Improving hold

On a good day I can hold the 8 ring or slightly better with my Pardini but just holding in the black is a struggle with .45. Admittedly I haven’t shot much .45 in the off season but my hold generally is not nearly as good. Thoughts?

Contoured pardini grips probably take less effort to hold on to, and you wrist is closer to lock out at the more slanted grip angle, so less effort there too. 1911 is also a little heavier. I'd be guessing about the balance point/center of mass, but i assume it's not helping either.

What's your physical training regimen?

john bickar wrote:What's your physical training regimen?

Honestly….whatever you tell me. I probably get around 8-10k steps at work but thats about it.

I use the V-shaped grip exercise things.

Have your gunsmith take an old magazine, and fill it with lead, and use that for dry-firing.  After a short amount of time, with a regular magazine in the gun, it will feel like plastic, MUCH easier to hold.

Don't over-do it though.  I found it led to a sore shoulder, and not knowing what was going on, I stopped dry-firing until my shoulder felt normal again.

Also, search for and watch Keith Sanderson's YouTube videos on "Dry Firing" and "Holding Drills".  Also, Keith says that for every live fire round you shoot, you should shoot 100 dry-fires.

You might also want to do something people here suggested for me long ago, turn the targets backwards, and shoot at the plain back-side of them.

(I found all this stuff most useful to me for two-hand shooting, as I wasn't able to shoot more than a few rounds with one hand.)

Pinetree wrote:I use the V-shaped grip exercise things.

I bought them, and am constantly using them.  They've already made a difference.
My right hand is FAR stronger than my left.

You can find them on Amazon.

orpheoet wrote:On a good day I can hold the 8 ring or slightly better with my Pardini but just holding in the black is a struggle with .45. Admittedly I haven’t shot much .45 in the off season but my hold generally is not nearly as good. Thoughts?

Are any thoughts in your mind that this is a different gun, more kick, I got to hold harder,....?

If so, stop that.

I think the balance of the Pardini 22 is different from a 5" 1911

Some things to consider for training:

- Hold against a vertical line on the wall to observe horizontal hold.
- Hold against a horizontal line on the wall to observe vertical hold.
- Hold against a thin lined cross on the wall to observe overall hold.
- Always include a dry fire first when holding using a bull.
- - The reason for this, is if you practice holding against a bull, that's what you'll do in matches.
- All of the above can be done at the range and can be taken into live fire AT THE RANGE ONLY.
- - For the line drills at the range, black electrical tape on the back of the target works well.

john bickar wrote:What's your physical training regimen?

I kind of like 5 lb potato sacks. . .

My .02 cents on the matter.

IMO, there is a difference between your hold area and the results that you get when you actually manipulate the trigger. One's hold area is the shape and size of the pattern of the sights or dot upon the aiming area of a target. This is most easily observed with laser grips or some laser sighting attachment to the firearm.

My guess is that your hold area is pretty similar with the platforms, but the result you get when you manipulate the trigger (fire or dryfire) is different. Assuming that your RF and your CF guns are quality enough to shoot decent groups at whatever distances that you are shooting then, the result of your effort should be quite similar. 

If your hold area is similar yet the result isn't then it indicates that the trigger manipulation is undoing all of the good that you have done up to that point. I refer to the trigger as the eraser, Everything about a hold, stance and shot process can be perfect, the trigger finger can erase it all. 

The line drill that Mr. Hall mentioned is excellent. Here is another. Make sure gun is empty as this is a dryfire or holding drill.

Find a place where you can either scribe a vertical line, or hang a rope from near ceiling to floor. Even a corner of two walls can be used as the vertical line.

Stand at a distance where with a low ready, about 45 degrees, that the sights are near the floor. Get your position, stance & grip such that you have your natural point of aim on the vertical line. Start with the sights on the line at the floor. Slowly raise the gun upward along the vertical line all the way to the ceiling, then let the gun slowly follow the line back down. The objective is the stay on the line the entire distance. The slower the better. Maybe 30-4o seconds up, 30-40 seconds down. Do this for about 5 minutes, or as much as you can tolerate. 

This drill, taught to me by Jim Henderson, will identify fluctuations as well as develop muscles used in the raising of the arm. I would use the gun you are using. You need not add weight. Want it more difficult, scribe the line slower, or go for a longer period of time. I add one dry fire pull in each line. I start low ready or lower, slowly scribe to ceiling, then in the process of slowly lower the gun, I will fire one dry fire shot when I get to the elevation which would most resemble the actual approximate target height.

Going back to my original comment. My guess is that this drill will reveal that you ability to hold will be as good with either platform. The result when you dry fire that one shot will be the difference. Needless to say, when you dry fire that one shot, the goal is to have the sight break on that line too.

Hold 'em!