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Course Outline

Your hand position on the grip of a handgun is vital to hitting the target. Although the grip configurations of the revolver and the semi-automatic pistol are different, the gripping procedure is the same.

  • For a right-handed shooter, the right hand is the "shooting" or "strong" hand and the left hand is the "support" or "weak" hand. For a left-handed shooter, the shooting and support hands are reversed.
  • Hold the handgun high on the grip so that the recoil is directed back to the hand and arm in a straight line. This allows better repeat shots and more accurate shooting.
    • With a semi-automatic, the rear extension of the frame limits how high your hand can be placed.
    • With a revolver, your hand might be able to hold onto the gun quite high.
One-handed grip

One-Handed Grip

To grip a handgun properly:

  • Grasp the gun under the frame and trigger guard with your support hand. Do not cock the gun, and do not touch the trigger.
  • Open your shooting hand so that your thumb and index finger form a V.
  • Place the V as high on the frame as possible so that the grip of the gun rests firmly in the palm of your shooting hand.
  • Curl your fingers around the gun's grip with your index finger extended along the side of the gun and off the trigger.
  • Unit 3 of 10
  • Topic 4 of 5
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