I have a 4 5/8" barreled super blackhawk in 44 Remington Magnum that i've been working to master. I went from shooting very left and making 6 or 8" groups at 15 yards, down to being mostly centered and down to 3" groups.
I am an excellent shot with other handguns, but im still getting used to the recoil and muzzle flip of the 44 magnum. I have a single six at my disposal (Moms), and i've been shooting both specials and magnums in the blackhawk. My main problem, at least, the one I see, is that i've got an inconsistent grip. Being used to shooting 22's, 38s, 1911 45's, and 357 blackhawks, i've not always had a death grip on a gun. But being used mostly to the 22 single six, with a light grip mostly, and even with the 357s.
So i've been firming my grip as much as I can without shaking, and thats helped a lot, unless I forget.
Also, I was anticipating the recoil when shooting double handed, and pulling the gun left with my off hand. I noticed when I first shot gun single handed, and was centered instead of left. I have not done any sandbag shooting with the gun though. So i've been firming my grip with my strong hand, and being careful about my off hand grip. I've also changed my offhand grip slightly so its less around my strong hand, and more squared off my knuckles.
So, other than practice, getting used to the recoil and muzzle flip, and working on better consistency with this gun, i've been thinking of trying some checkered grips.
I've been using standard ruger wood grips. When I got the gun, it had hogue rubber finger groove grips, which help with control greatly. They look bad though, and I changed them, knowing i was going a step backwards in the handling department to gain in the aesthetics department.
I might add that this is a standard sized grip the same as a regular blackhawk, and not the longer grip of a standard super blackhawk. It also has a round trigger guard.
It's crossed my mind, having a longer barrel put on the gun, but that is a last resort really. I am content with the shorter barrel. I bought the gun because I didnt want a square trigger guard, aside from being ugly, i dont want my knuckles chewed up, nor do I want to snag my hand or fingers on it. I also dont like the look of the longer grip, preferring the look of the standard shorter grip.
Any ideas that might help me at this point?
Does anyone have any experience as to if checkered panel grips will help in any way with control of the blackhawk with magnum loadings?
~Bazoo