Many certified firearms instructors will lean toward trigger control of your handgun as being more important than grip. In fact, some might try an exercise with you where you hold the gun loosely in two fingers while pressing the trigger. Generally, if your aiming at a stationary target, this is true. But in the real world, targets aren’t stationary. They move, and so you’d better have a blend of both a good grip and trigger control.
Dangerous situations arise quickly and you’ll need to be ready with instantaneous solutions. If you do have to fire to keep someone from killing or hurting you, you’ll be firing more shot than one, too. So, you have to maintain control without even thinking about it. That’s why range practice and dry fire practice are both important. You need to get your muscles to remember what to do, like when you’re playing a video game or driving a car. You have to make moves over and over again, so that your body knows what to do before your brain does.
But here’s what USCCA (United States Concealed Carry Assn.) editor, Michael Martin, has to say about grip in his article, “The Fundamentals: Proper Grip”:
“When asked how they’re able to deliver so many rounds on target so quickly, many competitors will explain that a good solid grip and full arm extension allows them to press the trigger as fast as they are physically able.”
Of course, the speed with which you fire also has to do with how quickly your trigger resets, making this feature of the gun you buy important.
A solid grip allows you to securely handle the pistol while in the firing sequence. Martin wrote:
“The tip of the trigger finger, when placed on the slide, should be directly across from the tip of the thumb on the support hand. Most new shooters will find their support thumb being much farther back than the tip of the tip of the trigger finger—this is corrected by rotating the support hand farther forward, resulting in what’s referred to as a ‘thumbs forward’ grip.” (Read more of this USCCA article here.)
Again, practice makes perfect. If you’re ready for an event, though the best option is that it never happens at all, you’ll be ready to make the right moves to protect not only yourself, but the people you love.