I'm hoping that someone has a good remedy for the finger slaps. I shoot my OTT Taurus every day and have been working on finding a solution for 2 weeks now. I have tried various band cuts with Gen2 Precise Yellow .55mm, Precise Orange .50mm, Precise Apple Green .40mm, Sumeike Pink .45mm, TBG, AliEx Yellow bands, AlixEx Orange bands... 1/4" steel, 7mm steel, 5/16" steel and 3/8" steel ammo. I always use a small microfiber pouch but have tried small soft leather as well. I have tried different hand positions but movement is limited with the short handle. I found that it's best to keep the index finger below the throat so it's not visible at full draw. With my medium hand size this will still leave most of my pinky on the handle but the digits are cramped. I have tried leaning forks forward, leaning back and keeping them straight. I tried flipping as well.
I'm thinking the slap problem might be inherent to the design... or maybe it's just me. The wrapped index finger is positioned right at the bottom of the throat. The recoiling bands seem to hit right at the bottom of the throat or top of yoke (where index finger rests). The only remedy that I have found is to shoot with the index finger straight and pointing at target but my accuracy suffers. The other possible option is to find a band & ammo combination that is tolerable for handslaps. I found Gen2 Precise Yellow .55mm with tapers set to shoot 3/8" steel at approx 190-200fps is tolerable in warm weather. A skinny set of tapered yellows for 7mm at 220-230fps is not too bad either, although they still sometimes finger smack. I found that Precise Apple Green with 7mm steel will put a tear in your eye. The fast recoiling greens smack my finger with authority.
It's good to hear that some members have found the Mini-T pleasurable and not painful. I like the design and was hoping for a comfortable shooter. I actually bought two of the OTT versions with the thought of them being my go-to frames. One was going to be a light draw for 1/4" ammo and the other was for 5/16" at 240+ fps for long distance plinking. I like polycarb for a frame material and web contact designs are my favorite. Hopefully the problem is with something I am doing wrong that can be changed.
I enjoy shooting long distance and prefer a flat trajectory to reach 30 yards and beyond. I shoot 10 yards all winter so 20 is usually my short distance in the summer months. My many other OTT frames have allowed speeds up to 280fps with 1/4" steel without any painful slaps. I often flip with the faster bands (just happens) but slower 220-240fps are often held steady or have very little flip.
I'm still not giving up on the OTT Mini-T. Next I might try tying down some gypsy tabs with tubes. Eventually I may buy the TTF version as well. The small size, textured polycarb, narrow fork width and slick lanyard hole on this Taurus design are not something I want to give up until I have exhausted all avenues.
