…this whole “limp wrist” (LW) thing with Glocks - if you’d please pardon my beating a mostly-dead horse. (Yes - I’m using the search function here and at other sites to get a history of the topic - but also would appreciate any more “recent” opinions and/or info.)
I’m getting to the point where I want to “simply” my life at all levels - including my weaponry. Yes - I have done very well shooting 1911s for four-plus decades, and my “heart” will always love them dearly. (Could you see the “emotion” coming through between the lines???
OTOH - the lack of an affirmative safety notwithstanding - there is just so much that Glock offers, and the G17s (3rd gen) have started sending enough rounds downrange that I’m starting to trust them:) I’ve torn into them - and they really ARE easier to wrench on than ol slabsides - and FAR less particular about parts interchangeability. Stated another way - while my “heart” may always love 1911s, my “brain” is 9/10s of the way to switching to a Glock as my primary weapon for training and, therefore, HD. (I’m stuck in Illinois - so no CC to worry about. Just need something to help me fight my way to the 6920:)
My one & only reservation is this limp wristing curse that keeps following Glocks. How much of a problem is it - really? At one end of the topic is - “if you don’t shoot with a firm wrist, it certainly may happen.” Others say it happens, but is an unacknowledged design quirk of the weapon system. I’m especially interested in the rate of LW in those who truly know how to shoot a pistol. At 6’ 5" and 290# - I offer a good basic platform. Then, throw in 25 years of martial arts and defensive tactics teaching, i.e., after countless thousands of full power punches tothe heavy bag - I pretty much know how to lock a wrist and all associated parts lower down the body. OTOH - I also realize that there is a small possibility that I’ll be injured, or shooting from a non-stable position.
FWIW - I have never had what you might call a LW problem with any of my 1911s (mostly Gunsite Service Pistols, or SA loadeds that have been worked on by the Gunsite smiths.) Part of my (probably unjustified) concern comes from the fact that I’ve been bitten by the “1911 Perfection” bug:):):)
So - what say yee? Is this something to stay up nights worrying about, or simply a damn-the-torpedos and full speed ahead thing??? (Especially interested in hearing from trainers.)
Agreed. However, why is it so commonly associated with Glocks, as compared to the remainder of the handgun domain??? (Not looking to argue - just for some answers:)
I have been training armed professionals for more than 15 years. I’ve worked with Glock pistols, particularly the 17 & 19 for almost 25 years.
I can honestly say that I have never had a pistol induced limp wrist malfunction.
I have tried to duplicate the problem by shooting with a very weak one handed grip. I have tried shooting it with just my thumb and middle finger holding the gun. I have even tried to shooting them while holding the gun upside down with a weak grip.
I would propose that “limp wristing” is not as real as most would say it is. More likely it is caused by anticipation/flinching, possibly combined with a weak hold on the shooter’s part. The shooter anticipates the shot to such a degree that they actually start flinching early enough to create a shock absorber like affect with their hands and arms. I would also submit that limp wristing is often presented as the cause of a malfunction because it is convenient patsy.
I would suggest that you shoot the Glock pistol of your choice until you are comfortable. (1000 rounds or more) If you have done this already, did you experience any anticipation/flinching induced malfunctions during those trials? If not, you are GTG.
My recommendation would be that you vet your weapons and trust them to do their job. If it didn’t malfunction for you due to operator error, then you trust that you and that pistol work well together. Sleep well and worry free.
A lot of people attribute their malfunctions to limp wristing due to “Glock Perfection” precluding any mechanical deficiency.
Not a jab at Glocks- I own 2, my wife owns 2, and I rely on mine daily as my duty and off duty guns. But when a weapons system is touted as being bombproof, people then automatically attribute failures to something that the user did or failed to do.
JMoore, I saw your sig line. I think Thucydides was talking about Illinois.
Limp-wristing can occur with any semi-automatic pistol. The problem is easier to induce and exacerbated by the use of low powered ammunition combined with poor grip technique.
I would venture to say that anyone with a lifetime of shooting experience with a 1911 in .45ACP isn’t going to have a grip problem shooting a polymer 9mm.
All my wife and I use for handguns over the last decade are glocks. She weighs 100 pounds soaking wet in clothes and has never limp wristed one of our glocks. I prefer a handgun without a “safety” as long as it’s in a quality holster and your careful reholstering your fine. It’s one less thing to forget under stress. I can’t count how many times I’ve missed a shot hunting due to safeties on longguns that I don’t shoot all the time except for the hunt:sad:.
Our family looked at all the options in handguns and found glock fitted our needs best. Not to say it fits everyone or will always be that way. Good luck finding what fits your needs.
glock is really teh first polymer framed handgun that became wildly popular. The lightweight lower does depend a bit more on the shooter to hold it in place so the slide can do its recoil activation thing. It’s just an inertia thing. steel frame is heavier, so it resists forces better.
that said, i’ve never managed to limp wrist a glock. light grip with my left hand even.
It’s not a big issue in my opinion. I’ve found glocks to very reliable, easy to use and work on, and inexpensive to operate. It’s an incredibly rugged and elegant design.
I have limp wristed a glock 17 and a beretta 92fs multiple times. This happened the very first two times that I went shooting. It turns out that I was holding the pistol completely improperly. I come from an extensive target archery backround where you don’t hold grip the bow because it torques it, and the grip hand is at an angle, leaving the grip not surrounded by your hand like in pistol shooting…hard to explain. Anyways, I think that “limp wrist” is more limp grip/bad grip than anything having to do with the wrist. 5k rounds through glocks later, I haven’t even had a jam. I really would not worry about it. If you want, you can try to induce the limp wrist yourself and you will see that it is hard to do intentionally.
Thanks! Exactly the type of feedback I was looking for.
Actually - I’ve had both a G17 and an M&P9FS for the last year or two. No LW problems - just learning to transition to the new trigger format. FWIW - I shoot the Glock significantly better than the M&P. Will be putting the Apex sear in the Smith in the not-too-distant future - we’ll see what that does. I’m mostly through a shipment of 3k 9mm. When that is finished - I’ll sit back and perhaps make a decision on what I’ll transition to. That 9mm certainly is cheaper than the .45!!!
My take: The Glock is a VERY popular, inexpensive pistol that appeals to novices due to price, popularity, reliability and ease of use/maintenance. A wander over to the glocktalk forums or youtube will reveal just that. Additionally, the .40 Glocks are very popular do to their service with Police agencies and the perceived need for “stopping power.”
These novices will fire the pistol without any training. In doing this, the pistol is generally fired with a weak and improper grip and stance. When they begin suffering malfunctions, they blame the gun rather then looking in the mirror. Any semi auto pistol will experience a LW related malfunction if you the shooter let it. I feel the Glock seems to get a bad rap due to its popularity with the novice crowd who is shooting it. Put a competent or professional shooter behind a Glock and the issues magically disappear.
I don’t consider it much problem at all. It took an extreme low and light grip with min power ammo to foul Gen 3 or Gen 4 while same grip and NATO would generally run.
During recent match, to save time of moving to right side of barricade, I stayed on the left side of barricade and inside shooter box to engage last target on the right. To do so, I had to bend my wrist 60-70 degrees to the right and this worked fine to deliver two good hits from my Gen 4 G17 with original 01 spring set - with WWB 115gr.
totally agree it is not a gun but shooter problem- nothing to fix on the gun due to this, and that it is not exclusively a glock problem. if 80% of the police agnecies in the US were using hk’s we’d be talknig about the hk limp wrist problem instead
I used to own two G19s. My wife was very good at limp wristing them. We have not had any trouble with the M&Ps or CZs. As much as I tried to limp wrist the Glocks I never could. I guess it depends on the person. My hypothesis is that Glocks are more prone to limp wrist due to the grip.
