The trigger on my SW442 is punishing my finger

chupps

New member
When I shoot my S&W 442 the trigger snaps my finger forward against the trigger guard so hard that it chips and cracks my finger nail. I own a few guns and have never encountered this. Whats going on and is there a remedy other than taping my finger before I shoot this gun? Thanks
 

UncleEd

New member
If the trigger return is snapping your fingernail against the forward part of the trigger guard, I suspect you're pulling the trigger with just the tip of your finger, which also makes it harder to pull the trigger.

Get the finger around the trigger to the first joint of the index finger or just a tad bit more. This will give you better leverage in handling the rather stiff double action trigger and your finger won't be popping forward, off the trigger as vigorously as it does now.

The pad of your finger is fine for pressing an automatic's trigger but not
a double action only revolver's.
 

BarryLee

New member
I’ll freely admit that my S&W 442 isn’t my most pleasant gun to shoot, but I’ve never experienced what you described. I’d follow UncleEd’s advice and see if that helps. Also, consider having someone else shoot the gun and see if they have the same results.
 

James K

Member In Memoriam
IMHO, the best way to fire that gun is to replace those rubber grips with the old fashioned wood grips, put the hand all the way up into the space behind the trigger guard, and put the middle of the center pad of the index finger on the trigger. The idea that the trigger finger has to be parallel with the barrel is a notion carried over from auto pistols and really affords poor control of a revolver.

Jim
 

dahermit

New member
Have the factory springs (mainspring and rebound slide spring) been replaced (did you buy the gun new or used...someone might have lightened the rebound slide spring), with lighter springs? Sometimes when a very light rebound slide spring is used, the mainspring will cause the rebound slide to kick the trigger back as you describe.
Because you asked what is causing it, I assume that you want to attempt fixing it yourself instead of sending it to a gunsmith. If that is true, I also assume you have the requisite skill to remove the side plate without buggering-up the side plate screws. If you do not, take it to a gunsmith.
If you wish to observe the phenomenon yourself, remove the side plate and observe how the hammer kicks the rebound slide back as the gun cycles. A stronger rebound slide spring will likely fix the problem for you.
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
"... how the hammer kicks the rebound slide back as the gun cycles. A stronger rebound slide spring will likely fix the problem for you."

I am not sure what you mean. When the gun fires, the rebound slide is well out of the way of the hammer; it rebounds the hammer when the trigger is released. A stronger rebound slide spring will only make the trigger pull harder since it is also the trigger spring.

Jim
 

dahermit

New member
"... how the hammer kicks the rebound slide back as the gun cycles. A stronger rebound slide spring will likely fix the problem for you."

I
am not sure what you mean. When the gun fires, the rebound slide is well out of the way of the hammer; it rebounds the hammer when the trigger is released. A stronger rebound slide spring will only make the trigger pull harder since it is also the trigger spring.

If I remember correctly when I had that same issue, it had to do with the where the bottom of the hammer ends-up just in front of the little hump on the rebound slide that withdraws the firing pin (hammer nose if it has one), from the fired primer.

When you posted your comment above, I pulled the sideplate from one of my S&W's and tried to remember just how it worked. But, I am no longer sure just how it worked when the trigger kicked back after firing. But, I do remember that I found that swapping out my "ultra-light" (I was experimenting with just how light I could go), rebound slide with a slightly heavier one stopped the kick-back. I wish I could remember more about it, but too much water has evidently gone over the dam.

Someone posted awhile back about how the two springs (main and rebound), had to be "balanced", and I suspect they were referring to the current issue...I don't know, but could be. Maybe they will see these posts and chime-in here.
 

Skeets

Member in memoriam
Trigger Finger /Pinch?

I've had this on Some J-Frames,but not so on my CT LCR+P,just say'in.:D
 

James K

Member In Memoriam
We are getting off the OP's question. I think we need more info. I find it hard to imagine that a finger could be strong enough to pull that trigger (a 442 is a concealed hammer gun and can't be cocked for single action firing) but so weak that it would be pushed forward hard enough to contact the trigger guard.

Jim
 

Scooterloo

New member
Have a Apex trigger kit installed and have the slide surfaces "stoned". I did it on mine and it is a completely different gun, much easier to shoot.

*****Use quality ammo with soft primers, I had some light primer strikes with cheap ammo.*****
 

UncleEd

New member
Decent responses but OP has yet to make any kind of reply.

Probably better to forget about the whole "problem."
 

FrankenMauser

New member
Tighter grip with your non-trigger-fingers.

Stick your trigger finger through the trigger guard. (Pull the trigger with the first joint or second pad, rather than the tip of your finger).

Make sure you are gripping the revolver correctly:
Don't "choke up" on the grip.
Make sure the butt is well surrounded by your palm (not just resting against the metacarpal of your thumb).
And make sure your thumb is being used to grip the revolver, rather than hanging out in space or just idly pointing down the side of the revolver like some popular semi-auto style grip techniques where more control comes from the support hand than the grip hand.


(With long fingers, it can be difficult to find a good place to put your thumb that won't interfere with trigger pull and/or hit the cylinder release latch. ...But it's something people with long fingers have to figure out.)
 

James K

Member In Memoriam
Some DA shooters will actually use the thumb to help control (stage) trigger pull with small revolvers. They pull through until the trigger finger contacts the tip of the thumb, then use that to control the final pull.

Jim
 

FrankenMauser

New member
Some DA shooters will actually use the thumb to help control (stage) trigger pull with small revolvers. They pull through until the trigger finger contacts the tip of the thumb, then use that to control the final pull.
That's how I ended up having to shoot my 642.

It took some learnin', but I eventually got to where I could stage by hitting my thumb (the three chambers that actually locked up before the hammer dropped, anyway... :rolleyes:). But it also took some training to maintain proper grip while simultaneously relaxing part of the thumb to let the trigger ease to the break.
And for rapid fire, I trained myself to slightly relax the tip of my finger while operating the trigger with the first joint/upper portion of the second pad. It was very unnatural, and probably a small part of my desire to move on to something else.

The J-frame just doesn't work well for my hands.
Ruger LCR... not a problem.
Ruger SP-101... not a problem.
S&W J-frames... no bueno.
But the Rugers have different geometry.
 

chupps

New member
"Get the finger around the trigger to the first joint of the index finger or just a tad bit more. This will give you better leverage in handling the rather stiff double action trigger and your finger won't be popping forward, off the trigger as vigorously as it does now. "

I finally had a chance to shoot again. I took the advice above and problem solved. I was even a tad bit more accurate.

Thanks uncleEd
 
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