New, lonely shooter asking for equipment advice

[Chia]

No, this isn't a dating post! I'm happily married.

However, I live in a part of the U.S. that has pretty much no airgun (or olympic pistol in general) support. If I asked someone here about a Sig Sauer Trailside (much less call it by its real name, Hammerli Xesse), they would look at me funny. Hence the lonely part of my post title.

I've lurked on this forum for a bit, and have found some truly wonderful advice for new shooters, but I haven't found much on one specific problem. First, a bit of background info. I'm 29 years old and have only been shooting for three years. I've been practicing precision shooting (started with a Ruger Mk III) for about a year now, and discovered air pistol about six months ago. I love it. I currently own a Daisy 747 and it's great for my indoor range and learning some basics, but it seems that the general wisdom of the forum is that a used, top-tier pistol is the best option for a new user with some money to spend. The common wisdom also appears to be that I should choose one that fits me the best. This seems to be grounded in the common sense-idea that a comfortable grip will generate consistent, repeatable results.

How can I find which pistol fits me the best when all I can do is look at online photos of guns? I can look at SSP, Feinwerkbau, Pardini, and Morini (and other) air pistols all day on websites, but I have precisely zero chance of being able to hold one in my hand without going on a huge road trip. The Daisy 747 is good, accurate gun (I don't mind the pumping action at this point in my training; it's not like I'm at a level I can compete yet), but I constantly find myself shifting my grip on it to try to get it more comfortable. I have very large hands. I'm pretty sure this grip shifting is affecting my accuracy, and it's frustrating.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to solve this? If it helps, I live in South Carolina.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you might have.

[Mtl_Biker]

Welcome! I'm quite new myself but was in a similar position in not being able to actually hold any of different size grips to find what was best for me. But I did find a sizing guide (think it was on the Steyr site) that was quite helpful. And most grips offer quite a range of adjustment possibilities, so you just need to be close and the fine tuning is done with the adjustments on the grip. In addition to that many (most?) serious pistol shooters end up carving/sanding their grips to get even better fit. They even add some kind of wood putty or filler for even more precise fit.

You're talking about getting a good used gun, right? Often the grips might have already been customized by someone, so you should find out about that before you buy.

And just about all pistol makers sell grips alone, so if the grip you get isn't quite right you always have the option of buying another one and using that.

Good luck!!

[Rover]

"Pick the one that suits you."

I have seen this advice many, many times here on TT, but have never commented on it.

If you knew what suited you, you would not be asking advice. Not only that, you wouldn't know what suited you if it bit you on the ass.

My advice is to buy anything that looks good and buy it cheap. I personally like SSPs, since you need no expensive extras.

Buy a file (rasp) and some kneadable epoxy putty. Work on the grips until the gun points naturally with the sights aligned. There are many posts on the subject.

You are NEVER going to get it right, but keep trying.

Some years down the road you'll get the hang of it, but your gun will be so right you won't need another.

[Chia]

You're talking about getting a good used gun, right? Often the grips might have already been customized by someone, so you should find out about that before you buy.

And just about all pistol makers sell grips alone, so if the grip you get isn't quite right you always have the option of buying another one and using that.

Thanks for the advice, yes I am hoping to get a good used gun. I figure that it looks like product lines for SSP and FWB are changing, so there's probably an increased likelihood of picking one of those up at a respectable price.

If you knew what suited you, you would not be asking advice. Not only that, you wouldn't know what suited you if it bit you on the ass.

My advice is to buy anything that looks good and buy it cheap. I personally like SSPs, since you need no expensive extras.

I laughed out loud when I read that second sentence! Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

[ABerryhill]

Chia,

Lots of good advice has already been offered, but if you'll pardon the commercial, I might be able to help. I too started shooting a 747 (and did for several years before moving up in gun). And that financially is a huge step. One of the reasons I started my business 3d printing custom target pistol grips for guns like the 747 and the Ruger is to provide a way for shooters to upgrade their equipment without dropping $1000-$2000 on a new gun.

That condition you describe of constantly moving your hand around on your grip is telling you that indeed you do need one that fits better than what you've got. A good grip will place your hand in exactly the same place every time you grab the gun. I like to think that the grips and service I provide with them allows just such consistency. Or at least the opportunity to get a lot closer than starting with stock grips and a tub of putty.

Take a look at my web page (PrecisionTargetPistolGrips.com) for more information and let me know if you have any questions.

All best,
Andrew

PrecisionTargetPistolGrips.com

Custom Grips for All Hands and Most Guns

[mikeyj]

I've owned Daisy 717s and 747s. I own a Daisy 777, which is a no longer made version with wood grips and a really fine adjustable sight. All great values. I also own a Feinwerkbau 80 and and an IZH 46m, and for me, at least, the IZH is light years ahead of the Daisy and even the FWB. Yes, I can shoot 10s with the FWB and the Daisy when everything goes right, but with the IZH it's so much easier.

I also had an Alfa Proj for a time and only sold it because it's not suitable for large or extra large hands. That's also very easy to shoot, but requires a pump or cylinder and access to a compressor. Overall, I think the IZH is the easiest AP to shoot and maintain, and unless you're a world class competitor you probably wouldn't shoot much better with a $2,000 gun.

[jerber]

There's a couple FWB 65 for sale in the classifieds
They're about $500.00
Good pistol,good price!

[GaryN]

mikeyj

My first target AP was the Diana 5m, which did not fit my hand, and was uncomfortable to shoot because of that.

The FWB-80 was my first REAL match pistol.
I got it with the SMALL grip. Probably should have gotten the Medium then grid it down to fit. But back then I did not know about that, so the unmodified small was the better fit than the medium. It was a fine shooting pistol, and I still enjoy shooting it. That sliding sledge is kinda neat too.

[GaryN]

Chia
I understand where you are coming from.
From someone with a small hand and shorter fingers, as a really rough guideance, the Pardini fits me better than the Walther or Styer.
Maybe the Italians have smaller hands than the Germans and Austrians.
As a result I am more inclined to go with a Pardini for a next AP than a Styer. Though I don't know how a Styer with a small grip would feel like.
For me the key distance is the trigger reach, or the distance between the web of my hand and the trigger face. I barely fit my Walther CPM1, and the trigger is adjusted and the grip ground for the trigger reach to be as short as possible.

[Gwhite]

Although the opposite of the OP's problem, if the issue is trigger reach with small hands, I would avoid the Steyrs. I'm not sure about the LP10, but I had to remove the trigger shoe entirely on the LP50 my wife shoots, and it's marginal at best even after that. She is five feet tall, and I don't think her fingers are especially short for a woman that size. She has no trouble reaching the trigger properly with her Pardini SP. She has Rink XS grips on both pistols.

Having large hands may require a bit of experimenting to find a good grip (as it generally does for everyone), but being able to set up the trigger reach is generally not a big deal. Rink has a good description of their sizing system here:

http://www.formgriffe.de/en/shpSR.php?p ... 255&p3=369

They can also make a grip from a hand tracing. If you invest in a high end pistol, make sure they can actually put an XL or XXL grip on it. Rink indicates that they can't make very large grips for some models (not sure why...)

One of the problems with grips is that the sizing is inconsistent between manufacturers. Here is a spreadsheet I've been working on:

[Chia]

Thank you all for the guidance. Very useful information in this thread. One thing I really like about this forum community is its friendliness and willingness to help!

[Rune Kanstad]

Rink indicates that they can't make very large grips for some models (not sure why...)

I would assume that this is because some pistols will be too large for the measuring box with the largest grip sizes.

[renzo]

Although the opposite of the OP's problem, if the issue is trigger reach with small hands, I would avoid the Steyrs.

I concur with "Gwhite" in this.

I have meaty, muscular hands and a short trigger finger. Had a LP1-C and only thanks to the twisting grip I could reach the trigger blade properly. Sold it, and reentering competition I bought a LP-10 five years ago, and to get the same level of comfort and precision in the positioning on the trigger I had to switch the original for the new and shallower one, and even then had to file away the strips in its face.

I suppose they are not thinking about the short-fingered shooters.