Frame modification on my PM 40-good/bad idea?

[rumblemonkey]

Hello, after running 400+ rounds thru my PM40, my thumb knuckle where it butts up on the left upper part of the frame is worn raw. The corner seems to be a bit sharp (IMO) and the recoil and my hand position is causing a hole to be worn in my thumb knuckle joint. "shoot till you bleed, and then shoot some more"! I was thinking of smoothing the frame there with my trusty Dremel, but do not know the downside to this. I feel I need to have my hand as high up as possible due to the small size of available grip. Ideas/thoughts on this? I still am not shooting very well with this .40, I took other pistols (9mm) to the range this time, and they shoot great! More training is needed. I shot better, but not as accurate as more familiar pieces. No FTF/FTE's- I may have someone load snap caps randomly in some mags for me next time.Thanks!

[RustyIron]

I just tried with three different guns to replicate what you're describing, but can't for the life of me figure out how the gun could abrade my thumb. Hey! Are you the guy who accidentally cut off his thumb with a circular saw, and the doctors sewed it on backwards? Sorry... that just seemed to crack me up.

Since I don't understand the exact problem, I can't tell whether you SOULD do it, but I can tell you the best tools to use. I wouldn't use the Dremel on anything that you want to shape precisely. Use files and emery cloth. Do both sides, trying to achieve lateral symmetry. Also, try to match the existing finish. If it's a matte finish, it won't be hard. If it's more "stippled," then that's a subject for a whole 'nother thread.

[Bobshouse]

Sell the 40 and get a 9, those 40's are rough on skin, joints, you name it.

[berettabone]

Try cupping the firearm a bit more to the front, keep your thumb low. Those small firearms are sometimes hard to tame with .40 cal. I shoot .40 in all of my firearms, and they are compacts. I couldn't imagine shooting .40 out of my MK. Not that it can't be done accurately. You just need more time shooting. 400 rds. of .40 is a lot of rounds. You may also be doing a bit of flinching. You may never be as accurate with the .40 versus 9mm. No reason why you couldn't be close with more shooting. I would definitely find a different position for my thumb. You said you weren't shooting that well, so try a different position with the thumb. What works for me is that I position my non gun hand a bit more around the front of the firearm. My gun hand thumb rests in a straight line across the grip. My other thumb rests on top of the nail of my gun thumb hand, and it presses down at an angle towards the firearm. It gives me a bit more control(at least it feels like it) of the firearm, and it's helped me become a bit more accurate. It keeps both of my thumbs away from any moving/movable parts. Nobody said that .40 was easy to shoot, especially in a defensive firearm. I think that when you shoot the larger calibers, you really have to commit to the caliber of choice. Many say that the .40 cal. is too jumpy for them, and it is jumpy. Once you commit to the caliber, you can use that jump to your advantage with practice. I wouldn't use a Dremel or any other tool until I tried different grips first. Unless you are a Dremel expert, or you don't care about the value of the firearm.

[yqtszhj]

For smoothing the frame like rustyiron said beware of the dremel as it will go through some polymer fast (dont ask me how I know) but I found one thing that works good for smoothing is either sandpaper working up to 1000 to 2000 grit, or even better just a cotton polishing wheel (dry, no polish) on the dremel to buff the plastic frame. It brings it to a shiny finish.

Thats my experience anyway.

[ltxi]

I don't shoot, esp lightweight, small frame .40's at all well, either. Mebbe due to small hands, mebbe just due to the pressure curve, mebbe just whatever. My G27 is essentially a single shot if I care about placement. My G23 I can combat shoot just fine.

There's no downside to smoothing a sharp edge. As noted, tho, on a polymer frame I'd vice Dremel prefer to do it with sandpaper/hand tools.

[rumblemonkey]

Thanks to all for the thoughts on this, I will try modifying my grip a bit, and maybe a bit of sanding. Maybe my hands are bigger-my natural grip is high and a bit left, as my fingers need more trigger room. The rub is on the thumb bone joint -

metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP)

, on the web side. I will see if I can adjust so there is more "web" and less bone on the grip. I hope to be able to shoot as accurately as my other pieces, I may see about seeing if a local range has a PM9 I can try for comparison. Does anyone have any laser training cartridges they wish to sell in .40? Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

[Slugnutty]

When I don't carry my CW45 - I carry a Springfield XDs 9
I shoot it very well, I've had it three years or so now, and late fall 2017 I took a class that had us shooting about 400 rounds each day for two days - and MAN the first knuckle on my right thumb and my first knuckle of my middle finger just under the trigger guard were raw meat from rubbing - so I feel your pain.

I've decided that my way of holding a firearm is thumbs high and recoil is forcing the slide release lever like a saw on my thumb and the sharp angle of the trigger guard is not helping.
I'm trying and trying and trying different firearms as replacements - trying to keep a real open mind for fit and function over lust - Kahr Cm9 does not have a lever of any kind where my thumb sits, and I obviously like them - so its a good alternative, a micro 1911 style too something like a SIG P938 or Kimber Micro 9 where I can ride the thumb safety thumb on top of .... but yah, I understand the "this gun causes me physical injury" issue.

Good luck

[gb6491]

Thanks to all for the thoughts on this, I will try modifying my grip a bit, and maybe a bit of sanding. Maybe my hands are bigger-my natural grip is high and a bit left, as my fingers need more trigger room. The rub is on the thumb bone joint -

metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP)

, on the web side. I will see if I can adjust so there is more "web" and less bone on the grip. I hope to be able to shoot as accurately as my other pieces, I may see about seeing if a local range has a PM9 I can try for comparison. Does anyone have any laser training cartridges they wish to sell in .40? Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

My CW45 would rub my thumb's joint. I gently sanded the area that was doing this and it stopped. I didn't have to remove very much material: so if you attempt this, remove a very small amount of material at a time, checking the results from that often.


Regards,
Greg

[rumblemonkey]

Thanks for the photos, I am unsure how to upload them! I did just that, removed a small amount and polished it very smooth. I am confident it will help, if not fix this issue! Thanks, and Happy New Year!

[rumblemonkey]

I guess I need some more posts before I can post pics-When I am able, I will show you my mod in the same area-Thanks!

[rumblemonkey]

Thanks, need posts to post pics-

[Wlfman13]

RumbleMonkey,

I originally thought your slide stop lever was biting into your thumb with every shot. Then, I did a little Wiki-foo, and learned what a MCP is, and think that gb6491 is on the right track. Let us know how it works out, please.

-Wlf

[gb6491]

Thanks, need posts to post pics-

You can post images now, the post count is for use of the attachment feature of this board.

Here's the site I use to host my photos: https://postimg.org

To use that site:






Which will produce this when the reply is submitted:

Thanks, need posts to post pics-

BTW, the MK9 photo is 1000 pixels wide

Hope that helps some.
Regards,
Greg

[rumblemonkey]

Cool, thanks for the info! Let's see if this works-