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Thread: Magnums and aging wrists

  1. #41
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    The right shoulder caused me to down size to nothing heavier recoiling than 308 with 150 grn. And no magnum hand gun loads shoot 44spc loads in my magnums still shoot a few herret loads once in a while but limited to no more than 10 at a session. All my 1911 loads are target.
    When I hit 70 I had to give up heavy recoil and I do not miss the big boomers because at least I can still get a full day at the range. The price we pay for the sport we enjoy. We adapt and enjoy what we can do.

  2. #42
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Glad to see other like minded people. I have never shot a full house .44 Mag. The .357 was my limit and I have no desire to go bigger. I have not shot a .357 Mag in 10 years as I have no need to. I will be loading some full power loads for the .357 rifles but not for the pistols.

    Recoil has never been "fun" for me in any gun. Had to add a muzzle brake on the .300 Win Mag. My trap gun is heavy with 2 3/4 dram loads for most events and a light 1 oz load for the first shot of doubles. I took second place at the state shoot one year with a light 1 1/8 oz load (less than 2 3/4 dram equiv) so getting pounded is not necessary to be effective.

    If I hunted with a pistol it would be different but I do not. I use a rifle for harvesting deer.

    Like all of us here, I love to shoot. For me that means acceptable recoil. If someone can handle more recoil, that is great but they should realize it is having a long term effect on them. I am going to be 69 this year and hope to keep shooting another 15 years so I can use up my stash of components...LOL.
    Don Verna


  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post
    Glad to see other like minded people. I have never shot a full house .44 Mag. The .357 was my limit and I have no desire to go bigger. I have not shot a .357 Mag in 10 years as I have no need to. I will be loading some full power loads for the .357 rifles but not for the pistols.

    Recoil has never been "fun" for me in any gun. Had to add a muzzle brake on the .300 Win Mag. My trap gun is heavy with 2 3/4 dram loads for most events and a light 1 oz load for the first shot of doubles. I took second place at the state shoot one year with a light 1 1/8 oz load (less than 2 3/4 dram equiv) so getting pounded is not necessary to be effective.

    If I hunted with a pistol it would be different but I do not. I use a rifle for harvesting deer.

    Like all of us here, I love to shoot. For me that means acceptable recoil. If someone can handle more recoil, that is great but they should realize it is having a long term effect on them. I am going to be 69 this year and hope to keep shooting another 15 years so I can use up my stash of components...LOL.
    The real beauty of a .357 magnum is that they will shoot .38 specials just fine.

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Froogal View Post
    The real beauty of a .357 magnum is that they will shoot .38 specials just fine.
    I just got my son on the new model Blackhawk and 38 wadcutters loaded down to super light.
    He's 9 years old. At 25 ft he was having a 50/50 hit on the target.
    Was his 1st time on a pistol.

    I skipped the 22 pistol with him and started him on a large frame revolver so he won't be recoil sensitive.

    I'm 50 and am still shoot hot 44's out of a 4 inch 629 MG a Model 29 6.5 and a SBH 5.5 inch.

    The SBH has the most thump and it's the heaviest of the 3 handguns.

    The 44 mag was my 1st handgun @ the age of 17 Followed by a G17 then a 22 RF, 22 it was my 3rd handgun


    While my neck and back are bad my wrists are still good and the 44 is pretty much all I new as a teen, my ole man started me off on a S&W 357 full power reload when I was 12.

    I've tagged a few deer over the years with the SBH I think with me it's a matter of all I've ever really shot so I don't know any better really.

    I was shooting that new GP100 10mm and while I thought is was next to nothing my buddy said it kicked like a mule.
    A lot of it is perception I think and what you are used to.

    I've always prefered a large frame revolver over any other hand gun.
    I do own a lot of semi's but I just have a love for a good heavy six shooter.


    I will say I've seen some good tips in this thread for if/when my wrists start to complain when I get older.
    None of us are getting any younger that's for sure.

    Rich
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  5. #45
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    Same here, found out a long time ago that light loads killed paper just as well as magnum loads. Right hand and wrist is about shot, could no longer manage even light 357 and 44 loads. M29, M686, and M27 went down the road. Still shoot my 1911 with a 190 SWC and 3.1 grs Bullseye (reduced springs) but 50 rounds is my limit, and issue has become weight of the pistol. By 50 rounds it has become painful just holding it up and keeping a firm grip. To spend extra range time got a Ruger MKIII 22/45 which is light enough to still be pleasant. Except for deer hunting all my rifle shooting is with light cast loads to minimize recoil. As someone noted shooting isn't fun when it hurts.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master Thumbcocker's Avatar
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    I have a couple of Bisley .44 specials that were worked over by Bill Olgasby that are scary accurate. 8.0 of Power Pistol under a Keith is the load of choice. I suppose I could load 9.0 of Power Pistol in the magnums. Mrs. Thumbcocker got me a Bisley .44 magnum in 1990 for an engagement present. First handgun I ever hit targets with at 200 yards. For the past 15 or so years I have deer hunted with .44 revolvers and bow or cross bow exclusively. I have history with the .44 magnum. I hope to retire in 2022. I will have 33 years in and will be well vested in my pension. I have held a vision of retirement being me striding forward into the future with decent health, spending quality time with Mrs. Thumbcocker and doing lots of shooting. It is amazing how we can start kidding ourselves and playing the I can still do.... game. Sigh. Time always wins in the end. Hopefully the compromises won't be too bad. Thank you all for the prospective.
    Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.

  7. #47
    Boolit Master
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    Every season has its good and bad , I have leaned to adjust and enjoy.

  8. #48
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    I figure when I get too old and decrepit to shoot my 44 mags, I'll switch to shooting more 44 special, 45 acp, and 45 colt. That's thankfully a long ways off for me. Those rounds might not satisfy your inner recoil junkie, but they are fine rounds nonetheless.
    ______________________________________________
    Aaron

  9. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Froogal View Post
    The real beauty of a .357 magnum is that they will shoot .38 specials just fine.
    I shot 38 spec so much and for so long in my 357 that when i did try some 357 couldnt get them in not close. I used to just love my magnums but the love affair ended. Age and arthritis did it in.

  10. #50
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RED BEAR View Post
    I shot 38 spec so much and for so long in my 357 that when i did try some 357 couldnt get them in not close. I used to just love my magnums but the love affair ended. Age and arthritis did it in.
    At least that is an easy fix. Just clean the chambers really well. When you get rid of the carbon buildup, the 357 cases will chamber fine.

  11. #51
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    My first 44 Mag was and is a Ruger Redhawk 7.5” SS. The learning curve was pretty steep at first.

    I discovered lighter loading and also bought an SW in 22Lr. The long tubed Ruger though a formidible gun did not fit my idea of an easy carry particularily horseback.

    So I added a S&W 629 Mountain gun (4”). Lighter practice loads were now in even greater demand then. Ultimately I also acquired a Ruger SRH in 9.5” figuring on a barrel chop for that one. I loved it too much to have it chopped but ultimately traded it for a SRH in 480 Ruger.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207

    “There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”

  12. #52
    Boolit Master smkummer's Avatar
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    At 58, shooting is about fun for me. 9 grains unique in my 45 Colt with a 250 grain bullet hits all the way out to 200 yards in my 7 1/2” colt new service. 7.8 grain unique in my 44 special with a Keith 245 does the same. These are my long range loads. 75% of my shooting is with standard or plus P 38 special though.

  13. #53
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    A Ruger Alaskan in .480 soured me on heavy handgun loads. I shoot for pleasure, not for pain. My current go-to revolver is a .38 Special.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thumbcocker View Post
    Took a 4 5/8" SBH to the range and ran about 30 full snort loads through it. Wrist on shooting hand was and is complaining some today. I have shot a pile of full snort magnums over the past 30 years with no issues. Should I be looking for a wrist brace of some kind? Life without full house .44's would just suck.
    No..no it wont suck, but if you like 'em keep shooting 'em till your body tells you different. I have been pleasantly suprised at how well a 1000 fps 250 gr Keith will penetrate. I love the big bore handguns but they don't need to go full house to be fun. I would be telling you a lie if I said that I can shoot as small of groups with full tilt loads as I do with 1k fps loads (or less). The guns I have are the ones I really want to keep and pass on to my son and grandson so me, being a bit long of tooth, have decided to tame the beast a bit.
    I have owned 3 or 4 SBH Rugers over the years and that @#$% square back trigger guard hurt me every time I shot them. When I went the SRH route, all the pain went away. I had 2 RedHawks that were pretty pleasant to shoot as well and they were in my "load 'em hot and shoot a lot" days. So it might not be the "full snort" loads that are giving you some grief but the grip design. A shooting glove is a small investment and if you use one, I hope it works for you. In my experience, if I fell down with a pair of gloves on, I would have to take them off to get up!
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  15. #55
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I have put a good 200 plus rounds through my titanium 44 mag S&W 329NG in the last two weeks.


    The first day I bought it I shot two 8 oz water bottles with the first three shots at thirty yards with full throttle 240 grain factory loads. I hadn’t shot it for a couple years and could hit the broad side of barn with it. I tried a bunch of trail boss loads through it last year and it still bucks hard...and shot extremely low. I believe my eyes have changed as I decided to go give it heck and tame the beast the last couple weeks. The first thing I did is I started wearing gloves as it ripped skin off my right middle finger when recoiling. I have been to the range with it a good six plus times in the last two weeks with full throttle loads and have again tamed the beast! I had to schim the fixed rear sight. I removed the rear sight and stacked three aluminum schims under it and screwed it back down. Problem solved as I went from a good 6/8” low at 10 yards to about .5”/1” high at 15 yards and slamming shots together. What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger! I’m in the market for a Ruger super Blackhawk hunter if someone wants to give up the grey ghost.

  16. #56
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    Glucosamine here,too.

    I started it a couple of years ago because of shoulders / bow shooting. Helps a lot,most probably helps with wrists,too.

    Now I can shoot warm 500 S&W and 45-70 again, every week. Not crazy amounts but to keep the touch.

  17. #57
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petander View Post
    Glucosamine here,too.

    I started it a couple of years ago because of shoulders / bow shooting. Helps a lot,most probably helps with wrists,too.

    Now I can shoot warm 500 S&W and 45-70 again, every week. Not crazy amounts but to keep the touch.

    Sounds like I need to try some. I feel out of a tree two years ago and ended up with Lymes disease a week later. Both my shoulder joints hurt like they’re broke at times when I raise my arms after the combination ordeal. A lot of physical labor has helped build it back up but after a few hours of shoveling my rotator cup area will be sore for a few days. Two years ago I could barely climb my ladder stand to pull my self up it was so painful but I can do pull ups now but would be sore the next morning.

  18. #58
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    as a guy who has had arthritus eat 100% of the cartilidge in both wrists, i can tell you if it hurts or is uncomfortable shoot something smaller or load it down more. i used to shoot my 44mag like most shoot their 9mm's, i havent touched it in more than 5 years, because the pain isnt worth it. i use wrist wraps, and braces depending on the day, and they help some , but arent a cure for discomfort.

  19. #59
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    All I can tell you after my first shooting session in years with my 29 oz...May be lighter, titanium 2.5” 44 mag snubby, after about a 100 rounds my whole body was vibrating and shaking. It was a hot day so maybe I was a little dehydrated. But after a half dozen plus sessions on the last two weeks im not shaking any more and the recoil doesn't feel harsh anymore. Kinda feels equivalent to a mild 357. Guess I got used to shooting it again. Gloves definitely help with wrist support and saving my knuckles from getting beat up. If I bare handed it I would still probably put one cylinder full and call it a day. I’m amazed at how accurate that little lightweight snubby is at longer distances. I wouldn’t be afraid to use it deer hunting at closer ranges now that I have the POA adjusted correctly.

    I took my Ruger P85 with the last day and it felt like I was shooting a BB pistol.
    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 07-18-2019 at 11:26 AM.

  20. #60
    Boolit Master

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    You’re a lot tougher than I am, that’s for sure. I shot two rounds through a friend’s S&W 329 years ago, and that was enough for me. It was the most brutally recoiling handgun I ever fired. A close second would be a Ruger .480 I shot a couple rounds out of once. The .500 S&W Mag didn’t seem bad at all by comparison.

    I don’t have arthritis in my hands or wrists, but I do take glucosamine and turmeric for the arthritis in my toes. I still like to shoot my magnums occasionally, but more than once in a while just isn’t fun anymore. I haven’t hunted in decades, and have never hunted or competed with a handgun, so the “horsepower” of a gun was never about practicality for me.

    In much the same way I never raced cars or bootlegged whiskey, but is was fun to drive a car with muscle now and then. I’m older now and pretty much over it.

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