In web threads on Point Shooting, some say that the P&S grip is a weak grip as only two fingers, the ring and little fingers, are used to grip the gun. That is because the middle finger is used to pull the trigger.

And they say that there is no way they would hold a gun using only two fingers!

And some imagine that the gun will be pushed to the left by the index finger pressing on the gun, when the middle finger is used to squeeze the trigger.

And so on and so forth.

Now, I certainly agree that a two finger grip would be weak.

And I also have wondered about how they came to their imagined conclusions. I say imagined conclusions, because it is obvious that they hadn't tried the P&S grip before speaking up, or they would not say what they did about it. That is because, the P&S grip is a multi-fingered and very strong grip.

Then recently, I was thinking about how the US Army combat pistol manual says you should grip a gun, and that little light of understanding came on.

The combat pistol manual says that the gun should be placed into the web of the hand, and that the THREE LOWER FINGERS should grasp the gun until the hand trembles some.

Also, the thumb should be allowed to rest against the side of the gun without pressure.

It notes that: if any of the THREE FINGERS on the grip are relaxed, the GRIP must be reapplied.

CLICK!

LIGHT COMES ON, and begins to flash on and off.

With the Army grip, the GUN IS GRIPPED WITH JUST THREE FINGERS of the strong hand.

So, if you used the middle finger to pull the trigger, you would end up with just a two finger grip, and a weak grip.

About the same time, I ran across the two pictures below that were in an article on the Handguns Magazine web site. They show the grip of Brian Enos, and that of Dave Sevigny.

In the picture of Brian Enos's grip, his thumbs do not touch the gun.

The description under the pictures reads: "Brian Enos believes one of the keys to a successful grip is having no contact by the thumbs along the side of the gun. The grip should happen strictly in the palms and fingers. Photo by Nidaa A. (Right) Dave Sevigny does touch the side of the gun with his thumbs and also considers that an important part of his technique." (Here is a link to the article.)

..........

Well, the fact of the matter is that the P&S grip is not a three finger grip or a two finger grip.

The P&S grip is a natural and multi-fingered grip that works along with how your body works, and particularly so in high stress situations.

It is very easy to apply, and can be maintained with relative ease, as basically all you do is just grab onto your gun.

The gun is held in the natural, strong, and level shooting platform made up of your thumb, the web of your hand, and your index finger.

Your ring and little fingers also help with the grip. They add tenacity to it. That's their job.

The middle finger, which can be flexed and extended independantly, is used to pull the trigger. Its base adds to the grip.

The index finger, when extended along the side of the gun, helps to naturally "lock up" the wrist, strengthen the grip, and improve recoil control.

And the thumb and index finger ARE NOT aloof from the gun.

If you wish, you can squeeze the begeebers out of the gun using the natural pincer made up of your index finger and opposing thumb. And all an increase in pressure will do, is strengthen your grip on the gun.

The P&S grip can be maintained even when the gun is jumping and bucking in your hand with rapid firing.

And when used in conjunction with a "wrist lock" grip, elbow smashes to the left or right can be made, as well as forward punches. With it, recoil will be dampened considerably.

P&S does not rely on the use of a specific stance, the sights, body indexing, hand positioning, controlled breathing, trigger manipulation, trigger squeezing, or placing the gun muzzle on an aim point.

It is cognitively simple (requires little active thinking decision making). And it utilizes large muscle groups and gross motor skills which produce optimal performance during high levels of stress.

And P&S can be used with, and to enhance other shooting methods.

SUMMARY

The "Army" three finger grip utilizes the web of the hand, the middle finger, and the ring and little fingers which add support and tenacity to the grip.

The P&S multi-finger grip, utilizes the web of the hand, the grasping and pinching strength of our opposable thumb and index finger, the base of the middle finger, and the ring and little fingers which add support and tenacity to the grip.

With P&S, the pressure of the thumb and index finger against each other ties the gun in place. And the action of pointing your index finger at the target, as the middle finger pulls back, cancels any right or left push.

Note: Both the index finger and the middle finger can be extended and flexed independently. And the middle finger, being in the center of the hand, pulls back straighter in the hand than the index finger.

The key to P&S is just: point-n-pull, point-n-pull, point-n-pull. No more, no less.

The pic below shows that P&S can be deadly.

P&S works very well with movement, with close to the body shooting, against fast moving targets, and even against aerials. Also the two handed writst lock grip can be used for making strikes, and to improve gun retention and recoil control.

Here are pics of holstered guns with a P&S aiming aid attached. Drawing either gun and shooting while "getting of the X" is no problem.

Here's a pic of a KWA M17 air-gun in a Blackhawk holster.

According to the literature on WWII close combat shooting methods that were taught to military forces by Fairbairn, Sykes, and Applegate, in a life and death close quarters confrontation, you will be grasping your pistol in almost a convulsive grip.

In Kill or Get Killed we find.... "in the midst of battle excitement, a man instinctively grips his weapon in this manner and certainly does not take time to hold his breath, line up the sights, and squeeze the trigger."

So, in a real life threat situation, you in all likelyhood, will not keep your thumb or your index finger aloof and away from the gun, so you can deftly and smoothly squeeze the trigger to the rear until each shot breaks when someone is shooting at you at close quarters, or moving towards you to kill you.

Finally, here is the info from the US Army's Combat Pistol Manual that details the THREE FINGER ONLY grip. I suspect that the instruction is the basis for the imagined thinking about the P&S grip.

GRIP

"A proper grip is one of the most important fundamentals of quick fire. The weapon must become an extension of the hand and arm; it should replace the finger in pointing at an object. The firer must apply a firm, uniform grip to the weapon.

a. One-Hand Grip. Hold the weapon in the nonfiring hand; form a V with the thumb and forefinger of the strong hand (firing hand). Place the weapon in the V with the front and rear sights in line with the firing arm. Wrap the lower three fingers around the pistol grip, putting equal pressure with all three fingers to the rear. Allow the thumb of the firing hand to rest alongside the weapon without pressure (Figure 2-1).

Grip the weapon tightly until the hand begins to tremble; relax until the trembling stops. At this point, the necessary pressure for a proper grip has been applied. Place the trigger finger on the trigger between the tip and second joint so that it can be squeezed to the rear. The trigger finger must work independently of the remaining fingers.

NOTE: If any of the three fingers on the grip are relaxed, the grip must be reapplied...."

A FINAL WORD

If per the Combat Pistol Manual, only the three lower fingers are gripping the gun, with the index finger being held aloof and independant of the other fingers, and with the thumb resting along the side of the gun without pressure; then when the gun is fired, you can expect that the recoil action will be very significant as the first point of real resistance to the recoil force will be the base of the middle finger, which given the 5.51 inch height of the M9 pistol, is about 2 1/2 inches below the center bore line of the pistol.

A two handed grip would give added support, but according to the NYPD's study of thousands of police combat cases, officers with an occasional exception, fired with the strong hand. As such, you can expect the use of a one handed grip to be the rule and not the exception in CQB situations.

Also see: The P&S Grip/Method = Less Recoil/Better Accuracy. It shows - with pictures - why the P&S grip is superior to a traditional grip.