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Can you reach the controls on your handgun without adjusting your grip?

Mag release is important, when faced with a malfunction or needed reload braking one’s grip is time spent and a looser grip on the firearm.

Is enough to cause me to settle on a carry gun such as an LCP over a compact in 9mm, 40S&W? No, not a chance.
 
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If inadvertently activating a control could cause a problem or malfunction during a defensive encounter, then maybe it makes sense to place them so they're not easily activated inadvertently. I know competition shooters like to have their magazine release right under their thumb, but I think I'd rather have mine placed so it's just barely out of reach when I have a shooting grip on the gun. Odds are pretty good I won't even need to reload in a defensive encounter, but I sure don't want to accidentally drop my magazine in the middle of one. Also don't want a defensive gun where the slide stop is easily activated by accident while the gun is held in a normal shooting grip.
 
Larry in wyoming said:
I've read in various places and at various times that you should be able to operate the slide release and mag release without adjusting your grip. Does it really matter? Why?
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I've never understood that or why people even think like that. My first semi-auto pistol was a 1911 and I couldn't reach either. My uncle who first taught me how to shoot also taught me how to correctly/naturally shift the gun in my hand to activate all the controls reliably without wasted motion. The only two controls you optimally should be able to reach from your normal shooting grip should be the trigger and the thumb safety

The only time I've seen it become an issue was my my former department allowed officers to carry personally owned pistols as duty weapons. The Beretta 92 was very popular at the time and several officers bought them without trying to operate them first. The worst case was an officer who insisted on carrying their 92 FS with the safety engaged, but couldn't reach it on the presentation from the holster...they had to reach over with their support hand to disengage the thumb safety
 
Larry in wyoming said:
I can't. Not on a 1911 or my mp9c or my psa dagger. Only on small guns like my lcp. I've read in various places and at various times that you should be able to operate the slide release and mag release without adjusting your grip. Does it really matter? Why?
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It doesn't matter.
JohnKSa said:
If inadvertently activating a control could cause a problem or malfunction during a defensive encounter, then maybe it makes sense to place them so they're not easily activated inadvertently.
Click to expand...
This is how I always looked at the situation. They were put out of your reach for a reason.

You need to be able to reach the trigger, and if it is a single action gun, with a manual safety, you need to be able to reach the manual safety. The other controls, not required, even a traditional double action pistol (TDA) like a Beretta 92, no need to be able to reach the safety/decocker without shifting your hand or using the off hand.

Pro shooter Ben Stoeger on handgun fit. The whole video is good, but you can skip to the 2:10 mark to answer your specific question.



Another pro shooter Shannon Smith on mag changes. You can skip to the 2:05 mark for the mag release, and about the 7:45 mark for the slide stop/slide release.

 
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I can engage and disengage the stock size manual safety lever with my thumb without changing my grip. I believe that it is very important to be able to actuate the manual safety lever without changing my grip.

I can actuate the slide catch without changing my grip with either the normal length slide catch lever or the extended length slide catch lever. This could be useful if my other hand was inured or otherwise engaged fending off an attacker and I needed to release the slide with my thumb in order to chamber a round.

On my Sig P365XL I was unable to actuate the stock low profile magazine release button without rotating the pistol in my grip. This is a liability in a self defense situation. I extended the magazine release button to a more normal height and I can actuate it without changing my grip. The button is a perfect placement for me. With my hand it's virtually impossible to accidentally actuate the magazine release button. It is beneficial to be able to actuate the magazine release button without changing my grip. HOWEVER, not everyone has a thumb long enough to actuate the magazine release button without rotating the pistol in their grip. YMMV.
 
Another consideration from Larry Vickers at about the 1:18 mark



One point he doesn't make is that if you are using your strong hand thumb (for a righty) to release the slide stop/slide release, you could potentially release the slide before the mag is fully seated, and you end up with no round in the chamber.
 
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I'm a lefty and carry a 1911.

I don't hit the slide release with my finger. It's not the best for it. I slingshot the slide with my weak hand.

The mag release I hit with the middle finger of my left hand. I don't have to shift my grip this way. I've tried ambi mag releases and dislike them because I have to roll the pistol in my hand.

The only thing I dislike about having a mag release on the outside is that it's too easy to bump it against something.
 

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Out of all mine the only two I don't need to change my grip on are my Taurus G2c & G3c. All the rest I have to shift my grip including my Taurus G3. With those I need to adjust my grip on I practice using my supporting hand to control the mag and slide release. My primary hand remains in place.
 
My BUG is a J-frame model 442. Using boot grips, I found that I could not move my trigger finger from register to the trigger face (and back again) without changing my hand position. This made shooting from low ready, from the draw, and failure-to-stop drills very difficult to perform consistently and accurately. Because when the time came to put my finger on the trigger, I had to shift my grip...and then shift back to a proper position before actually firing.

That situation is unacceptable for a gun that is primarily intended for up-close, instinctive use in defensive situations.

My solution? A set of Hogue rubber grips. Amazing how much that one change improved both my speed and accuracy with the little 442. And I found that the bigger grips did not really hurt concealment on my ankle, pocket, or waist.
 
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For me, being able to move the trigger finger on and off the trigger, and to actuate a safety lever on a handgun used for defensive purposes without shifting out of a firing grip are both essential.

With regard to autoloaders, I suppose that being able to hit the slide stop or mag release from your firing grip might be also critical IF (and only if) you intend to perform these actions while pointed in, with sights on target.

But if you train to reload or clear malfunctions with the gun NOT pointed in, then shifting your grip on the gun to perform them is not really a problem.

Also, performing a tactical reload, or clearing a type III malfunction with the gun fully extended and sights are on target is MUCH slower than when sights are off-target and the gun is drawn back a bit into your workspace.
 
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I learned to shoot on single action revolvers. You couldn't even FIRE the gun without doing SOMETHING with your grip. Or use a second hand. Then double action revolvers. Good luck reloading without changing one's grip! Honestly, when I'm carrying, I don't carry a spare magazine. Heck, I used to carry a 5-shot 38 special. So I'm the category of not giving a rat's rear end.
 
I personally like VZ grips and those that have a cut to the mag release. That reduces the amount of movement I need to get to the mag release. Look through their stock.

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My hands are XXL, so I can usually reach everything without shifting.
 
My first 1911 was a standard Springfield 1911. I fitted an extra length slide release on it, which I thought was pretty neat... until I started shooting thumb-over-safety. There were times when the tip of my thumb rested on the extension... and the slide would fail to lock back on the last round. None of my current 1911's have an extended slide stop.
 
With a G19 (which I no longer have), I had to rotate the pistol in my hand to hit the mag release. With a 1911, the same, but less so. With my Shield Plus, no adjustment needed.
 
On some I can, especially my HKs with the paddle release.

But I don’t worry about it. When I’m reloading I like my gun up in “my workspace” (as I think Hackathorn calls it) so I’m already moving it around and readjusting is just part of the process.

Just practice a lot till it’s smooth and natural and move on, IMO.
 
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