Knuckle buster

[JamesA]

I took my 1858 Remington "Preacher" to the range today. The trigger guard is so close to the butt of the revolver, the rear of the trigger guard smacked the knuckle of my middle finger, right hand. It doesn't feel too swift. The revolver is made by Pietta for Cimarron of Texas. Short of selling it, are there any fixes that don't involve hundreds of dollars? I really like this gun and enjoy shooting it, the accuracy is relatively good given it's got primitive fixed sights. The load was light, 25gr. FFFG and a .454 dia round ball. I sure hope there is a simple fix. Thanks in advance.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Single hand hold or double hand hold. If double hand hold go too a single strong hand hold.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Would a thin leather shooting glove help ? It would make things tighter for your fingers, but it could provide some cushioning.

 

[JamesA]

Single hand hold or double hand hold. If double hand hold go too a single strong hand hold.

Thanks for the reply. I was using a single hand hold and regardless how tight I gripped it, it really rapped that knuckle.

 

[JamesA]

Would a thin leather shooting glove help ? It would make things tighter for your fingers, but it could provide some cushioning.

Not a bad idea. If it's so tight it can't move, it could be the answer. I spent time looking on different sites for larger grips but all I could find was decorative stuff. I'll keep looking.

 

[ord sgt]

I get good accuracy with 15 grains FFFg and a .451 round ball. No sore knuckles. Try lowering your powder charge. You will get less recoil.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Look for the deerskin driving gloves. Very comfortable.

 

[TrapperDude]

How high up are you gripping it? I use a two-hand grip on my 1858 and grip it low enough that my pinky barely stays on the grip, and I don't get any finger strikes.

 

[Gee Dog]

TrapperDude makes an excellent point. Many who experience 'knuckle rapture' shoot their Rems with the knuckle making contact with the TG. It's a shock wave causing the problem and not a matter of getting battered. Keep the knuckle off the TG and hold tight enough for the gun and hand to recoil together. I often use 30 grains powder and a 195 grain conical and have never had a problem.

Ord -- If I used only 15 grains of powder in a .44 I'd have to check for squibs after every shot.

 

[russellshaffer]

A good inexpensive shooting glove is Harbor Freight's cheapest mechanic glove. Cut the trigger finger off the glove. They are pretty thin and give good grip on a handgun.

 

[TrapperDude]

TrapperDude makes an excellent point. Many who experience 'knuckle rapture' shoot their Rems with the knuckle making contact with the TG. It's a shock wave causing to problem and not a matter of getting battered. Keep the knuckle off the TG and hold tight enough for the gun and hand to recoil together. I often use 30 grains powder and a 195 grain conical and have never had a problem.

Ord -- If I used only 15 grains of powder in a .44 I'd have to check for squibs after every shot.

When I got into black powder, I did it with the intention of shooting loads like what people used back when their lives depended on it, so I load 30 grains of Pyrodex P behind the .454" balls (the real black powder is for my flintlock). It really sends the bullets at steel plates with some authority. That isn't news for anyone here, but as a still-new black powder guy, it impresses me. I never expected to see performance like that.

 

[Tusk11]

Another tip is to use the guns grip as it was designed and let the recoil roll up. Follow up shots will be slower but it will keep the shockwave flowing less linear.

 

[SDSmlf]

Would a thin leather shooting glove help ? It would make things tighter for your fingers, but it could provide some cushioning.

Years ago I got into shooting handguns we don’t talk about here, made by a guy named Dick Casull. Real thumpers. He always had a pair of leather gloves on his hands when he shot those handguns. Personally found the leather gloves to really help protect my hands. With the glove’s trigger finger cut off, my trigger finger got hammered. But we are not talking about that kind of recoil with blackpowder. If you cannot find a grip that works for you, leather gloves can and will help in my opinion.

 

[hawkeye2]

Not all Remington repros are equal. Over the years different manufacturers have allowed more (or less) space between the front grip strap and the trigger guard. There are even variations in the same product from the same manufacturer. I have a Pietta from 30+ years ago and several from later years. The early one is very cramped and will bust your knuckle while the later ones have plenty of clearance.

 

[Eterry]

I have seen some CNB revolvers with material from the rear of the TG removed. Some barely noticable, some very evident.
Think Dragoon trigger guard...

Just thinking out loud... maybe trimming down the wooden stock would help

 

[hawkeye2]

A belt sander would be perfect for removing material from the front strap and grips and that could be polished out easily. All the straps I've ever seen were thick enough so that you could remove a significant amount there. In the case of the N-SSA it might make the revolver illegal for competition though.

 

[JamesA]

How high up are you gripping it? I use a two-hand grip on my 1858 and grip it low enough that my pinky barely stays on the grip, and I don't get any finger strikes.

I have fairly large hands and I when I grip it lower, my pinky finger doesn't come anywhere near the grip, it is completely below it. Two fingers is all I am holding the revolver with and it makes me very nervous. I may actually make patterns of the left and right grips but about 1/2 inch longer and see what I can do with them. I'm not much of a wood worker but since I'm retired, time is something I have a lot of. Until then, I'll try to find some gloves I can modify. I might just cut the middle finger out and tape it on and see what happens. Scuba diving gloves would be perfect but I'll bet they are way too expensive.

Thank you everyone for the replies, some good ideas to try. BTW, I'm not worried about competition, I compete with myself and I always loose.

 

[TrapperDude]

I have fairly large hands and I when I grip it lower, my pinky finger doesn't come anywhere near the grip, it is completely below it. Two fingers is all I am holding the revolver with and it makes me very nervous. I may actually make patterns of the left and right grips but about 1/2 inch longer and see what I can do with them. I'm not much of a wood worker but since I'm retired, time is something I have a lot of. Until then, I'll try to find some gloves I can modify. I might just cut the middle finger out and tape it on and see what happens. Scuba diving gloves would be perfect but I'll bet they are way too expensive.

Thank you everyone for the replies, some good ideas to try. BTW, I'm not worried about competition, I compete with myself and I always loose.

It sounds like your hands are like mine. I felt silly holding with my pinky dangling for several cylinders as I experimented with grip angles--it's a full-size revolver, after all. I shoot a pocket gun a lot, which doesn't allow me to get a pinky on there, so I'm pretty used to shooting that way.

It's just the best way for me to get the best accuracy with the 1858, too. If I hold too high, I end up pulling the trigger from above it. Getting lower on the grip allows me to draw the trigger straighter to the rear. I recommend getting used to that lower grip. It will seem awkward, but you will get used to it, and you will end up getting better accuracy.

 

[Tanglefoot]

My first black powder handgun was an original 1858 Remington Army revolver. It beat up the 2nd finger of my gun hand. It was made for people my grandfather's size and he was around 5 foot 6 or 7. I'm 6 foot 2 and my hands are larger. The pull on long guns was shorter then also. Cap `n ball revolvers were generally made for smaller hands, which probably means that the replica you're using is an accurate reproduction. The exception in handguns was the Colt 1860 Army which was made for cavalry. For what it's worth, the grip frame on an 1851 Colt Navy is the same size as the 1873 Peacemaker and they're too small for my paws too.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I took my 1858 Remington "Preacher" to the range today. The trigger guard is so close to the butt of the revolver, the rear of the trigger guard smacked the knuckle of my middle finger, right hand. It doesn't feel too swift. The revolver is made by Pietta for Cimarron of Texas. Short of selling it, are there any fixes that don't involve hundreds of dollars? I really like this gun and enjoy shooting it, the accuracy is relatively good given it's got primitive fixed sights. The load was light, 25gr. FFFG and a .454 dia round ball. I sure hope there is a simple fix. Thanks in advance.

View attachment 94382

How hot are you loading it? Might want to tune your charge down. I typically shoot 20 to 25 gr in mine at the range and cram 35 in it when out exploring the desert in the sxs.