Pistols by hand size...?

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Redlich

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Hi everyone, this is my first post here. Exciting!

So which do you think is better, 9mm or .45acp?

JUST KIDDING! don't answer that ;)

My real question has to do with the general advice that people get when they ask the inevitable "which gun should I buy?" question. The best answer is usually "the one that fits you best" or the one that is the most comfortable. Unfortunately, learning what you like and don't like takes LOTS of trigger time on LOTS of different guns before you can start to notice what feels right and wrong, what's comfortable or strange, etc.

I've also heard some people say that they chose such and such a pistol because they have "big hands", so I assume that means the grips were thicker or otherwise shaped to be more comfortable for a larger paw.

I thought it would be helpful for me and other novice shooters if we were pointed in the right direction for pistols arranged by hand size as a starting point. I don't have any information on this, but it would be nice to know, for example, if a 1911 often fits large hands better, or a sig fits medium hands, or a glock smaller hands. I understand that compact models will fit smaller hands better than a service type pistol, but could anyone chime in on which models and brands they feel are the most appropriate for small, medium or big people?

Is this question even worth asking, or are most pistols pretty much the same? Let me know! :)

Thanks in advance,
Red

P.s. as far as men go, my hands are on the smaller side. not freakishly so, but definitely not large.
 
pistol size

Redlich said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post here. Exciting!

So which do you think is better, 9mm or .45acp?
Click to expand...
Official fence sitter answer---.40
That would be a great tool,but the sheer amount of pistols out there would make this almost impossible task---not to mention the ones with replacable side panels and interchangable backstraps. Approach angle between pistols,example 1911,glock,Beretta,H&k all different and your right back to "feel". Handle and shoot as many as you can before layin your $$$$.on the counter
 
I have small hands and long fingers I find the 1911 fits good but recoil is a bit hard, The glock 9mm is a good fit for me and recoil good, the more I shoot it the better I like it, the M&P 9mm is a good fit as well and with 3 back straps it will fit to most any shooter, the sig 22 is a great gun to shoot it is a 3/4 size to the full size sig but still fills your hand well, the 460 mag has rubber grips and fits like a glove ( had to throw that one in )........just my 2 cents worth.....................:wave:
 
Redlich said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post here. Exciting!

So which do you think is better, 9mm or .45acp?

JUST KIDDING! don't answer that ;)

My real question has to do with the general advice that people get when they ask the inevitable "which gun should I buy?" question. The best answer is usually "the one that fits you best" or the one that is the most comfortable. Unfortunately, learning what you like and don't like takes LOTS of trigger time on LOTS of different guns before you can start to notice what feels right and wrong, what's comfortable or strange, etc.

I've also heard some people say that they chose such and such a pistol because they have "big hands", so I assume that means the grips were thicker or otherwise shaped to be more comfortable for a larger paw.

I thought it would be helpful for me and other novice shooters if we were pointed in the right direction for pistols arranged by hand size as a starting point. I don't have any information on this, but it would be nice to know, for example, if a 1911 often fits large hands better, or a sig fits medium hands, or a glock smaller hands. I understand that compact models will fit smaller hands better than a service type pistol, but could anyone chime in on which models and brands they feel are the most appropriate for small, medium or big people?

Is this question even worth asking, or are most pistols pretty much the same? Let me know! :)

Thanks in advance,
Red

P.s. as far as men go, my hands are on the smaller side. not freakishly so, but definitely not large.
Click to expand...


Well I have a xs hand and was having trouble to find a pistol that fit my hand. People made me believe the term FIT is very important but sooner I found I've turning inside a circle without an answer. Now fit and controlable is a whole different story, some gun feel comfortable in hand but couldn't shoot worth a dime. Some gun don't feel comfortable to hold but is very easy to shoot well and able to control the muzzle jump with very little effort. I am finally settle on Glock and 1911 which I hated the most at the very beginning, is that a funny life? A lot of advise was base on persional experenice and may not apply to another person. rather to say which gun to buy, we should find out what gun should avoid to buy.

Trigun
 
I have moderately small hands and have fired every calibre except .50 on most brands and can tell you the calibre is a more important choice. Some are larger than others and heavier. Regardless of the grip size the 9mm guns were more comfortable to shoot for extended periods of time, say 2-300 shots. .45's were loud and difficult to master and keep completely under control without any visible limp wristing. Learning to do this though has made me a better shot.
The next considerstion is weight. The steal framed 1911's were far heavier than various aluminum framed semi's I have shot. I could hold the S&W's up to face level for far longer and steadier as well.

I mostly shoot .22 because it is cheap and can do it for 4-500 shots on my nifty Neos and only the tip of my trigger finger gets sensitive.
 
Redlich said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post here. Exciting!

So which do you think is better, 9mm or .45acp?

JUST KIDDING! don't answer that ;)

My real question has to do with the general advice that people get when they ask the inevitable "which gun should I buy?" question. The best answer is usually "the one that fits you best" or the one that is the most comfortable. Unfortunately, learning what you like and don't like takes LOTS of trigger time on LOTS of different guns before you can start to notice what feels right and wrong, what's comfortable or strange, etc.

I've also heard some people say that they chose such and such a pistol because they have "big hands", so I assume that means the grips were thicker or otherwise shaped to be more comfortable for a larger paw.

I thought it would be helpful for me and other novice shooters if we were pointed in the right direction for pistols arranged by hand size as a starting point. I don't have any information on this, but it would be nice to know, for example, if a 1911 often fits large hands better, or a sig fits medium hands, or a glock smaller hands. I understand that compact models will fit smaller hands better than a service type pistol, but could anyone chime in on which models and brands they feel are the most appropriate for small, medium or big people?

Is this question even worth asking, or are most pistols pretty much the same? Let me know! :)

Thanks in advance,
Red

P.s. as far as men go, my hands are on the smaller side. not freakishly so, but definitely not large.
Click to expand...

People say that yes, but its more then just hand size. Its what fits you, what feels good to you. I have larger hands, my G17 fits me like a glove, but my 92FS ( that i just sold) never felt right to me, just didnt "fit" me right. Doesnt mean it wont fit another person perfectly that has big hands. However, i know that a G19 wouldnt fit me as well just due to my experience with the G17.
 
it all depends on who trains you and your grip as well as what fits- thinner grip panels can make the world of difference on things like a 1911-i found the tokarev sloppy in my large paws, but i learned to live with it- and for smaller hands, thinner grip panels and a commander frame can accomodate smaller hands
 
Choosing a pistol by hand size is a very smart question to me. It's a very valid question to determine what a person can use to shoot properly. In many older shooting manuals explains shooting faults, one is the improper grip size for the hands. For example, I am finding that the only pistol my friend likely to use properly is a J-frame or K-frame type of revolver.

Most new service pistols will come with removable back straps. It doesn't really matter what sizes your hands are now a day. The smallest grip to my opinion will be the XD pistol. Comparing the XD to the Glock and M&P, the XD will have the thinner grip.

Which is better 9mm Parabellum or 45 ACP? I will answer your question with more questions to you. What are you going to shoot more? Living things or paper targets? The choice probably matters if a person cares about the cost of ammo or shooting at living things. The only differences between the two calibers is the wounding surface they can produce. Base on my memory 45 ACP makes 33% more wounding surface then 9mm Parabellum. Therefore a living creature bleeds and passes out faster when shot with a 45 ACP projectile. 9mm will probably a good choice to most people as it's the cheapest.

I also will advice new shooter to stay away from SIG, CZ and the older type of guns. The designs of these pistols are old and sometime unwell thought out by today's standards. For example, in your case I think that my recommendation is valid. New Gen 4 Glocks, M&Ps and XDM will have interchangeable back-straps for different hands. I can tell you that sometime you can blame the gun for shooting badly. In my
unknowledgeable opinion most shooters in Canada probably won't able to tell if it's the gun or themselves.

From my experience, I only found out if my Glock is fine for me by shooting a lot and practicing a lot with it. I think a person only will knows if a pistol is alright with him or her by using it a lot. I used to hate my Walther P99, as there is a bump on the grip that hurts my hand. Now that I have used a Glock for a while, I now like the Walther P99 more then before. As the Walther P99 has a smaller grip compared to the Glock. (Smaller grip as in the area where the web of the hand touches the frame to the trigger area is smaller)

I will offer you a quote by Bruce Lee and I hope it will be useful to you.

Research your own experiences for the truth
Absorb what is useful
Reject what is useless
Add specifically what is your own
- Bruce Lee
 
You should be able to wrap your mitts around the grip (if we are speaking of pistols, as opposed to revolvers) so that the MIDDLE of the distal pad of your index finger comfortably engages the trigger. To reach the trigger, you should not have to "stretch", which may mean the web of your hand disengages from the backstrap of the grip, nor should there be a large gap between the side of the grip and your index finger (like when the grip is too small).

Another part of fit, which is less objective, but certainly may bother accuracy, is the "feel" of the pistol in your hand. If it doesn't feel like it fits, you won't shoot with confidence... Yes, I know: you can train and train and train to overcome this, but why spend lots of time, energy, and money to overcome something that may be as simple a fix as another type of handgun?

Obviously, we are now blessed in the day and age with several manufacturers who market pistols with multiple backstraps - I think these are great, and certainly help sell more plastic fantastics... Heck, the idea was so great, Glock even had to copy it!

Cheers,

N
 
someuser said:
I also will advice new shooter to stay away from SIG, CZ and the older type of guns. The designs of these pistols are old and sometime unwell thought out by today's standards.
Click to expand...

If you're speaking strictly of design features such as replacable backstraps, then maybe I'd agree with you. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you consider to be an "old" design, what's wrong with that, and how they're not well thought out.
I have a CZ Shadow that fits my hand well, and if it didn't, I can get aftermarket grips to address that problem.
 
Hi. The cartridge doesn't matter. Fit to the hand is more about the frame size than the grips on either a pistol or a revolver. Too small can be fixed by changing the grips. Too big rarely so. Possible though. However, if the frame is too big for your hand, that won't help.
You have to be able to easily reach the trigger with no stress to your hand. Your best to go to your local gun shop and try a few handguns on for size. One that fits your hand just feels right. It'll balance well and the sights will be in-line with your eye when you raise the firearm.
 
I think calibre and mag style (Single stack vs double stack) is a good way to organize your approach.

A double stack .45 feels too big for my hands. Forget about a .50 AE Desert Eagle. Even with two hands it feels like I don have enough of the gun in my hand.

Even some double stack 9mms feel big on me. Glock 17s and 19s feel a bit big on me.
Browning high powers feel just right. (If only I didnt get such a bad hammer bite from them all the time!)

A single stack 1911 (in .45 or any calibre) feels perfect. Even a Coonan in .357 feels OK because its a bit long with the cartridge, but its just a single stack.

The new Sigs with the smaller grips feel great in any calibre. (Double stack multi cal.)

I was lucky enough to fire a baby browning once in .25 ACP. That thing felt PERFECT in my hand. I got to try a Walther PPK too. If only I could have kept them! I dont have small hands. They are pretty meaty, but I have short fingers so I guess thats why all the small stuff feels so great to me.

The smallest gripped gun I have ever owned is either the Norinco M93 or the Walther P22. both are single stack .22s

Guns like the Walther P22, the latest gen Glocks and many others like the M&P series come with interchangable grip pieces that let you taylor the size of the grip to your hand.


Frame size does come into it too though. (I am thinking specifically about the height of the grip)

I had a Glock 29 before. Thats a subcompact 10mm. I couldnt go more than a few rounds before adjusting my grip. I swithed to a single stack 1911 in 10mm and had no troubles.

I lost a couple rounds capactiy, but gained the ability to fire more accurately. I guess that the single stack/Double stack issue is at play here too though.

I dont know. I guess its just a huge world of tradeoffs and compromise. I only have two guns that fit me like a glove. A GP 100 with the old school fixed sight grip (Its small) and a Glock 19 that I did a grip reduction on. (Yeah I got flamed a lot for doing that but I like it. The gun that is, not the flaming)

Keep at it and you will find something you like.
 
Thanks to everyone so far for the info. I seems like many, many people had to go through several pistols before finding something that they really love, and although I'm willing to accept going through the same process, if I can shorten that learning curve, so much the better.

It's occurred to me why I never get as much of a benefit from handling pistols in shops as I thought I should have been getting, to this point I've never really felt any that were particularly "good" or "bad" feeling, but part of that problem (aside from just not knowing yet) is store policy and my habits.

Many of the shops I've visited will have trigger locks on their pistols, making it impossible to feel trigger pull... and for those times that they didn't, I never put my finger on the trigger anyways! The second thing you learn in safety courses, after pointing in a safe direction, is never put your finger in the trigger guard unless you want it to go boom! Live and learn. My understanding is that a different gun club in town (aside from the one I've already been using) has more of a real selection of pistols to borrow, so I'll have to take advantage of that. I've always found that asking semi informed or semi interested sales people to let me handle firearms is a very unpleasant experience and they rarely have any helpful information or tips.
 
One last observation: The 1911 was designed to be decent fit for the average person's hands. Remember, the pistol was to be for the US military, so there was bound to be considerable variation in hand size even within the minimum/maximum limits for stature.

That it also has 100 years of aftermarket development means there is likely a combo that will work with everyone's hands.
 
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