SP101 finger

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TwoNiner

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I shot my sp101 the other day with 38s & 357s and my trigger finger felt like it got put through a meat grinder/cheese grater.

I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that the trigger isn't rounded. I think my finger is also getting slammed against the frame too. I have stock grips on. I have huge hands too. Also, the recoil isn't a problem, its the pain in my index finger after shooting.

Anyone else have this problem? It kind of ruins the shooting experience so I'd like to find a solution, otherwise I'll probably sell the gun and try out a snubby 686.
 
That's interesting to know I'm not the only one. Is Ruger just lazy when it comes to machine work? Why don't they bother rounding the sharp edges? Perhaps the machinists are taking too many cigarette breaks?

Edit: It just occurred to me that I could probably sand the trigger and guard down myself. Has anyone tried this with any success? The only downside is if I mess it up the resale value will probably drop.
 
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I haven't done it myself but I've heard of alot of people taking a drimel with a barrel sander attatchment to the edges then posishing it up with a buffeing wheel attachtment.
 
Why don't they bother rounding the sharp edges? Perhaps the machinists are taking too many cigarette breaks?
Click to expand...

The trouble is you're living in the wrong century... :(

Ruger revolvers fames, trigger guards and triggers are investment cast, and there's nothing wrong with that. Afterwards these parts see a minimum amount of polishing, and a lot of it is automated. The result is a pretty good gun that sells for a reasonable price. These days true hand polishing is seldom seen on anyone's guns unless the MSRP is in the $1,000 ballpark or higher. For most folks this works, but others may need some "presonal adjustments." This is part of the reason custom pistolsmiths are in business.

Of course if you want to do your own work you can, but you'd better know what you're doing, and keep in mind that some "adjustments" may void your warrantee.
 
I had a .357 SP101 and never had issue, it had one of the best trigger pulls Ive ever felt on a revolver
 
I'm sure they're fine guns, and lots of people love them, but I've never shot an SP101 I've enjoyed shooting for this very reason.

If I ever buy one for some crazy reason, it'd immediately go to my favorite revolver 'smith for a good action job, after market sights and, most importantly, a smoothing and radiusing of the trigger.
 
The SP isn't the only small frame .357 that needs attention. Most need the trigger polished and radiused and the sharp edges taken off the back of the trigger. Also, the stock grips, for me, left something to be desired in that my one finger got beat up by the trigger guard. With the modified trigger and Hogues, in my case, I can run a lot of rounds thru the gun now without getting beat up.
 
Hmmm. This is definitely not the first time I've heard people say this, but I have never experienced it my SP101 (and I put a pretty hefty amount of full power loads through mine).

I can't even think of one thing I'd change on the SP. I guess I got lucky or something.
 
I just bought a 2.25" DA/SA SP101 .357 last week. I put about 100 rounds of mixed .357/.38 through it this weekend, and my finger is blistered. The problem (for my hand at least) is the extremely sharp edge of the trigger. It really needs a polish to round the edges.

After some reading, I've decided to do it myself. I'm going to completely mask of all nearby surfaces with duct tape. I've got some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and some honing oil. I'm going to wrap the paper around a pen, dab on some oil, and slowly go to work on it. Hopefully it will soften up the edges without hurting anything. If anyone else has some advice or experience in the matter, let's have it.
 
Most people would be amazed at the difference it makes by taking ALL of the edges off of a factory trigger and polishing it. That said a huge number of people obviously have never shot a gun that has had this done. S&Ws aren't too bad out of the box but Ruger has the worst shape and finish on a trigger I have ever seen. A DA revolver trigger should have NO square edges on it anywhere that finger touches it. It is not even a matter of shooting heavy loads or light loads, dry firing these triggers will give you a sore finger. It's like digging with a shovel with a square handle. Don't get me wrong I love Ruger's revolvers and own and shoot three currently. Very heavily built and extremely accurate but ergonomically cruel. Fortunately it can be fixed quite easily. Every customer I have had who has shot one of mine wants theirs done - immediately. I don't even charge anything to do it. Makes shooting much more pleasant.
 
My finger gets bloody when I shoot .357 factory magnums out of my sp101. This gun is the best shooting small frame .357 due to its weight but it's still painfull to shoot .357 mag out of any small frame gun period. .357 is better suited to medium and large framed revolvers. That said I love my sp101, it's a creampuff shooting any and all power level .38 special loads. The Noise, flash of the .38 give the round a tatical advantage. Even the shorter cases extract easier than the longer magnum ones. you should not have a cut finger shooting just .38's despite rough edges. If you want to shoot mags at the range get the gp100. Great range and home defense gun.
 
Anyone ever try thin leather gloves ??
I wear a pair shooting a Kel-Tec p3-AT---My hand does not bother me after shooting.............
 
Hi, my name is Big Mike, and I too have SP101 finger :)

I used a dowel with some fine grit sand paper and took my time softening and polishing the ridge of the trigger; it's much better now.
 
Dude, shooting with gloves is like using a rubber - it's just not as good.
 
Replacing the factory grip with a Hogue Monogrip fixed all sorts of issues I had with my SP101 and that includes getting my finger shredded. I know it doesn't really make sense, but that's how it was for me.
 
I had that very same problem with my 101 as well. The trigger on mine must have been bad though, it was so ridiculously heavy.
So heavy as a matter of fact that I traded it in and got an LCR.
 
It's like digging with a shovel with a square handle.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.

I just compared my SP101 with my 686 and the S&W really illustrates how a trigger and trigger guard should be rounded and polished off. There is not a sharp edge to be found on my 686-1. Running my fingers down the SP101 trigger guard reveals a knife-like square edge on the starboard side. I can see how this would come in handy when peeling vegetables, but it doesn't lend well to shooting magnum loads.

To those who think .357s should not be shot out of this gun: the whole reason I bought an SP is for magnum loads. I wanted a portable, small-frame revolver that can blast .357 for defense against mountain lions and black bears.

I understand that the SP is a cost-conscious gun. In fact I paid about twice as much for my S&W so I'm not complaining there. However, I would like to get this gun smoothed out. How much should a shop charge to polish the trigger and trigger guard?
 
Hit it with a fingernail thing

Try an emory board that women use for their nails. It only took me about 20 minutes to get rid of all the sharp edges on the trigger. I also spent a couple of hours with the dremel at low speed to get rid of all the rest of the sharp edges on my sp 101. She feels MUCH better now!
 
I took my new 3" 101 to my shootin hole last month for the first time. I too developed SP finger. A sore abrasion just past the first knuckle. A deputy sheriff come by to check on me. He gave the gun a go. I checked his finger after he fired the one cylinder. He also got bit. The discomfort increased to pain after dryfire practice that night. I broke the weapon down and removed the trigger from the guard. I re-shaped the trigger to have a pronounced round over at the top of the arc. I mirror polished the face. After I reassembled it I dry fired for a while to be sure. Complete 180! No more sore finger. A GREAT new feel to it.
 
My SP 101 went to gemini Customs for their upgrade package minus the porting. They smooth up the trigger pull to be as good as any revolver I've shot and make it even better by rounding and polishing the trigger itself:
Dsc01130.jpg
 
Logical that looks like a nice smooth trigger. I'm considering sending my gun to a smith. I want to take care of rounding the trigger and guard, as well as replacing the front sight with something more visible, beat blasting the top of the revolver to eliminate glare, and fixing the cylinder end shake. Maybe even getting a trigger job in the processes. I don't want to think about how much that would all cost though.
 
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