According to the ATF, “The term ‘Pistol’ means a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one hand…”

Although handguns, by definition, are theoretically designed to be held and fired by one hand, seasoned pistol shooters know that the two-hand hold is the way to go in order to shoot not both accurately and quickly — especially when multiple shots are required. Even so, we ought to practice shooting both strong-hand-only and weak-hand-only from time to time, for some situations might require us to shoot one-handed.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a singular way of doing two-handed gripping/holding style that works for everyone, so each of us must learn and try different styles and choose what works best. However, there is at least one thing in common, which is the importance of the support-hand gripping force.

The Solution?

A thumb rest for the support hand on a semi-automatic pistol can be a solution for this. In fact, it’s a very popular item in Open Class of IPSC/USPSA style pistol matches as well as STEEL CHALLENGE-style, high-speed shooting competition.

I forget exactly when and where I saw it for the first time, but I immediately realized its purpose and was thoroughly impressed with whoever came up with that idea. Inspired, I decided to modify the Slide Stop on one of my competition handguns by welding and grinding the part so that I can rest my left thumb during two-hand shooting. I used that gun at least once at the American Handgunner World Shootoff, which was held until 2008 in Montrose, Colorado, way before these parts became a somewhat common item in pistol matches.

Nowadays, you can purchase some factory guns that are equipped with the thumb rest for the support hand. Some of them have thumb rests screwed on the left-side of the frames, while others have larger-than-standard takedown/disassembly levers that are shaped so it can be used as a thumb rest.

In fact, the designer of the product covered in this article, Mr. Gary Coonan (yes, he is a distant relative of Dan Coonan, who created the unique semi-automatic pistol chambered in .357 Magnum), aka “Chief”, was inspired by one of those competition pistols equipped with a thumb-rest screwed on the left side of the frame.

This inspiration drove him to develop his invention called the “Grip Control”, a collapsible thumb-rest for semi-automatic pistols. Made by his company, BlackSteel, this is intended not only for competitive shooters but also law enforcement officers and civilian users who legally carry pistols concealed. The design is currently patent pending both in U.S. and international.

Read More Here: The Armory Life Grip Control Review- By Terry Yano