Cedric R. loves eating at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant. Whenever he goes, he orders his favorite meal.
One evening, Cedric and his uncle were eating at a Cracker Barrel in North Carolina when the two men heard a gunshot.
Cedric’s uncle looked down and saw a pistol on the ground. The uncle is a veteran and immediately recognized the pistol as a 1911 Colt .45.
But when Cedric looked down, he saw blood.
Turns out, a man sitting at a nearby table dropped his pistol and fumbled trying to grab it.
As the man tried to grab his pistol, a bullet fired hitting a wall, and shrapnel from the bullet hit Cedric in the leg.
According to Cedric, “It was just a normal day in Cracker Barrel. Then I just heard this noise and ducked because I thought somebody was shooting into the building.”
The man who fired the pistol picked up the gun and tried to run out of the restaurant, but he was stopped by another customer.
Cracker Barrel did not comment on the incident because of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Paramedics transported Cedric to a nearby hospital. Doctors recommended Cedric leave the shrapnel in his leg because it would be riskier to attempt to remove it.
Police issued a citation to the gun owner for violating North Carolina’s concealed weapons laws.
Unfortunately, too often we read about accidental discharges that result in someone getting hurt…
Which highlights just how important it is to carry a handgun that properly fits your hand.
In fact, when buying a handgun, one of the first things to consider is whether or not the gun fits your hand size.
There are so many varieties and models of handguns on the market, and it can be a little tedious trying to find a pistol that fits your hand the best.
To help make this easier, here are a few things to keep in mind next time you are buying a pistol.
Can you reach the trigger?:
The most important physical aspect of choosing a pistol is whether you can comfortably reach the trigger.
If you can’t reach the trigger, or your finger is too large to fit the guard, then the pistol is not right for you.
Your hand and finger size will play a big role in what size pistol is the best. If you have really large hands, a pocket pistol might not be a comfortable fit.
Also, keep in mind that you want to pull the trigger with the pad of your finger.
If you can only reach the trigger with the tip of your finger, then it’s not a safe fit.
Pistols can have different trigger guard sizes and shapes. Test out the trigger guard to see if you can get your finger in and out easily.
Plus, think about whether or not you wear gloves when shooting, and try out the fit and the trigger guard with gloves on if you wear them even occasionally.
The angle of the grip:
The “grip angle” is the angle at which the pistol grip extends down from the slide.
To put this in perspective, Glocks have a 21-degree grip angle and most 1911’s have an 18-degree grip angle.
The reason grip angle is important is because it will affect where you naturally point your pistol.
If you constantly switch up your pistols you might notice that it takes a little time to adjust to the different grip angles for each pistol.
And it can affect accuracy if you are not used to it.
If you are getting a new pistol, you might want get one with a similar grip angle to a pistol (or pistols) you are already comfortable shooting, or already own.
Thickness:
The thickness of a pistol grip plays a huge role in whether or not the gun is comfortable in your hand. The thickness can also affect how the trigger reach feels as well.
Plus, the texture of the pistol grip can affect the thickness.
So, if you add an aftermarket grip or prefer a pistol with finger grooves these will change the thickness and feel of getting your hand around the pistol.
The smaller your hand is, the less grip thickness you will likely want.
One thing to consider is that single-stack pistols are typically going to be thinner than double-stack pistols.
So, if you prefer less thickness, you could focus on single-stack pistols.
Anytime you are thinking about buying a gun you should go to your local gun range and rent it so you can get a good feel for the weapon in live fire training.
If renting the gun is not an option, you should at least get a feel for the grip to make sure it fits your hand size.
Owning a pistol is pointless if you can’t get a good grip and pull the trigger effectively when you need it most.
