Help me save my knuckle

D

disseminator

New member
Hey all,

I just bought a new Super Black Hawk in 480 Ruger. It has a Bisley grip which I have never used before. I took it to the range last night and shot about 40 rounds from it, what a great gun!

Problem: my knuckle hurts from striking the trigger guard. I was trying some different ways to hold but the most comfortable grip seems to place my knuckle right in line with the trigger guard.

Any tips would be appreciated. I love the gun and the cartridge.

Thanks
 
I have the same problem on revolvers where the grips don't fit my hands...and my knuckles are up against / or real close to the trigger guard...only 2 options that I know of:

a. Wear gloves...a pair of Winter Rain golf gloves, come in pairs, and will give you just a little cushion / and still enough feel in your grip not to be too bulky. Foot Joy makes a black glove ...I like the synthetic version over the leather.

b. Change the grips on the gun ...you need a "fatter" grip to move your knuckles away from the trigger guard a little. I don't know what you will find that will help you on the Ruger..in terms of grip options for bigger hands..
( personally for a single action, I went with the Freedom Arms, large frame, model 83's ...for my single actions because of the same issue ).

On double action revolvers like K frame S&W revolvers ( that are too small for big hands generally), I went with Hogue aftermarket wood grips, with a palm swell in them and finger grooves...to give me something bigger...to move my knuckles away from those trigger guards.
 
I prefer Uncle Mikes padded shooting gloves to alleviate knuckle pain.

I just did a search, and they no longer seem to be available --- that is --- the open finger, padded on the outside middle finger gloves.
 
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The BlackHawk Hellstorm S.O.L.A.G. half finger gloves, looks like a much better performer than Uncle Mikes. It has padding on the outside knuckles.

I'm going to pick-up a pair myself, since I have better trigger control with half finger gloves. If need be...you can put on a pair of thin gloves underneath them.


Optics Planet sells them...
 
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Sounds like a change of grips is due. The idea of the Bisley type grips is to allow the gun to "roll in your hand" with the recoil. I never had much luck with that either. One reason I went to DA profile S&Ws. If you look you'll see most of their grips move your knuckles below the trigger guard. You'll notice, so do the standard grips for Ruger Redhawks.
 
I have that issue on my contender and still haven’t found what I feel to be a proper fix. Gloves have seemed to be the only stop gap solution for me.
 
I have the same gun in .454. It smacked my knuckle a few times as well when I got a little bit lazy with my grip. To remedy that I payed a bit more attention to my grip, wrapping my fingers around the grip so that my knuckle was past the trigger guard ( I have big hands which allows me to do this), this with a firm grip kept the knuckle issue at bay. If this doesn’t work then I guess gloves or different grips are in order.
 
I had the same issue with a sbh in 44mag. I tried what i could but ultimitly installed so hogue grips. The grips remedied the problem and allowed me to control the recoil better. It looked a lot better with the rose wood grips but I didnt like to shoot it. New grips actually allowed me to enjoy the gun instead of admiring it.
 
Thanks for the responses so far....

I put a leather glove on after the first two cylinders but the damage was already done to my knuckle LOL.

I was also thinking it was because my grip went slack. I will try a much firmer grip next trip and see if that helps, oh and some gel gloves too.

The Bisley is a LOT different from my 460 XVR S&W that's for sure.

That 480 is one h*ll of a round though. I loaded up four different loads with 275 Speer HP, 325 SP Speer, 355 TrueShot Hard Cast, and Cast Performance 410 grain GC.

They all shot great, the 275 was about 1600 fps (estimated) and made an impression on me. ( or my knuckle at least )

I have Big Bore-itis.

;)
 
Howdy

First of all, I don't have a 480.

But I can tell you I learned a long time ago that the way to prevent my knuckle from getting whacked by the trigger guard of a single action revolver in recoil is to NOT keep the knuckle hard against the trigger guard.

I learned if I allowed about 1/4" of space between the rear of the trigger guard and my knuckle, I would not get my knuckle whacked.

I only ever had one Ruger with their version of the Bisley grip, and did not care for the gun. With the typical plowhandle grip of a Colt or Ruger Blackhawk, I always curl the pinky of my shooting hand under the grip. This shifts my hand down a bit and opens up a gap of about 1/4" between my knuckle and the trigger guard. Shooting this way, even with my Black Powder 45 Colt loads, which have a pretty stout recoil, I never get my knuckle whacked by the trigger guard anymore.

Many shooters like the Ruger style Bisley grip because it allows them to cram their entire hand onto the grip. But cramming your entire hand onto the grip, forcing your knuckle in contact with the trigger guard is a pretty good prescription for getting whacked by the trigger guard every time you fire the gun.
 
Many shooters like the Ruger style Bisley grip because it allows them to cram their entire hand onto the grip. But cramming your entire hand onto the grip, forcing your knuckle in contact with the trigger guard is a pretty good prescription for getting whacked by the trigger guard every time you fire the gun.
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That's it.

I just tried it like on my Vaquero with "regular" grip and it gets my knuckle well clear. I don't know why I didn't try that. It just seemed natural to put a "full" grip on.

I think that will help a lot. It might induce the gun to roll up a little more, but still feels like it will do the trick.

Thanks.
 
I started this with my 12 gauge coach gun, but it works for my bigger drama revolvers. I wrap my knuckle with a few passes of elastic bandage. Works! I found that gloves with two cut out fingers only really help if they have a padded palm, no help to the knuckle.
 
The idea of the Bisley type grips is to allow the gun to "roll in your hand" with the recoil.
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Ummm, no it's not. The Bisley grip pushes the gun straight back into your hand. I hate Bisleys. The Colt style plow handle allows the gun to roll up. If the grip is too small curl your pinky under it like Driftwood said.
 
Hawg is correct about the Bisley. I'm not sure I "hate" it, but I do like the the grip on my Vaquero better I think. However, with the recoil of the 480 I'll take all the grip contact I can get.
 
I don't know that this will work for you,but with my SBH .44 Mag,sq guard plow handle,I grip tight enough it does not roll.I'm "hard handing" it. If I were to "soft hand" it,my palm would compress.
At the same time,my forearms are free to recoil.I shoot two handed with my left thumb at the ready to cock during recoil.

The Bisley is different. It does recoil more straight back rather than roll.A lot of surface area,too. I like it for the big cartridges.
 
Knuckle rapping !

disseminator - You may want to seriously consider contacting Jack Huntington of JRH Custom Guns regarding his Custom Grip Extension. His modification creates more gap between rear of trigger guard and front strap of the grip/grip frame. His modification nearly eliminates the middle knuckle from getting rapped by trigger guard, particularly when shooting heavier loads, offhand. He'll request a tracing of your hand for a proper fit. His modification, including new grip panels, is pretty reasonable at around $300.00. Turn around time isn't bad either. This custom extension appears to be the perfect solution to the knuckle rapping problem, and to date, have never heard of any complaints from people that had this modification performed by Jack on both Bisley or "plow handle" grip frames. Good luck !
The Shadow (JR)
 
I've got a Vaquero in 44mag and a Blackhawk in 45. Both of them get my finger knuckles but I've always just dealt with it. Ultimately it doesn't bother me enough to change grips, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.
 
Ummm, no it's not. The Bisley grip pushes the gun straight back into your hand. I hate Bisleys. The Colt style plow handle allows the gun to roll up. If the grip is too small curl your pinky under it like Driftwood said.
Click to expand...


Me bad.
Ruger's Bisley is much different than the original Colt Bisley and Uberti's repros. I was under the impression that the Ruger Bisley's are intended for two handed shooting with heavy recoiling loads, whereas the Colt's and Uberti's were/are intended for one handed target shooting. The "knuckle busting" of the Ruger style is notorious, and you are not the only hater.
 
"...allow the gun to "roll in your hand"..." Other way 'round. The SAA style grip frame is supposed roll(it was designed for use while on a horse too.). The recoil with a Bisley is taken by the palm of one's hand. The Bisley grip is a target grip frame and is designed to be best when the revolver is held at eye level when bullseye shooting vs rolling.
Anyway, the whole thing is about how the revolver fits your hand. It sounds like the Bisley is too small for your hand. Just a guess though.
 
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