Palm rest or hook, what does it do for YOU?

Early in my competition days, l asked this question, one answer l got was "my palms don't get tired"

I am aware that it can give the same hand placement for every shot but,....l think that there is more to it. 

Even Doug Halls hook with slab grips allows the wrist to snug down ever so slightly, or perhaps consistantly, against a stop, which happens to be the wrist structure. 

The wrist angle subsequently allows for a more erect stance with the head up.  The natural wrist  angle formed by making a fist requires the head to be brought down to the gun in what many consider the classic Blankenship hardball rapid fire stance.

Now back up to lnternational guns where the palm rest is almost universal, stances are upright and even back leaning. Not good for heavy recoil but supremely precise.


Thoughts?

I think heel rest have a place. Most euro guns with euro grips have a steeper grip angle and will benefit from the additional support. Typically air pistols, free pistols and .22’s don’t require as much gripping pressure. The 1911 recoils more due to caliber and higher bore line. So you need to grip it harder. To me and 99% of your better shooters slabs are the only way to go. Euro grips open the hand and slabs keep it closed. Easier to maintain firm grip with a more closed hand. So the heel rest on a 1911 in my opinion doesn’t do much. It is possible to place it high enough that it will push/force your hand up into grip safety and trigger guard and could assist gripping. My 2 cents.
Jon

What's the opinion on the mid sized grips like ROCO Master?

Jack H wrote:What's the opinion on the mid sized grips like ROCO Master?

I built a pistol last year that had them on it. I have a large hand but felt like for me they were too big. They felt great to hold but shooting it was another story. I felt like I had less control. So probably hand size dependent.
Jon

Agreed, Grips that are too big are hard to hold onto hence Free Pistol styles. Slabs do allow more gripping pressure and that is where Dougs hook comes in. It is a flat plate curled to a j shape. Gives you a palm rest AND slab grips. So for those that use them, do you snug the muzzle down? Thanks

Jack, You would like the ROCO Master. I like the base "hook?" and the feel of slabs. I have stubby fingers but they feel good. I have been slowly switching away from the palm rest on my 1911's and leaning towards the ROCO style. Nills and Sig are the same grip. Mostly. My scores have crept back up a little also.

Nills

Len
I have had on the shelf a set of ROCO Master grips for a few years.  I actually had time to shoot a few today with them on my Nelson and Roddy Baer lower.  It felt good.  But I got distracted  by a box of 0035 CCI that was weaker than me.  I went 14 rounds into the box and all 14 empty brass stayed in the chamber.  The heads did make holes.  But not real good holes.  Another CCI box cycled OK as did a box of Eley Sport.  I'll pursue this in a new thread. 

The ROCO grips will still be a test in progress.

Caveat #1: I have teenaged-girl sized hands

I shoot (and have shot) a bit of both international and bullseye pistol.

I'm running slab grips on all of my bullseye pistols currently, and have been for 5+ years. That includes my Hämmerli 208S.

I had a weird thing going on when I first started shooting my current Hämmerli with ergonomic grips ~6 years ago where my dot would run like a sewing machine needle whenever I would get the least bit of adrenaline.

That was really odd for me because I have a few (hundred thousand) rounds downrange out of guns with ergo grips, and a lot of experience at world-level competitions (with much higher stakes and a lot more adrenaline) with those guns/grips. I had never seen so much movement at such moderate adrenaline levels.

This may have been due in part to my getting used to shooting a dot, but man what I saw that dot doing was 2x or 3x more than what I felt it should be based on experience.

Anyhow, I switched to slabs, and that nightmare went away. Since then, I've had a lot of 880+ scores and a few in the 890s.

I had the same realization for .45 with the help of a coach about 12 years ago. I used to use ergo grips but switched to slabs on his advice. Again: small hands.

Bullseye is a different beast.

My 2¢, and worth every penny.

Just a bit....smile

John, Tell me about your stance: head position, (erect or down) and wrist (natural angle or slight tuck down) . I think that relates to the palm rest question.  Thanks

Here's a pic of my stance.

Edit: here are a couple more:

John, I have the same hands. Where did you get those grips for your Hammerli? I think I should try them as well.

TIA,

Joel

Larry's. I love them.

LenV, thanks for showing those grips!

I'm on the other end of the spectrum with large hands, so those ROCO Master grips in XL may be just what I need.

I've never cared for 1911's much because they just feel too small and thin.