Why did the recoil stories start, 44 magnum

[magnumuser]

take off your ear protection and the recoil will be much much worse...cause its all a relative thing. if your body thinks its going to get hurt,it will react accordingly..we in shooting world refer to this as the dreaded flinch.....I normally wont even type that word out for fear it will grab me AGAIN.... a light rifle,with poor recoil pad,hot loads and terribly heavy trigger started this dreaded journey some 35 years ago...light shotgun with hot loads and prone possibly contributed too...then said same shotgun was swapped to a mate who had foolishly burst his barrel and sawn it off to just legal length..that booted and was terribly loud...no matter the load used...very flinch inducing as body knew it was going to hurt ears....
the 45/70 is in a heavy gun..but there sure is difference between a trapdoor level load and anything heavier.
mate has ruger bolt action in 44magnum..... he doesnt like hot loads.....too loud as much as more recoil.... as said at beginning its all relative.

my hunting foree started with 10 boxes of shot gun slugs fired through a pump shotgun that had a loose barrel ( the hole in the reciever was over sized by 2mm per the factory after we sent it back in) that wobbled like a drunk on a teeter totter, and a scope base that was installed wrong. Essentially every time you worked the pump action, the barrel and scope would rezero to non matching values. It was funny, get it zeroed in. work a new shell in, fire and see a hole 1.5 feet AWAY from the point of aim. repeat.

Those fiochi loads had my fingers tingling after 3 cylinders for some reason.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I think y’all have left out the third leg of the stool.

The three legs are ammunition, gun and the person receiving the recoil.

We’re not all blessed with big meaty well-toned recoil absorbing muscles covering big heavy bones.
Some of us don’t have much more than skin covering our achy old bones.
If the sponge is big, it can soak up a lot!

Just as the shape of the gun can either focus or disperse recoil, the shape of the receiving body matters too.

A shoe that’s comfortable to one guy is a pain to another. It’s not fair to say the size 10 shoes hurt….because they don’t to some people.

[Abert Rim]

My first .44 Magnum way back when was an open-sighted T/C Contender with the brutally lightweight octagonal barrel. After about the third shot, the pain began to change to numbness. Needless to say, I got rid of that torture device at an early opportunity. My first Super Blackhawk not long after was much more pleasant with the same loads. I worked up a 320-grain cast load over cases full of 296 for a Ruger Redhawk 5 1/2 when the boys in the family took a trip to Wrangell to fly-fish a tributary of the Stikine River 20-some years ago. It was pleasant to pack in a shoulder holster just above my waders, and a real comfort as we were seeing fresh grizz tracks along the creek each morning. But shooting five-shot groups for accuracy testing was a chore that I would simply not undertake now that I am 70. Y'all can have it.

[Larry Gibson]

I think y’all have left out the third leg of the stool.

The three legs are ammunition, gun and the person receiving the recoil.

We’re not all blessed with big meaty well-toned recoil absorbing muscles covering big heavy bones.
Some of us don’t have much more than skin covering our achy old bones.
If the sponge is big, it can soak up a lot!

Just as the shape of the gun can either focus or disperse recoil, the shape of the receiving body matters too.

A shoe that’s comfortable to one guy is a pain to another. It’s not fair to say the size 10 shoes hurt….because they don’t to some people.

Exactly.

I've shot thousands of rounds of real full bore magnum loads in a lot of 44 magnum handguns since I was 20 years old. I have smaller hands and find S&W N frames to be very painful regardless of the style or shape of grips. The frame and length of pull are just too long to fit my hand correctly. However, I find shooting Ruger Redhawks and, particularly, my Colt Anaconda, to be not painful at all. The grips on those revolvers fit my hand. With single actions revolvers I've no problems at all with full magnum level loads such as with Hornady's 240 XTP factory load or Kieth's classic 22 gr 2400 under a 428421. I particularly have always liked the grip on my Hawes Western Marshall SA 44 Magnum. The smaller grip on my Ruger 50th Anniversary FTBH is exceptionally comfortable.

However, until I modified the grip on my Contender it was also very painful with full hose 44 Magnum loads. Now, with the smaller shaped grip that fits my hand it is somewhat pleasant to shoot.

Back again to S&W N Frames; the only one I still have is a M1917/25 in which I shoot only standard 45 ACP loads. Hand me a M27/28, M57/58 or a M29 with magnum loads and I'll hand it back unfired.

[racepres]

My first .44 Magnum way back when was an open-sighted T/C Contender with the brutally lightweight octagonal barrel. After about the third shot, the pain began to change to numbness. Needless to say, I got rid of that torture device at an early opportunity. My first Super Blackhawk not long after was much more pleasant with the same loads. I worked up a 320-grain cast load over cases full of 296 for a Ruger Redhawk 5 1/2 when the boys in the family took a trip to Wrangell to fly-fish a tributary of the Stikine River 20-some years ago. It was pleasant to pack in a shoulder holster just above my waders, and a real comfort as we were seeing fresh grizz tracks along the creek each morning. But shooting five-shot groups for accuracy testing was a chore that I would simply not undertake now that I am 70. Y'all can have it.

Not being loaded with Machismo... my .44 Mag of the same description...was a Nasty ***... a 357 Win barrel was Not as Bad...tho it was a Bull Barrel!! Now that I too am Pushing 70YO, with Nothing to Prove...I shoot what is Fun for Me...

[6thtexas]

I got my first 44 magnum when I was 18. I shot tons of full charge loads through it and other 44s I acquired over the years. Now at 65 the doc says I have no cartilage left in my wrist, but I do have arthritis and a bone spur in it. Nowadays I still shoot my M29-2 and Ruger SBH often but with loads that push a 429421 about 1150FPS or a 280gr. about 1000FPS. With a brace on my wrist I can shoot 50-75 rds of such ammunition at a time easily and I have found that the lighter loads will do all I need to do with a sixgun. Easier on me and my old guns both.

But what are much more painful to me than the 44 Magnum Rhino-roller loads are the 38Spl+ and (God forbid!) .357 ammunition in airweight J frames.

[DougGuy]

I have a 4 5/8" large frame Vaquero in 45 Colt with a birdshead grip. I used to load the 340GR SSK truncated flat point over 22.5gr W296. THAT was one brutal revolver to shoot. It would draw blood about the third round in. Let alone bash my knuckle severely.

7 1/2" SBH with Lee 310 RF couldn't even get on the same page when it comes to comparing the felt and/or perceived recoil with the Vaquero and those SSK loads.

Back when I was married to my 2nd wife, she shot the SBH with those 310 loads, yep it jumped straight up and she held onto it pretty good, she was a small woman, and all the guys at the range were wowing and turning their heads, at first looking to see what made so much noise and muzzle blast and then they noticed this 5'2" female shooting and controlling the Ruger.. The look on their faces!

[murf205]

Exactly.

I've shot thousands of rounds of real full bore magnum loads in a lot of 44 magnum handguns since I was 20 years old. I have smaller hands and find S&W N frames to be very painful regardless of the style or shape of grips. The frame and length of pull are just too long to fit my hand correctly. However, I find shooting Ruger Redhawks and, particularly, my Colt Anaconda, to be not painful at all. The grips on those revolvers fit my hand. With single actions revolvers I've no problems at all with full magnum level loads such as with Hornady's 240 XTP factory load or Kieth's classic 22 gr 2400 under a 428421. I particularly have always liked the grip on my Hawes Western Marshall SA 44 Magnum. The smaller grip on my Ruger 50th Anniversary FTBH is exceptionally comfortable.

However, until I modified the grip on my Contender it was also very painful with full hose 44 Magnum loads. Now, with the smaller shaped grip that fits my hand it is somewhat pleasant to shoot.

Back again to S&W N Frames; the only one I still have is a M1917/25 in which I shoot only standard 45 ACP loads. Hand me a M27/28, M57/58 or a M29 with magnum loads and I'll hand it back unfired.

Ditto on the S&W N frame target grips. They were made for people who can pick up a basket ball with 1 hand, which is not me either. Everybody's paws are different but my Redhawk and SRH's are made for those of us with human hands. There must be a lot of big pawed shooters out there because a used pair of S&W targets stocks requires a mortgage now days. My 629 came with Hogue rubber grips and it is "almost" comfortable with 250 gr boolits at 1050 fps. No doubt the modest velocity has as much to so with that as any grip would.

[CastingFool]

Not a 44 magnum, but I remember the very first time i shot my 12 ga with 3" magnums loaded with 2 oz of no 4 shot turkey loads. 4 rounds and patterning the gun was done!

[Texas by God]

I grew up with a .41 magnum Blackhawk and could shoot the hot loads with no problem, but soon learned that 210 grs at 1100 fps was funner than 1400 fps.
I never liked the SBH grip, but it didn’t hurt to shoot it.
A Desert Eagle .50AE tapped my forehead with hot brass which bothered me way more than the recoil….
Personal Worst was a friend’s octagon barreled 30-30 Contender with 170 gr factory ammo- it almost flew out of my sweaty hands!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[racepres]

I grew up with a .41 magnum Blackhawk and could shoot the hot loads with no problem, but soon learned that 210 grs at 1100 fps was funner than 1400 fps.
I never liked the SBH grip, but it didn’t hurt to shoot it.
A Desert Eagle .50AE tapped my forehead with hot brass which bothered me way more than the recoil….
Personal Worst was a friend’s octagon barreled 30-30 Contender with 170 gr factory ammo- it almost flew out of my sweaty hands!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny Thing...In ?? 1979 or maybe '80, I acquired an Octagon, 10", 30-30, Contender Barrel... Factory 170's were Very mean off hand ...so I placed the Butt on a fence post...Welp...Won't do that again..Honestly...it broke the Grip off my Contender!!!!

[M-Tecs]

Serious handgun hunting did not become mainstream until the early to the mid 70's. When the 44 Mag was the "worlds most powerful handgun" the writers of the time claimed it could break your wrist or split the web of your hand. They recommend wearing a shooting glove.

That didn't age well in the day of the 500 S&W and 50 BMG handguns or the 25 oz 44 Mag revolvers.

[Abert Rim]

Truth is, those 25-ounce .44 Magnum revolvers often show up for sale "barely used" with a nearly full box of ammo. Same can be said of rifles in .458 WinMag.

[HWooldridge]

A half century ago .44 Magnum became so popular that for a time the weapons routinely sold at scalper's prices. Inspired by the Clint Eastwood films, I would speculate that for some purchasers this was their first handgun--to quote Arnold Schwartzenegger: "Bad idea." It was said that it was not uncommon to find M29s being resold along with their first and only box of ammunition, minus six fired rounds. I suspect these disillusioned Dirty Harrys were prime instigators of the horrific recoil stories.

That scenario is how I got mine. Original owner bought it new in 1972, then put it away after firing a few factory rounds (probably less than a full box). I bought it five years later; already had a Ruger SB and was reloading for it so I knew what a 44 mag was. The M29 became another choice to carry. Mine always liked factory 44 Special for reduced loads so I used to buy those when I could pick them up for cheap at the local hardware store, then the brass got recycled to my Colt SAA 44 Special.

[257X50]

I worked with a guy who PROBABLY shot more heavy loads than anyone here.
You can’t badazz the recoil
And it does build up damage as the day goes on.
Not permanently……..but your ability to shoot
He has passed now. Worked with him the first time almost 30 years ago ……still liked working with him.
He knew

[Ithaca Gunner]

I carry a S&W 4'' 629-3 with a set of Hogue ''fancy'' wood grips on it when outdoors. They're smooth Goncalo Alves with finger grooves and fit very well. Not only are they comfortable, but help control the gun much better than factory or rubber grips. My usual load is an RCBS 44-250-K over 9.5gr. Unique, but I've loaded Hornady XTP 225gr. jacketed bullets near max and recoil is none the worse, even rapid fire on close steel targets.

The only gun that hurts is a Colt New Service .45 Colt and that's just because of the grip shape. They're the old hard rubber with the large ''COLT'' spelled out in an oval near the top. The lower bevel of the oval is right between my index and middle fingers, my hand gets to aching after a few shots with that old Colt.

[Jtarm]

I carry a S&W 4'' 629-3 with a set of Hogue ''fancy'' wood grips on it when outdoors. They're smooth Goncalo Alves with finger grooves and fit very well. Not only are they comfortable, but help control the gun much better than factory or rubber grips. My usual load is an RCBS 44-250-K over 9.5gr. Unique, but I've loaded Hornady XTP 225gr. jacketed bullets near max and recoil is none the worse, even rapid fire on close steel targets.

The only gun that hurts is a Colt New Service .45 Colt and that's just because of the grip shape. They're the old hard rubber with the large ''COLT'' spelled out in an oval near the top. The lower bevel of the oval is right between my index and middle fingers, my hand gets to aching after a few shots with that old Colt.

My model 24 with the same grips and similar load will tear a flap of skin off the web of my thumb within 20 rounds. On my stainless revolvers, I put a piece of lizard skin (bat tape) at the top of the grip backstrap.

In my experience, single actions are much better at handling heavy recoil than DAs.

[Blkpwdrbuff]

Funny story.
I bought my first big bore handgun a .41 mag Ruger Blackhawk 6.5"barrel in 1980. Still have it.
My eldest brother kept telling me I should have bought a .44 mag.
I handed it to him to try and shoot a pheasant.
One shot, he looked at me, shook his hand to get rid of the sting, handed me back the revolver, and never said another word about a .44 mag.
He missed the pheasant by the way.

[Arkansas Paul]

Well I have a 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk and I can certainly feel the difference.

[Abert Rim]

Buff: That's the best dang anecdote I have heard all week! Y'all have a great Christmas!