S&W 500 Bites

[grit]

Shooting a S&W 500 is one of the most enjoyable things you can do with your clothes on. Lately though, I have been getting a little beat up when I touch off some of the heftier loads.

During heavy recoil, my trigger finger will get pinched between the depressed trigger and the trigger guard...if I don't tape my finger, it'll get bloody more often than not. With the heavy trigger pull of the X-frame, I keep the trigger close to my first knuckle...should it be closer to the finger tip???

Perhaps I'm not holding it correctly...perhaps I'm not making sense...perhaps perhaps it's just the reality of shooting 1 oz. slugs at 1600 fps out of a 3 1/2 lb. handgun. I'm a large, physically strong man with good-sized hands and consider my grip to be somewhere between Kung Fu and Death, but cleaning blood off the satin 500 is getting old.

Can anyone help me save my finger?!

 

[DCWilson]

I guess I'd experiment with finger position first, because using the pad of your first joint to pull the trigger should move most of the rest of your finger out of "pinch position."

One thing you might consider is to radius the edges on the back of the trigger. You might still get a pinch now and then, but at least you wouldn't slice it up as often. I'm not sure what the implications of this kind of modification are with MIM pieces. Is the center softer on MIM parts? Will you set yourself up for problems if you take off a thin hard surface? I'm not sure if the case hardening analogy is applicable here.

I once declined to buy a DA-only J-frame because I kept getting the second-joint forefinger pinch in double-action operation. Strangely, that didn't happen with a different J-frame model (a 649 humpback), so I took that one.

 

[skeeterbait]

GS33 Pistol Gloves.

GripSwell Ergonomic Shooting Gloves

 

[batmann]

If you are shooting DA, that may be part of the problem. Try shooting it in SA and see if that helps. You should only be using the part of your trigger finger above the first joint.

 

[DonD]

If you are shooting DA, that may be part of the problem. Try shooting it in SA and see if that helps. You should only be using the part of your trigger finger above the first joint.

I can't see much use for shooting these guns in DA unless you've got a grizzly in your face. Just shoot them SA and I think your issues will disappear. Don

 

[Wayne M]

My hat's off to you grit: anybody who enjoys shooting the 500 naked OR clothed is a guy I want on MY side!

 

[625smith]

I use gloves.

I started wearing mechanic's gloves after I bought my 500. Now I wear the gloves no matter what I shoot. I find it much easier to clean my hands after a range session. Here is a link to the gloves I wear.....Ok you can call me cheap after you look at the link.

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

Try to hold the gun in your stronghand as high up on the grip frame as possible. It won't feel natural at first, but it changes the position of your finger enough usually, to eliminate the problem. I shoot an F/A 83 in .475 Linebaugh, and while it might be slightly less powerful than a 500, the gun is a lot lighter, and has no muzzle brake, so I understand the finger positioning thing a little.

 

[460v LAC du FLAMBEAU]

I only shoot my 460v & 500 via Single Action!

I use weightlifting gloves to shoot the big bores. These gloves have finger coverage half way down the fingers & give me some palm padding.

Gloves available at Wal-Mart for about $12.

 

[martyj]

Why would you need gloves the recoil is less than a 44 out of a 8 inch barrel one.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

Try to hold the gun in your stronghand as high up on the grip frame as possible. It won't feel natural at first, but it changes the position of your finger enough usually, to eliminate the problem. I shoot an F/A 83 in .475 Linebaugh, and while it might be slightly less powerful than a 500, the gun is a lot lighter, and has no muzzle brake, so I understand the finger positioning thing a little.

I agree 100%. Mine 500 doesn't have a comp neither.

But the recoil does play with your hand & arm. Perhaps this happens after your getting tired some.

 

[kennyb]

Why would you need gloves the recoil is less than a 44 out of a 8 inch barrel one.

i dont know what type of loads you shoot but....i have shot many differant loads out of my 500...factory as well as reloads...i in noway can say the recoil is less than the 44

 

[DonD]

Why would you need gloves the recoil is less than a 44 out of a 8 inch barrel one.

I have my doubts you've shot a .500 Mag if you say that or you've shot light loads. A 440 gr @ 1600 is WAY beyond the recoil of a typical .44 Mag. Don

 

[sebastian]

I was about to say the same thing. My snub 44 still kicks less than my 500.

 

[84CJ]

My 500 is not so bad. Pic 1
My 460 is sweet Pic 2
A word of caution when shooting from the drivers side window of a jeeppic 3

On a serious not My 500 has never drawn blood from me.

 

[DonD]

My 500 is not so bad.

You've also got the heaviest .500 made, one that is quite muzzle heavy with an optic on it that also mitigates recoil.

I'm not questioning your ability to handle recoil just that the 10.5" barreled gun with an optic has far less recoil than lighter models and what recoil it has will be perceived as less violent due to its balance and weight distribution. Don

 

[84CJ]

You are exactly right. I am a very tall thin guy and hate recoil so I opted for the 10.5" barrel. I am thinking of putting the optic on the 460.

 

[7P's]

Well Grit, you're just going to have to get use to wiping your blood off the trigger guard if you want to keep on shooting 440 grain slugs over 1,500fps with a non-ported Smith or a non-ported 500 anything. A 440 grain .501 hardcast slug going down range at 1,600+fps is not an enjoyable experience and 50 caliber single actions are even harder on the trigger finger once you cross the 1,300fps threshhold, if you can believe that!!! I touched of a non-ported 500 Linebaugh Maximum with a 440 grain .512 hard cast slug that averaged 1,546fps for 3 shots and it's an experience one really doesn't want to repeat very often, if ever again. If you're using H-110 powder it's a whole lot snappier than some of the other powders such as IMR-4227. LilGun really cooks your barrel, so I'm staying away from that also. Dial back to velocities around 1,250fps for hunting loads and stay around 800fps to 950fps plinking loads and your trigger finger, hand, wrist, shoulder and neck will be very grateful today and years down the road. I chronographed a 600 grain load that was advertised as going down range at 1,300fps out of a 4" Smith - well, a 5 shot average from a JR 500 showed the speed to be 1,140fps - stout but no where near the pain index level that 1,300fps would have produced.

 

[TheKySharpshooter]

My 500 is not so bad. Pic 1
My 460 is sweet Pic 2
A word of caution when shooting from the drivers side window of a jeeppic 3

On a serious not My 500 has never drawn blood from me.

I love the black finish on the 460