Blisters and raw spots

M

MLeake

New member
So, I blistered and tore my thumb the first time, shooting a .44 Mountain Gun with Ahrend's wood grips.

Based on TFL recommendations, I ordered a Herrett's Jordan Trooper grip. Gorgeous grip, both for workmanship and quality of the wood, but I blistered and tore my thumb shooting magnum loads with the Trooper grip, too.

So, I put a Hogue round to square conversion X-grip on it. No problem.

Unfortunately, the skin where I tore the thumb twice in the last few months is still tender.

Last night, put 100rds .357 125gr through my GP100 with Hogue. No major problem noted. Today, went shooting with a buddy. Started out shooting my 442, put 50rds Sellers & Belliot 158gr through it. Rubbed my trigger finger a bit, but no big deal.

Next, put 100rds .357 125gr through the GP100, again. Bad idea. At round 75, tore open the new skin from the previous blister. Put on a band-aid, and went back to shooting the remaining 25rds.

Finally, put 100rds Federal 158gr .38 through my 13-3. Sore area on my trigger finger tore open around round 40....

Aggravating.

I don't run into these problems shooting my Kahr PM9 (BUG), my CBOB .45 (EDC), or my Fusion 10mm Longslide (outdoor/hunting).

thumb%20blister%20opening%20up%20again.JPG


Red area at bottom is new tear; discolored circle above is from last blister and tear.

trigger%20finger%20rubbed%20raw.JPG


Does anybody else run into these issues? If so, how did you counter them?
 
Because of the way the trigger guard is shaped at the bottom on a Kahr I blistered my trigger finger when doing the 200 round break in. I countered that by throwing a roll of electrical tape into my range bag. When shooting a Kahr for an extended session I tape my finger in the area that was rubbing against the trigger guard. So far so good. :)
 
did I mention?

Every revolver in this house except my NAA mini wears Pachmayrs; all but the S&W M38 wear Decelerators.

I shoot my revolvers DA, and currently (well, before the surgeries) shoot USPSA with my 44 (204 PF) and 357 Redhawks.
Without blistering (although during one close-in 32-rd speed stage I got the 44 so hot it blistered my trigger finger where it contacted the frame).
 
I'd suggest a bit of moleskin over the spots where you know there will be friction. May not look tacti-cool, but it's better than blisters.
 
I had to take the pretty wood grips off my S&W 327 .357. New grips solved the problem.

It was worst but I didn't take the picture till a week after I shot the gun, I only fired about 18 to 24 rounds through the gun before I switched and finished my trip to the range with another gun. Try switching to Pachmayr Grips.

EDIT I just re-read your post and see you did switch grips. It's a shame when you buy a gun with pretty grips and can't use them

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Two things that can help:

  1. Put on a bandage before you leave for the range.
  2. Grip the gun so tightly it starts to shake, then back off slightly. The blister is caused by friction. A firmer grip often avoids the problem.
 
If so, how do you counter them ?
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Come to my house where there's a maul that will fit your hands correctly. After about 10-12 cords of wood , you'll never blister again. :D

Until then, get ugly Pachmayrs.
 
The boo boo on your thumb is likely from the cylinder release latch. I'm guessing you curl the end of your thumb downward as you grip the gun.

Try holding your thumb forward, like you're shooting a semi-auto. You don't necessarily have to keep your weak thumb forward, like Craig Buckland, but keeping the strong thumb forward keeps it out of the way of the latch.
 
The "blisterless" .44 Magnum that works best for me is the Super Blackhawk model. Whether the trigger guard is squared or round that part never hits my knuckle. If the trigger is serrated THAT area begins to complain on my trigger finger pad but with this SMOOTH trigger Blackhawk (in .41 Magnum) I have no blisters or cuts or skin abrasion anywhere:

P6160683-1.jpg


All DA .44 Magnums, because of the frame and more "straight back" push (rather than the gentle skyward pivot after a shot is fired) cause blisters on me after a box of shooting. As well, the DAs create bruising in the web between the thumb and forefinger after time.

I am an advocate for the SA when it comes time to extensively shoot the .44 Magnum.
 
Not the cylinder latch; that one was worn in, not immediately torn in. I did tear a thumbnail once, shooting magnums from an SP101 with too-small factory grips.

I used to have a SBH. For some reason, with iron sights I was never very good with it. Sold it to a friend, who uses it as a test-bed for his handloads.
 
looks never really matter

I've used my 44 Redhawk for 'big' USPSA matches, firing in excess of 220 rds to do so.

Comfortable shooting clears that part of the subconcious mind (that part that's afraid of the 'bang-ouch').
 
I always get that blister on my trigger finger. It's worse with .357 loads and .45 Colt loads, goes away with low end .38 Special. It does not seem to matter what revolver I use.

I bought a pair of thin, tight and cheap ($10) work gloves from Home Depot. It solved the problem. And it helps when it's 20 degrees outside.
 
Try shooting with fingerless gloves.
Click to expand...

If I ever need to use my gun to defend myself I won't have time to put on gloves. I want to practice shooting under the same conditions that that I probably encounter in a real shooting.
 
Gloves

Ironically, the temps dropped to where I'm wearing gloves when I walk my dogs. So, did some practice shooting the other day wearing both pair (the plain kangaroo leather driving gloves, and the faux-fur lined suede ones; I don't use ski gloves unless actually playing in snow.)

What I learned from that is that I should practice with gloves, every so often, with everything I shoot, to see if the guns and gloves will play well together. I learned that they may not, in some cases.

First, I was surprised that the thin leather gloves gave me more problems than the thicker suede ones. A bit of leather on the trigger finger kept disrupting the trigger reset on my M29, folding under just enough to interfere with forward travel.

The suedes didn't have that effect, but did make it interesting to get my finger inside the trigger guard of my PM9 without putting pressure on the trigger. Nice thing about long-action DAO; the PM9 cycled and reset with either pair of gloves.

My CBOB 1911 was just fine, either way.

I'll be curious to see how the BHP does, when I get it back, but that may not be until April.

But, as far as gloves for blister prevention, I tried that with the Mountain Gun earlier in the year. It allowed a few more shots, but not that many more.

I suspect part of my problem is that I'm used to shooting service autos, and relatively high round counts. Shooting more than a box of magnums at a time seems masochistic, so far, but out of general shooting habit I normally fire at least two boxes through whatever guns I bring to a session. I may need to modify that with the .44 magnums, and the hotter .357's.
 
I had one of these, just with the Herretts grips. My GF and I did NOT enjoy shooting it with those, called it the Knucklebuster. Hogue grips solved the issue.

 
I have a desk drawer filled with fancy wooden aftermarket grips along with the original wooden grips that came with my Smith revolvers. Some of them are truly gorgeous, such as the Nills that I paid north of $200 for, or the custom made "coke" replacement grips that I put on my Model 27. None of them, obviously, are on my guns. About 6 months ago I decided that I just couldn't put up with the pain any more. I had a callus at the base of my right (shooting hand) thumb the size of a large pea. Even slight pressure on it was painful. I also had recurring blisters on the inside of my thumb.

I equipped nearly all of my revolvers with Pachmayr Decellerators or Hogue rubbers. The grips are ugly, lack panache, etc. But, they work and work well. I particularly like the Pachs because they cover the backstrap of the gun. My callus is almost gone, the blisters are things of the past, and -- no surprise here -- my shooting has improved because I no longer wince every time I pull the trigger.
 
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