Air pistol grip angles

[Jar-hed]

Anyone have knowledge regarding the differences in “grip angles” amongst the currently available top shelf air pistols? I have a Morini, and it is a fine gun. I rigged up a machine rest for it in my basement and it put 5 out of 5 shots all through the same pellet hole. So the potential is certainly there. Unfortunately, the severely raked grip angle has contributed to a tendon injury (De Quervains tenosynovitis) that I am currently seeking to remedy, and wish to avoid at all costs in the future. The grip angle on my Walther GSP does not seem to be a problem with this tendon injury. As near as I can tell from my crude measurements, the difference in the grip angle for these two guns is approximately 13.6 degrees. The fellows at Rink tell me that they can’t make a Morini 162 grip with the same grip angle as a Walther GSP grip. So I am wondering what other (air) guns out there might have a more accommodating grip angle? Can anyone help me out here?

[Rover]

You know what you need. Now make it.

Home Depot sells a rasp that fits a cordless drill. This will really hog out the wood. While you're there pick up some two part epoxy that you can knead to build up other areas.

For $10 you can have perfectly fitting grips. You don't need custom. Buy the AP you like!

[Tycho]

All factory grips I know of have at least as much rake as the Morini. In fact, I regard the Morini to be pretty "upright". You want even less rake, you'll have to customize.

[ghostrip]

if your morini is the electronic version then rink is correct . its electronics are fixed inside the grip and have such angle that makes gsp rake angle unachievable. if its the mechanical one my opinion is that it is doable. from the other air pistols i have shoot (LP300, LP10, IZH46, Matchguns mg1) i also think they can have custom grip with gsp rake. with standard factory grips you can get close to gsp (lp300,lp10) but they wont look good.

[RobStubbs]

As mentioned above if you pay the money, you can get someone like Rink to make them to your prefernce - I had exactly that done for my Steyr pistols some years back due to arthritis problems in my elbows. Albeit yours may will be limited by the siting of the electronics.

The steyrs have a degree of customisation available by adjusting the internal frame screws to which the grips sits up against. Not much use to you though unless you switch pistols (I think fwb and walther also have something similar).

Rob.

[Tycho]

You might want to look for an AP where the trigger is mounted comparatively high. Otherwise you'll have an inch of wood between the back of your hand and the rear sight.

[Jar-hed]

My Morini is mechanical trigger, not electronic. Still Rink said it can't be done.

[Tycho]

That's his usual answer when he doesn't want to take the time. Rink does produce a upright grip for the Pardini K2-K10, as per website, so the concept is not really unknown to him. But for the Morini, there are, to my knowledge, no alternative custom gripmakers. You might try to talk to Morini directly, see what they say. For other brands (Steyr, Pardini, Walther, some of the Hammerlis), Nill can do grips based on a drawing, too. I'd try to custom-build it, though. The 162M has a really easy frame geometry, so if you find a monoblock grip somewhere with a rectangular cutout, it should be no problem adapting it to the Morini (I've done it with Steyr as well as with Matchgun grips). Most shooters you see on international level with upright grips are using Steyr (some of the russians are really close to your ca. 112 degrees), and all of those I've seen so far are custom built. Angling up 13 degrees by Dremel & epoxy would be a lot of work, you'd have to move virtually every contact point there is. What could work up to a degree is cutting out wood on the inside of the grip, so you don't have to use the adjustment screws to the max. Remember that tennis elbow is directly linked to how strong your grip is, and as you don't hold the AP as strongly as a SP or CFP, you don't have to come up quite as much on the grip angle.

[mctrucky]

And remeber tennis elbow is a b!tch to get rid off - you need to rest whatever is causing the irritation - and do some general arm exercises to prevent it reoccuring. Have a look at :
http://www.powerballs.com/
cheap and fun, and it may save you months of re-hab.

[Jar-hed]

"Tennis elbow"???? How the hell did this thread get sidetracked to tennis elbow?

[David Levene]

"Tennis elbow"???? How the hell did this thread get sidetracked to tennis elbow?

It's not unheard of for tennis elbow to be caused/aggravated by unsuitable grips; whether they be at an unsuitable angle or volume.

[Tycho]

Might have been a short circuit / misunderstanding by me, but AFAIK, the statement is valid for all tendon (problems) in the arm.

[mctrucky]

"Tennis elbow"???? How the hell did this thread get sidetracked to tennis elbow?

I made the massive leap from your tendon injury being affected by your grip, and did not know that De Quervains tenosynovitis was thumb/wrist and not forearm. Shoot me.

I'm recovering from ulnar collateral ligament injury, and thought I'd pass on a useful and easy way to assist recovery I had discovered. And it is very useful to prevent a fairly common pistol shooting injury that once established is a b!tch to get rid off without complete rest - tennis elbow.

[Rover]

I'm sure this can easily be resolved if one is not a complete wanker!

[Tycho]

But easy solutions are so boring...

[mctrucky]

I'm sure this can easily be resolved if one is not a complete wanker!

Have you been talking to my physio? ;-)