Is it me?

P

Pond James Pond

New member
I've just a read a thread about someone's new .44Spl GP100.

Now I like the .44Spl, so I had a look and then I decide to window-shop on the Ruger website even if there is no Ruger seller in this country anymore.

And as I opened the website and the opening image of the GP100 has a guy shooting a GP and an "instructor".

Is it me or is the guying shooting holding the revolver in a semi-auto style?
Isn't the thumb of the support hand not supposed to tucked over the the strong hand thumb?

I thought thumb forward meant a risk of cylinder-gap thumb removal....
 
He is holding the gun semi-auto style; probably just habit. I don't think a typical target .44 spl round would take off your thumb. It would burn your thumb and of course it would hurt. But considering where his thumb actually is, I don't think he'd get burned.

I don't think it's necessarily a rule that one wraps their support thumb over their strong thumb; I believe it's a Jerry Miculek thing (I don't know that Jerry invented that style, but he's the first one I ever saw do it). I do it, but I know a lot of people that don't.
 
Shooter also seems to be something of a front trigger
guard holder and his offhand thumb seems long.

So I take it that yes, he's more of an auto shooter
and he has big hands.

But that "long thumb" is still far enough back to not
get burned.
 
This is an old photo of me firing an automatic. But my grip is the same, more or less, for a sixshooter:



I support the gun with the trigger guard in the crook of my off hand index finger, thumbs sort of side-by-side. The fingers of my left hand wrap the right (shooting) hand. This has sort of evolved for me in over sixty years of handgunning.



Letting loose a stout one.



Bob Wright
 
Just shot an ICORE match with some grand masters. Guess how they hold their revolvers? Just like the instructor in that image on the Ruger website. It’s very common amongst competition revolver shooters. And it’s how i grip my revolver too. Thousands and thousands down range with that grip. As long as you keep the thumb below the cylinder it’s a non-issue. I know that it’s not seen as acceptable by more traditional shooters, but these times are a’ changin’. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Staged marketing photo shoots don't count. That GP was probably empty. Dunno how super the guy is but he most likely is a model. They should have hired a fat old guy and be more realistic. snicker.
 
Doesn't matter what gun it is the rule is simple, and constant. If your hand is in the wrong place, the gun will tell you! Usually painfully.

Otherwise, there is no "wrong" there is only what works better or worse, for the shooter.

I've shot a number of guns where a high thumb was a bad idea. Shot others where it wouldn't matter, but since I have some that it does matter, my grip style is to keep me out of the way of moving metal and hot gas.

Yes, James, it's you. ;)
(must be you, you asked the question! :D)
 
I also grip a revolver just like the guy in the photo. Still have both thumbs and have never suffered any burns. Like Radney97 I know a couple of very good revolver shooters who do the same.
 
To me, the guy is pushing the limit of thumb safety. I just wouldn't have it that far out, especially with higher velocity rounds. Thumb placement for both platforms is more of a comfort thing than any advantage in shooting, so it wouldn't hurt him to move his thumb down a tiny bit. He's not in serious danger of injury with where his thumb tip is but, again, it's pushing it. He might go 10,000 rounds without a single problem, but it only takes 1 round and he only gets one thumb. As always, just my opinion.
 
OK, so this style is potentially fine with a revolver.

I guess there's only one way to find out:

Here's my Redhawk... now where are those "make NASA proud" 240gr rounds I loaded?
 
Pond unless you have thumbs as long as the chicken fingers in the above YouTube video you will be fine. I was told my GP100 could not be safely shot using the thumbs forward grip. It certainly can be. CAUTIOUSLY experiment with your nuclear loads. I think you will find there is more margin for error than most think.
 
Mr. Pond;

If serious injury/spontaneous amputation occurs, please post pics/video as soon as practical. Bored to tears over here.
 
Looks like to me, his thumb is well behind the front of the cylinder, and not at risk at all from Cylinder Gap flash/blowby. This coming from a shooter of a firearm known to completely remove digits with it's Cylinder Gap blast. While the average blast from the gap of a .357 will scare the bejebers outta ya when it catches you by surprise, I doubt if it would draw blood unless you were shaving bullets with the forcing cone.

So yes.....it's you.
 
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