New LC9s with square trigger guard

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OldePhart

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lc9s_square.jpg
 

OldePhart

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Thanks, Jim. I'm hoping to get to the range tomorrow to test it. I expect to be able to get back on target quite a bit more quickly, now. The vast majority of my handgun shooting has been with Glocks and I'm a bit spoiled by that nice hook on the front of the trigger guard; was really missing it on a snappy little pistol like the LC9s! :)

If anybody is interested I put some photo-illustrated instructions up on my blog... http://johnatchley.com/?p=456

John
 

roylt

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Could you post a picture of how you benefit from that flat front. I have no training and maybe could benefit from the instruction.
 

OldePhart

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@roylt - I tried to figure out how to show the difference with a picture but couldn't figure out a way to really do that especially since I don't have any pictures holding the unmodified gun. If you google "weaver stance" you'll almost certainly find info and vids on the typical two-handed stance. Having the square trigger guard lets you place your weak hand forefinger in direct contact with the gun, instead of just wrapped around your strong hand.

In a correct two-handed hold the strong arm is "punching" out and the left is pulling back. The "punch" makes the strong arm straight with muscles under a little tension for a good rigid hold. The weak arm is very slightly bent with the elbow down and pulling back against the strong arm. The arms and chest make a strong triangle that provides a steady hold with less bobbing about of the muzzle and transfers recoil back through the straight strong-side arm to the shoulder. If you pull against the stock rounded/slanted trigger guard with your weak-side forefinger it wants to slide down the outside of the guard, pushing the muzzle higher - this is exactly the opposite of what we want to do to control recoil. So, with a stock LC9s guard, you end up having only finger-to-finger contact on your weak hand and that translates to less precise control.

Being able to curl the weak-hand forefinger over the face of the trigger guard achieves three things (in order of how noticable they are):
1) Under recoil the finger is forward of the pivot point and helps hold the muzzle down so recoil is straight back against the shoulder instead of twisting upward in your grip. This helps get back on target for a follow up shot more quickly.
2) During the fairly long trigger pull of a striker-fired or DA action the muscles in the strong hand work to pull the muzzle toward the strong side. If the fingers of the weak hand are just coiled over the strong hand fingers it doesn't do much to offset this pull. But, a weak-hand forefinger pulling back on the face of the trigger guard helps to reduce the muzzle movement, keeping the muzzle lined up on the target.
3) This one's a little less clear and some will argue it doesn't make any difference; for myself, I find it does. Having part of the weak-hand in contact with a specific point on the gun helps ensure that your grip is the same, every single time. This helps with initial target acquisition because with time and lots of practice you come to know exactly where the front sight is going to be when bringing the gun into play.

Hope this helped. If you don't have any training I strongly suggest getting some - most gun shops offer beginner's shooting classes or can at least point you at a local club or what have you that does. Don't be embarrassed about taking a beginner's class, even if you've been shooting a while. Everybody has to learn somewhere and learning the basics up front can save you from forming habits that take years to break. If there really isn't any instruction in your area then you can probably find some training videos on the internet...the one thing that a video can't do that a live instructor can, though, is spot problems in your technique.

Good luck, and have fun,
John
 

OldePhart

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Don't know if anyone is following this but, just in case, OH WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

Only had time for a very quick range trip today to check the sight zero and see how the new square trigger guard works. In a word...it's a different gun. I could fire much faster while also tightening up the group by probably 50% or more. I was able to get tighter groups with an unsupported two-handed hold than I'd been getting off a sand bag before. We're still talking basic rapid-fire defensive groups of "Minute of Pie Plate" accuracy, of course, but that's all I've ever been interested in, especially from a CCW.

I also popped a few rounds through my S&W .357 model 19 4" revolver. I have probably not fired that gun in close to 25 years. I've definitely gotten spoiled by the lower recoil of .40s and lighter trigger of striker-fired guns over the years! I found myself flinching and I used to shoot...and sometimes place...in practical pistol competitions with that thing! I remember that revolver as being very accurate, too, but I did better with the LC9s.

John
 
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