What is the most absolute unconfortable handgun you have ever shot? Recoil wise

[Stopsign32v]

For me it would be the stupid mistake of shooting a J frame airweight (not steel) in full house 357 Magnum.

[fixit]

T/C contender, .357 herrett, 200 grain jacketed loaded on the hot side, with a ten inch barrel..... Ouch!

[Bazoo]

Sp101 in 357 magnum. Friend had it. We shot some of my full power 357 magnum out of it.

[recumbent]

500 S&W Magnum, 1 shot out of my friends was enough.

[Texas by God]

A .454 Casull Taurus Raging Judge. Worse than the recoil was powder blast from the cylinder gap! It hit me in the face 3 shots in a row. I handed it back and advised the owner to return it to Taurus.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Froogal]

Sp101 in 357 magnum. Friend had it. We shot some of my full power 357 magnum out of it.

BINGO!! I've done the same. Load 5, pull the trigger twice and you're not really sure you want to fire the other 3 rounds.

[MarkP]

T/C Contender 309 JDJ with a 4" bbl. (not a mis-print 4" bbl) a coworker asked me if I wanted to fire some rounds so he could measure them and build a reamer for a sizing die. I thought the gun blew up in my hand, it was like hitting a light pole with an aluminum baseball bat on a sub zero degree day. It stung my hand so badly.

[44MAG#1]

TC Encore 45/70 fifteen inch tapered barrel no brake TC barrel with 550 grain cast at 1500 chronoed.
I have more powerful handguns but it is the most obnoxious, rude and overbearing handgun I've shot. But it is a great training tool.

[sigep1764]

Desert Eagle 50AE. The grip was very large for my hands which made it hard to absorb the recoil. It was accurate tho.

[downzero]

For me it would be the stupid mistake of shooting a J frame airweight (not steel) in full house 357 Magnum.

I've never shot full house magnums through mine but 158s at 1000+ fps aren't bad.

I think the big magnums like 460 S&W are the worst I've experienced, although my 4.2" .45 Colt is no slouch with 300s at 1200+.

[Mal Paso]

I think the worst I've seen was a 45-70 Derringer. The owner conned a guy to shoot it Twice. Second round didn't even hit the backstop. Probably still has the flinch.

[Rickf1985]

I was wondering if someone else would say a derringer? Mine was some sort of over/under 45 derringer. I have large hands so just holding the thing was tough but then firing it and holding it was beyond tough and it put a nice divot between my thumb and forefinger. Naturally I had to take the second shot, save face and all that you know. :roll:

[Stopsign32v]

I think the worst I've seen was a 45-70 Derringer. The owner conned a guy to shoot it Twice. Second round didn't even hit the backstop. Probably still has the flinch.

Oh good Lord no!!! I don't even know how you would hold onto that.

[Kosh75287]

A 2.5" S&W Model 66, with true .357 Magnum loads. Even a 3" SP-101 doesn't bother me that much.

[Murphy]

#1. 500 Linebaugh built on a Ruger Blackhawk frame. 5 rounds of it was enough for me.
#2. Prior to that, it was a .454 Casull with full house loads.
#3. 310 Grain Lee RF out of a 4" S&W Mountain Gun. I was pushing close to max, no fun.

I'm happy for those that own and shoot them with joy though.

Murphy

[DocSavage]

45/70 14" with a brake 300 gr factory ammo,3 shots wrist and elbow were crying "uncle"

[MT Gianni]

500 S&W Magnum. I used to accuracy test my boss's handguns as I shot better than he did. Two shots let me know all I needed to know about it.

[country gent]

My 640 smith j frame, even light wadcutters are a handful any thing above that becomes painful. Its light weight makes the recoil very sharp

[BNE]

454 Casul. No thanks.

Then on the opposite spectrum was one of those tiny .22 revolvers. Very difficult to hold, and worse to aim. No recoil, but my grip was so bad, it scared me to shoot it. At least I could hold on to the 454.

[bandsmoyer]

Lady Smith 38spl

[dverna]

I will not fire anything more than .357 Mag in a full size revolver. Guess I must be a girly man...but I make up for it by hitting what needs hitting.

[Bigslug]

It was either an original Automag or a Wildey, but the rear of the grip amounted to holding a board planed to a pair of perfectly square right angles. It HURT!

[beagle]

Got to be a M29 6" with LH thumbrest grips and I'm righthanded and Norma .44 Mag Carbine loads or a Superblackhawk 6 1/2" with smooth polished custom real ivory grips. Darn thing was beautiful but flipped verically every shot. Nothing to hold on to./beagle

[M-Tecs]

I am not particularly recoil sensitive. While the 11 oz S&W 357's and the S&W 460/500 can be brisk they still don't hold a candle to the early Contender grips paired with some of the lightweight big bore barrel combs.

I've split the web on my hand more than once in the late 70's early 80's with my Contender.

[44Blam]

Not a pistol, but was a double barreled coach gun that was sawed off at 12". Had 2 3" sabot slugs loaded and I pulled both triggers on a "friends" advice.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

My buddy has a 45acp revolver. A very light weight all titanium model with hard wood grips. With a 230gr +P load it's very painful to say the least. I've shot much bigger loads but they were out of big heavy guns with soft cushy grips.

[405grain]

Not me, and I wasn't even there. A navy buddy of mine had a friend that was a hobby gunsmith. He built a pistol in 444 Marlin on a Remington rolling block. The ergonomics on that thing must not have been the best. The one and only time he shot it it broke his wrist. Me personally - The stiffest recoil I've experienced from a handgun was shooting a friends 454 Casul single action. I can tolerate a full power 44 mag with both hands, but the 454 was a bit much.

[Noah Zark]

S&W 625-10 Scandium 45ACP snubbie. With standard factory 230 gr ball ammo my hand was sore for days after shooting two cylinders full. It positively STUNG my hand to shoot it. Even a set of Pachmayr soft rubber Decellerator grips barely took the edge off. Then I discovered two things: The 625-10 was prone to frame cracking at the barrel boss, and only 250 were made. I waited a couple years and sold it to a S&W collector for more then 2x what I paid for it and haven't looked back.

Noah

[reddog81]

I have a Davis Industries .38 Special that’s pretty bad to shoot. The grip is about the size of my thumb. Trying to hold onto the gun while firing is interesting. Too loose and the guns basically jumps out of your hand. Too tight a grip and it tears skin off. I figured I’d try some light loads and see if it could be accurate. Even light .38 Specials were painful to shoot and accuracy was bad with all loads. Hitting a sheet of paper at 7 yards was about all you could expect.

[stubshaft]

Remington XP-100 Chambered in 458 Win Mag.

[725]

Same as stubshaft. A guy on the line saw me staring at him and he offer me a shot. One was enough.

[tazman]

A Ruger Blackhawk with the squared off trigger guard in 44mag.
I had polished wood grips that I couldn't hold on to. The fist shot put a small cut in the web of my hand. The second tore the skin off the knuckle of my finger. There was no third shot.

[Sasquatch-1]

First off, I have owned up to 6 .44 Mags at any given time. I have fire many of the large caliber handguns such as the 45-70 BFR, 356 JDR, 454 Casull and a couple of 50 Caliber wildcats. I have yet to fire a 500 Smith. By far the most uncomfortable is my little LCP with factory loads.

[Daekar]

Kel-Tec P3AT. Least-enjoyable gun I have ever had the pleasure to carry and misfortune to actually shoot, it was so darn snappy.

Would rather shoot full-house 357 mag in my steel J-frame.

[rintinglen]

A S&W 29 3" bbl round butt with those funky "combat" grips and some heavy 300+ grains boolits rang my bell. Honorable mention goes to a 30-30 TC with the old, wooden grips. It hurt. You couldn't pay me to shoot the 45/70 after that.

[44MAG#1]

Come on you need to fire five shot group with 550 grain at 1500. It will give valuable info on recoil, gritting your teeth and hanging on as you keep the sights aligned and easing back on the trigger till it fires and using proper follow through.


A S&W 29 3" bbl round butt with those funky "combat" grips and some heavy 300+ grains boolits rang my bell. Honorable mention goes to a 30-30 TC with the old, wooden grips. It hurt. You couldn't pay me to shoot the 45/70 after that.

[Bulldogger]

For me it would be the stupid mistake of shooting a J frame airweight (not steel) in full house 357 Magnum.

I bought this same revolver to use as a carry gun right before completing my concealed carry class. Bought it factory new, the most I'd ever spent on a pistol. It performed fine during the class qualifications with the provided wadcutters, then after passing the course and getting my permit I went to practice with full-house defensive rounds. I fired ONE cylinder load and promptly packed up and walked out of the range to the consignment desk and sold it on the spot. I'll NEVER fire one again. My palm was chapped and red and my wrist was sore for a week. It's 9mm compact or steel frame .38 SPL for me from now on.
BDGR

[slowlead]

Kel tec P40. A very light 40 cal (16 Oz) that is very reliable, but not fun to shoot at all.
3 mags worth is all I can take. Its a perfect deep concealed carry pistol with a lot of power but I can see why they dropped it. Tom

[S.B.]

I own and have shot my John Ross S&W 500 but, I can't say it was uncomfortable to do so? Most hunter never feel the recoil while hunting.
Steve

[pertnear]

.45-70 derringer. When loaded, the bullet tip was 1/2" below the muzzle. It was only uncontrollable once, but that's because I only shot it once.

[dondiego]

TC Contender in 30-30 with a tapered 10 inch barrel and factory loads. Very snappy!

[lightman]

Thompson Center Contender in 30-30 and a 10" barrel.

[BD]

For me it would be the stupid mistake of shooting a J frame airweight (not steel) in full house 357 Magnum.
+1, Me too

[jonp]

Sp101 in 357 magnum. Friend had it. We shot some of my full power 357 magnum out of it.

+1. Full house 158gr 357 in that snub nose let off a nifty fireball and was flat unpleasant to shoot. I'm not shrinking violet but I ended up selling it.

Close second was a Kel Tec 32. Not because of the recoil but because Man Mountain Dean couldn't pull that ridiculous trigger and get a group. Must have been a 20lb trigger when it went off which it was kinda random about. I still have it in the safe because I won't sell a defective firearm.

[jonp]

Not a pistol, but was a double barreled coach gun that was sawed off at 12". Had 2 3" sabot slugs loaded and I pulled both triggers on a "friends" advice.

lol, in that regard the single shot Pardner 12g with 3in Turkey loads was not a fun time.

[charlie b]

1. Derringer in .44mag. Hurt so bad I didn't take a second shot.

2. Not recoil but hurt every time. Walther .25auto. Grip was such I could not hold it without getting two 'grooves' in the web of my hand from the slide. Very bloody. Only shot it twice. I thought I had changed my grip enough the second time...NOT :)

[David2011]

TC Contender in 30-30 with a tapered 10 inch barrel and factory loads. Very snappy!


Thompson Center Contender in 30-30 and a 10" barrel.

I have the aforementioned Kel-Tec P-40 and a 14” Contender in 44 mag and both have significant bite. I agree that the .30-30 Contender is pretty nasty. Not as bad as a 4” S&W 500, though. I shot a friend’s and planned on shooting two rounds; one each single and double action. Fired the first round double action because I didn’t think I would be able to shoot the second one d.a. and I was probably right. My right hand still tingled the next day.

[Daekar]

It's encouraging to see how many folks don't care for 357 in a little gun. I put a few full power loads through my Model 60 and promptly discarded that idea. I think 158gr at 1000fps is about as high as I would want to go for most things.

[almar]

My wood grip 500 magnum 500 grain bullet, full load lil gun. Not good.

350 grain bullets are nice though.

[Jack Stanley]

Without a doubt , a big bore Contender with those awful wood grips .

Jack

[No_1]

So far mine has been a TC Encore with a 10” barrel 454 Casull pushing a 350gr Boolit at 1500 fps.

[leadhead]

The Polish P64 in 9x18 Makarov. Pounds your hand like a hammer.
leadhead

[atr]

I had a Ruger .44 Magnum which had grips that did not fit me well and made shooting uncomfortable.

[Froogal]

For what it's worth. I bought some "PMC" brand, full house 357 magnum ammo, and shot some of it in my Ruger SP101 snubby. OUCH!!!

That same ammo, fired in a Ruger Vaquero with 5 1/2" barrel was a totally different story. Downright pleasant if I do say so.

My Ruger SP101 is now pretty much a gun safe queen.

[Shiloh]

Dan Wesson .357 2.5" bbl.

Shiloh

[tward]

My most unpleasant gun to shoot is a old Colt police positive in 32 S&W long. It snaps back and whacks my knuckle every time! Elegant looking revolver but that small grip is nasty! Tim

[tja6435]

I’d have to say the worst was a Windicator in .357 with Hornady personal defense ammo. It really bites the web of my hand. Second worst is my wife’s S&W Bodyguard in .38spl +p—-with standard .38spl loads it’s pretty snappy. With +p loads I sent one down range and unloaded the other 4. My wife is petite and cannot tolerate even very light 38spl loads (like 140gr pill on top of 2.2gr bullseye). So I bought 500 38 Short Colt cases from Starline and now load her some 140gr pills on top of 1.2gr Trail Boss, it’s not a .22lr but it’s tolerable enough that she will be able to shoot enough to get accommodated to the trigger pull.

[Jim22]

TC Encore 45/70 fifteen inch tapered barrel no brake TC barrel with 550 grain cast at 1500 chronoed.
I have more powerful handguns but it is the most obnoxious, rude and overbearing handgun I've shot. But it is a great training tool.

That's about it. Except it was a Contender shot from Creednoor position with the pistol braced against my right leg. I had been shooting Contenders in .357 MAX and .44 mag. but this was something new. The pistol recoied up well past vertical alsmost hitting my face. And, surprising me, it twisted my shooting hand because of the effect of the heavy boolit and the rifling. never had that happen before.

Jim

[yeahbub]

The little-bitty Hungarian PA-63 in 9mm Makarov with tiny grips. Painful recoil. Sharp edges. It was brand new and trying to work the stiff controls could wear a lot of hide off your hands.

[fixit]

Not an uncomfortable one to shoot, but a story for being prepared for the shot.......I have a. 54 caliber TC scout pistol.....quite a handful, but fairly easy to shoot. Well, I had loaded it with the maximum charge, 430 grain bullet and 120 grains of powder, and as I was settling down to aim, there was a distraction a split second before firing, (This is an endorsement for securing your surroundings at whatever impromptu range you may set up) and I touched off the gun without being ready. Yes, stupid and careless, but instructional. When I got the gun under control, it was beside my head. If it's path had been 3 or 4 inches to the left, it would have cold cocked me. Never before Never after!!

[rmark]

My brothers Super Blackhawk, 44 mag, don't plan on shooting it again - hopefully I've gotten smarter as I've gotten older :)

not recoil, but the trigger on a CZ52 would painfully slap my finger each shot.

[Willie T]

Two come to mind:

Contender in 270win. I hunted with it some one year. It is violent.

Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 cassul. A friend was going salmon fishing in Alaska and bought it to carry while he fished. I thought it would be fun to work up an accuracy load with 300 grain partitions for him. It was not unbearable to start out. The cumulative effect was a beating.

Willie

[GLL]

I picked up this S&W 29-4 years ago at a bargain price. After firing just two rounds I realized why the previous owner sold it. After just two .44 magnum rounds it became a .44 Special revolver ! Brutal !

303289

Jerry

[15meter]

Back when I was young and dumb, I shot a Stevens 12 gauge pump one handed like a pistol with full hunting loads.

Multiple times, because I'm a slow learner

Made the 500 S&W I shot last year seem tame.

I'm older now.

[megasupermagnum]

Not an uncomfortable one to shoot, but a story for being prepared for the shot.......I have a. 54 caliber TC scout pistol.....quite a handful, but fairly easy to shoot. Well, I had loaded it with the maximum charge, 430 grain bullet and 120 grains of powder, and as I was settling down to aim, there was a distraction a split second before firing, (This is an endorsement for securing your surroundings at whatever impromptu range you may set up) and I touched off the gun without being ready. Yes, stupid and careless, but instructional. When I got the gun under control, it was beside my head. If it's path had been 3 or 4 inches to the left, it would have cold cocked me. Never before Never after!!

I have the same gun. I even had one guy on this forum tell me it is a pussycat compared to some of his own thumpers. I'm here to say the TC scout pistol can be the most vicious gun to shoot that I own. It was really bad with the slick plowhandle grip it comes with that makes it 100% impossible to ever hold onto. I now have a rubber superblackhawk hogue grip on mine which is way better. I only shoot mine with a patched ball and 60 grains of powder, which is its accuracy load. It is stinking accurate too, possibly more accurate than my rifle. But that 435 grain maxiball, 1 full ounce of hate, and 120 grains blackpowder. Boy howdy, that is the real deal. It's basically a 475 Linebaugh (435gr at 1200-1300 fps) with a grip you can't even hold onto. Even with concentration, if that muzzle is in line with your face you will wear that front sight.

The 44 magnum Redhawk with 355 gr H110 load is stout, not even close though. A Competitor Corp. pistol in 458 win mag is about the same, likely due to the muzzle brake, else it might be worse. The TC Contender in 309 JDJ isn't even in the same league, that gun is tame. A 30-30 contender is childs play.

[Land Owner]

Sp101 in 357 magnum. Friend had it. We shot some of my full power 357 magnum out of it.

I don't load the hottest 357 Magnum rounds, but I have not tried them all as yet. With hands that can palm a basketball and plenty of personal beef behind that, I find the Ruger SP101 to be quite tame to shoot with routine range sessions of a hundred rounds or more. I prefer to carry the 101 everywhere.

Then there was that "one day" my younger brother convinced me to fire his Mossberg pistol grip pump shotgun with slugs and 3" shells - twice. It hurt my elbow so badly the first time that all I could do was shake it off, rub some dirt on it, grit my teeth, and get back in there...two was all it took. Never again.

[Jeff Michel]

Recoil isn't much of an issue for me, thankfully. I was a bit apprehensive the first time I shot my buddy's BFR single action in 45-70, turned out to be one of the most pleasant shooting big bores I've ever handled.

[fixit]

I have to say that I am one who prefers the plow handle grip profile. I have arthritis and no cartilage in the base knuckle of the thumb on my right hand, so the double action grip style hurts with any kind of heavy recoil. I have a 16" 30-30 barrel for my contender, and the only reason I have to fight a flinch with is fact that it recoils back into that knuckle. I have two .44 mag revolvers, a super blackhawk and a Virginian dragoon, and I have yet to fire a round in either of them that's less than comfortable! Issues of aging are annoying, at best!

[charlie b]

How big the gun is and the shape/size of the grip has a huge effect. Fired a lot of contenders and several large revolvers, including Casull and Taurus Judge. While stout, they didn't 'hurt'. Same with the SP101.

The really light and small grip guns are the hardest. Friend had an LCR in .357mag. The only loads I had with me that day were 158gn JHP. Even after firing my SP101 that little one 'stung'. I can understand why many don't shoot their scandium or other super light snubbies very much with full loads.

The little .380's and subcompact single stack 9mm's bother me more than a .44mag SBH. But, give that small 9mm a double stack mag with a slightly wider grip and it becomes a lot more tame.

PS Keep in mind that long term firing of heavy recoiling pistols can be permanently damaging to your wrist. For that reason I quit firing the big pistols.

[megasupermagnum]

So I ran the numbers, and the TC Scout pistol is actually way more wicked than I even thought. I forgot to take into account the 120 grains of powder it uses. Even being about 1 pound heavier than your typical 475 linebaugh, it is about double the recoil energy!

3lb 475 linebaugh, 425gr 23 gr powder at 1325 fps - 48.6 ft lbs
3lb 500 S&W, 440gr 33gr powder at 1602 fps - 80 ft lbs
4lb 54cal Scout pistol 435 gr 120gr powder at 1250 fps - 104 ft lbs

That's about how it feels too. Thankfully you don't have to do that to yourself.

4lb 54cal Scout pistol 212gr round ball 60gr powder at 1100 fps - 22.5 ft lbs

[dondiego]

Back when I was young and dumb, I shot a Stevens 12 gauge pump one handed like a pistol with full hunting loads.

Multiple times, because I'm a slow learner

Made the 500 S&W I shot last year seem tame.

I'm older now.

And so much smarter!

[Golfswithwolves]

The Freedom Arms .454 Casull was too much for me, even though it is a fine revolver. I put this down to mine having a huge Pachmyr rubber grip which I could not hold onto very securely. No regular-sized aftermarket wooden grips that I could find, so I traded it off for a FA 97 in .44 Special. I'm quite happy with the change (a near-perfect gun and cartridge) and my upper recoil limit is reached these days with .44 Magnum revolvers.

[imashooter2]

My S&W 360 Airlite weighs 11.4 ounces dry. You don’t want to shoot a lot of factory .357 self defense loads out of it. The Hogue Bantam stocks are better than the old wood splinters… but they aren’t THAT much better.

On the up side, it disappears in a pocket.

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/11-4-360.jpg

[Walks]

TC Encore 45/70 fifteen inch tapered barrel no brake TC barrel with 550 grain cast at 1500 chronoed.
I have more powerful handguns but it is the most obnoxious, rude and overbearing handgun I've shot. But it is a great training tool.

Yep,
Bought one for My T/C, broke a another shooter's wrist. But he was a little scrawny guy.

[indian joe]

remington 1858 cap and ball - not much recoil but the trigger guard cracks my knuckle every time
have not shot big stuff
had a 44/40 asm single action that I liked - would get your attention a little with 40 grains of black - couple other guys shot it reckoned it kicked - I was havin too much fun to notice
Son has a 58 percussion horsepistol (single shot) its fine with a round ball - we shot it a few times with a 550grain minie - gets a bit untidy with a bigger charge in it

visiting a mate in Nebraska he had a short barrel 500 S&W for alaska trips, left it on the counter for me to try, I was anticipating some pain but pleasantly surprised - 350 grain factory loads - that is a well designed gun, way easier to shoot than I thought it would be - I took it serious - two hands and single action, made a nice group with it too.

Then I see on utube - fools double tapping and creasing their skull with the barrel under recoil ???????????????

[414gates]

Marlin 45-70. 400 grains at 1450 fps was as far as I could take the hand loads. Butt-stock was a knife blade. Sold it soon after.

[jsizemore]

Fella had a Contender in 375 Win. and couldn't find brass. He did find a box of factory loaded 220's. He and 2 others got 4 rounds downrange before he asked for any more takers. I finished the 20 round box on the ram swinger at 200 meters. Found the gun was surprisingly accurate at 200. Also found a new meaning to trigger control for the next 6 months from the carpal tunnel in my shooting hand.

Wasn't long after that when I helped regulate express sights on a double rifle in 458 Lott.

It was a tough few months when I couldn't raise my arm to comb my hair or feel what was going on in there when I picked my nose.

[Pb Burner]

For me it was a friends new 45-70 Contender. A few guys took a few shots of light to medium loads. When it was my turn to shoot it, friend slip in the heavy loads he had. We were shooting off of sand bag on a carpet covered concrete bench. My elbows were resting on the bench. On my third shot the top turret of the scope came apart. Was kinda funny, the cap over there, adjust screw and spring on the floor... I had carpet burns on my elbows.
He has an impressive video of a deer shot out of a stand at very short range, it pile drived that doe into the ground.

[murf205]

Super BlackHawk Ruger 44. The square back on the trigger guard beat the daylights out of my middle finger. #2 is my friends T/C Encore in 460 S&W with a 290 ge NOE at 2250 fps. He is kind (smart) enough to let me do the load development. It’s a toss up between muzzle blast or recoil. Darned thing is very accurate and the 290 gr p/c’d doesnt lead a bit at that
Speed

[oldbear1950]

when I was in ALASKA the last time 1983 - 1986, a friend let me fire a 454 and brother that was uncomfortable in the extreme!!!

[oldbear1950]

at one time had both a TC CONTENDER in 30-30 and 35 Remington, both with 14 inch barrels, firing from a bench, on a pistol rest, with out shooting gloves of some kind they were both
uncomfortable!!

[gwpercle]

Shot in the mid 1970's . It was a 44 AMP in the Auto-Mag semi-auto handgun .
The weight of the bolt slamming back then slamming forward along with the recoil of the hot loaded Lee Jurras Super Vel ammo ... made it unpleasant to shoot ... it seemed as if the gun was recoiling and at the same time the slide tried to beat you to death ... it was a very unpleasant sensation . Very hard to control that bad boy too !
My Son-In-Law owned the AMT and a S&W 44 magnum revolver . 3 shots with the AMT and both of us had enough . 6 shots with the S&W and we were ready for more ... the recoil wasn't bad with the Pachmayer Grips ... we both agreed the slide slamming back the forward was un-nerving and not pleasant at all .
Gary

[flint45]

The most uncomfortable was the .62 cal muzzle loader my friend made 14 in. Barrel and a huge charge of ffg black powder didn’t hurt just quite a handful . Shot it a bunch of times and he killed a Black bear and two deer with it .

[GLynn41]

440 gr cast in a .500 GNR 6" a fairly light 5 gun. open sights-- powder was 296 mv was 1282
or 380 @ 1360 I chee wawa :O
i am still very happy with my .41 s
btw .500 is like a .500 special

[Harter66]

A 4" 445 mag . I was about a year out from a broken wrist/arm . 3/5 was enough for me .

The 6" SS Sec 6 with a full tilt 170 HC was a bad idea , bloody knuckle on the trigger guard kiss .

I'm kind of a puss with pistol recoil , I'm big enough to admit it .

[roverboy]

Had to be a T/C Contender with a weird shaped wood grip, in .357 Herrett. The grip was uncomfortable just to hold, let alone shoot it. The second most uncomfortable I can remember has to be my Taurus 605 stainless, with full power 158 gr. loads.

[Mal Paso]

I have 2 full size, all steel, 4 inch 44 Mag revolvers I carry in the woods. I practice with the full house rounds that I carry for defense but shooting a whole box of ammo is more than I want to do any more so I bought a 6 inch Colt with full underlug. It's SO much nicer, not nearly the muzzle flip but I'm getting older and will see how long that lasts.

[lar45]

I have many large handguns up to the 500 S&W and a 70 cal double barrel pistol"Howdah"
Probably the most uncomfortable pistol I have ever shot was a BFR in 45-70 with 405s loaded up to 1750fps.
It actually bruised by hand and took a couple of weeks to heal. I have shot 700gn bullets in the 500 S&W 4" snubby, but the 45-70 BFR still takes the cake.

[JRD]

There are some mighty uncomfortable handguns listed here. I don't particularly enjoy shooting unpleasant handguns, though there have been times when I've been obligated to take my turn. I have the most experience with S&W revolvers.
The scandium J frame 357's are quite unpleasant, but they are mainly a fast slap in the palm and a hard wrap across your knuckles. Sometimes the wrap on the knuckle will cut you.
The scandium N frame 44 Magnum is worse. You get all the slap and knuckle wrap of the little J, but now with enough oomph to give your thumb a good wrenching.
The 4" M500 with full house 440 grain loads is quite unpleasant too, although truth be told, it has full size grips and is enough to hold onto. It doesn't wrap my knuckles, but it does wrench on my thumb and wrist.
But the absolute worst and most painful handgun I have ever fired was the S&W Model 500ES, the "Emergency Survival" snub nose 500 mag. It had a 2 3/4" barrel with no muzzle brake. I fired a single cylinder of 440 gr hardcast full power loads through that gun and my hand wasn't right for probably a week afterwards. I couldn't get my fingers to move correctly to hold a pen or to type after firing that one cylinder. No thank you to ever firing that again.

[Nobade]

S&W 329. Don't know why I traded for one but that revolver is just stupid.

[Tim357]

Mossberg 500 pistol grip 12 Ga. Slugs and Buckshot. even an SP101 loaded full tilt is more pleasant than that thing!

[rockrat]

Probably a t/c contender, 10" bbl and chambered in 444 Marlin. The fellow that "let" me shoot it liked his loads on the warm side. Two shots were enough. The BFR in 45-70 was a close second

[15meter]

And so much smarter!

You haven't been talking to my wife, daughter, several sisters, various and sundry in-laws and most of the guys I shoot with have you?

[todd9.3x57]

500 S&W and a 45-70 in a tc contender, that was enuff for me.

[Kraschenbirn]

10" TC Contender, wooden TC grip and forearm, .44 Mag w/240 gr. FMJs loaded toward the upper end of IHMSA data, no brake. I was wearing shooting gloves but 3rd shot sheared screw holding forearm in place and I called it a day.

Bill

[44MAG#1]

Never had a forearm screw shear off. I would put supervisor tape on the forearm in the barrel channel and screw the forearm on. Could still take off the forearm if a need arose. But no sheared screws.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've owned/shot quite a number of Contender barrels and that was the only one that ever sheared a forearm screw. Never happened again 'cause I swapped it off at the next IHMSA match but I don't recall what I traded for.

Bill

[poppy42]

The Polish P64 in 9x18 Makarov. Pounds your hand like a hammer.
leadhead
Oh come on! Put some Polish Iron grips on it! Shoot and carry mine all the time. I have a harder time with the 25lb double action compared to the 2 lb single action.lol Ok ok it can be a little snappy. No worse than a Kel-tec PF9

[dmitch]

In my younger years, several decades ago, I "enjoyed" heavy recoiling rifles and pistols. Now, I much prefer the 458 Win Mag with mild cast boolit loads, 22 Hornets, 222 Rems and 30-30/30-06 cast boolit loads.......although I will be using my 300 Weatherby with cast (at 2150+ fps) this year for deer.
Probably the most uncomfortable pistol I ever fired was a T/C Encore, 12" or 14", 30-06. 165 gr factory ammo. Met a fellow as he was coming off the range because he said he had a "case head separation" with the aforementioned pistol......said he needed to go to a gunsmith to extract the broken case. I said "Its your lucky day....I have a 30-06 case extractor in my shooting box." After a very simple extraction, he asked me if I wanted to shoot it. With the lack of a bit of good judgment, I said "sure". I rang the 100 meter gong with the first shot to check the open sights. I should have handed it back to him right then and there.....but having just heard steel ring, I couldn't help myself. Holding a little higher on the 200 meter (220 yard) gong, I squeezed the trigger on that nasty beast. And when that 220 yard gong rang out, I thought (to myself) ... My God, that was lucky! Well, he was really impressed....wanted to know if I wanted shoot some more. I politely declined, leaving him with the opinion that I was a super marksman. Truth be told, I wasn't going to touch off another of those rounds .... two was just fine, thank you very much.
I believe the three great variables for handling big pistols are 1.) shape / style of grip 2.) age of shooter 3.) degree of mental / emotional stability.
But they sure a wonderful and fun challenge to hunt big game with.

[Panman213]

Mine would be a Magnum Research Lone Eagle in 30/06! Quite impressive muzzle blast and the worst recoil I have ever felt, and I've shot 500, 454 and 460's. My buddy kept reminding me to "get my elbow's off the bench", now I know why.

[Rapier]

I have had several, a couple of Contenders that would talk to me during a steel match. My 10" 357 Herrett lasted right at 500 rounds until it twisted the frame. Shooting it with the original little square wood grip, with the engraving plate on the base, would change your outlook. A 230 at 2,000 fps was tough, twisted, turned sideways and turned while coming up, all at the same instant. It was unpleasant for a fact. Ended up with a new frame and shooting cast 200s through it.
But I have seen a couple of incidents in 40+ years as a match director that stick. 44 Auto Mag showed up one match, shooter made it through 20 rounds, got tired, then on the first turkey, he could no longer steady the gun, so just reached up with his left hand, grabbed his wrist, before I could stop him, pulled the trigger, the bottom of the recoil system took the top of his left hand right off slick as a whistle. Now that smarted, a ride to the hospital on that one, for some serious stitching.

[TurnipEaterDown]

44MAG#1 is right on the path for the fix of TC pistol forearm attachments.
I was always told to leave them alone, or use a hanger bar system for accuracy. That does not seem to work in my experience on heavy recoiling TC pistols.
I had a 475 Linebaugh Long Encore, 10" 400gr at 1665 fps w/ 4227, 1600 fps w/ WC680. I had experienced the forearm attachment dovetails opening repeatedly and to an extent that peening them had no effect at repair after a few times of doing it. So, I bedded the barrel / forearm gap and fixed the forearm loosening. Recoil contributed, but a gap at the joint does nothing good in regard to retaining the forearm.

[Carrier]

My 5.5” super Blackhawk in 44 magnum with the factory stocks and round trigger guard is obnoxiously nasty with full on magnum loads. I’ve shot my friends S&W 460 with 6” barrel and it doesn’t hurt like my Blackhawk.
I have ugly rubber grips for it and still is bad.
Just shoot 44 special loads in magnum brass these days.

[dogmower]

S&W scandium frame 4" 44mag. Felt like getting hit in the hand with a baseball bat every time I pulled the trigger. Recoil was so harsh that with anything over 180 grains, even with a BIG crimp, the bullets would pull out from the cases and lock the cylinder up. This even happened with factory ammo. If I had kept it, I would have only shot 44 specials out of it.

[quilbilly]

TC Contender in 30-30 with a tapered 10 inch barrel and factory loads. Very snappy!
I bought one of those old octagonal barrels for cheap. It looked like it had been fired only a couple times. That is why I downloaded it without even contemplating factory style loads. It is a joy to shoot with 150 gr RFGc's at 1350 using Red Dot.

[dondiego]

I bought one of those old octagonal barrels for cheap. It looked like it had been fired only a couple times. That is why I downloaded it without even contemplating factory style loads. It is a joy to shoot with 150 gr RFGc's at 1350 using Red Dot.

It is definitely a reduced load cast bullet shooter for me now!

[Johnch]

OK I learned my lesson years ago

But TC did a limited run of 14" 45/70 TC Contender barrels YEARS ago through a supplier a dealer I used bought
I bought several of these limited run barrels over the years
These looked like a standard 14" TC Contender barrel
Normal sights and not break or porting

Several others of people I shot and hunted with also bought this 45/70 barrel
We called TC and ask what the Max pressure the TC Contender would handle with that 45/70 barrel
Don't remember who we talked to
But we were told for normal shooting , Marlin loads
But "IF" we had a time machine and wanted to hunt Tyrannosaurus Rex
We could shoot a limited number of FULL POWER modern rifle loads
He said WE would be the reason for the limited numbers

3 of us went together and bought 1 box of Hornady 500 gr SP bullets
OK I loaded 5 of the full power modern rifle loads with 500 gr jacketed soft point bullets

At the time I was shooting IHMSA silhouette
So I loaded 1 of the full power loads
I got into the Creedmore position , laying on your back
Pistol along side your leg to aim at targets

Well I pulled the trigger and BENT the 1/2" thick steel Pig target I was aiming at , at 100 Meters
My Hand and Arm with me somehow still holding onto the TC Contender ( with a Pachmayr finger grove gripper and Pachmayr forearm )
But 3 things had happened
1 My hand , arm and the TC Contender was now pointing backward
So if someone was watching me from close behind me , I would have hit them

2 I had slid , I weighed 150 or so pounds
I was laying on a piece of carpet
The recoil had slid me on the carpet a few inch's

3 I then realized I could NOT feel my right hand over the PAIN

For a while I believe Pachmayr had a warning about using the TC Contender gripper with a 45/70 barrel

A few days later another club member shot #2 of the 5 rounds I had loaded
But he used 2 hands and off of sand bags
As he told me the "He" was sure the recoil could not be as bad as I said

Choice words were used and he had a look of udder fear on his face

That was 25 or more years ago
The 3 remaining rounds of 45/70 with those 500 gr soft point bullets are still in a ammo box
In my safe , the ammo box is taped shut with a label as to the load
Also a warning to use those 3 rounds as a LAST RESORT

I still hunt with that TC Contender barrel , but with Trap Door loads

I also have 2 other TC Contender barrels in 45/70 , but they have breaks or porting

John

[Hanzy4200]

My Magnum Research BFR in .500 Linebaugh. Think .500 S&W energy, in a single action that weighs 25% less. It will scat a 500 gr hard cast, thanks Tom from Accurate Molds, at over 1,650 fps. I have no idea what possessed me to buy it, or concoct those heinous loads.

[Hanzy4200]

My 5.5” super Blackhawk in 44 magnum with the factory stocks and round trigger guard is obnoxiously nasty with full on magnum loads. I’ve shot my friends S&W 460 with 6” barrel and it doesn’t hurt like my Blackhawk.
I have ugly rubber grips for it and still is bad.
Just shoot 44 special loads in magnum brass these days.

The round trigger guard is nasty? I managed to avoid the old flate base trigger guard, until I finally found a BlackHawk in .357 Maximum. That trigger guard is a bastard.

[rickt300]

Not to mention the muzzle blast. I had an early octagonal barrel 30-30 for my contender, made the big mistake of shooting a round with no hearing protection (was young), wow. I hunted with a 45-70 14 inch barrel on that same gun for a while. Got tired of that too.

[Carrier]

The round trigger guard is nasty? I managed to avoid the old flate base trigger guard, until I finally found a BlackHawk in .357 Maximum. That trigger guard is a bastard.

The trigger guard is ok it is just a nasty gun to shoot. It’s just the plow handle that gets me. Shooting Ruger only loads out of my Bisley 45 is nothing compared to that plow handle. I’ve tried letting it roll in my hand but it’s just not a nice gun to shoot with full magnum loads for me.

[44MAG#1]

I thought that was why band aids were invented. I used them.


The trigger guard is ok it is just a nasty gun to shoot. It’s just the plow handle that gets me. Shooting Ruger only loads out of my Bisley 45 is nothing compared to that plow handle. I’ve tried letting it roll in my hand but it’s just not a nice gun to shoot with full magnum loads for me.

[quack1]

Ruger Blackhawk 45Colt/45 ACP. It wasn't pain from recoil, but the black plastic grips that came on it. The mold must have been brand new. The checkering on those grips was so sharp, the first couple shots with a mild ACP load had the web between my thumb and first finger bleeding. I have checkered some extremely hard maple that wasn't anywhere near as sharp as that molded plastic. Took them off and made a set of walnut grips and have been shooting in comfort ever since. Glad the first shots out of it weren't some stiff 45 Colt.

[Krh1326]

Does a way back when I was a dumb kid scenario, where I had the pistol grip installed on my Mossberg 500 and thought it would be fun to fire the Federal Hydro-Shock slug , one handed, fully extended , count as a hand gun?

Roflmao

[dmitch]

Krh1326,

We've all been there, my friend, confirming at least 2, if not 3 of the variables below !

I believe the three great variables for handling big pistols are 1.) shape / style of grip 2.) age of shooter 3.) degree of mental / emotional stability.
But they sure a wonderful and fun challenge to hunt big game with.

[wilecoyote]

I would add one more variable: where_
all it's much more unpleasant if the concussion bounces between the walls of a shooting tunnel and my headers.
beaten stupid by .454 Freedom Arms.
not better with braked .460 S&W.

[buckwheatpaul]

500 S&W Magnum, 1 shot out of my friends was enough.

I was crazy enough to shoot 5.....hit was I was shooting at! I carried a 4" 44 for years on the streets when in L.E. and was good with it....but that 500 was way tooooo much for me!

[Tripplebeards]

My S&W 329NG with full house loads. Makes the dessert eagle 50EA I use to own look like a pussycat.

[Liberty1776]

500 S&W Mag, with full boat loads.

Felt like the stippling of the rubber grip was being imprinted on my hand.

Loved it. Blew a water bottle to smithereens.

303835

[243winxb]

Thompson Center Encore .460 Smith & Wesson. 15" bbl.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Never had a moster handgun i guess. Had some rifles that were unpleasant to shoot.

[OS OK]

A dang .357M derringer.
It wasn't the recoil, it was the design of the pistol grip (round back)...that thing just wants to rock back and point into the air. I'd hate to have to make two quick shots and hope to hit anything on the second shot.

[W.R.Buchanan]

My S&W M29 with 8 3/8" bbl I could shoot 12 rounds in one sitting. The gun hit the web of my hand so hard I couldn't take anymore so I started shooting Specials in it, Then I just sold it..

The Ruger SBH Bisley has the best grip for shooting heavy loads in a revolver there is out there. all of the Custom Six gun makers out there use Ruger Bisley's as the starting point for their Mega guns.

https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/

Randy

[Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]

Austrian Steyr Model 1912 Steyr-Hahn pistol. The amount of recoil itself wasn’t too bad but it was the way it was felt, it transferred through to the trigger and slapped hard. My trigger finger was throbbing after the range trip. Weirdest thing.

[GL49]

Thompson Center Contender in 44 magnum, shooting off a bench, Melvin had it loaded up to the "max", whatever that means. I could tell when I sat down that the grips weren't gonna fit me. That one hurt. FA 454, Ruger Bisley in 454, 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh standing on your hind legs is nothin' compared to that one shot with that Contender. Never again, nope.
Melvin still calls me a pansy and that was 30 years ago.

[asecertified]

Thompson center contender SSK .375 JDJ. 300 grain @ 1775 across the screens. The only reason i bought it was because I thought it would be interesting to reload for and I had some .444 Marlin brass. I already had a .357 Herrett 10 in Contender and people at the time said the recoil was about the same. They lied !! I found why it comes with 4 rings for the scope mount. It took about 3 days for my wrist to recover after 5 rounds. Yes i was stupid and put 5 rounds through it so I could chrono the load. That was quite a few years ago. Now I am almost 70 and wonder why my arthritis is worse in that wrist. Now a days I am happy with .357 and 9mm.

[DougGuy]

TC Encore 45/70 fifteen inch tapered barrel no brake TC barrel with 550 grain cast at 1500 chronoed.
I have more powerful handguns but it is the most obnoxious, rude and overbearing handgun I've shot. But it is a great training tool.

T/C Contender 45-70 16" bbl with brake and scoped. Even with a strap around the weak side elbow, could NOT control the muzzle flip.

[John in WI]

My dad had a scandium frame .357 magnum for a short time. It kicked so hard, the bullets would wiggle out of the case and lock it up by around round 3. Cool idea, stupid in the real world. He also had a .44mag derringer. 2 shots out of that and you could feel electrical jolts going through your hands and wrists. Granted it's not really a shootin' gun. Something you'd use for an absolute last resort. But man, no fun.

[tinsnips]

A 454 casull ouch no fun at all.

[Thin Man]

.500 S&W, followed closely by a Kel-Tec .40 S&W. Will not do either of these again.

[weakhand luke]

Ruger LCP

[white eagle]

Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum
just killed my hand due to arthritis
now I am shooting a T/C Encore in 460 SW but that oddly doesn't bother me as much
Go figure

[robg]

contender 44mag.

[Rockzilla]

Love em Hand Cannons.. like the abuse.
TC Contender in 375 JDJ, with some stout handloads, makes the 44's feel like 38's
Lew Horton 3" 29 has some kick, The Herretts, 35 Rem / 45-70.. all nice kickers.
My Uncle made Custom bowling gloves years ago (all leather), he made me a glove /
wrist brace, you talk about a difference. saved the wrist..

-Rock

[scottyp99]

S&W 340PD. Scandium J-frame with titanium cylinder.....chambered in .357 Magnum. Imagine a .357 Magnum revolver that weighs 11.4 ounces, empty. When I first got it, the first thing I did was put 5 full-house .357 Magnum loads through it. It just plain brutalized my hand! Even .38 Special +P is quite a handful with this little gat, but it's do-able. It's just about useless with full-house .357 Magnum loads in it, but I always bring a few when I shoot it at the range. Everybody wants to try it with the full-house loads.....but they usually want to quit after the first round. I practice with a nice light .38 Special load that I worked up for IDPA in my Ruger GP100. 3.1 gr. of Clays under a 158 gr. plated round nose. It just barely makes power factor, and it's a creampuff in the GP100, and not too bad in the 340PD. I carry it with Hornady Critical Defense 110 gr. .38 Special +P in the cylinder. It may be unpleasant to shoot, but it's a joy to carry around in a front pocket all day. I'm not disappointed in the gun at all, I figured I wouldn't want to put many .357 Magnums through it, but if it's built to stand up to that kind of punishment, it should last just about forever shooting nice, mild .38 Specials through it. If you are thinking about acquiring one, be advised that the finish isn't very rugged. Mine is showing quite a bit of holster wear after the last 3 years or so. Also, the titanium cylinder requires special care when cleaning it.

Scotty

[scottyp99]

Thompson Center Contender in 44 magnum, shooting off a bench, Melvin had it loaded up to the "max", whatever that means. I could tell when I sat down that the grips weren't gonna fit me. That one hurt. FA 454, Ruger Bisley in 454, 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh standing on your hind legs is nothin' compared to that one shot with that Contender. Never again, nope.
Melvin still calls me a pansy and that was 30 years ago.

A guy named Melvin calls you a pansy? That's gotta hurt! :sad:


Scotty