This Hellcat is stinging my trigger finger

Could be you. And the gun. I have large hands and gave up on compacts and sub compacts after trying a few.

I carry full size because that's what's comfortable for me shooting wise. If I can't hit squat with an LCP or the like, and get bit by the slide, then I'll pass and sacrifice the weight and carry full size any day.

If your having difficulty or getting "stung" by the gun, it's time to move on. No sense in trying to adapt to a gun that doesn't fit you. Better off looking for one that does.

My 2 cents. Good luck!

Remington243 said:

I feel the trigger vibrate so much that it stings my trigger finger.

Click to expand...

Does the trigger guard run into the front or bottom of your finger, or is the trigger reset too violent for the pad of the finger?
I don’t understand “vibration” in this context.

Like @Mn Fats said, there is many pistol models for a reason. Some just won’t work, even though they work fine.

My "smallest" guns are a 1911, Officers model, followed by a CZ 75D compact.
Never saw the appeal of the tiny stuff.

I've read about people having problems with pistols like the Shield, or the PPS being too flat and small to grip well, throwing off their accuracy. Some recommend using Hogue slip on grips to give you a more secure grip on the pistol. But, sometimes a gun just doesn't fit you.
Bikerdoc, the CZ 75d compact is one of my favorites too.

Remington243 said:

My first time shooting a small frame pistol. Springfield Hellcat 9mm. Difficult to hold firmly because it is so small. Maybe that is my problem, not sure. I hold more firmly with my left hand to control the jump. Has anyone else shot a Hellcat or maybe the Sig365 , they have similar triggers.
I feel the trigger vibrate so much that it stings my trigger finger. Is it me, or the gun ?

Click to expand...

The gun I would say..small guns are, well, small...I never liked my Ruger LCP or my Ruger LC9S...I do like my G26 with a G19 magazine and 'sleeve' and my G42 with an 8r magazine.

How a pistol fits your hands is important. I definitely prefer shooting my Sig P938 over my Kel-Tec PF9 or P3AT. I was never a Glock fan but after shooting my 22LR Glock G44, has made me think about reevaluating that. I really have to make sure that full size pistols fit my small hands well. I shoot the 1911A1 just fine but could never get used to or shoot the M9 well.

Love the smaller guns much more than the big heavy guns. I have a size large hand, xtra large gloves and long fingers. I have no problem with shooting the Pocket guns and micro 9mm's. Nor do I have a problem shooting them well. Get a larger gun, then there are concessions. Don't buy into the idea that it takes a long time to adapt. Not true for a lot of folks.
But one thing for sure. Guns are like shoes and one size does not fit all. Spend some time with all guns and you will morph into the gun that is best for you. Funny thing is, I did not like the LCP when I first started shooting pocket guns over a decade ago. Now love shooting the Short barrel guns. Was not worth a darn when I first started shooting Snubbies and man has that changed with so many thousands of rounds down range, to the Point I find them exceedingly fun to shoot.
In fact the LCR22 is my favorite trainer and Plinker. While I do not shoot the LCP 380's I do shoot the Pico and Kahr. That said, I just bought the LCP 22 to add to my point and shoot skills.
And thank goodness I have 22.cal trainers as I would not be shooting twice a week like i normally do. 9mm and 380 for me is just about non existent or WAY too expensive when available.

Before getting rid of your gun try looking closely at the inside of the trigger guard and trigger and look for sharp or jagged mold lines from when the gun was made. They will look like seams. If there is any roughness use some really fine sandpaper or an Emory board to smooth them out. Also, look at the tip of the trigger for sharpness or roughness and smooth that out.

I had a Kel-Tec and a Glock 26 that had rough lines inside the trigger guard that irritated my trigger finger. I smoothed them out and all was well with the Glock but the Kel-Tec still pinched my finger. I found that the tip of the trigger was sharp. I rounded it off and that helped.

See this thread for a discussion of trigger slap:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ions-and-insights.870927/page-2#post-11558373

Here is the search I used:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?search/44392147/&q=trigger+slap&o=date

Remington243 said:

Thank you all for your replies. Stinging my trigger finger is the only way I can describe the feeling. There are no lines or ruffness inside the trigger guard. It all looks good. It is only my third time shooting this hellcat. I hope I do get use to it. Getting a Hogue slip on sounds good. Then that take away the whole idea of its slimness for conceal and less printing. I wish I enough money to buy others to try. I had to sell one to buy this one.
Anyway, thank you all.

Click to expand...

I know what you mean, my LCP does that to me. The only way for me to avoid it on the LCP is to deliberately go high on the trigger and deep with the trigger finger. I actually have a Hogue grip on the LCP.
The Hellcat is fine for me. Does it happen with both mags?

Remington243 said:

Thank you all for your replies. Stinging my trigger finger is the only way I can describe the feeling. There are no lines or ruffness inside the trigger guard. It all looks good. It is only my third time shooting this hellcat. I hope I do get use to it. Getting a Hogue slip on sounds good. Then that take away the whole idea of its slimness for conceal and less printing. I wish I enough money to buy others to try. I had to sell one to buy this one.
Anyway, thank you all.

Click to expand...

Maybe try a lighter projectile or lower velocity / pressure rounds.
I don't do micro 9s or 40s, if I want little I go 380 because I have trouble gripping very small guns if they have much recoil. So instead of downloading a 9 I get an even smaller gun with negligible recoil. I'm used to shooting big guns, for many years a small gun to me was a g30, I can shoot that gun very well. Once I started looking to go smaller I ended up with a kahr in 40sw , I hated that gun (I actually still have it but will refer to it in the past tense cause I don't shoot it), it hurt and I couldn't keep a good grip. Never learned to shoot it and had no desire to (the handling is bad and the gun is unreliable), tried a few others and found that 380 was not painful or difficult to shoot. I probably carry a 380 25% of the time.

Remington243 said:

Has anyone else shot a Hellcat or maybe the Sig365 , they have similar triggers.

Click to expand...

Actually, they have completely different triggers. Both are similar in the sense of pull weight, but the P365 has a solid and smooth metal trigger while the Hellcat has a much different style with an integrated safety and very sharply curved tip...

It may be that curved tip that's stinging you. Don't take any tools to it ; practice some more while altering your grip. If the trigger continues to be uncomfortable - move on to something else.
You would not be the first person I have heard of that decided that the HellCat is not for them. In fairness to the firearm , the same can be said of just about any model.

Gun manufacturers are continually trying to reinvent the wheel ... sometimes the latest is not the greatest.

Remington243 said:

Thank you all for your replies. Stinging my trigger finger is the only way I can describe the feeling. There are no lines or ruffness inside the trigger guard. It all looks good. It is only my third time shooting this hellcat. I hope I do get use to it. Getting a Hogue slip on sounds good. Then that take away the whole idea of its slimness for conceal and less printing. I wish I enough money to buy others to try. I had to sell one to buy this one.
Anyway, thank you all.

Click to expand...

Is there no range near you that lets you rent and shoot? There’s one near me and I recommend it to anyone BEFORE they buy.

I had a Hellcat and experienced a similar issue, as I do with Glocks. What causes it for me is the trigger safety protruding from the face of the trigger. I file that down so it's flush with the trigger face when the trigger is depressed and the issue goes away. I'm careful not to file it too far. The serrations on the trigger face can also be uncomfortable. Could either of those be what you're experiencing?

This Hellcat is stinging my trigger finger....said every F6F pilot ever.

First time I saw the trigger angle, I thought it made the Glock's trigger look straight up and down......I'll pass. Otherwise it looks like a decent little gun.

Hand shape and shooting styles vary.

I haven't experienced what you're describing with this model.

But it could be relative, did you shoot anything else that range trip?

My ppk 380 was uncomfortable, but shooting a gi 1911 first helped me. Not that the recoil with the 45 is bad at all.

Used to HATE shooting air weight revolvers, kept at it and something clicked. Changed my grip, shot heavier calibers first.

Now I can draw from concealment and place my first round quickly on a timer through the bull's-eye at 10 yards. Not internet boasting, it took years and hundreds of range hours and rounds.

Also as mentioned, you may try different ammo.

Practicing up with the 642 I used wadcutters. I started with plus p rounds, no good when new.

Even now, my carry load is often the pink reduced recoil hornady jhp that provides aid to lady's with cancer I think. They are powder puff in recoil, but ballistics are good, meeting / exceeding 12 inches and expanding at least to. 45 as I recall. Far more important than the projectile is fast and accurate shot placement.

My Ruger ec9 is a brat with defensive jhp or plus p. With 115 grain fmj range ammo it's great. Practice with that find a jhp with similar characteristics.

Sometimes guns are just a bad fit though. Send them down the line and don't look back. Xd 45 was one for me.

wrap a piece of tape around the bottom of the trigger. try anything to keep that trigger from squeezing the tip of your finger between the trigger and the trigger guard. my ruger blackhawk does this if i have the stock grips on and shoot my "ruger only" loads. my trigger finger will be bleeding within six shots.

luck,

murf

p.s. you can also keep your wrist locked during recoil so the gun does not rotate in your hand. i can't physically do that with my blackhawk, so i put hogue grips on it to solve that problem.

I don't have a Hellcat (yet!) but I do like subcompacts and I do have extra long hands. For a particularly nasty shooter like my DB9 I wrap a piece of first aid tape around my trigger finger when practicing. The DB9 is not fun to shoot because of its small size and lite weight but I shoot it well and I am sure I will have no problems shooting it well if I need to in an emergency. Being able to pack a 9mm in a .380 size makes the DB9 worth it to me... but it does have its disadvantages. It is definitely not a range gun! Practicing with the extended magazine also helps and extends my practice time.

What part of the finger is getting popped? It can likely be fixed with a change of grip. Only 2 things I have not been able to rectify... uncomfortable recoil of bear stompers in a 9” super Blackhawk, and slap from a “ducktown disaster” double barrel 410 ripping open the knuckles on my middle finger. Design limitations of those two were insurmountable for me, but lots of micro .380s have been tamed. I seriously dislike the feel of most polymer striker pistol triggers but using the pad of the finger instead on a knuckle goes a long way towards making one a better shot and making the gun more comfortable to shoot.

If it’s the contact point between trigger and finger then you need to use pad of a finger instead of a knuckle.

If it’s the front of the finger getting slapped by the trigger guard then you need a more firm hold or less punishing ammo if you can’t handle the recoil impulse for some reason.

if it’s the bottom of the finger then recoil is slapping the gun up and into your hand. A more firm wrist will cure the problem and make it cycle more reliably because slapping up like that typically puts you at risk of a limp-wrist situation

If it’s the top of the finger then check the gun out for burrs along the slot where the trigger protrudes. Break that edge with an Emory board or similar tool and it will be better.

Also, if you know somebody else with a similar pistol then try to shoot theirs. If it feels drastically different then it may be a gun issue... weak springs allowing frame battering would explain a hard jolt and vibration causing some pain.

A firm thumbs forward grip works for me on even small guns and I have XL hands. With better grip control comes less gun squirming, and less abuse of your trigger finger.

Work in your grip as a starting point.

I would suggest wrapping several rubber bands around the grip. This should give you a non slip gripping area. Your Hellcat should stop squirming upon firing it.

Remington243 said:

My first time shooting a small frame pistol.

Click to expand...

As a general rule, smaller/compact/subcompact pistols will produce more snappy/jerky recoil compared to larger/full size pistols.

Remington243 said:

This Hellcat is stinging my trigger finger ... Is it me, or the gun ?

Click to expand...

What you are experiencing is inherent to shooting small/compact/subcompact pistols. Many people who shoot "pocket" 380Auto complain of similar.

The trigger "slap or sting" is from recoil causing sharper muzzle climb that is also rotating the trigger upwards and putting pressure on your trigger finger pad.

Remington243 said:

Difficult to hold firmly because it is so small. Maybe that is my problem, not sure.

Click to expand...

I shoot Glock 27 40S&W and M&P Shield 9mm, both small subcompacts and with factory loads, recoil is definitely more snappier than full size G22 or M&P40 but I do not experience trigger slap or sting.

But with Taurus TCP 738 chambered for 380Auto, different story. Even with locked breech barrel and dual recoil springs, there's only so much you can do with such a small package to attempt a gradual slow down of slide and slide to frame slap will induce muzzle snap and I can definitely feel it in my hands and trigger finger. To tame the snappy recoil, I worked with my reloads to produce milder recoiling practice rounds that were still accurate - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/380auto-x-treme-100-gr-rnfp-range-test.748320/

At 7 yards with TCP 738, factory felt recoil designated 10/10, 2.6 gr load produced 4/10 felt recoil, 2.8 gr 6/10 and 3.0 gr 8/10 that were much more comfortable to shoot for extended range sessions.



So if you reload, one option to tame the snappy recoil and trigger slap/sting is to load lighter target loads for range practice.

Another suggestion is reviewing the shooting basics of improving your grip - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flinching-drills.864546/page-2#post-11416785

After working on improving your grip mentioned in above linked post, consider working on "mental" aspect of shooting illustrated in this post which may help - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flinching-drills.864546/page-2#post-11419944

You can also try shooting other small/subcompact pistols to see if you experience the same trigger slap/sting and if you find that only your pistol causes the trigger slap/sting, then you can consider replacing the pistol.