Best way to grip contender when shooting loads with recoil

[billythekid55]

OK - may sound dumb, but when I shoot my .410 or .357 barrels, I bump my support hand somehow.  I am right handed. I grip with my right hand and wrap my left hand over/around my right hand, and place my left thumb over my right thumb. When I shoot barrels that have some recoil, it seems the fingers on my left hand bump against the trigger guard/release.  Does anyone have a recommendation on what works for them.  I have average size hands and use a grip without finger grooves.  It is a walnut grip with the recoil absorbing material on the back.  I have other grips I can try, I use this one primarily because I can shoot with either hand.
Thanks - Billy

[giddens1972]

I may be weird, but I have always shot my contender one handed off of some sort of rest.  If I don't have one I try to use the old creedmore position or shoot off of my knee.  You can break fingers and knuckles on your support hand if you shoot something stout enough if your using the normal 2 handed grip on the gun.

[MePlat]

This subject comes up from time to time.  If you insist to wrapping your fingers of your offhand around the fingers of your strong hand you will get them rapped by the trigger guard spur.
Hold the gun with the strong hand and place the 2 first fingers of your weak hand under the guard with the spur resting along behind them.  Place the next 2 fingers on the strong hand fingers with them below the spur.
I shoot Encores and Contenders this way  The first 2 fingers of the weak hand helps support the weight of the gun.  I just cradle the gun in the weak hand.  I shoot and take the recoil with my strong hand only.  No matter what I shoot.  I have never had any trouble with mashed fingers or controlling the recoil of any I have shot.
95 percent of my shooting is offhand.  Even the 5 percent that is shot off the bench is done the same way.
Keep your weak hand fingers from behind the guard and spur.  Why would you put them there in the first place?

[TNBilly]

I probably do it a little different than most perhaps but I've always shot right-handed offhand using my left as a steady by placing/holding my left hand under the forarm.  I don't grip tightly at all with the left, it's only there to help steady out and with heavy recoil it'll lift out of that hand anyhow.  You're actually laying your left arm alongside the left side of the weapon and it helps greatly believe it or not.  Hope that makes sense, if not I'll try again.  BTW yes even when shooting from a rest as I prefer to do, should you fail to remember to just hold with the right and let the recoil have it's way keeping the left hand outta the way, it'll remind you with a bruised or bloody middle finger on the left...

Ron

[Bullseye]

The way I shoot one and tell anyone else who shoots it is to hold the grip in the right hand (if right handed or right eye dominate)and lay the right hand and butt of the grip in the palm of the left hand.  You can wrap the first two fingers around the pinky and ring finger of your right hand if you want to.
 
Others and myself enjoy shooting my Contenders up to 45-70 with the standard competitor grip likes your using this method.  The fingers on the left hand are not under the trigger guard to get bit.

[454-hunter]

same here Bullseye always credled the gun grip on my left/weak hand and grab the ring finger and pinky with fingers of weak hand..

[billythekid55]

Thanks to all for the tips! I will try and see which works the best for me.
Billy

[Dave1]

BK
I shoot a 14" Contender in 7x30 with Pachmayr Decellerator grips and have found it is more comfortable to shoot the gun with a slightly bent arm when shooting off a bench and rest.  The gun will recoil a bit but with bent arm you really don't feel it too much.  Just hang onto the gun and let it jump.  When shooting with a stiff arm type hold, your arm and wrist absorb more of the recoil and punishment.  When shooting at a deer I don't remember any recoil.    :-)
Dave