Thoughts on properly gripping a 1911

Where ever they land naturally! I don't pay any attention, and have no idea if they are forward, backward, or out the side. If I have to concentrare on anything it's target and sights.
 
First thing I do on a new pistol is get rid of the giant bat-wing thumb safety and replace it with a GI style safety if possible, the Colt tear drop is second best for me. I've tried the "ride the safety on the giant safety and it just beats my thumb up. The GI safety gets out of the way. Both thumbs forward and bang away. High thumb for bullseye shooting, it don't touch the gun at all. Either way, a tight grip on the handle.
Different strokes for different folks.
 
I wrap my thumbs down. My trigger finger nearly touches my thumb when I fire. I find this grip most natural and thumbs high always twists a tad on me.
 
Gunsite
Frontsight
Thunder ranch
Smith and Wesson academy
Blackwater
Jerry Miculek
Rob leatham

The list goes on of professional trainers that teach to ride the safety on a 1911. Your “ive been doing it different for 40 years” does not make it “correct”. Which was the OP’s question.

“I was taught it in the Army 40 years ago”, also doesn't cut it.

Teaching PROPER 1911 shooting is becoming a lost art, but those of us that have an extensive background in doing just that, insist on riding the safety UNLESS some physical deformity prevents that for happening.
 
Sharkbite said:
The list goes on of professional trainers that teach to ride the safety on a 1911. Your “ive been doing it different for 40 years” does not make it “correct”. Which was the OP’s question.
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A list of professional trainers who teach to ride the safety also doesn't make it "correct."

There is no single way that is either "best" or "correct." What is both best and correct for any individual shooter is what works best for that individual shooter. For some that's a universal, thumbs down and interlocked grip. For others it's two thumbs forward. And for still others it's thumbs sticking up in the air.

I've seen them all, I've tried them all, and I use what works for me.
 
I might not be as experienced on 1911 but I do know riding the safety is relatively new. I’m not sure if proper or correct is the right term for a gun that’s been in use for over 100 years, most of which wasn’t riding the safety. Ambi and front slide serration used to be cool too...and here we are
 
How are you going to ride the safety in a bullseye match?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDSLYTrH5LU

this technique is interesting because I think it gives a much stronger grip while being more consistent.

Handgun accuracy depends on the inherent accuracy of the pistol/ammunition and
Consistent trigger pull
and
Consistent hold.

Although I shoot with one hand, I can see that the technique in the video really locks the dominant hand around the grip and that's a really good thing.

Any argument based on a "resort to authority" is very weak. "Resort to Authority" had people believing the sun revolved around the earth for thousands of years with the "Authority" being Aristotle and The Church.
 
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The way I see it, 1911 safety is like the school bus. Not everyone rides it, and you definitely don’t want to ride the short one
 
44 AMP said:
Other than depressing the grip safety enough to allow firing (and, of course, pulling the trigger) there is no "must".

If a high thumb, or thumb on the safety works for you, fine. Doesn't work for me. My right thumb goes down, below the safety. Been working well enough for me for half a century, not going to be changing.
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Bingo. I can see the thumb-high argument for a carry situation, because it ensures that you take the firearm off safe and keep it off. But I'd never carry a 1911, because, to me, there are too many better options these days.

So my 1911s are range guns, and I think thumb-low feels a lot more comfortable and natural. (And there aren't many "musts" for anything.)
 
With a 1911 type pistol, the firing side thumb MUST ride the safety.
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Must? Why must? What "must" should be is what works for the individual. Same as the other thread here on where to place the trigger finger. What works best for the individual is what "must" be.
 
If you look at old enough Army training films,the "proper" 1911 hold is the "cup and saucer",resting the mag floorplate on the palm of the weak hand.

To still be doing what was done 50 years ago is OK,if t works for you,but that does not mean no one learned anything about doing it better over 50 years.

The Weaver stance was all the rage for a while.Some might say "I used the Weaver 40 yrs ago,it worked then and.... OK. Mikulek breaks it down and explains what is wrong with the Weaver in his training vid. You can still use the Weaver. Those who come in first don't.

Its hard to "unlearn" what is familiar.

But the OP was asking about the best method to learn. Clean slate.

If Miculek,Leatham,Koenig,Gunsight,Wison Combat,etc or what might be called "The Winners" pretty much agree on what works best,why steer a shooter who wants to learn toward techniques that have been abandoned by the winners,such as push-pull and the Weaver? Or cup and saucer?

Does anyone seriously believe 1940's Army 1911 technique is superior to what gets done with a 1911 by top shooters today?


Can you outshoot Julie Golob? Until you can,you aren't going to convince me that what you learned in the Army basic 40 or 50 yrs ago is better than what champion combat shooters use today. The modern SOCOM handgun training is different than what the Army taught in WW2.(No,I have not shot with SOCOM)

Having said that, the Old Army Bullseye shooters can shoot. I shot in a league with a 72 yr old guy who had hand tremors and coke bottle glasses .He used to shoot at Camp Perry. I recall his scores for slow,timed,rapid. Like a 297 with a lot of X's.
 
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Gunsite
Frontsight
Thunder ranch
Smith and Wesson academy
Blackwater
Jerry Miculek
Rob leatham

The list goes on of professional trainers that teach to ride the safety on a 1911.
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And that list is people that train others how to put a hole in the six inch 10 ring of a b-27 silhouette target at 5 yards and think they are accomplishing something. Take a look at the people that put holes in the X ring of a b-27 target at 50 yards, or a 1.7 inch X ring at 50 yards as in Bullseye Pistol, and you will see very few to none that ride the safety.
 
Imho what is more important is for the person to be comfortable and familiar with their grip, as long as it’s not super wrong like thumb behind the slide. Show them couple of the best techniques and let them decide that’s best.

And by all means don’t treat those guys as gospel. Every time I see some poor soul emulating what those “trainers” teach...we’re not dumping rounds as quickly into the “A zone” as we can in real life. It’s really stupid and dangerous. Treat it as a sport, and nothing wrong if one wants to feel tactical, just don’t treat it as gospel.

How many of us has seen those who try to do those YouTube drills at the range? Doing fast mag changes and malfunction drills with others close by? You know how many of them get DQ at their weekend games? They can’t even follow a simple 180 rule
 
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Take your support/off-side arm and extend the arm and point the index finger at a target. Note how the arm feels, muscles are relaxed. Now, keep the arm extended and point the thumb at the target. Note how the arm muscles tighten and the hand shape is automatically flexed into support position.

Now take the support hand and put it under the shooting hand to support the firearm. Modify the 'fit' for yourself, but keep the thumb of the off/support hand pointing at the target. This keeps the off-hand muscles flexed to help support and align.

If you are shooting a revolver, be sure to keep your thumb back of the cyclinder gap.

Ultimately, you will have to find what works for you by modifying all the opinions you have been favored with.
 
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Stinkeypete said:
How are you going to ride the safety in a bullseye match?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDSLYTrH5LU

this technique is interesting because I think it gives a much stronger grip while being more consistent.
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My take-away came right at the beginning:

"Just like we've been talking about, there's not one right way and one wrong way to do it."

BUT ... OMG! After he showed clear, he inserted a loaded magazine into the gun (0:45). And then, at 3:30, he racked the slide. Maybe he didn't pull it back far enough to chamber a round, but DANG! There should NOT be a loaded magazine in that gun.
 
Mike38 said:
And that list is people that train others how to put a hole in the six inch 10 ring of a b-27 silhouette target at 5 yards and think they are accomplishing something. Take a look at the people that put holes in the X ring of a b-27 target at 50 yards, or a 1.7 inch X ring at 50 yards as in Bullseye Pistol, and you will see very few to none that ride the safety.
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By way of some perspective, a number of years ago I used to make occasional trips to Rhode Island, and I wanted to be able to carry. Rhode Island is one of those states for which it's easier for a non-resident to get a permit than for a resident. But, they require a marksmanship qualifier, to be fired in front of a certified NRA or police department instructor.

Their criterion is a score of 195 out of 300 possible, firing 30 shots at an Army-L target at a distance of 25 yards. The black on the Army-L target is 5" in diameter. Obviously, you don't have to keep all the shots in the black to score 195 -- you could put them all in the 7 ring and still have a cushion. (The 7 ring would be about a foot in diameter, maybe 14 inches.)

I shot it using my "incorrect" grip, using a new Para-Ordnance 12.45LDA that I had just bought and wasn't familiar with, and scored somewhere around 250 or 260 IIRC.

Army-L target: https://www.pistoleer.com/shooting-targets/dod/
 
It's a bit difficult to assess some of the posts as to whether or not they make a clear recommendation but, scanning through the thread so far, it looks like there are roughly six or seven votes for "the correct way" and nine votes for "the wrong way."

Hardly a convincing mandate either way, so I'll keep doing what works for me.

I found an interesting video on the Ed Brown web site. Ed Brown knows a thing or three about the 1911, and isn't exactly a novice at shooting them. Starting at about 0:28 of the video, it shows Ed shooting alongside one of his two sons. The son uses a thumbs forward grip. Ed uses the same thumb-over-thumb grip that I use. So one might conclude that it's a generational thing. But it also seems that Ed's son(s) haven't convinced him to shoot "the right way."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFLxSWfbIc
 
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