How to keep the Glock and loose the "Block".
My duty pistol for five years was the Glock 21. It's a BIG pistol. The grip was a handfull, but I learned to shoot and love that handgun. I wear size large gloves and my fingers are about average length so the G21 fit me. I was quick and accurate with it, and didn't really need to think much about shooting the pistol. It just did what I needed it to go.
After five years our department decided that rebuilding our pistols was not cost effective. They selected the G21SF as a replacement. The collective reasoning was that the G21SF needed no re-training and that the Glock pistols had already proven reliable for us. I can't fault this thinking at all. On top of that the new short frame should allow smaller stature shooters a better grip.
I had handled a couple G21SF's before we made the change. Initially I thought they were a better option because of the smaller grip. Once we were issued the pistols and started working with them I found a problem. With the G21 I had to open my hand more to wrap around the grip. This brought my palm in solid contact with the side. With the shorter front strap to back strap distance on the G21SF my palm was pushed further away. Now you may initially think that I could just wrap my fingers further around the grip. This works in theory, but not in practice. If you wrap more of your fingers around the grip it puts too much trigger finger into the guard. This causes all kinds of other issues.
I have qualified and shot with the G21SF for half a year now. I don't have a problem shooting the pistol despite the grip issues and the heavier connector Glock used in them. Our department already arranged to replace the connectors with slightly lighter factory replacements (same weight as on the G21). However I just did not "like" the pistol. I wished for my G21 back. Several of the guys who purchased their old pistols from the department started carrying them again until the department put a stop to it.
I stopped into my local gunshop a week ago and was browsing the rack. I came across a product from Hogue Grips called the "Handall". This is a rubber sleeve that slips over the grip of many autopistols. It has finger grooves and palm swells. I recalled that when we first were issued the G21 quite a few folks added these grips. I didn't because the pistol fit me well, and the grip caused problems. This time around it looked like the perfect solution and was less than ten dollars. I had the shop install it for me, but it's a simple matter of heating the grip with a hair dryer and slipping it on.
Once I got the G21SF back into my hand it was love at first touch. THIS is what a handgun is supposed to feel like. There was 100% contact with my palm. When I took a solid two handed grip, the support side palm swell aided in applying equal pressure. The finger grooves are appropriately spaced for my fingers and allow me to still get a high grip. The Handall added some thickness front and back, but the palm swells perfectly addressed the problem I was having. The sides of the Handall have a pebbled finish that appears on all rubber Hogue grips.
The Glock pistols have long been criticized as being akin to holding a "two by four". This product from Hogue perfectly solves this problem. I realize that this may not fit everyone. Those with small hands may find that it adds too much thickness. In that case it is better to go without. The Handall is a "universal" product. The model that I purchased will fit all full size Glocks. While it will also fit other similar non-Glock pistols the styling makes it appear as if that was the intended model.
If you are having problems with your Glock grip or just want to get rid of the chunky feel, then check out the Hogue Handall.
<span style="font-weight: bold">http://www.8541tactical.com/handall_review.php</span>
My duty pistol for five years was the Glock 21. It's a BIG pistol. The grip was a handfull, but I learned to shoot and love that handgun. I wear size large gloves and my fingers are about average length so the G21 fit me. I was quick and accurate with it, and didn't really need to think much about shooting the pistol. It just did what I needed it to go.
After five years our department decided that rebuilding our pistols was not cost effective. They selected the G21SF as a replacement. The collective reasoning was that the G21SF needed no re-training and that the Glock pistols had already proven reliable for us. I can't fault this thinking at all. On top of that the new short frame should allow smaller stature shooters a better grip.
I had handled a couple G21SF's before we made the change. Initially I thought they were a better option because of the smaller grip. Once we were issued the pistols and started working with them I found a problem. With the G21 I had to open my hand more to wrap around the grip. This brought my palm in solid contact with the side. With the shorter front strap to back strap distance on the G21SF my palm was pushed further away. Now you may initially think that I could just wrap my fingers further around the grip. This works in theory, but not in practice. If you wrap more of your fingers around the grip it puts too much trigger finger into the guard. This causes all kinds of other issues.
I have qualified and shot with the G21SF for half a year now. I don't have a problem shooting the pistol despite the grip issues and the heavier connector Glock used in them. Our department already arranged to replace the connectors with slightly lighter factory replacements (same weight as on the G21). However I just did not "like" the pistol. I wished for my G21 back. Several of the guys who purchased their old pistols from the department started carrying them again until the department put a stop to it.
I stopped into my local gunshop a week ago and was browsing the rack. I came across a product from Hogue Grips called the "Handall". This is a rubber sleeve that slips over the grip of many autopistols. It has finger grooves and palm swells. I recalled that when we first were issued the G21 quite a few folks added these grips. I didn't because the pistol fit me well, and the grip caused problems. This time around it looked like the perfect solution and was less than ten dollars. I had the shop install it for me, but it's a simple matter of heating the grip with a hair dryer and slipping it on.
Once I got the G21SF back into my hand it was love at first touch. THIS is what a handgun is supposed to feel like. There was 100% contact with my palm. When I took a solid two handed grip, the support side palm swell aided in applying equal pressure. The finger grooves are appropriately spaced for my fingers and allow me to still get a high grip. The Handall added some thickness front and back, but the palm swells perfectly addressed the problem I was having. The sides of the Handall have a pebbled finish that appears on all rubber Hogue grips.
The Glock pistols have long been criticized as being akin to holding a "two by four". This product from Hogue perfectly solves this problem. I realize that this may not fit everyone. Those with small hands may find that it adds too much thickness. In that case it is better to go without. The Handall is a "universal" product. The model that I purchased will fit all full size Glocks. While it will also fit other similar non-Glock pistols the styling makes it appear as if that was the intended model.
If you are having problems with your Glock grip or just want to get rid of the chunky feel, then check out the Hogue Handall.
<span style="font-weight: bold">http://www.8541tactical.com/handall_review.php</span>
