Jerry Miculek alternative hand position

H

HighValleyRanch

New member
Does anyone use this style of hand position for revolver shooter that Jerry Miculek shows for j frame revolvers.

(this is from his page at:)
http://www.shootingusa.com/PRO_TIPS/MICULEK2/miculek2.html
towards the bottom holding a J frame.

I really like this position on my LCR and found that it helps with the recoil.
Many times if you watch people shooting their small revolvers, you will notice that their support fingers slip and they have to rewrap after each shot, sometimes unconsciously. I find that this grip feels more secure.
And no, I don't have trouble transitioning to normal hold with my glock or other semi-autos (some people fear that using a grip like this will be bad because you might forget and hold the auto like this with bad consequences!LOL)
 

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I have always really liked that technique for revolvers when I use two hands. It's natural and really locks the firearm tightly into the web of your hand. Old pictures I have seen lead me to suspect that this method was pretty normal before automatics became common. Just watch that muscle memory if you grab an autoloader in a hurry.
 
I don't use it because I shoot semi-autos more than I do revolvers, and I am one of those who thinks it's better to use the same basic grip for everything. Wrapping the weak hand thumb across the backstrap like that is an invitation to get it shredded by the slide with a semi-auto, so I'll stick to the basic grip shown in the photo just above the J-frame ... the one with the two thumbs overlapping.
 
That's old school technique, prior to auto's becoming so popular alot of people used a similar grip . That's where the terms" train tracks" across the back of the thumb came from.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
 
I'll have to give that a try. I always use the same thumbs forward grip on my J-frame that I do with all of my other pistols, and typically end up with a cracked thumbnail since I tend to forget about the cylinder gap.
 
Thumbs-ahead is exactly how I hold my revolvers (a SW 649 J-frame). I have triple jointed, long mutant thumbs (ok not quite but still) so theyre long enough so I can comfortably place and anchor my left thumb over my right thumb knuckle area (i'm sure there's some anatomical name for it). Using the torquing push with the shooting hand/pull with the support hand grip, my long-esque thumbs really assist in a solid grip, resulting in good recoil management. Not everyone can arrange their support hand thumb like me and Jerry M., but a thumbs forward grip, while ideal for a semi, still can be nearly as effective for wheelguns - just keep your thumbs free of the front of the cylinder! Pic 1 shows my usual thumb-over-thumb grip. Pic 2 shows a possible thumbs forward grip (not needed cuz my thumbs are long enuff to anchor back, but just here for comparison), and pic 3 shows the problem I would face: as seen from above, with thumbs-ahead, my firing index finger is running into my support-hand thumb when the trigger is pulled back, another reason for me not to use thumbs-ahead.
Of course being a revolver-ero, old habits die hard. When I recently rented a GLOCK on the firing range, I got bit as semi slides don't agree with the "thumb-back" mode for some reason (!), so I went to the proper semi grip after the first shot.

I want to comment on proper revolver grip technique. HighValleyRanch did mention that so many Youtube videos feature gunners shooting J-frames adjusting after each shot. Then said shooters complain "Ugh, the gun kicks in my hand!!" I have noticed this too, and wondered about this for a while, and it irks me. I have a theory on this issue - I believe that is not due to heavy recoil, but rather to the shooter's weak, "I'll concentrate on on the trigger for a good group!" grip. They baby the trigger to keep the front sight true, ignoring a strong grip on the stocks, they let off a shot, and the full recoil of their 442/438/640/SP101 goes heaving back in a less-than-firm hold, resulting in the shooter having the fan their fingers back to the original hold. This has got to be the reason why half the J-frame forum posts feature someone complaining "I shot one box and my hand was all bruised up!" It's not the gun causing a sore hand, it's poor technique! Using a strong, torqued grip is key to follow up shots at the expense of some accuracy, but for SD, absolute precision isn't crucial.
Just my 3 cents.
 

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Very hard to argue with Jerry's suggestions on how to manage a revolver...that said, the grip depends on hand size; and I fully agree with him that the first and foremost tip is to get the trigger finger positioned to make a straight back pull.

With small hand size, doing this will most likely take the centerline of the bore off to one side, ie not aligned with the fore arm. It does that for me with N-frame Smiths, but Jerry's stocks on my M57 (N frame), I can just about keep it all aligned; not so with Smiths supplied target model grips. LIkewise, Jerry's K-frame grips allow me to keep the trigger finger moving straight back but also allow an aligned fore arm.

I also use his thumb positions for K, L, N, and J frames. In fact I've been doing it that way my entire life, just never knew it was going to be "the position" in today's shooting world.

Rod
 
I feel Like Jerry could hold his gun weak hand, sideways, pinky out, in his boxers, sipping Turkish coffee with his other hand.....pinky out while having a phone conversation with a lawyer on a Bluetooth headset while he jogged in place and he would still shoot far far far better then I on my best day.

So all I'm saying is what works for Jerry might not work for the rest of us mortals. :)

Geez, give Jerry and the late Bob Munden a single action revolver and old beat up N frame and a few boxes of ammo between them and they could lay down an accurate base of AUTOMATIC fire allowing for a squad flanking movement.
 
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Jerry's the man, so it's hard to argue with him.
Like a poster above, I do 90% of my shooting with autos, and try to use a similar grip style for revolvers.
Some can get away with running the thumbs along the frame, below the cylinder, but that puts my off thumb forward of the flash gap.
I press my weak thumb against the recoil shield and then put my strong thumb over that, but that's me.
Some time I'll show you how I hold my Colt .25 in my right hand, index finger wrapped around the trigger guard, then grab my right hand in my left and pull the trigger with my left index . . .
I hate the phrase "do whatever works for you", as "works" is not a measurable standard.

EDIT: Typing at 5:00AM . . .
 
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RickB said:
I hate the phrase "do whatever works for you", as "works" is not a measurable standard.
Click to expand...
Sure it is. If'n the gun goes "bang" and the bullet lands somewhere in the vicinity of what you were hoping to hit ... it works. :p
 
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