TargetTalk

I am a smallbore shooter who shoot predominately Prone and 3p, I am 16, fairly tall (about 6 foot), lean with about medium sized hands. I have a FWB 2700 rifle with the FWB alu stock which has an Anschutz Integral handstop on it, i have only had the handstop for about 6 months and im finding that i am getting a lot of pressure on the bone at the base of my index finger (the side part of the knuckle) and next to no pressure towards my thumb, this presure on the bone is causing me a lot of pain throughout the course of a prone match so i was wondering if their any handstops which you could recommend which can be moved laterally so i can fit the handstop into my hand better.

Thanks

The MEC handstop does.

The pain you are experiencing is caused by the incorrect placement of your hand against the hand stop. Not a defective or poorly designed handstop. I am quite certain that your wrist is also not straight and is bent to the side by the pressure from the handstop and sling. This could also be painful.

Buying a MEC Stop will do little to alleviate the pain unless you put the hand correctly against whatever handstop uou have.

And that would be........deep in the "V" between the thumb and forefinger. Close to the base of the thumb. You really need to work to get your hand in the correct position, but once it is in there it is quite comfortable.

There has been a lot of comment recently on "distance coaching" and the lack of effectiveness of that type of advice giving, and I subscribe to that point view. This description, however, is so obvious (and unfortunately common) I didn't need a picture or to see the shooter in person to know how much it hurts and the solution.

Marcus

i have tried, with the help of numerous shooters at my club to get the handstop further into the v shape between my index finger and thumb but due to the cant i have on my rifle and a few more minor details i have only ever been able to get it into position if i have my wrist angled to the side which caused too many inconsitancies between each shot. is there another way that i could fix up my hand position other than eliminating my cant or twisting my wrist?

Could you possibly push the handstop out a bit further so you can push your wrist under the rifle more without having to turn the wrist sideways. This might cause more problems then benefits though.

There is always the suggestion from earlier of getting an offsetable handstop. Both the MEC and HPS System Gemini handstops do this.

Long distance coaching without photos is very difficult, but I agree with Marcus on the eventual solution. Try removing the handstop completely, then get into position with the rifle, being sure to have the rifle supported on the meaty portion of the base of your thumb (notpalm of your hand). Once there have someone add the foreend stop and it should slip into thee V of your thumb and first finger.

Man, I can relate to this. I shoot a FWB2602 Aluminum stocked rifle and this problem is familiar to me. I originally used the FWB handstop to good effect but always felt discomfort, even pain, on my forefinger and thumb. I tried a AHG 4751 handstop for a few months and found no improvement...it was even less comfortable. This led me to experiment with different gloves. I tried a Kurt Thune glove, AHG gloves...several models. Here is my final solution and what I recommend to you: I installed the FWB handstop, adjusted for length as recommended by others in this post. The FWB handstop has anatomical features that allow it to rotate and adjust to fit the hand better, so make this adjustment. Finally, make sure that there is no seam inside your glove that is putting excess pressure on your finger...try several gloves to obtain the best comfort (I currently use an AHG model 101 with a self adhesive moleskin pad located inside the glove to cushion my forefinger. The moleskin is available at WalMart in the foot care section...it is easy to experiment with this and get the best fit)
HTH
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