Does Hand Size Matter When Choosing a Gun?

A gentleman named Steven recently heard someone at a gun show say that hand size matters when choosing a handgun.  He wonders if this is true, so I thought I’d do a little blog here on this very important topic.

Hand size definitely plays a huge role in choosing a handgun.  I’ve just completed an entire series on YouTube entitled Choosing a Handgun: 7 Considerations.  The 3rd episode is called Hand Fit, in which I discuss the measurements that matter in terms of choosing a properly fitted handgun.

The distance that is the most important is from the webbing of your hand (Image 1, point A) and the middle of the first pad of the trigger finger (Image 1, point B). We refer to this as the distance between back strap (Image 2, point A) and trigger face (Image 2, point B).

If the distance between these points is too small, then the tendency will be for the shooter to placgun too small too much trigger fingere too much trigger finger into the trigger guard, thus pulling the gun side to side while shooting.  Shots will tend to fall toward the strong side (rightward for a right-handed shooter).  This is the common tendency for all shooters on  tiny pocket pistols. Even shooters with small hands.

Bear in mind, some shooters may still make the choice to choose a gun that is way too small for their hand simply to make concealment easier.  When making this choice, one needs to be aware that  special attention should be devoted to the trigger finger in order to ensure accurate hits on target.

Conversely, if the gun is too large, the tendency will be to rotatin line gripe the dominant wrist around the gun in order to reach the trigger properly.  This will cause the gun to be out of alignment with the strong arm (offset grip pictured right), which forces the wrist to bend under recoil, sending the hits off to the support side (leftward for a right-handed shooter).  The proper alignment will look like the ‘in-line grip’ pictured right.

I hope this has helped Steven, and many others with the same question.  I’ll put links below for videos I’ve done on this topic and ones closely related:

Choosing a Handgun: 7 Considerations (Episode 3 — Hand Fit)

Colleene Answers Questions: Ep. 42 What if the gun is too small for your hand?

Colleene Answers Questions: Ep. 45 What kind of gun do I recommend for women?

7 Considerations for a Woman Choosing a Handgun

Preparing the New Shooter: Gripping the Gun with Authority

Colleene Answers Questions: Ep. 12 Why do I have to keep adjusting my grip?

Teaching Kids About Guns

This is an area I’m entering again as we have a 2 year old daughter.  When my son began his gun education, he was 8, so we approached things a little differently than I am with a tiny one. So, I’m exploring creative ways to teach her important information so that it’s comprehended and sealed in her little mind.  She’s really soaking it all in right now, so it’s the time to lay on the teaching.

Recently, I wrote a song to teach her the basic gun safety rules.  Since I use songs to teach her such a wide variety of information, I thought, why not about guns?  I’ve published the song on my YouTube channel, and I’ve provided the link here if you are interested in checking it out.  The Gun Safety Song (by Keeping the Piece)

Music really helps children to learn information that is more advanced than their years. Music helps it make sense, and helps it to just stick. In fact, it even helps adults…even though those catchy tunes may get annoying when they get stuck in your mind. 🙂

Let me know what you think!  And, if you have any specific handgun related information you’d like written into a song, let me know.  I plan to make this a series!

Why are you hitting low?

Since this is one of the most frequently asked questions on my YouTube channel, I thought I’d compile a list of the videos I’ve posted on this topic so they’d all be in one place and easy to access.  If you have trouble with this shooter error, check out these videos.  Comment below if they help, or if they don’t.  I’d love to know your experience on the journey to correcting this common problem among shooters.

 

Shooting Low: Probably Causes & Possible Solutions

Colleene Answers Questions (Ep. 13): Why do my shots hit Low?

Colleene Answers Questions (Ep. 49): Having Trouble Conquering Low/Low Left Hits?

Preparing New Shooter Series: Target Analysis (Episode 8 of 10)

Should You Have Insurance to CCW?

People ask me frequently if they should have insurance to concealed carry.  I would say it is a very good idea. There are lots of associations out there providing good benefits at reasonable rates.  The one I personally use is  US Concealed Carry Association.

They offer 3 levels of protection, which are Silver, Gold, and Platinum. I will list the details of your coverage under each level below. If you are interested in contacting them to start your coverage, you can either call at 1-877-677-1919 or jump on their website at https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/.  I do not receive any compensation from them if you sign up. I’m simply sharing what I use to give you a place to start in your research. 🙂

Silver Plus

$13/mo

$250,000

Civil Suit Defense & Damages

$50,000

Criminal Defense Protection & Instant
Attorney Retainer

$2,500

Immediate Bail Bond Funding

$250/day

Compensation While In Court

Critical Response Team

24/7/365 Immediate Assistance

Complete Attorney Coordination

Local Referral Within 24 Hours

Psychological Support

Post-Incident Counseling

Concealed Carry Magazine

8 Issues Per Year

Gold Plus

$22/mo

$500,000

Civil Suit Defense & Damages

$75,000

Criminal Defense Protection & Instant
Attorney Retainer

$5,000

Immediate Bail Bond Funding

$350/day

Compensation While In Court

Critical Response Team

24/7/365 Immediate Assistance

Complete Attorney Coordination

Local Referral Within 24 Hours

Psychological Support

Post-Incident Counseling

Concealed Carry Magazine

8 Issues Per Year