The Side Grip: Functional Aiming Method or Hollywood Fabrication?

Trick shot, side grip, and “gangsta” style. These are a few of the nicknames given to a very distinctive style of one-handed shooting. Using one hand, and then canting the gun to align the sights with the dominant eye primarily characterize this style. While hearing Steve Carell scream killshot is pretty hilarious, the "gangster grip" seems ridiculous, at least to those of us even somewhat accustomed to proper shooting mechanics.

Thanks Again, Hollywood

But where did this even start? Like with most trends, we can thank Tinsel Town. Back in 1993, the Hughes brothers put out a movie called Menace II Society that featured the iconic grip style in the opening scene. This movie is believed by many to be the cause of the grips wide spread use, though it certainly isn’t the first.

Films such as One Eyed Jacks and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly also showed actors using that grip. The primary explanation for these was that this grip made it easier to see both the gun and actor’s face when getting a close up.

Function or Fiction?

The real question is, does it actually work? Say you’re out at the range and want a tighter grouping; do you use this grip or a more traditional, vertical style? As most would assume, your groups are going to be much better when using a traditional vertical grip.

For some situations, though, the side grip may be functional. When police officers are using a riot shield, they will sometimes cant their firearm to accommodate the shield. Other shooters with cross-dominant eyes also find it necessary to tilt their handguns to a certain degree to obtain a clear sight picture.

The key issue with the side grip is that there are no sights on the side of stock pistols, so there’s no way to accurately gauge where the gun is pointing. Couple this with lack of recoil control, and shooters will see their rounds going all over the target.

Proper Sight Mechanics

When aiming a handgun, the shooter should mentally “build a castle” with the sights, according to former marksmanship instructor Jon Davis. This of course takes a good deal of time to perfectly execute in a combat or self defense scenario. Most shooters in these situations resort to a “flash sight picture”, where the shooter just wants to hit the target but not necessarily the bull’s-eye.

With the extreme cant of the side grip, it can be difficult to shoot with any real accuracy. For anyone who prefers or finds it necessary to use a canted grip while shooting a handgun, learning point shooting from an experienced instructor would be valuable. Also referred to as instinctive aiming, point shooting is a method that can provide effective accuracy in less than ideal scenarios.

In those situations where the environment does not allow for proper sight picture and poster boy technique, point shooting allows the shooter to rapidly respond to a threat with speed and accuracy. Of course, this takes instruction and practice, but it is a valuable skill to add to your toolbox.

What method do you prefer: side grip, vertical or somewhere in between? As always, lets us know in the comments section.

Resources:

Ayoob, M. (September 2007). The cross-dominant eyes: Corrections are easy. GUNS Magazine, September 2007 edition.

Lewine, E. (November 5, 1995). Ready, aim. No, wait a second. Hold that gun sideways. The New York Times. Retrieved from: goo.gl/s33QzZ

Palmer, B. (December 14, 2009). Why do rappers hold their guns sideways? Slate Magazine - Explainer. Retrieved from: goo.gl/6ppDsf