Help me mod Glock to reduce limp wristing UPDATE SOLVED

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Moe

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Have shot IPSC for 20 years and shot pistols for many years before that. I use a proper stance and grip. lately I have been suffering lack of grip strength from nerve damage. As a result I am limp wristing my G17.

I have retired from IPSC and so have pumped up my handloads well above the light power factor required for the sport to just under the max loads. I also have tried 115, 124, 147 gr projectiles but non of this seems to have any effect. I have tried other polymer guns and this happens with them too. I have since started just shooting my wheel guns but do miss the Glock.

I have an idea. Does anyone think there is merit in filling the void in the grip with lead shot and setting it there with adhesive? Add to that what about an aluminum or better yet steel weight to the accessory rail? Perhaps a metal light unit?

I hope someone does not jump on comments about grip strength exercises or that I have wimpy grip strength. Folks I am injured and it isn't going to get better so lets leave that alone.

I appreciate your advice on the mods or loads to try. Thanks folks.

Cheers
Moe
 
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Can you show us pics of your grip from all sides? It might help us see what may be causing your issue.

Is your nerve damage to the point that your hand cannot grip the gun and you have space between the grip and your hand?
Also, are both your hands damaged? Can you use your support hand to firm up your grip?
Have you tried shooting support side instead? Or modifying your grip?

I would think adding weight might make it worse as the gun will be front heavy and make you loosen your grip even more.
 
This nerve damage, does it effect both your hands? If not, I’d say the best thing you could do is learn to be a lefty.
 
Moe said:
Have shot IPSC for 20 years and shot pistols for many years before that. I use a proper stance and grip. lately I have been suffering lack of grip strength from nerve damage. As a result I am limp wristing my G17.

I have retired from IPSC and so have pumped up my handloads well above the light power factor required for the sport to just under the max loads. I also have tried 115, 124, 147 gr projectiles but non of this seems to have any effect. I have tried other polymer guns and this happens with them too. I have since started just shooting my wheel guns but do miss the Glock.

I have an idea. Does anyone think there is merit in filling the void in the grip with lead shot and setting it there with adhesive? Add to that what about an aluminum or better yet steel weight to the accessory rail? Perhaps a metal light unit?

I hope someone does not jump on comments about grip strength exercises or that I have wimpy grip strength. Folks I am injured and it isn't going to get better so lets leave that alone.

I appreciate your advice on the mods or loads to try. Thanks folks.

Cheers
Moe
Click to expand...


I dont know if you would get enough weight in there to make a difference .... However maybe worth a try if you can get it in for a test without gluing it so you can get it back out if it doesnt work.

Also worth a try is an extra heavy guide rod. I have one and it adds a bit of weight. Might not fix the issue but help .. maybe together with lead in the grip?

I wonder if it would help if you had a ported barrel so it reduces muzzle flipping up? This may or may not help cycling the gun.

If all fails have you considered a .22 slide? I just got an advantage arms set and although its not like shooting a 9mm but better than giving up the glock ...


Also, assuming you have a 9mm, are stronger calibers less prone to limp wristing, assuming it doesnt cause you other issues?
 
Maybe it's just me but this sounds odd:

"I have retired from IPSC and so have pumped up my handloads well above the light power factor required for the sport to just under the max loads."

Your loading in the wrong direction of help. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know but a heavy bullet w/ a light charge of fast powder = less recoil. Maybe you should tailor a very light load just for your G17. Coupling that with a gas pedal/thumb rest and an aggressive grip texture should help a bit.

I too am getting old(er) and my hands are starting to show signs of arthritis, so I feel your pain. I think eventually we all need to accept that aging creates limitations, some of which cannot be overcome. Maybe it's time to move away from light polymer guns altogether?
 
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im going to offer a different solution although an unorthodox one, begin shooting with your other hand. my father was in a car accident in the early 2000s and had a bad shoulder injury from it that he has never fully recovered from, he was no longer able to shoulder a long gun on his right side so he retrained himself to shoot lefty. of course this wasn't ideal but it was that or not shoot anymore. pistols he can still hold up with his right but not for long duration.

if your condition does not improve, shooting with your off hand may be a solution, its still possible to use your dominant eye and non dominant hand with a pistol
 
Perhaps, try your lightest bullet and lightest powder charge, with a light recoil spring. It should cycle with much less effort and not require alot of grip strength.
 
Making the gun heavier will aid with reducing the recoil. But with more mass on the fore end from a heavy guide rod and possibly a weight attached to the rail of the frame will tend to make the gun wave around for longer and take longer to settle for a next shot. So if you still take part in action shooting events of any sort it will likely hurt your rapid shooting as much as it helps your grip.

I tend to think that grip tape (or stippling) will help as much or perhaps more than adding any weight(s) other than perhaps a heavy guide rod. Mostly in terms of being an aid in this area without becoming too much of a good thing and having it hurt as much or more than it helps you.

As well you might want to double check your grip technique. You shot a lot of IPSC so likely your grip style is good. But like many of us you might be used to having enough grip strength that it allows us to get a bit sloppy with our technique. With a strong grip a bit of sloppiness doesn't hurt us greatly. But if you're losing that strength a good way to help yourself out is to focus on a really optimum grip style each time. If a small petitt lady can hold a handgun and not have it dance around by using a good "deep in the hands" grip technique then it should work with your own reduced grip strength too. If you need a bit of a refresher look up "travis haley handgun grip" on YouTube. It's one of the better ones I've seen. Basically if you can't shoot "stronger" then shoot "smarter" and be sure you are doing the best YOU can do. Then add on the gun fixes.
 
The flashlight on the rail is an idea. That works for IPSC World Champion Bob Vogel, he hollowed out a flashlight and filled it with lead I think, or some heavy metal and he uses that for shooting Standard/Limited.
 
Being faced with a similar issue of loss of grip strength inducing a degree of Limp-wrist problems, and a burning desire to continue shooting and improving with my 48, I did two things; mounted a TLR-6 on the trigger guard, and had an aggressive stippling job done to the grip.
The TLR 6 does little, if anything other than providing a light/laser which I’’ve always preferred on a pistol. The stippling though was a different story. It, combined with returning to a weaver stance from isosceles stance, lets me get a much better hold on the gun and almost eliminated failures as a result.
I don’t think it’s the only solution, or the best one necessarily, but it’s very helpful. The 48 is very light compared to even a 19, so additional weight is something I’m also toying with.
 
Only thing I'd say, which really is a terrible way to look at it, I'd trade in the traditional grip, for one of those new fangled grips that trade hand strength for leverage.
 
Transitioning to a C grip is an option. It's hard to help without knowing the extent of your limitations in both hands though.

A lighter recoil spring would help, and you can get mag wells that come with a weighted grip insert. I know Zev makes them for sure.

Switching to lefty sounds unreasonable, but it's not as hard as you may think. I practiced solely with my left hand for about 6 months and now I can switch at will.
 
I think you could go with a lighter recoil spring and a aftermarket guide rod.. Start loading lighter loads. I know guys on PPC/Handgun nights are running 10# recoil springs. Running like 3.1 grns of 231 with 120grn and functions well.

You could get a brass magwell, and weighted mags.
 
There are manufactured frame weights for glocks you could try as well. As others have stated, it might help but it might also make holding on target more difficult. Lighter loads, lighter recoil spring, a compensator, frame weight or a combination of these could possibly help too. I think you’d have to do some experimenting to find out for sure though.
 
Thank you all for the great advice. I am interested in trying the reduced spring route. The gun in a gen 3 using stock spring but I don't know what that would be for strength. Anyone know where I can find a reduced spring?

Cheers
Moe
 
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