Honor system (do the test before poll) thread to settle Glock grip

With eyes closed, point a Glock at a light switch - How do your Glock sights point?

  • After doing the test, my Glock front sight was higher than the rear sight.

    Votes: 44 34.1%
  • After doing the test, my Glock front sight was in line with the read sight.

    Votes: 57 44.2%
  • I won't take the test because I know my Glock will always point right for me.

    Votes: 12 9.3%
  • I won't take the test because I know Glocks won't point right for me.

    Votes: 16 12.4%

  • Total voters
    129
  • Poll closed .
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David E
Quote:
Originally Posted by dogtown tom
The "Glock grip angle" debate is pure malarky.

I shoot 1911's, Hi Powers, Colt Woodsman, Sig 228, and both SA/DA revolvers.........in addition to Glocks.

If you practice with each platform you come to see that only a blind fanboy would use "grip angle" as his excuse to not being able to point "naturally" or to hit what he is aiming.
If you only shoot slowfire, and/or are not highly skilled, then you're right, there is no "issue."

But if you have years of 1911 grip angle, going at speed the Glock will point high, until sufficient time has been invested into the Glock platform to overcome it.
1000's of folks have spent 1000's of dollars altering the Glock grip angle "malarkey," so it IS an issue for 1000's of people....but what do they know?

Thank you for agreeing with me.;)
 
I do a lot of drawing practice, so all my Glocks come up with sights in line.

And that, fellas, is the key. Get what you want, and practice. I can't point my Sigs nearly as well because I don't practice much drawing them.

And in my opinion, any firearm that you plan to use in competition or defensive scenarios, you need to practice presentation, along with every other aspect (grip, reload, sight alignment, etc). If you practice presentation, any grip angle issues will work themselves out. And if you're not practicing in all aspects of your firearm handling, then grip angle is the very least of your problems.
 
I don't own any Glock shares so it's just a soulless tool to me. Drawing and pointing at the light switch with eyes closed had the sights aligned and aiming at the top right corner of the switch from about 15 feet away.

Don't really care one way or the other personally, just glad that it works for me since it's what I depend on at work. I have had training, and I do practice drawing. If I weren't that familiar with Glocks, it might have been pointing at the ceiling... but it wasn't for me. Use whatever works for you.
 
Mine pointed high. It's a G26. Lately I've been shooting my SIG P239 almost exclusively. I'm sure if I'd been shooting the Glock a lot, I'd probably aim the SIG low in the same test.

And your point is ... ?
 
3rd-gen Glocks point fine for me. So does my 1911, and SIG P229. There is more to this than just grip angle.

Guns that point "off" for me include at least some earlier Glocks, the P220 with push-button mag release, the P245, and that FN 5.7 pistol, the latter pointing way off. There are others I am not remembering; I don't buy pistols that don't point well for me.
 
People that start out with a Glock don't have pointing issues.

People that have decades behind a 1911 typically DO have issues with the gun pointing high.

1000's of the latter group have spent 1000's of dollars to make the Glock point more like a 1911.

Shooting slowfire, one can easily compensate for any grip angle, including the Glock. Most people calling the issue "malarkey" are casual slowfire shooters. The shooters that find there is an issue typically are the faster shooters. They draw and fire a center hit in less than a second. Suddenly, grip angle matters. Of course, they can take an extra 1/4 second to correct the high pointing muzzle, but their first shot is no longer under a second.

If a long time 1911 shooter wants or needs to shoot a stock Glock well at speed, it's likely going to require significant practice and attention.
 
I voted inline...but they are not stock sights, so I don't know if it really counts
 
Muscle memory is based on individual experience in training, with which firearms, not per a grip theory. Dry fire away...
 
This exactly why I sold my 21sf. Having to manually push down the muzzle every time during competition made me realize it just wasn't going to work, being used to the angle of my CZ.
 
People that start out with a Glock don't have pointing issues.

People that have decades behind a 1911 typically DO have issues with the gun pointing high.

1000's of the latter group have spent 1000's of dollars to make the Glock point more like a 1911.
I started out with 1911's, about 45 years ago. I carried them before they were "cool", and in terms of years, Ive carried one daily more than anything else.

These days I carry a Glock (or two), and the 1911's are basically safe and range queens. After a short transition period, it was no problem at all adjusting to the Glocks. Now its just usually a mags worth of ammo to readjust between them, and I have no troubles at all doing so.

The issue is all in your head, and only if you choose to make it an issue. If you shoot the different platforms, even on an occasional basis, you know its really no big deal. If you cant shoot ANY of them reasonably well, look in the mirror for the true source of the problem, its not the guns fault.
 
All in my head, eh? I've won State titles using a 1911 AND Glocks, so I guess I can shoot them both well enough, but it doesn't change a thing I said.
 
Grip angle issue does exist. But, it's not because Glock's grip angle is "wrong."

It's because if a particular shooter is not biased for Glock's grip angle, they need more time, effort, cost to overcome that issue.

Thank you. I can't shoot a Browning Auto 5, either. My NPA has me looking at the back of the receiver.

Could I adapt to the Glock (or Browning)? Sure, but I have no desire or need to do so. I can shoot accurately with pretty much anything...if I'm not in a hurry.
 
I don't own a Glock because I've done this test and the front sight is always higher than the rear when I do.
My experience mirrors the above poster's.

When I checked out Glocks, they don't point naturally for me.
If this was my only gun, I'd adapt, but since it pointed differently than all my other guns (which all point naturally), I had to ask myself why I would want one oddball in the group, 'specially when it came to point shooting etc?

Would this have been a dealbreaker? Who knows, as I found plenty of other reasons to pass on 'em.
 
No point in pointing. I don't mind the grip angle, but between the size and flexibility of my hands, It's just a disaster waiting to send me to the hand doctor with a shattered thumb.

31 years of shooting, I joke that I'm too stupid to hold one properly, but it really is just how I was assembled at the factory.
 
I don't aim with my eyes closed....

Either way the sights lined up for me vertically, but not horizontally. As a poster above stated though, I lower my head when shooting.

I like the feel of my Glock, I like the feel of my FNP, I like the feel of my dad's 1911. I don't particularly like the feel of revolvers...but damn does my Ruger Security Six absolutely school my autoloaders on accuracy...or at least accuracy I can obtain.
 
I pointed my finger with my eyes closed and was off to the right. What's you point? Why are you pointing/shooting with your eyes closed. It would make more sense if the test replicates actual point-shooting, with eyes open.
 
My sights were lined up all over the place, including dead on a few times. Seems like closing one's eyes makes it harder to line up.
 
I do not OWN a Glock, but voted on your test.

The reason: This EXACT test was what made me stop drinking the Kool-Aid.

I was at the range with several poly-guns. I loaded one round into each and laid them on the table. I picked up each one in turn and fired a "point-shooting" round at the center of the target.

Every single Glock I tried to point-shoot was high. On a B-27 target I was still hitting vital locations, but not where I was looking.

Glocks are good guns, just not my cup-o-tea.

EDIT: I had to add this, as it struck me funny.

If you practice with each platform you come to see that only a blind fanboy would use "grip angle" as his excuse to not being able to point "naturally" or to hit what he is aiming.
If I practice, I can become better at anything. Something coming "naturally" means I didn't need practice to make it work.
And the "fanboys" are the ones saying there is no problem. :)
 
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Back in the 1940s the US Army stated clearly in a training film that the 1911 has an unnatural grip angle and people have to be trained to overcome this and get used to it.

This actually started during WW-1. Soldiers complained about the 1911'a unnatural grip and complained they tended to shoot low. WW-1 era 1911's had flat mainspring housings.

Testing after the war showed that most soldiers shot better when the gun was modified with the arched mainspring housing. A 1911 with the arched housing comes pretty close to a Glock grip.

Going back to the flat housing is a fairly recent development and is more popular with target shooters than combat shooters.

The only people who have an issue with the Glock grip are those with years of experience with "different" grips. If so it takes some time to retrain yourself.

This would have been a more meaningful poll if you had given the test to non-shooters with little of no experience shooting handguns. This has been done in the past and when non-shooters were given a Glock, and another gun with what we consider a more traditional grip the non-shooters shot the Glock better by a wide margin.

Police departments had the same issue when they first changd to Glocks. Our county PD changed in 1994. For the first week or so rookie cops with little training were outshooting the older officers as well as their insructors. Given a couple hundred rounds of practice the older guys caught up and eventually were outshooting the rookies. Our city PD made the change from 5906's to Glocks in March. By now almost all of them already owned personal Glocks, so they had no issues with the change.

For any shooter who wants to try it is a non issue. I own Glocks, Sigs, S&W's, Rugers, and 1911's. In the past there are very few I haven't owned. I can use all of them with no problems.
 
I don't own a Glock, but I've done this with my K frames, N Frames, BHP, 1911, 220 and my M&P45 and the sights almost never line up to my eye, but when I move my head to look through the sights they are on target 95% of the time. My issue with the Glock is not the angle of the grip but the thickness, I just can't get a decent grip on Glock with my girlie hands.
 
Glocks point high for me. 1911's point low. SIG P-Series guns point perfectly.

All three guns work for me because "natural point" has nothing to do with good shooting. Instead of focusing upon how a gun points, shooters should spend the vast majority of their time mastering trigger pull. The remainder is managing the grip and sight picture. Obviously, using the sights overrides any natural point.

If you're point shooting, you have to figure out what horizontal means for that gun. It's not that difficult to adapt between platforms. I go from Glock to 1911 to S&W K-Frame without any problems. Then again, I've put in the time to master all three platforms for sighted and unsighted shooting. This is what 22 caliber conversion kits and 22 caliber revolvers are for!

If you cannot place your finger on the trigger properly, then that gun is not for you. Some people need a 1911 with thin grips and a short trigger! Other folks NEED a giant grip--the old Glock 21 models actually do fit the hands of some people!
 
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I didn't vote, because I don't own one. As it happens, I have done this test (even using light switches as reference points) with numerous pistols.

Glocks point high for me.
 
Mine wee right on target and lined up, but I practice this drill a lot. It is a undamental skill or any deensive handgunner, AND the lack of doing it is the primary reason that XS sights are selling any units at all! <g>
 
I had to 'move my head' into the view of the sights, but when I did they seemed to be right on the switch. Could be that my hands subconsciously adjusted the gun as I moved my head into view, but either way it wasn't that far off.
 
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