is an understatement. It’s also an expensive round. Going to the range is going to cost significantly more as a result. My fear with using such a niche round is that, with the limited number of guns that shoot it, at some point manufacturers might decide that it’s not worth it to keep making them. At that point they’ll either stop making them or jack the price up even more. For my money, I would pick a .45 or, if you just really don’t want to go with that caliber, a .40.
What say you, new writer?
I’m going to use an anagorical question to attempt to answer this… Would you be the type of person who would by his child a Ferrari as a first car? Sure he/she may have driven a honda accord while he had his learners permit. Sure, they’ve taken a driver’s ed class. Yes, they drove around in an instructor’s car (the one with the extra brake pedal in the passenger seat). You’ve given them a stern talking to about personal responsibility and they are a really, really great kid. But you just can’t resist putting a shiny red 458 Italia under a big red bow in the driveway. That’s awesome (and i kind of wish I had you as a parent) but there is something to be said for working your way up to a Ferrari. You know, earning it.
As a counterpoint, the first gun I purchased for myself was light-weight 1911 commander in .45 ACP, and most would tell you that this is WAY too much gun for a first time owner. Of course, I’m 6 feet tall, weigh 200 lbs and can bench more than my own weight. So I suppose this course of logic would lead me to say that if you are 6’4″ tall, weigh 260lbs and have the grip strength of a veteran lumberjack, then a 10mm polymer (read: light weight) pistol would make a fine first gun.
“I have a question about grip. I was shooting this weekend and was having a tough time hitting anything. I know it was my grip that was giving me fits. I was shooting a S&W SD9 9 mm. When I shot my 38 special, I was right on target each time. I am pretty sure it was my grip that was slightly off. However, I know the trigger pull on the S&W is a tough one so that could be part of the problem.” -Skylar R.
Revolvers and polymer pistols always seem to work differently. Personally, I shoot my revolver far better than my pistols as well. The best grip for pistols seems to be the “thumbs forward” grip. We talked about this is one of our guides but, considering this is a Skylar question, I think it’s safe to assume you’ve read it. Based on that assumption, let’s look at some possibilities that aren’t primarily with the grip. While we surprisingly haven’t done a guide on this yet, take a look at your stance. A lot of places push the Weaver stance and while it’s more comfortable, the isosceles stance will give you far better accuracy and control. Look for a guide on that in the very near future. Beyond that, extensive dry fire practice is the best recommendation I can give.
How about you, Chris? Any thoughts on this one?
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE… That’s the best piece of advice I can give you regarding accurate shooting. I would recommend a high and tight, two-thumbs forward grip (or thumb under grip) with a decent stance. If you are shooting poorly, but consistently poorly (meaning always low-left or such) start shooting instructional targets which have advice based on bullet strike locations (see picture). Hope this helps.
Thanks for the questions!
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