Which part?william wrote:If you're serious about doing your own mod., you ignore at your peril what Don Nygord wrote on the subject as part of his series, "Nygord's Notes."
Read here:
http://www.australiancynic.com/NYGORD.htm
Nobody ever went wrong following Don's lead.
Modifying Your Pistol's Grip, Part I (6/99)
One thing that we can probably say for sure is that there are two kinds of pistol shooters: those that are working on their grips and those that are going to be working on their grips. This is because while there are a zillion different hands out there to hold pistols, the manufacturers decided that maybe four or six or eight different sizes/types of grip were enough to make and stock for each pistol. So, as everyone wants to have the perfect fit, we are left with no choice but to start modifying. But what and how? We'll try to set out some of the basics in text as fancy diagrams will have to wait for the book.
The objectives: the pistol grip should be made so that your grip is reproducible. Pistol target shooting is just an exercise in repeating the same thing without deviation up to sixty or ninety times, so if the shooter grips the gun in always the same way, as Forrest Gump would say, “That's one more thing not to worry about.” Next, the grip should allow the sights to be aligned without having to angle the hand at the wrist. In events like Rapid Fire and Free Pistol, it is critical that when the arm is brought up and the gun allowed to settle with the eyes closed, when the eyes are opened the sights are seen to be aligned. Then the grip should help support the gun and give a “secure” feeling without you having to exert a lot of force on it. Finally, we can throw in at least a degree of comfort as a requirement (certainly no pain!). The major mistake most novice grip changers make is to ADD too much “stuff”. Very seldom does material need to be added to a modern generation target pistol grip! Quite to the contrary, most are too big in one or more places for the average hand. Hold your relaxed hand out in front of you and look at how the fingers curl and how a wedge shape is defined as you go from the second finger down to the little finger. A grip should taper in the same manner. Almost always the first removals should be where the web of the hand (between the thumb and forefinger) goes around the grip so the hand is not stretched out unnaturally. The next thing is to taper the grip so the fingers can get around and have the second segment of the fingers perpendicular to the bore. Finger grooves are optional and if not placed perfectly can be a problem. Simpler and better is to make three tapered flats running from the top of the grip to the bottom for the finger segments to lie against. Once these adjustments are made, the grip will usually be far more comfortable, the trigger finger will reach the trigger shoe correctly, and because the flats were proportioned for your hand, the grip will be reproducible.
Next time we'll get to changes that might be needed to bring the front sight into alignment with the rear notch, and when you need to add “stuff”.
Modifying Your Pistol's Grip, Part II (9/99)
We discussed the general fit of the pistol grip to the hand in the last “tip”, and now we need to look at the adjustments that should be made to the grip to bring the line of the sights on the gun into congruence with the line of the eye/target when in shooting position.
You often see the silly statement that the gun should be in a straight line with the bones of your arm, and also with your shooting eye. A second's thought and a quick look shows you that unless you are a contortionist, the gun will not be in a straight line with the bones of your arm if it comes anywhere near lining up with your shooting eye! The gun obviously sits in the hand at a small angle to the bones of the arm — and if “cross dominant” (right-handed and left eye dominant for example), a somewhat greater angle! This angle can be adjusted by making additions or cuts to the grip. To have it clear where to add or remove material from the grip to adjust alignment, cup your shooting hand slightly and think of the center of the hollow formed in that palm as the pivot point for right and left adjustments. This means that if the front sight points to the left when you are in shooting position, then for the gun to move to the right, there must be less wood at the front of that “pivot point”. Most grips have a shallow depression at the side/front where the fleshy pads at the base of the fingers can nestle. If this groove is deepened (and at the same time dimensioned for your hand), then the gun can pivot to the right. Now the same effect can be realized by adding material to the left (if you are right handed) side of the grip, at the back, where the big fleshy pad at the bottom of the palm rests against the (hopefully) curved surface. This is the hypothenar muscle and where it fits against the grip is a primary index feature. When you fit the gun into the hand, you press that pad against the wood first, and then wrap the hand around the rest of the grip. So, adding material there — in back of the pivot point — will move the front sight to the right. Now, obviously just the reverse of the above — taking material away from the hypothenar contact “pocket” — or — adding material to the groove in the front side of the grip — will move the front of the gun to the left.
The next thing to consider as you are working on the front groove is to more sharply define and perhaps add to the ridge that is formed in front of the groove. This ridge should go into the crease at the bottom of the fingers where they join the palm. It is your second index feature. As you wrap your hand around the grip after getting into the hypothenar pocket, you should feel the ridge slip into the crease. Building up this ridge can move the front of the gun to the left, of course. The total effect will be a very secure feel, and a grip that results in the sights being in near perfect alignment!
