What is the origin of the side grip, or gangsta grip?

Jonty30

[Jonty30]

It is my understanding that the origin is military. As a tactic to get a quick shot that is reasonably accurate but you are giving up points in accuracy for expediency reasons.

The best my internet searching has found is that it was popularized by Hollywood, then the gang culture, but there is no real and definitive origin given

It's origin is not gang, because there have been movies in the 1960's that made use of the side grip when firing off a revolver or semi-automatic pistols.

It may not have been taught as an approved military tactic, but lots of tactics are not military approved but it somehow filters down to the soldiers anyway.

Is there a reliable site that can explain in definitive fashion the origin of the side grip?

[FreedomPoster]

I don't know the answer to your question, but this belongs on the thread.

[tet68]

The gangster grip is only good for spraying bullets as the recoil moves the point of impact from side to side.

[Jonty30]

There is that, but it is also recognized by some gun experts to be reasonably accurate while you are shooting quickly.

I do not believe it started in the movies. It was popularized by movies, but I don’t believe it originated in movies or gangs.

Davis says it can be effective in the right situation.

The important thing is that you’re close enough to the target and that you have enough experience to hit it without having perfect aligned and centered sights. This takes a great amount of time in training and use with the weapon before you will be any good with flash sight picture.

https://www.quora.com/Gangster-1/Why-do-gangsters-hold-their-guns-sideways/answer/Joshua-Alexander-356?srid=hrof&st=ns

[Fai Mao]

It’s the way the gun came out of the box.

[Retrofitted]

As you found out, mostly it's down to Hollywood and gang culture, so I went after the Hollywood angle because I remember seeing it in some gun-fu movies in the 80s. So...

ChatGPT's response:

The exact first movie to show the sideways pistol grip is difficult to pinpoint, but one of the earliest and most influential films to popularize this grip was John Woo's "A Better Tomorrow" (1986). This Hong Kong action film featured stylized gunplay and introduced the concept of "gun-fu," where characters often held guns sideways during shootouts. The film's influence, especially on action cinema, helped spread the use of the sideways grip in other movies.

However, in American cinema, the sideways grip became widely recognized in the 1990s, particularly in films depicting urban gang life. "Menace II Society" (1993) and "Boyz n the Hood" (1991) are notable examples that brought this grip into the mainstream, associating it with gang culture and street violence.

These films were instrumental in embedding the sideways grip into popular culture, where it became synonymous with a certain "tough guy" image, even though it was more a stylistic choice than a practical one."

[Jonty30]

Chatty lied to you.
https://truewestmagazine.com/article/the-sideways-grip-cool-or-crazy/

[Jonty30]

Here are other movies.
The fact that it came out in the 1960’s would suggest some military connection, since many of the actors of this time period did serve in WWII and the Korean war.

https://www.pagunblog.com/2009/12/15/origins-of-the-sideways-grip/

[Retrofitted]

"Holding a weapon sideways has long been equated with risky and indiscriminate shooting. For instance, in the 1894 American novel John March, Southerner, by George Washington Cable, a character orates, "No man shall come around here aiming his gun sideways; endangering the throngs of casual bystanders!"

Now, that came from Wikipedia but the source checks out. So... probably predating 1894?

[Reno89519]

It is a common, simple shooting method in low light. Consider that it is easier to aim down the side corner of the barrel than trying to align the sights. And in close self-defense ranges, it it more than accurate enough.

[Clay Moore]

How to shoot gangsta style

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo23qjWav0Q

LOL!!

[AlaskaErik]

I remember when that first showed up 20-25 years ago. The anti-gun nuts went bat feces crazy because they thought it was real.

[Paal Gulli]

It originated on a move set (I forget which one) because the Valedictorian on the right got fed up with being pelted by the casings being ejected from the gun of the Valedictorian to his left. So the Valedictorian on the left canted his gun to the left, causing the empties to be ejected straight up.

Problem solved.

[struggle]

The fact that most gang gunfights are ambushes by cowards, but when shot at, then run like cowards so the gangster grip is natural.

[T.B. Yoits]

It originated on a move set (I forget which one) because the Valedictorian on the right got fed up with being pelted by the casings being ejected from the gun of the Valedictorian to his left. So the Valedictorian on the left canted his gun to the left, causing the empties to be ejected straight up. Problem solved.

Hot brass to the face isn't fun.

A little firing on the line courtesy is nice.

[higgmeister]

I'm sorry, but this does not pass the smell test, when person could more expediently and innately fire the pistol the usual way.   This gangsta pose ranks right up there with pants on the ground.

[bakeneko]

Shooting a .45 acp one handed, it can help if you tilt the gun slightly (30-35 degrees).

This tilt attempts to align with the way your elbow will bend under recoil.

[DesertRhino]

There is that, but it is also recognized by some gun experts to be reasonably accurate while you are shooting quickly.

Nope... you will never see a single competition shooter, or business shooter do that. And it’s slower, both initially, and in recoil.

[Disambiguator]

You don’t want women showing cleavage on the firing line, as hot brass might end up there, and the results might be tragic.

I’ve included this in safety briefings, no joke.

Dress for the occasion!

[higgmeister]

I noticed this in the comments of your link.

Jdudesays:

Dec 18, 2009 at 6:17 am

I’ve tried the sideways grip. I have all of my new shooters try it once as well, to prove that it is a waste of time and ammo. Nobody I know has successfully or consistently hit a 10 yard target that way.