The shooter's shopper

Bull's-eyes without trying may be the handgunner's claim with a new radical concept in grips

The backyard mechanics of George Freed, an imaginative young plumber from Pine Brook, N.J., may well have produced the most valuable handgun innovation of the year. Freed has developed a "floating" pistol grip, so simple in design that it can be assembled in less than a minute, but so effective in operation that recoil is virtually eliminated from .38-caliber weapons and substantially diminished in heavier calibers. With much of the kick knocked out, recovery time between shots is reduced and accuracy increased. For plinkers and competitive shooters, this means .22-caliber performance in heavier caliber guns.

Floating pistol grip, with One of two outer handgrips removed, consists of two inner plates overlaying either side of gun-handle frame, a leaf spring to cushion recoil and a single assembly bolt. Not yet in production, expected cost is $15.

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