Bruising - second knuckle on middle finger

[foxfire]

Just hit the range with my new 4.2" SP101. Man.. such a pretty and accurate gun...

However, after going through a box of magnum rounds, I have a wicked bruised and swollen second knuckle on middle finger. I don't remember having this issue before shooting a S&W. Is it just the way I'm holding the revolver? Unfortunately it seems that when I try to hold it naturally, it looks like this:

And that knuckle right behind the triggerguard gets the crap beaten out of it. I really like the look of these grips - are new grips my only option? Or is there a better way I can hold my new baby?

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
A proper fitting set of grips is one of the best accessories a person can get. Each of us have different hand sizes, and slight differences in how we grip a firearm. Add in the fact we all apply gripping pressure differently, and using one hand vs two hands etc, ALL make subtle differences in felt recoil & sometimes pain issues. I'd start with a comfortable set of grips that fit YOUR hands.

 

[5of7]

I got mine last week and experienced the same thing. I really think that this gun, being a rather small frame for the 357, is better suited for milder loads than full bore .357 ammo.

I am going to load 158 grain SWC cast bullets at 950 to 1000 fps for my future shooting and only approach 1200 fps with 125 grain XTPs.

Other than being a bit of a handful recoil wise, it is a little sweetheart to shoot and carry. 8)

 

[Pal Val]

The SP101 is light. I don't see it as a gun for shooting a lot of heavy magnum loads in one session. A good practice session can consist of mostly lighter loads, ending with a couple of cylinder loads of full-house magnums.

Also, try holding the gun lower in the hand. If there's no air between your middle finger and the trigger guard, it will have no room to jump back on recoil and hit you.

 

[Lee Martin]

Tell me about it. I recently had a 500 Maximum do this to me:

 

[foxfire]

Thanks guys for your replies! Lee: That is a NASTY bruise! Mine was probably only half that size. I should have manned up and did 100 rounds instead of 50!

I'm okay with the recoil to my arm and shoulder and even my hand really. The only thing that hurt was my knuckle slamming into the trigger guard. I looked at a lot of the grip options. The badgers look great, but I didn't like the angle of them. I'm going to try some wooden hogues and see how it goes. I'll update when I get them in a week.

 

[Lee Martin]

Ya, that's the worst my knuckle has ever been. Ironically, that happened with it being taped underneath a glove. 525 grain WFNs @ 1,350 fps are quite a handful.

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

+1 on what Contender said. It may take a bit to get stocks that are comfortable. Subtle changes in how your hands grip can have an impact on felt recoil. It will also change POI. Hopefully a combination of different stocks and a different grip can get you a more comfortable experience and keep POI with the sight's adjustability range

Next thing is your load. Try ammo that has a heavier bullet. In general, a lighter bullet and faster powder gives a snappier recoil. A heavier bullet and slower powder give less snap and more like a push.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Try the Hogue rubber grip. It gets your knuckle below the trigger guard and gives you more length for your pinky and more control of the gun. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[glockman99]

Just hit the range with my new 4.2" SP101. Man.. such a pretty and accurate gun...

However, after going through a box of magnum rounds, I have a wicked bruised and swollen second knuckle on middle finger. I don't remember having this issue before shooting a S&W. Is it just the way I'm holding the revolver? Unfortunately it seems that when I try to hold it naturally, it looks like this:

And that knuckle right behind the triggerguard gets the crap beaten out of it. I really like the look of these grips - are new grips my only option? Or is there a better way I can hold my new baby?

From looking at the photo, it looks like you need a higher grip on the gun, and you need to press the gun more into the web area between your thumb and trigger finger. The grip that you show allows the gun to slam into your hand upon recoil.

 

[JLarsson]

Is it just me or is it tough to tell anything about his grip....

...'cause he's holding a Smith?

 

[foxfire]

It was just a stock picture to show the relation of my knuckle to the triggerguard. I have large hands, I think that is part of the problem. I think my fingers are too long and my knuckle ends up being in the wrong place.

 

[WAYNO]

As I've matured, my fingers have become rather large. Even on a Blackhawk, I cannot get all my fingers on the grip, so on just about everything I shoot, my pinky resides underneath the grip.

What really brought this to my attention is a .44 Bisley-Blackhawk I had. I've had them in the past, and I don't remember a problem. But with this latest one, it banged my middle finger so hard that's it's actually caused me a nasty flinch that I'm really having difficulty overcoming.

Be inventive.

WAYNO.

 

[JLarsson]

I have fairly large hands and hard-recoiling Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks do indeed smack me in the middle of the second joint of my middle finger with factory grips. I have Hogues on my SP-101, Hogues on my Supers, and Hogues on my (Old) New Model .41 Mag. My (New) New Model .41 Mag has the lock, so Hogues won't fit, so it has Pachmayr presentation grips on it.

Not much for looks, but my finger is VERY happy.

 

[Knuckles]

What's all this talk about knuckles?

 

[WAYNO]

What's all this talk about knuckles?

The drummers I know are used to bruised knuckles. 8)

WAYNO.

 

[flatgate]

I use my "off hand" to specifically restain that "middle knuckle" on my strong side hand.

Target? Large rock on distant mountain side.

flatgate

 

[tacklebury]

Try an old style contender in .357 Maximum! :shock: I hate thos pointy little trigger guards!

 

[Lee Martin]

Try an old style contender in .357 Maximum! :shock: I hate thos pointy little trigger guards!

I'll go you one better. Try an old style Contender in 445 SuperMag:

Or even worse, a 416 JDJ (I tested the top gun with 50 rounds of 400 grain Hornadys at 1,800 fps.....with the factory Rynite grip).

As you can see, I quickly upgraded to Pachmyrs. The worst beating my hands have even taken was that 416 with stock grips.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

I'd hate to see the knuckles on the person(s) that fired the Encore with the custom 600 NE barrel!!! :shock:

 

[Kyhunt]

Geez I got excited for a minute until I looked closer and realized it wasn't a Ruger. I thought a blued sp101.

 

[gregs45auto]

I had (past tense!) a 41 mag 4 5/8 bbl. When fired, it would torque and the side of the guard would wack my trigger finger. I went to paccy's to save my middle finger from getting banged. I NEED that one for driving greg

 

[tek4260]

I still can't figure how ya'll get whacked on the knuckle. I have never had it happen on anything. How do you grip it? High? Low? Loose?

When the bases of the boolits touch the H110 in my 475, it will leave 1/2" wide bloody spots from the hammer spur on the top of the web of my hand if I don't really grip tight and lock my wrists.

 

[kcmitch]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk .357 that I had to put Hogue grips on to avoid this very same problem. On my smiths I have Pachmayr grips. I think the Hogues will eliminate your problem.

 

[COLT_45]

I still can't figure how ya'll get whacked on the knuckle. I have never had it happen on anything. How do you grip it? High? Low? Loose?

When the bases of the boolits touch the H110 in my 475, it will leave 1/2" wide bloody spots from the hammer spur on the top of the web of my hand if I don't really grip tight and lock my wrists.

Use the pinky underneath the grip hold.....Your knuckle should be at least a
quarter inch from the trigger guard if using this method.....When fired let the
gun role up naturally.....Don't stangle the gun.....Maybe this will help.....

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said this. If you hold the gun such that the knuckle of your middle finger is pressed against the trigger guard, then expect to get whacked when firing heavy recoiling loads. That's all there is to it.

I discovered a long time ago that if I leave about 1/4" of space between my knuckle and the trigger guard, I do not get whacked. The 1/4" provides enough space that with heavy recoiling loads when the gun recoils it never quite reaches my knuckle. Modern rubber grips with finger grooves can actually make this worse. The grooves dictate where your fingers must go, and this may mean your knuckle is pressed against the trigger guard. I actually prefer smooth wooden grips. Smooth wooden grips allow you to grasp the gun however you want. In truth, with most of my revolvers I do not attempt to cram my entire hand onto the grip, but leave my pinky curled under the grip. Holding this way allows me to shift down a little bit lower on the grip, automatically opening up that magical 1/4" of space. With rubber grips, I prefer a smooth grip without finger grooves, allowing me to grasp the gun the way I want, not the way the grip wants me to.

If you do want to cram your entire hand onto the grip, see what you need to do to leave that 1/4" of space between you and the trigger guard.

 

[foxfire]

As an update to this thread, I have added custom Hogue pau ferro grips (along with triggershims and wolff springs). Getting larger grips that filled in the space behind the triggerguard fixed the problem a million times over! Here are pictures of the final product!

http://imgur.com/a/KyVea