I tried the big bore revolver thing when I was a lot younger. When my elbow and wrist started showing signs of stress I quit and went back to 'normal' loads.
The SP101 wasn't bad with 125 or 140gn .357 loads. The LCR had a sharper 'bite'. Not pleasant, but, manageable. I would not practice with full loads in the LCR.
My personal little monster is the same as the OP, a S&W Model 60 in 357. The day I bought it years back, I ran a cylinder full of the Federal 125 grain JHP through it. A miniature donkey kicking you I considered it. Cute little thing, but it can kick. Helluva fireball.
My FA83 in 454 can be nasty but it is more from the 37ish grains of H110 than recoil. Double ears is a habit but it's needed with the 454. The Magna-Port really works on muzzle flip and really works on adding some extra blast.
35 grains H-110 powder...440 grain gas checked pill out this...500 S&W
Worst recoil I’ve shot was with Ruger Super Redhawk 454 and the Contender with 30-30 barrel. The Redhawk had these beautiful wooden grips that were like glass and even with sticky gloves the torque just about pulled it out of my hand. Put some Hogue grips on and it was better but it wasn’t fun to shoot. Traded it for a Smith model 57 with some cash and I’m a happy camper. The Contender recoil wasn’t that bad but the trigger guard beat up my middle finger after 3 shots that I thought it was broken. I have shot the Smith 500 with full house 700 grain boolits and one cylinder a day is enough. I also have shot a Ruger No.1 in 416 Rigby and for a big game rifle it wasn’t as much recoil as I thought it would be. Thanks to my friend who owns the last three I probably would never had that experience. Now that I’m in my mid 70’s and not as strong as I used to be full house loads are not on my agenda.
700gr 500 s&w, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Yea that S&W 13oz 360 is the worst that ive ever shot now have a SS 649 all steel with no problems @ 26 oz
Fire!
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had a 329 it was stout but not really painful. Now i had a 396 smith that weighted about half what a 329 weights and with 250s and 18 grains of 2400 that thing would peal skin off your hand. Personaly id rather shoot a cylinder full of full power 500 linebaughs out of my 4 inch gun then one shot out of that little cannon. But it sure was handy to stick in your jacket pocket when i was bow hunting. So light you didnt even notice you had it. I think they weighted 18 oz empty.
Wow Lloyd that's kinda like a 44 Special J frame, even the grips is a nubbins. Smith website shows that production is discontinued. Did you ever shoot that gun with lighter loads for target? If you did, was it accurate and precise?
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The snappiest gun I do not enjoy shooting is a 10" contender pistol with sights in 44 mag, even with just factory ammo. Worse than a 329. Worse than either a 4" or an 8" X frame. Worse than 360gr cast in 5-1/2" 45 Bisley. So, I don't shoot it as a pistol.
Let's go Brandon!
T.c. contender, .357 herrett 10" bull barrel. It's the only handgun I've fired in which I've noticed any substantial torque, and I feel the recoil in my elbow, and sometimes my shoulder. It's a beast, and I've not shot it much. I've got two.44 magnums, a super Blackhawk, and a Virginian dragoon, and because of the plow handle grips I've never found a load for either of them that I found unpleasant! Unfortunately, because of arthritis in my thumb knuckle, double action style grips get painful way before I want them to!
Last edited by fixit; 05-27-2021 at 10:57 AM.
It shot ok. Not bad but not great. With a 250 and 7 grains of unique it wasnt bad. i traded it off on a 696 which is the stainless steel version of the same gun. That thing is a jewel. Shoots fantastic and is MUCH more comforable to shoot with the 2400 grain load then the scandiuma version was with the 7 grain load. Another thing those 396s were notorious for is flame cutting. My buddy bought one at the same time and shot his much more and had to have the barrel replaced. But then he had to do the same thing with his 329. I guess the new 329s have some kind of a shield that prevents it. f
I had a fried that had a Thompson Contender with a 10 inch 30-30 barrel. I never shot it, but I guess it was a wild ride with 180 gr factory loads. I suspect it would have been.. He killed some deer with it, but it was not much of a recreational gun..
A former High School teacher of mine bought a new S&W 69 44 mag, with a short barrel, 2.5 inches or so. He shot a half box of full house 240 gr loads, over 3 or 4 shooting sessions, and took it back to the shop where he bought it and traded it in on a kinder gun.
A 44 mag in a snub nosed L frame gun.... who would have thought it would have unpleasant recoil?
my bnib nos biakal double rifle 45-70 with lever evolution, ammo both side fired same time. Trigger issue was culprit, still not willing to try since having it dealt with by local smith. Jungle law of power 10 applies : 160 lb hunter shoots 6 lb gun at 1600 lb animal whoever gets up first shall be declared winner!!!
Nah, 30-30 in a contender is nothing. I'm no fan of the contender, but I owned one, and in 309 JDJ, which is a sizable jump over the 30-30. It is essentially a 308 win. Recoil of the 309 JDJ in the contender is no big deal. It was somewhere around my 357 mag GP100 with hot loads, or model 57 S&W 41 mag with moderate loads.
I have no need for a gun that hurts me.
Don Verna
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |