am i getting soft?

[bigted]

ive always been an avid handgun shooter. ive had 44mags for a long time and shot 45colt ruger loads that provide enough power that i never felt outgunned next to anybody...ive shot and owned a pile of 357 wheelguns as well and here is my problem;

ive been occupyed with job and settling a place here in alaska for the last bunch of years and to finance my excursion i sold and bartered a bunch of my guns to get my start. recently ive been able to start replacing my handguns with new and something is different.

the 629 roundbutt 44 i got with the 4 inch [my fav] barrel is just murder to shoot for anything longer then a cylenderfull of mag ammo. it punchs into the web of my paw something terrible and the result in accuracy is astonishing. my old 5 screw smith 29 shot so good that ive wondered why and what is the diff. the rubber grips on this new smith seem like they should be easier on my hand but nooooo...the old 5 screw had those walnut checkered grips and i could shoot em all day long...what happened??

also i recieved unto myself a gp100 ruger in blue and 6 inch barrel. nice with the underlug but bingo...i loaded some of my old favorite 158gr loads that spin along at somewhere around 1200fps and this stupid gun bit my web the same as the 44 does...now what the heck is going on???

have my hands gone soft or has something changed in the grip area of the new revolvers?

thanks and i look forward to the ribbing and also maybe some light on this desturbing trend....ill download before i give up on revolver shooting...:groner:...[smilie=b:

[canyon-ghost]

When doing load development, they recommend doing it in summer, hottest part of the year because pressures are lower. Now, you shoot in cold weather and the same loads are pretty stout. Just an odd fact.

Might take a bit of working up loads that these new guns like. Alaska, you say? Temperature, altitude, both effect velocity and pressure. And, your new guns are fresh, sharp-edged, and sassy. They don't get to be old favorites just by showing up!

Ron

[Groo]

Groo here
were the loads made up with Blue Dot?????
That powder has been known to increase in pressure in cold weather.

[bigted]

4227 and 2400 powder...never took into consideration the preassure in the cold either...thanks.

another thing im starting to wonder about is my casting...i never cast in warm [ 30 +] degrees. and i always have boolits that come out skinny for calibre. example is my 45 cal's [rifle] they always seem to be in the .4575 to .458 diameter and the only other experience is a rcbs 45-500 mould that seems to shoot em out at .4595 to .460 which is perfect for me...however my .375 boolits all fall at .376 area and this is a bit small...wondering if my boolits are acting like they would if water quenched. they drop shiney and frost imediatly in the pan. maybe i will have to build a casting hut that i can heat n see what happens. today is the first warmer day...+23 degrees so maybe...what think yee?

i know i hi-graded my own post.......hmmmmm

[Czech_too]

Five or six years ago I started shooting a 357 Max in a Contender, 10" bull barrel. I actually enjoyed shooting this cartridge and although I wasn't loading anywhere near max loads it's still a thumper. Last year after about six rounds the area between my index finger and thumb started to actually hurt. I had to wear a glove every time out. Maybe it's an age thing as I'm retired now, dunno for sure.

[Bass Ackward]

Let's see. What is common with today's guns that wasn't common before? Could it be the rubber grips that are causing your hand issue?

Hold your revolvers in your hand straight out as if you were going to fire. Have another person push up the barrel slowly to simulate recoil. Watch how much movement is taking place before your wrist starts to rise. Feel how little your fingers actually contribute to control under this scenario.

Then ask yourself what part of your hand has to stop more recoil now?

For kicks and chuckles, have them move it left and then right. Now ask yourself, what kind of control for accuracy do I really have with rubber? :grin:

[Tim357]

Have you ever used a hard-kicking revolver with a set of Herrett's stocks? They are made to fit YOUR hand, and are a great way to tame the beast, so to speak. A set of Jordan Trooper stocks might be what you need. Give them a shout and see what they can do for you.

[bigted]

good point about the rubber...dang rubber...dang rubber companys....dang oil companys...dang gun companys...dang people that demand rubber grips...dang age...dang it anyway...stuff should really stay the same but...dang it.

[Heavy lead]

I like big fat smooth wood (or any other smooth material, such as corian) that fill that stinkin' web area in, like another said the Herrett Jordan troopers are a good one. The only rubber grip I have on anything right now are the Hogue on the super redhawk, these are the bigger ones that have extra material in the web, however, when I get a chance to get some wood ones carved out that's what they will be.

[Frank]

You're getting too soft. You need to shoot more. [smilie=l:

[thegreatdane]

One young guy votes - getting soft ;)

[bigted]

guess i better buck up n load a bunch and get to shootin so as to toughen up then.......dang it...gotta shoot more...

[clintsfolly]

Sounds like you may have a new shooting friend Uncle Arther. welcome to his family Clint

[Jack Stanley]

I have little experience with Blackhawks so I can't really help ya there . Model twenty-nines are another matter though since I bought my first in 1985 . Six inch model with three "T's" and red ramp with the huge wood grips . For me the grips had to go on a diet at the least and little by little with a rasp and sandpaper I brought them down . Helped some but wasn't quite right so I tried the rubber grips both the old style and the finger groove type . The finger grip was better but just wasn't right when lighting off a case full of 2400 and big slugs .

About that time I found the Hogue nylon monogrip and that seemd to work for me . That was twenty years ago and the grip is still on the gun and it still gets used . With full power hunting loads I practice usually only with twenty or thirty rounds but try to pay attention to each shot . The grip allows a little slip while still giving a good wrap of the fingers into the gun .

You ain't getting soft you just ain't rememberin' how tough it was to work with the old grips . The nylon has all the class of a bowling ball but I hear that Herrett's make a nice grip that one can warm up to easily . The nylon monogrip is still available but mostly all you will see is the new rubber monogrip .

Jack

[bigboredad]

bigted I went thru some what of a same scenario and when I was able to start buying and shooting I couldn't believe how hard the old favorite loads kicked. But after some time shooting it will all come back to you and the old loads will be tamed again. But I would strongly suggest better grips that fit your hand instead of the rubber baby bumpers.

[Piedmont]

I think part of it hand size. DAs give me a pounding and have repeatedly split the skin on the web of my hand. Single actions don't give me any problem at all. My hands are a little smaller than average and it is the larger frame DAs that give me the most trouble.

[targetshootr]

Finger groove grips probably don't let the gun roll in your hands much. They drag your skin screaming and kicking with em.

[Otony]

It sounds like the grips may be part of the problem as some have suggested, but I will readily admit to having off days at the range, and not just accuracy wise.

There are days when it is simply more difficult to obtain the same results as you are accustomed to. whether it might be a poor nights sleep, too much (or too little) caffeine, a few snorts too many the evening before, or even an arguement with the wife. All those things are supposed to affect our driving, why not our shooting? It might be a bit far afield re: pain in your hands, but who knows?

Try changing out the grips as a beginning, that will get you to square one with your previous experiences. After that look at a thin pair of shooting gloves. While I never wore gloves in our previous warmer clime, I am finding a good pair quite necessary if it is cold out here in SE Washington. I definitely know the difference in the way my hands work, better when warm!

[rogsir]

(This is post is on the off topic joking side, but i had to)
I read a whole lot about corn production a couple a years ago, and they spray the corn field with female hormons to make it grow faster. So i think the problem could be found here, you have becomed softer, as female seems to have a lower limit. Check for boobs.

[bigted]

wowww that makes sense...the cold does affect my busted up hands from time to time so it stands to reasson that the recoil that was tolerable in a warmer climat...[ western oregon that rarely got under 40 or 50 degrees]. that makes sense and ill try a pair of gloves for shooting as well as keeping me mits warm. seems like the hands are the first to acke during weather changes...wowwwww sounds like an ol timer talkin huh?

yea bubba...rogsir...checked for boobs and naaa none yet. would relieve another problem tho...lol

[mdi]

good point about the rubber...dang rubber...dang rubber companys....dang oil companys...dang gun companys...dang people that demand rubber grips...dang age...dang it anyway...stuff should really stay the same but...dang it.
I used to shoot about 100 rounds a week with my .44 Magnums (amongst other stuff). Some of my loads were pretty stout, especially for use in my Super Blackhawk (all I had to do was put a bandaid on my middle finger to stop the "dragoon bite"). That was 4 or 5 years ago, now that I've retired from H.D. machanic work my hands have gotten softer. Now a dozen or two full patch loads is about all I like to shoot, especially my SBH. My Dan Wesson 44H is still a soft shooter, so I can run a few more through that one, and I reserve light loads for my 629. Yep, getting older sucks...

[Matthew 25]

nope, nope, nope. bigted, you got soft a long time ago...otherwise you wouldn't have sold the old 29!!

[Shooter6br]

Have the "rubber; ones on mt Ruger Single Six( Fits my hand better) Blackhawk 327 Fed ,My Ruger SP101( again fits hand better0 and my 657 Smith,. Just me [smilie=b:

[Whitworth]

(This is post is on the off topic joking side, but i had to)
I read a whole lot about corn production a couple a years ago, and they spray the corn field with female hormons to make it grow faster. So i think the problem could be found here, you have becomed softer, as female seems to have a lower limit. Check for boobs.


LOL! :bigsmyl2:

[songdog53]

I know feeling hands ache worse during cold weather, but then whole body doesn't like cold anymore. That could be cause of part of problem but i have model 29 have had for many years and just bought 629 with 4" barrel where 29 has 6 1/2 barrel. Going to check out 629 with buggy bumper grips today with some 255 Elmer Kieith type boolits. Will see how thes old hands feel after shooting it. But the 29 has always been best feeling handgun ever fired but will new grips feel as good as 29's wooden ones? Getting old isn't for timid.

[Groo]

Groo here
One thing to think on is the 44's and 45colt if loaded similar will kick slower than
a 357mag..
I have always found that the Snap that a 357 or a 9mm gun produces is
harder to ride than the Push that a larger bore gun has...