This past week saw us in the Keystone State to shoot the state and regional Action Pistol matches. We combined that long drive with a trip to see family, so while the little P32 enjoyed the scenery back east, it did not get shot. A few people have asked me about gripping the P32 to allow speedy reliable shooting, so let’s take a quick look at that.
All guns really need the same things when gripped by a human. Stability that allows the trigger to be pulled at whatever speed you want without disturbing the alignment with the target. Some people accomplish this by “just gripping the gun.” That’s fine if it works for you, and depending on your hand size and proportions and whichever gun you are using, it may work out very well.
On the other hand, many guns will not work well for any given hand, so we need a method that allows for consistent performance. The strong hand should squeeze the gun on the front strap and back strap and the support hand should squeeze the side stocks of the gun. In this way, each hand acts like a vice and only squeezes towards itself. As small as the P32 is, this technique works well for me with my hands. I wear a size small glove for reference.
The real issue is the trigger. The gun is so small, and my hands are so big compared to it, that if I just try to put my finger on the trigger, I will sink it all the way through. That leads to all sorts of shooting issues and is not an effective way to fire the gun for me. Instead, I pull my trigger finger back so that only the first pad or so is on the trigger. This allows me to repeatedly press the trigger at high speed without inducing malfunctions.
In order to pull my trigger finger back enough, I also need to adjust where my strong hand falls on the stocks. I don’t wrap around the gun as tightly as possible. Instead, I pull my three lower fingers back just a tad. Pictures don’t really show this properly, but the idea is to create a tiny bit of space where my fingers wrap around the front strap.
With your hand size, you may have to play with these ideas to make them work for you. That’s half the fun of shooting though, taking an idea you have been shown and making it yours. And really, that’s what shooting effectively is all about. Until you make a technique your own, you don’t really understand it, you don’t own it. Once you own it, things really get interesting.
As far as the match goes, on the first day I had a failure to extract that cost me 5 plates. I’m not sure what happened as I was trying to clear it fast enough to shoot. I’ll clean the gun well and see if I can see anything. It certainly may have been a bad round, but the chamber might be a wee bit dirty too. That is two malfunctions with my main competition P30L, in over 13,000 rounds. Not the most reliable gun I have, but not bad.
On day two of the competition, I shot a little better and came in first High Master in Production Optics. I will admit, I’m starting to lose some of my competition drive. I’ve never really been a competition shooter, though I certainly enjoy a good competition. It’s just not something I can really devote myself to, so I’ll have to see what that looks like going forward.
I wear size XL or 2XL gloves, that little pistol is one that wouldn’t be a good fit for me. Firearm fit is almost as import as selecting the correct dog breed to fit your family and lifestyle lol. Just in case you are curious, Rottweiler
Though I would normally agree, these little guns fill a role that other guns do not. If you need or want that capability, hand fit is much less important than simply being able to make it work. We’re not out shooting for the day with these things, just a few rounds at a time.
I forgot to add that my friend Justin, who first insisted that i try the gun out, is 6’3″ and an XL or 2 xl glove as well. He shoots it very well.
I wear a size 9 glove, and I shoot my Beretta Pico so well, that I bought another one. I’m glad I bought a duplicate because the gun was so unreasonably reviled that Beretta discontinued it. I use the techniques you describe, and I do not use the magazine with the ridiculous pinky rest. Instead, I curl my pinky under the magazine as a kind of rest and use my ring finger to provide the stability on the lower grip frame. In a micro-sized gun, I prefer a hammer fired gun with a longer DAO trigger considering the possibility of hideout carry and the inability to “look the gun” into the holster.
Glad to hear it works for you too. Hammer fired guns rule.
I’ve owned a pair of P32s for about 6 months to fill that role that other guns do not. I wear large-sized gloves, and putting Pachmayr grip sleeves on them really helped the grip. My biggest problem was getting used to the long trigger pull and practically nonexistent sights, but I’ve gotten to where I enjoy shooting them and shoot them pretty well, although I don’t try to go past 10 yards.
Glad to hear that you made it work for you. I will mention the sleeve I’ve been playing with here shortly, lol. They are impressive guns for what they are, no doubt.
Sorry it took me so long to review your recent posts, but life gets busy. I was particularly interested in your comment regarding losing some competition drive. I too have struggled with this issue. I recently read a book, The Inner Game of Tennis, recommended by Tim Herron. The chapter titled The Game People Play on the Court was helpful for me to better understand my motivation and the book was very beneficial in improving my mental aspects of shooting.
That book is an old favorite in many places and shooting curriculum. Good stuff.