GunBroker.com, the leading online marketplace for firearms and ammo, promotes responsible ownership and use of firearms. With their experts, GunBroker.com talks about the most common mistakes in grip and stance.
“Owners should always strive for a complete mastership in their firing techniques. To properly and safely use a firearm, one has to perfect their stance and grip,” says GunBroker.com.
GunBroker.com goes on to say that the significant mistakes amateur or novice gun owners tend to make in regards to gun grip is taking inspiration from movies and TV. That real-life technique is very different than what you see action heroes do. “Tea-Cup Grip is when the magazine of the gun is seated into the palm of the support side hand. When you hold the pistol in this way, you are essentially firing one-handed as the bottom hand does little in the form of support,” says GunBroker.com. The recommendation GunBroker.com provides for the proper pistol grip will have the barrel in line with the bones in your forearm, with your thumb pointing down the slide. The support hand will have an equally firm grim with your fingers wrapping over the top of your first hand. This “thumbs forward” grip allows the large muscle of your thumb to settle up against the gun.
The biggest stance issue for pistols GunBroker.com says is “Tactical Turtle.” This stance is where both arms extend into a locked position with shoulders raised high. This position is highly closed and requires the entire stand to restart to fire again. The correct stance GunBroker.com says is a “fighting stance.” A stance where one foot is back about shoulder-width apart. You should extend your arms but not lock them to allow more flexibility; shoulders should be engaged slightly but not raised too high, making sure to lean somewhat onto the balls of your feet. This form allows the highest level of accuracy when using a pistol.
For rifles, GunBroker.com says the most common mistake is what they call “loose rifle.” This incorrect grip technique is where the handgrip is firm, but the shoulder only loosely supports the gun. This improper technique allows the rifle to move around quite a bit, highly increasing inaccuracy and recoil and creating an unpleasant experience. The correct method GunBroker.com says is to use your support hand and firmly drive the butt of the stock into your shoulder. This grip will make the gun move less and allow a higher level of accuracy in the sights.
As for rifles, GunBroker.com says one of the most significant issues with stance is range lean. A stance where shooters lean back at the hips to align with their target. Leaning is a bad habit that forms early in most shooters and can cause significant problems down the line with both accuracy and the fatigue it can generate. The proper stance GunBroker.com says is to lean the upper body forward slightly towards the target, leaning into the gun and allowing better management of recoil and accuracy down the sights.
“If you ever have questions about your stance or grip, a piece of advice is to set up a camera and record yourself firing,” says GunBroker.com, “It can be hard to see what you are doing as you are doing it but can be quite obvious when you see it on camera.”
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