Grip

I've noticed that most of the top shooters seem to hold the forestock with their forefinger on the other side to the other three fingers.  Naturally when I hold the gun I hold it with all four fingers on one side with my thumb on the other but I thought I'd give the other grip a go at the weekend.  I don't know if it made me shoot better but it did seem to make me hold the gun further away from the trigger which actually made my swing a bit smoother.  Firstly, how many people hold the gun like this and secondly what is the main reason for it?

As you use your index finger to point, some would say having it align with the barrels helps in target acquisition. At the end of the day its what you feel comfortable with. Watch the good shots, and perhaps take note of what and how they go about things.Do not head the bad.

Maca said:

I've noticed that most of the top shooters seem to hold the forestock with their forefinger on the other side to the other three fingers.  Naturally when I hold the gun I hold it with all four fingers on one side with my thumb on the other but I thought I'd give the other grip a go at the weekend.  I don't know if it made me shoot better but it did seem to make me hold the gun further away from the trigger which actually made my swing a bit smoother.  Firstly, how many people hold the gun like this and secondly what is the main reason for it?

Click to expand...

I’m far far from a top shot but I found this to be hugely advantageous.

If you hold your arm up and make a cup shape with your hand to simulate holding the forend with 4 fingers on the same side you can really feel the tension in your forearm. 

Now, relax that grip and bring your forefinger to the other side in the ‘pointing’ fashion. Notice how your forearm feels a lot more relaxed?! 

Can only be a good thing, in my, B class option ?

Maca said:

I've noticed that most of the top shooters seem to hold the forestock with their forefinger on the other side to the other three fingers.  Naturally when I hold the gun I hold it with all four fingers on one side with my thumb on the other but I thought I'd give the other grip a go at the weekend.  I don't know if it made me shoot better but it did seem to make me hold the gun further away from the trigger which actually made my swing a bit smoother.  Firstly, how many people hold the gun like this and secondly what is the main reason for it?

Click to expand...

You'll see all sorts of forearm grips by shooters of all abilities. Some grip with the thumb and all four fingers, some less and some point a finger. I've even seen folks resting the gun on a the top of a clenched fist.

Frankly, it doesn't matter how you hold the forearm so long as it's comfortable, that you don't grip too tight and you don't use the hand to steer the gun. The forearm hand does nothing more than prevent the gun from falling on the ground. The legs and core should drive the move to the target.

Jan Powell said:

You'll see all sorts of forearm grips by shooters of all abilities. Some grip with the thumb and all four fingers, some less and some point a finger. I've even seen folks resting the gun on a the top of a clenched fist.

Frankly, it doesn't matter how you hold the forearm so long as it's comfortable, that you don't grip too tight and you don't use the hand to steer the gun. The forearm hand does nothing more than prevent the gun from falling on the ground. The legs and core should drive the move to the target.

Click to expand...

Good comment for trap.

In sporting, the additional element of high lateral movement means the forend grip makes a big difference. Not so much the finger pointing bit, more where on the wood the hand is. If you hold way back, almost on the action, the leading arm can be at a tight elbow angle, which isn’t great for controlling movement. Also, held too far back, the muzzle will move excessively for just a small hand movement. Most decent sporting shooters will be found holding the forend half way along or right at the end, affording maximum control.

Will Hewland said:

Good comment for trap.

In sporting, the additional element of high lateral movement means the forend grip makes a big difference. Not so much the finger pointing bit, more where on the wood the hand is. If you hold way back, almost on the action, the leading arm can be at a tight elbow angle, which isn’t great for controlling movement. Also, held too far back, the muzzle will move excessively for just a small hand movement. Most decent sporting shooters will be found holding the forend half way along or right at the end, affording maximum control.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I found at the weekend but only because changing my grip made me, for some reason, want to hold the forend further forward. 

I once watched a bloke at my local shoot blank a stand with two quartering targets. He was missing in front and holding the rear of the forend. I didn’t know him, but told him to get back in the cage, move his hand forward and do nothing different. He hit 3 pairs in a row. The hand had just taken the speed off the muzzle. 

Will Hewland said:

Good comment for trap.

In sporting, the additional element of high lateral movement means the forend grip makes a big difference. Not so much the finger pointing bit, more where on the wood the hand is. If you hold way back, almost on the action, the leading arm can be at a tight elbow angle, which isn’t great for controlling movement. Also, held too far back, the muzzle will move excessively for just a small hand movement. Most decent sporting shooters will be found holding the forend half way along or right at the end, affording maximum control.

Click to expand...

It's not just a trap technique, my advice works equally well for skeet targets.

Where you hold the forearm isn't really important, it's whatever works for you and is comfortable. What's essential is that you don't use it to drive the gun. The movement of the gun is determined by the movement of the lower body, particularly the legs. The 'Using Body for Gun Movement' link explains all...

http://toddbenderintl.com/Skeet-Shooting-Fundamentals

With big sporting targets there will always be a bit of fine tuning with the leading hand..

It is something that I always do, regardless of which gun I happen to be shooting, BUT for NONE of the above reasons. I learned to shoot in the early 1960's with a side by side 12 bore (after using a single barrel 12 for some time). Because of the small 'splinter' forend on a S x S, it is almost impossible to hold the woodwork and the leading hand will be holding some of the barrels. I felt it was more comfortable to keep my left index finger (right handed) in the groove, formed by the bottom rib.  That also stopped my other fingers from straying onto the top of the barrels, which can cause head lifting. I did once try a leather hand guard on the barrels, but removed it because it prevented my index finger from laying naturally on the under rib,  (it also removes the blueing !). 

Left arming the gun is a dangerous and often disastrous technique that easily takes the gun away from the face and loses the target - - often prompting a ?WTF?.  I have seen some shooters do it consistently but they were well into the obese category and likely couldn't really move the proper way with a gun.  It's been my observation that Limeys have promoted the long reach fore hand thing far more than any other group.

 Prolly has something to do with all that 12-based system of measures that was introduced by the primitive Anglo natives with 6-fingered hands.

Being a newbie to the sport this is a interesting thread.

During a recent lesson I noticed my wrist that I used for the forend was starting to get sore after bout 50-60 shots. My instructor advised me to change from four fingers under to three under and one along the side.

Immediately I noticed a big difference in the control I had over the gun and less strain on the wrist. 

Kev

Wonko the Sane said:

Left arming the gun is a dangerous and often disastrous technique that easily takes the gun away from the face and loses the target - - often prompting a ?WTF?.  I have seen some shooters do it consistently but they were well into the obese category and likely couldn't really move the proper way with a gun.  It's been my observation that Limeys have promoted the long reach fore hand thing far more than any other group.

 Prolly has something to do with all that 12-based system of measures that was introduced by the primitive Anglo natives with 6-fingered hands.

Click to expand...

I would tell anybody to fix everything (gun and body) from the chest upwards into one structure, once mounted. Ideally it’s all movement of the core and weight distribution. But in REALITY, in sporting, it’s inevitable that a small final adjustment is made with the leading hand on many shots. In particular a quick change in direction for a bouncing rabbit, or a clay that suddenly dips in the wind, or indeed just a final small adjustment of lead on a longer target that slows up.

Hold your gun in a perfect mount straight ahead, then swing to wide left and wide right. With the best will in the world, the barrels won’t line up perfectly with your eye at the extreme ends of the movement. We do move with the front hand SLIGHTLY. And if you don’t think holding the forend at the front is any different to all the way back, then try it and see..

Will Hewland said:

Good comment for trap.

In sporting, the additional element of high lateral movement means the forend grip makes a big difference. Not so much the finger pointing bit, more where on the wood the hand is. If you hold way back, almost on the action, the leading arm can be at a tight elbow angle, which isn’t great for controlling movement. Also, held too far back, the muzzle will move excessively for just a small hand movement. Most decent sporting shooters will be found holding the forend half way along or right at the end, affording maximum control.

Click to expand...

Couldnt agree more, if you want maximum control hold "the wood" the furthest away from you, if you want to swing away for extremely fast shooting then hold it nearest to you. 

I think where you hold the forend has a lot to do with the ballance of the shotgun, get the ballance right, and it will feel natural to hold the middle of the forend. Fore finger following the line of the barrel is for me more comfortable, gives less strain on the wrist.

Will Hewland said:

And if you don’t think holding the forend at the front is any different to all the way back, then try it and see..

Click to expand...

Oh, I'm well aware that it does.  Ho w anyone can shoot anything holding the far end of the forearm is beyond me.  A long reach pulls me completely out of any form of single structure you mention which I as well consider essential to performance.  At the class I attended by Susan Natrass she mentioned much the same thing and wondered how Limeys managed at all what with that fore hand and straight comb stocks.  I offered that they prolly just don't know any better ..........................  I mean, the Italians figured it out a jillion years ago.  Susan advocates letting the hand fall where it does naturally and "the reach" is anything but natural and takes a conscious effort.  Old Blaster above may have a good clue too with the balance thing but I know for me the barrel length/balance thing is more dependent on barrel weight than anything else and the weight I carry in the front hand is not decreased by sliding the hand father forward as that makes for an inferior bio-mechanical package supporting a weight at a distance.

But of course that's JMO and YMMcertainlyV  shoot whatever however you like

K3vvk said:

Being a newbie to the sport this is a interesting thread.

During a recent lesson I noticed my wrist that I used for the forend was starting to get sore after bout 50-60 shots. My instructor advised me to change from four fingers under to three under and one along the side.

Immediately I noticed a big difference in the control I had over the gun and less strain on the wrist. 

Kev

Click to expand...

You are so right  !  I know all about wrist strain  AND  I lost the sight in 1 eye for a time last year..........................there is a lesson to be learned here  !

westley said:

You are so right  !  I know all about wrist strain  AND  I lost the sight in 1 eye for a time last year..........................there is a lesson to be learned here  !

Click to expand...

Let masturbating be a lesson to you 

westley said:

You are so right  !  I know all about wrist strain  AND  I lost the sight in 1 eye for a time last year..........................there is a lesson to be learned here  !

Click to expand...

and that lesson would be????

balltrap said:

Let masturbating be a lesson to you 

Click to expand...

so you're recommending masturbating as a what, exactly?