When it comes to the gun world, there are few things that cause disagreements more often than brand wars. I have said before, and I continue to say that there is no such thing as a brand that is perfect for everyone. There are, in my opinion, models or even brands that are too unreliable to be good for anyone.
Grip angle
The angle of a handgun’s grip to the plane of the barrel can vary from the 55 degrees of the Luger P08, to the 18 degrees of the 1911 and Smith and Wesson’s M&P autoloaders, or even 17 degrees of the old Ruger P95. Glocks have a grip angle of 22.5 degrees. Each person will have an opinion as to which one fits their and and shooting style.
Whichever grip angle is right for you will see the pistol pointing at the target without any conscious effort on your part. Here is how to check yours:
- Set up a target in a safe area (even if you shot it, the bullets wouldn’t go through and hit someone or something important).
- Unload your pistol.
- Present your gun at the target as though you were going to shoot it. Get a good sight picture.
- Lower the gun (or holster it, if you have one).
- Close your eyes. Present the gun again at your target.
- Open your eyes. Are your sights on target?
If they’re too high, the grip angle may be too steep.
If they’re too low, the grip angle may be too shallow. - Repeat this at least 5 times to be sure you get consistent results.
If all your pistols have about the same grip angle, you won’t have to adjust your aim when switching pistols. That is why all of my carry handguns are of the M&P line. You will get the same results if all of your carry pistols are Glocks, or Springfield, etc. As log as your grip angle is consistent, you can change handguns without a problem. If you change to a new grip angle, you can figure about 1,000 rounds to adjust to the new one. Pick a grip angle you are OK with and stick with it.
Bore Axis
Another thing that matters is bore axis. The bore axis is the distance between the top of the shooter’s gripping hand and the center of the barrel. In a pistol with a hammer, this distance can be quite large.
Note that the line of where the gripping hand is is located quite a bit below the center of the barrel. This forms a lever, with the fulcrum being where the web of the thumb grips the backstrap of the pistol, and the force being applied down the center of the barrel. This force causes two types of recoil- backwards through the barrel, and a bit of muzzle flip. The larger the bore axis, the more pronounced the muzzle flip. The greater the muzzle flip, the more time it takes to get your sights back on the target for a follow up shot. For most people, this won’t really be noticeable beyond a perceived increase in recoil.
The bore axis for the following handguns is:
- The 1911 has a bore axis of 1.75
- Glock 17 Gen 4 is 1.26 inches.
- Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0 is 1.41 inches
- Sig 320 is 1.78″
- Sig P226 is 1.80
As a general rule, striker fired pistols will have a lower bore axis than do pistols with a hammer, because the fire control group of a striker fired pistol takes up less room.
Grip Size
I have large hands and a pretty good grip strength. That means I can handle full powered handguns and double stack magazines. Not everyone funds this comfortable. Make sure that the grip of the firearm fits your hand. and easy way to do that is see if you can push in the magazine release with your gripping hand’s thumb without shifting your grip. If you can’t, that particular handgun may be to fat for your hand.
Another consideration is grip length. If you are gripping the handgun and your pinky finger is hanging in the breeze, maybe your hand is too large for that pistol. One solution is an extended magazine with a boot on it, like the ones they have on the Taurus Millenium.
Conclusion
There is a lot that goes into handgun design- the grip angle, the bore axis, the size and power of the cartridge, the weight of the handgun, and many other factors go into the perceived recoil, accuracy, and the speed of follow up shots. Combine that with the ergonomics, style, and skill of each shooter, and the interplay makes a virtual unlimited number of possible combinations, making a determination of the “best” pistol impossible.
If you don’t yet have a handgun, find a gun range that rents firearms. See if a gun owning friend will take you to the range and let you shoot a few of his guns. In short, don’t let someone else tell you what gun you should buy. The only things that should matter are:
- Is it reliable enough to go bang every time you squeeze the trigger?
- Can you reliably get multiple hits with it?
- Does it fire a cartridge that passes the FBI test of 12-18 inches of gel penetration? (This generally means 300 or more foot pounds of energy)
- Is it small enough to do what you want to do with it? (Carry, home defense, etc.)
- Pick a gun maker that offers a lifetime warranty. The pistols that they sell are generally pretty reliable.
- If you are a more experienced shooter, make sure that you can pass the 5 test with it- Draw and get 5 hits in a 5 inch circle at 5 yards in less than 5 seconds.
I have seen far too many gun store employees try to sell people guns that are obviously not right for them. For example, selling a small woman a tiny pink colored .357 magnum. Don’t let someone else tell you what you like and what you need. You are the only one who can determine that. Others can only guide you there, but at the end of the day, it is your decision to make.
9 Comments
Troy Messer · March 11, 2025 at 8:45 am
What a great post. I learned 3 new concepts.
Grumpy51 · March 11, 2025 at 9:10 am
Good information as usual. Snd echo the “try a variety out”
When a young woman asked to be taught, I picked out 10 different pistols that fit her hand. She didn’t like any of them when shooting.
She went back to the counter and picked out a Ruger SP101, snubby. And put round after round in same basic hole…….
That was a good learning experience for both of us.
Barry · March 11, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Several informative posts you have presented. FWIW, my personal favorites are S&W M&P chambered in .40 and a Sig Sauer P365 chambered in 9mm. The S&W has an Apex trigger which significantly improved it. The Sig P365 just felt right straight out of the box.
Divemedic · March 11, 2025 at 5:16 pm
I won a few trophies with a Sig229 in black stainless, chambered in 357Sig. That was 20 or so years ago, when I was still competing as an IDPA competitor.
Tsgt Joe · March 11, 2025 at 10:26 am
Perhaps because it was my first centrfire semi auto, I’ve always liked 1911’s, however when I draw and present the front sight is low. My m&p shields have the same grip angle but when I present the front sight is a rch high.
neomunitor · March 12, 2025 at 7:29 am
I will point out that grip angle is, to a great extent, learned. I have 30 years of experience as a USPSA shooter, with over 500,000 rounds fired in practice and competition. All the training schools teach that it takes about 5,000 repetitions to really lock in the muscle memory for a new handgun configuration, even if all that new configuration constitutes of is changing from irons to red dot.
Regarding the design of handgun firing mechanisms, I will also weigh in on the relative safety of the various designs. Here I’m using my credentials as a mechanical engineer as well as experience as a shooter. I can absolutely prove, in any court, that the Glock mechanism is more safe from accidental discharge from drops than any other striker fired mechanism in use today, to the point where it is essentially immune to drops. The only hammer fired mechanisms that are comparable in safety are the DAO mechanisms that use a floating firing pin that includes a firing pin block deactivated by trigger travel. Striker fired mechanisms that use a sear like Canik, FN, Grand Power, S&W, SIG, etc., are all just a single mechanical failure away from having a fully powered striker slamming into the firing pin block, if so equipped. Since most people never test their firing pin block, they have no idea if that critical safety device will function when it is needed.
I have a lot of handguns of various makes, and yet I carry nothing but Glocks because in self-defense situations they are the most reliable and safest make that I can carry. The trigger mechanisms are unaltered stock. I compete using my carry guns. I have competed using much nicer guns back when winning competitions mattered more than competency with my carry guns.
Divemedic · March 12, 2025 at 8:06 am
Here we have a fine example of the pitfalls of mentioning brands. At least one person will appear to tell you why their preferred brand should be everyone’s preferred brand.
I stand by the statement that there is no perfect pistol, and each person has a unique situation that makes deciding one best for everyone a fool’s errand.
What you have done here is commit the logical fallacy called appeal to authority- you have established yourself as an authority because of your 500,000 rounds fired, your mechanical engineering background, and what all the shooting schools teach, then used that to springboard your opinion to claim Glock as the best, because you don’t think grip angle is important, but you do think that the Glock firing mechanism is perfect. Another person might think that grip angle and the feel of a smooth trigger is important, while at the same time might think that their preferred brand of pistol has never had an AD caused by mechanical failure and comes to the conclusion that your fears of a mechanical failure caused AD are so overblown that it isn’t important to them. That person might decide that some other brand is therefore better. It’s all opinion.
(Also I talked about learned grip and how it takes a period to readjust to a new pistol. Reread the post.)
Speaking of how a single point of failure can cause a runaway discharge, please explain how a Glock switch works to convert a Glock into a machine gun.
neomunitor · March 12, 2025 at 1:25 pm
A Glock equipped with a switch is no more likely to discharge when dropped than a Glock without a switch. The safeties inherent in the design are still there when the trigger is released. The switch makes a Glock operate exactly like an S&W with the sear tripping as the slide closes due to a broken disconnector and, because the trigger is being held to the rear, the firing pin safety is disengaged and the gun fires continuously. The switch works by preventing the Glock trigger bar from dropping out of the path of the striker hook except when forced out by the connector as the slide closes. The switch does bypass one part of the safety mechanism in the Glock, but all the drop safeties are still there when the trigger is released.
There is opinion, and there is fact. When the Glock trigger is released, the striker is moved to a forward position and there is insufficient energy stored in the striker spring to fire a primer. That is not true of any sear-mechanism equipped, striker fired pistol. In addition, the trigger safety locks with the striker and trigger bar to hold the striker in the safe position.
I appreciate a nice trigger, and have spent a lot of time shooting guns with nice triggers. If you want a really great trigger get a 1911 or, in a striker gun, get a Canik or Grand Power. But, in my opinion and experience, I’ve decided to carry Glocks for a number of reasons, including the very robust trigger mechanism. They certainly aren’t perfect, but they have won out over all the other ones for me.
Tree Mike · March 12, 2025 at 8:43 pm
I have carried my gen ll (no finger grooves) G19 since 1991. It’s never malfunctioned or discharged a round without my active participation. It’s been dropped, the scars show. The only time it went to a gunsmith, was when I got notified to take it to a certified Glock armorer for a parts recall. I had the attractive lady armorer FIX my New York trigger (47 ft lbs) to as light as she could make it, she said I now have a target trigger, feels like 4ish, yeay! I swapped out my plastic recoil spring guide with a brass one about 25 years ago, when some gun scribe wrote that it would not fail and would reduce muzzle flip. did it? A little. I’m on my 4th set of night sights. When the stars align, with the right ammo AND I do my part, it will hold a 2″ group at 25 yards. It’s always under 4″.
I LOVE my match grade, bobtail, Commander size, Tisas, 45, 1911. I don’t carry it because it doesn’t hold enough ammo and my recoil control is slower than my Glock. IF I were going to change my EDC gun, it would be to a Browning Hi Power or a quality clone (with minor tuning). Next in line would be a CZ 75 or a close variant, the option of double action or cocked and locked, is very attractive.
Grip angle doesn’t enter my concern zone. I’m 74 and shooting is still fun.
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