Why did the recoil stories start, 44 magnum

[magnumuser]

Recoil is subjective, based on bullet, powder, velocity, and gun weight.

But with a new 629 in 5" barrel... I honestly cant "feel" a difference between 6 grains of BE and a 240 SWC, and 18.5 grains of 2400, or with the fiochi 240 grain sjhp moving at a box speed of 1330 fps.

The fiochi has more noise.. but the same rear ward thrust on my hands, and i have bad hands.

But im just curious as it feels alot like my 40 ounce 357 firing full loads of 2400 and 4227 wih 158 grain swc.

[Winger Ed.]

I've fired the same load in different handguns, and the recoil felt different as well as the muzzle wanting to climb..
I wrote it off as being different barrel lengths, and the angle of the handgrip to the barrel being a little different.

[marvelshooter]

I have never shot a 5" .44 magnum with any load. I have shot an 8" .500 with full house loads and prefer it to a J frame with +P 38's. My point is the weight and shape of the gun have as much affect on felt recoil as the load(s).

[dverna]

Recoil is not a "story". The laws of physics apply.

How recoil "feels" if impacted by various factors. Also, some people seem less affected than others.

[Bird]

The 629's weight especially with loaded chambers absorbs recoil very well. It feels more comfortable than my 9mm CZ, and a lot more accurate as well.

[georgerkahn]

The 629's weight especially with loaded chambers absorbs recoil very well. It feels more comfortable than my 9mm CZ, and a lot more accurate as well.

Bird said it all! I still have vivid memories, albeit six or seven (?) years back when I was shooting my S&W 629 at the range, and a fellow with a quite short-barreled aluminum-framed revolver inquired vis what I was shooting. After a bit he asked, and I gifted him six cartridges. Upon his first shot his arm was pointed STRAIGHT up, he used his left hand to take the revolver out of his right, and -- with a stream of expletives -- began shouting I might have broken his wrist! I asked for the remaining five back, chambered them in my revolver, and -- for kicks & giggles -- fired two rounds. My arm stayed horizontal, and while there was a bit of muzzle-flip, it was minimal. Yupper -- my revolver weighed in at a hair more than THREE POUNDS; his Taurus? Roughly one and three quarter pounds. Quite the difference vis recoil!
geo

[JSnover]

People just love to exaggerate.
I've had people tell me the .357, .44, and .500 magnums will "break your wrist," and 30-06, 45-70 and 12 gage will "break your shoulder." The only two guns I didn't care for were a 4" .500 SW (barrel needed to be longer) and any lever action 30-30 (too much drop in the stock) but after trying all of them, my wrists and shoulders remain un-broke.

[Carrier]

I have a SBH with a 5.5” barrel that is one of the nastiest things to shoot. My 629 with 6” barrel with same magnum load is like shooting 44 specials

[El Bibliotecario]

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.

[rintinglen]

Bad grips, light gun, Full on Mag load=sore hand. As was mentioned, it's simple physics.

The n-frame, S&W target grips were and are a bad fit for me. My first experience with a 44 magnum was with a 4 inch 29-2 and full on Keith loads. It stung, it jumped just about twice as high as my similar 27 did. It was not enjoyable. The same load in an 8 3/8" barrel with Pachmyr grips was still pretty stout, but not at all painful. Later on, I shot a Jovino 3 inch 44 mag with those funky, wooden, combat grips. Two shots were all it took to convince me I didn't need to shoot that gun again. Likewise, those Airlite 357's can look for another owner. I can do without that, especially with my old, injured wrists.

However, anybody who tells me they can't tell the difference between a 44 Special load and a magnum load better stand back--the wind force from the eyeroll will be substantial.

[magnumuser]

if the loading data come from the magnum section of the handbook, its not a special at all.

[redhawk0]

I have a Ruger Redhawk (not the Super) with a 5.5" bbl. 6gr of Reddot behind a 240gr boolit and I can shoot it all day long.....My bear load of 18gr of AA#9 behind a 300gr Hornady bullet....ouch...After 20 shots and you'll be wondering how you'll ever get enough practice with it because your hand will be pretty sore.

I've started cutting back on my max loads...as an older gent...it just became too punishing for arthritic hands.

And I agree with dverna....it's all physics...but some handguns are weighted/balanced differently...so with the same load, felt recoil can be subjective with so many variables.

redhawk

[Rockingkj]

One recoil observation I have had is when a .458 win mag is offered for sale it usually includes 17-18 loaded rounds for the box of 20.

Never found the 44 mag to be that nasty to shoot.

[FergusonTO35]

A college buddy had a Ruger SBH 7.5" barrel. Recoil wasn't terrible but it was so top heavy that the muzzle jump was exaggerated. Still a very nice gun, I would love to have one with about a 5.5" tube and feed it .44 Specials.

[ACC]

I don't find it fun to shoot anything that hurts when I pull the trigger. It just ain't fun for me. I have fired a S&W 500 mag pistol and a .375 H&H magnum rifle. It just ain't fun.

ACC:cry:

[.429&H110]

I have a .44 SRH and I learned to shoot it from reading here.
Scary? I saw it on the internet so it must be true?
Of the thousands of things to launch, 250 gr midrange mule snot Keith boolits are accurate and the recoil is learnable.
But woe is me if I shoot "bear loads", they teach me to flinch.
If I flinch, I can't hit anything with anything, glad I am to figure that out.
We have bigger bores in the family, the kids seem to enjoy them, YMMV.

[murf205]

I don't find it fun to shoot anything that hurts when I pull the trigger. It just ain't fun for me. I have fired a S&W 500 mag pistol and a .375 H&H magnum rifle. It just ain't fun.

ACC:cry:

AND...the cast boolits loaded to a respectful 1000 fps will penetrate 100% of anything I can afford to shoot/hunt. Any faster and heavier loaded will only make a deeper hole in the dirt on the other side.

[Milky Duck]

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.

[Kosh75287]

Recoil is not a "story". The laws of physics apply. How recoil "feels" if impacted by various factors. Also, some people seem less affected than others.
MEASURED recoil is determined by the laws of physics. PERCEIVED recoil is more of a "story" in that human factors and perception matter. PERCEIVED recoil might be better measured in terms of how many seconds it takes to fire a certain number of rounds, at a particular velocity, within a 4" diameter circle, at a specified distance, with the firearm of interest.
"

[dtknowles]

Some guns do hurt on both ends. You can do things to reduce both actual and perceived recoil, but you can't beat physics. I have a Barrett 50BMG that is less painful to shoot than my lightweight Ruger 77 in 30-06. I can't imagine shooting that MDL 77 in a magnum cartridge at the same weight. The Barrett has a muzzle break and weighs a lot, sucks up a lot of the recoil. I have not shot a lot of 44 mag handguns but the ones I shot did not hurt. I shot a friends S&W 460 Mag. it did not hurt either but it did hurt him when his thumb got near the cylinder gap.

[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!:drinks:

[Ithaca Gunner]

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.

I noticed mine don't fit perfectly at the top, but it's not a problem. I wonder if yours is bad enough to cause a problem.

I just remembered, the worst gun for me was a S&W 3'' M-13-3 round but. Factory grips were so sharp and rough it drew blood with Remington 125gr. JHP .357 rounds.

[magnumuser]

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.

Its why so many 357 magnums seem to live on an exlusive diete of 38 special +p when owners realise scandium frames arent fun..
And why skeltons unique loads have always been felt to be comfy in 44 special and magnum. Thats what im trying to achieve on my own. that classic 240 swc with 7-10 grains of unique. And if i want something more energetic, 250-260 on same powder.

[Thumbcocker]

Recoil stories didn't start with the .44 magnum. I recall great uncles, ww2 vets, describing the 1911 .45 acp.as "kicking like a mule" and "if it hit a man on the thumb it would knock him down ". When you consider that they were farm boys who had probably never shot a handgun before military service (maybe a .22) and hearing protection was non-existent you get the picture. They also described the 1911 as inaccurate beyond a dozen feet. They all loved the M1 Garand.

[HWooldridge]

Worst recoil on a long gun for me was a 6-3/4 lb 12 gauge Italian double I used to own. I’d go dove hunting or to a sporting clays event and come home looking like I’d gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson. My Sharps business rifle in 45-70 also wasn’t much fun after an afternoon of 40-50 shots. Never fired a pistol anywhere close to either of those.

[Ithaca Gunner]

The first recoil ''stories'' I've heard of came with the S&W .357 Magnum when introduced in 1935. I've owned a 4'' S&W M-28 and I consider it a pleasant shooting revolver as far as recoil goes, it's the report of the .357 magnum that bothers me most.

[Abert Rim]

Ithaca, I bought a 4-inch Model 28 new the day I turned 21. Rushed to the range with a box of 1970s Super Vel, and had a stinging hand soon enough!:)

[charlie b]

The 'recoil' stories I remember as a kid started with light .30-06 hunting rifles and 12ga shotguns with slugs or buckshot, especially the single shots.

I do remember an older cousin who bought a Ruger BH .44mag back in the 60's and he talked about how much it hurt to shoot it.

[billmc2]

My recoil story involves a 12 ga pump shotgun. I don't know what brand or how big it was. I was 17 and had a summer job working at the State airport, with Operations. Nearby the airport was a landfill that attracted a lot of Seagulls. The Seagulls would land on the airport in large flocks. These birds posed a great danger to landing and departing aircraft. One of Operations jobs was to disperse the seagulls.

At first flashing lights would chase the birds away, but they got used to those. Then lights and sirens worked for a while. Finally they had to use the shotgun. The shotgun would fire a round, which was aimed up into the air above the flock where it would then detonate another charge making a large noise which chased the birds away.

I had never even held a shotgun, let alone fire one. I asked if I could try. They gave me the shotgun. Thinking I was John Wayne, I held the shotgun about even with my waist. The stock wasn't against anything. I pulled the trigger and the shotgun fired. The stock was aligned just right to recoil back into my bicep. My arm was black and blue for several days. I've never fired a shotgun that way since. In about 3 weeks I'll be 65.

[junkbug]

I believe that the original Ruger Flat Top Blackhawk, with its small grips may be part of the story.
I only own a Hawes (JP Sauer) Western Marshall in .44 mag. Some older “warm” .44 special loads were not fun for me. I intend to only load that revolver to black powder velocities.

[Electrod47]

Recoil was not always viewed as bad...in fact in 66' that's what we all lusted for.

321313321314321315

PS my lust for recoil died in the late 1980's while working at a coal fired power plant in Nevada I was assigned the task of "shooting" clinkers off the walls of the boilers with 8 gauge buckshot loads from a single shot break top shotgun. "shoulder" fired. After myself and another fired an entire pallet's worth over a few days we were able to convince management they needed something better.
The next outage they brought in a wagon mounted Punt Gun.....Thank God.

This is what a circa 2023 8 gauge industrial shotgun looks like today. Made by Winchester
321317

[15meter]

Recoil stories didn't start with the .44 magnum. I recall great uncles, ww2 vets, describing the 1911 .45 acp.as "kicking like a mule" and "if it hit a man on the thumb it would knock him down ". When you consider that they were farm boys who had probably never shot a handgun before military service (maybe a .22) and hearing protection was non-existent you get the picture. They also described the 1911 as inaccurate beyond a dozen feet. They all loved the M1 Garand.

I think the 1911's got their bad accuracy rap from worn out training pistols. My father-in-law was an Marine armorer, he talked about 1911's that rattled like tin cans tied behind newlyweds car. Could not have helped with accuracy or perceived recoil.

[bcraig]

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

I had a Ruger Blackhawk Stainless Steel 4-5/8 barrel that I smoothed up and firelapped the barrel ,and reamed the cylinder holes for shooting .432 bullets,also Roundbutted the grip frame.
The round butt seemed to lessen the felt recoil.

I wish I could find it again as I would buy it back.

[Abert Rim]

Bcraig, that sounds like a nice revolver!

[charlie b]

I think the 1911's got their bad accuracy rap from worn out training pistols. My father-in-law was an Marine armorer, he talked about 1911's that rattled like tin cans tied behind newlyweds car. Could not have helped with accuracy or perceived recoil.

Reminds me....one of my drill sgts was considered one of the better pistol shots in the brigade so he challenged me when we were at the range one day. I went down the line and shook the pistols until I got one that didn't rattle. He looked at me funny and then we shot. After I beat him he asked me about it. Then we both shot the same pistol and I only scored a few points higher. His excuse was he always shot the 'special' pistols they had for matches so didn't even think about the regular pistols being that different.

[bcraig]

Bcraig, that sounds like a nice revolver!

Yes it was,I sold it to get something else ,cant even remember what else I needed the money for.
Wish I had it back .

[Jtarm]

I noticed mine don't fit perfectly at the top, but it's not a problem. I wonder if yours is bad enough to cause a problem.

I just remembered, the worst gun for me was a S&W 3'' M-13-3 round but. Factory grips were so sharp and rough it drew blood with Remington 125gr. JHP .357 rounds.

Yes, it’s pretty bad.

The grip frame is altered to K-frame RB dimensions, which is likely part of the problem. I’ll go through my grip collection & see if I have something that fits better. Failing that, I might have to take a stab at making my own again. Inletting is a royal PITA.

Load testing at the range, I put a set of Uncle Mikes K-frame RB grips on. They don’t quite fit, but are way less painful to shoot.

These grips were designed by Craig Spegel and were factory-issue at one time. They are the most comfortable DA revolver grips I’ve ever used. I have them in all of my K-frame RB guns (which are quite a few).

[Jtarm]

I think the 1911's got their bad accuracy rap from worn out training pistols. My father-in-law was an Marine armorer, he talked about 1911's that rattled like tin cans tied behind newlyweds car. Could not have helped with accuracy or perceived recoil.

Well that & the slide/frame fit on the GI guns were left loose for reliability. Reading the gun rags in my youth, it appears accurizing a surplus GI pistol while keeping it reliable was a tricky proposition back in the day.

I’m sure the demands of WW II production didn’t help.

[35 Rem]

I always used to wonder how those tough guy soldiers could tell stories about the horrible recoil of a full size 1911. The 1st time I shot one I was amazed at how little recoil there was. A lot of it is perception or lack of experience I think. My 1st big handgun was a full size 44 Magnum so the 1911 45ACP felt very mild in comparison once I got to shoot one. With long guns there used to be a lot of single shot shotguns on farms and probably most were 12 gauge. Those guns were light and had no recoil pad and that had a lot to do with the stories of hard kicking guns years ago. I've always loved Ithaca 37's, which are very light weight for a repeater, but much more pleasant to shoot compared to a typical single shot farm gun. Another point about recoil stories is the tendency to "one up" the last guy's story. I've let a number of people shoot my 460 Weatherby and there have been a few who have to tell about some 300 Magnum or old shotgun that recoiled a lot worse. They just can't stand to not one up you. To say a shotgun or deer rifle hurts more than a 460 Weatherby is a load of obama poop to say the least. :) It punches you hard enough to slap your teeth together and if your left hand is close to the sling stud on the forearm it will whack your finger hard. Some will say it's a slow push compared to their super dooper deer magnum. I've shot a lot of guns and there is nothing slow about 460 Weatherby recoil. It's fast and hard but it's not going to kill you and you can easily hold on to the rifle and make fast follow up shots once you will yourself to do so.

[Maven]

Has anyone considered that ca. 1950's -1960's .44mag. factory ammo was loaded to higher velocity and pressure standards than that available today? It was loud and recoil was, shall we say, stout?

[delftshooter]

Recoil is subjection, but powder used has a bigger impact.

Also, i did what one old timer writer said for handgunning as you get older.. get a pair of gloves. Those tommy copper compression gloves have really neat grooved ridges on them that really attach to the grips. very smart investment.

[trapper9260]

I had a father and son talked how they can handle recoil and I had them shoot my SXS 10ga . 3 1/2" . Let me say that they where not talk any thing like they did . As for 44 mag My Hunter RH with the scope mount. 7 1/2" . Shoot everything but 310 gr cast out of it you ok, when shoot the 310gr . You will know it . But when shoot the same in the Marlin 1894 no problem.

[Char-Gar]

I also have a 5 " 629 and I can feel allot of difference between a mild target load and a full snort magnum load. I think the OP is bored and looking to start a discussion or others such nonsense.

[Hickok]

My recoil story started as I got older.

In my younger years there wasn't anything that I wouldn't shoot, the bigger the better! Now approaching 69 years, I have realized I don't need a .44 Magnum with a 4" barrel loaded up to 1400 fps with a 250 gr bullet to shoot a deer or a blackbear. A nice load cruising any where from 900 to about 1100 fps, with the same boolit will the job.

Also found I can take deer out to 300-400 yards with a good .308 Win. just as well as with a .300 magnum.

I always have to learn thing the hard way......but it finally sinks in!:Bright idea:

[racepres]

My recoil story started as I got older.

In my younger years there wasn't anything that I wouldn't shoot, the bigger the better! Now approaching 69 years, I have realized I don't need a .44 Magnum with a 4" barrel loaded up to 1400 fps with a 250 gr bullet to shoot a deer or a blackbear. A nice load cruising any where from 900 to about 1100 fps, with the same boolit will the job.

Also found I can take deer out to 300-400 yards with a good .308 Win. just as well as with a .300 magnum.

I always have to learn thing the hard way......but it finally sinks in!:Bright idea:

I must have been at the Same School as You...same time surely!!!

[Bent Ramrod]

I think that definitely the modern Magnum rounds (.44 and .357) are loaded a little lighter than they were back in the heady days where they had to be the biggest, baddest and fastest. The reason might be rooted in the change in pressure measurement from copper crushers to piezoelectric. Also maybe that few customers had chronographs so wouldn’t notice the loss of 100 ft/sec, but all could feel the recoil and bought less ammunition because the shooting experience was so unpleasant.

The constant complaints of .357 users about bore leading seem to have abated to the occasional anecdote. Likewise, .44 Magnum recoil is no longer news, although this might be partly because even larger and harder-recoiling pistol cartridges are out now. The handgun hunters who knock charging Cape buffalo into a backflip with one shot never mention the recoil, although some, like Gary Reeder, are candid enough to admit that they wear special shooting gloves. And I think Dirty Harry admitted to one of his partners that his “big, bad .44” was loaded down a little.

I remember my friend Tex, back in the Dirty Harry days, picking up a very nice nickel-plated Model 29, in a wood presentation box for a surprisingly reasonable price at a gun show. The thing looked unfired. With it came one of those little 20-round boxes of Federal factory ammunition. Six rounds were missing from the box, but youthful and enthusiastic as we were, we didn’t think of this as ominous.

We repaired to our favorite shooting spot where the local bar dumped all its no-deposit-no-return longneck empties, with the .44 and other stuff we wanted to shoot. First up was the new toy. We both shot one cylinderful, and I told Tex he was welcome to the last two. He wasn’t overjoyed, but he did finish out the box.

We both flinched so badly after the first shot each that we couldn’t hit anything, and the flinching persisted for the rest of the day with the other guns we had brought to shoot. Not a very productive session; the longnecks won that day.

Tex unloaded the 29 at the next gun show and later bought a Model 25 with cylinders for .45 Colt and .45 AR. We could actually hit something with that gun.

[Dutchman]

Long time ago. Great Western .44 Magnum in full recoil. It was a handful.

Hadn't noticed before but looks like the cylinder base pin is part way out. It did that from heavy recoil. Photo dates to the mid-1970s.

https://images14.fotki.com/v1676/photos/2/28344/157842/gw4-vi.jpg (https://public.fotki.com/dutchman/crufflerstuff/vintage_firearms/gw4.html)

[bcraig]

From Elmer Keith
https://gundigest.com/more/classic-guns/the-44-magnum-one-year-later

Generic 44 Magnum Pistol velocities with different ammo
http://ballistics101.com/44_magnum.php

http://sixguns.com/range/44magnumsixguns.htm

[FergusonTO35]

If my state had a special handgun season, I would probably get a Super Blackhawk with long barrel and feed it .44-40 equivalent loads. It should be accurate, easy to shoot, and have no trouble making things go dead at the same range I shoot my crossbow.

[Carrier]

I had a father and son talked how they can handle recoil and I had them shoot my SXS 10ga . 3 1/2" . Let me say that they were not talk any thing like they did . As for 44 mag My Hunter RH with the scope mount. 7 1/2" . Shoot everything but 310 gr cast out of it you ok, when shoot the 310gr . You will know it . But when shoot the same in the Marlin 1894 no problem.

When I was a 11 year old kid my friend's dad had a double barrel 10 gauge. I can’t remember what model it was but you could fire both barrels when pulling both triggers. We snuck it out one day when his dad was out swathing and needless to say it didn’t turn out so well. It didn’t knock me down but I thought my arm was coming off.
Can’t remember which hurt more the recoil from the gun or his dad’s size 12 in our butts.

[375supermag]

Hi...
My first handgun other than a .22LR was a Ruger Security Six that was bought for my first wife and I when we started shooting competitively back in the late '70s- early '80s time frame. It was shot with the remanufactured loads the indoor range required to be used. Recoil was unremarkable, revolver was accurate but I didn't care for it.
I bought a S&W 686 Silhouette Model and talked the range owner into allowing me to use standard factory loads for practice and matches. Big heavy revolver that soaks up the recoil...doesn't hurt that it is stunningly accurate.
Next handgun for me was a Springfield Armory 1911 in .45ACP. I wanted a carry gun and my research said that was the way to go.
I had some trepidation when I shot it the first time because an army vet had told me that the first time he shot one in the military that the recoil was enough to knock a grown man off his feet. My first shot proved that he was full of equine excrement.
I am not sure which .44Magnum revolver I started with but I think it was a Dan Wesson stainless model. Now, I had heard all the horror stories about how bad the recoil was with this caliber. I figured somebody is shooting these things and if they can then so can I.
40 some years later and I regularly shoot that same Dan Wesson, a Model 29, two Ruger Super BlackHawks and a pair of Virginian Dragoons, so it must not have kicked too bad.
My go to load is 10gr of Unique with a 240gr commercial cast coated LSWC but I always shoot a few cylinders of full power jacketed bullet loads each range trip. None if my .44Magnum revolvers have ever sèen a single round of .44Spl ammunition.
The same holds true of my nearly a dozen .357Magnum revolvers. I have dedicated .38Spl and. 44Spl revolvers for that.

I am currently 69 years old and recoil really doesn't bother me much although I do wear shooting gloves when shooting full power loads in my .357Magnum, .41Mag, .45Colt and. 44Magnum revolvers along with my .375SuperMag.
The only handgun I don't enjoy shooting very much is my Contender in .45Colt with full power Contender only loads. That gun kicks hard so it is the last one that gets shot for the day.

[danmat]

I also have a 5 " 629 and I can feel allot of difference between a mild target load and a full snort magnum load. I think the OP is bored and looking to start a discussion or others such nonsense.

I always enjoy reading Char-Gar responses
He reminds me of me LOL

[Three44s]

Like what has already been posted, everyone is different .... build and mind, however gun writers deserve a chewing out since they have failed miserably!

Growing up I believed the drivel about the 44 mag and avoided it entirely.

A set of circumstances occurred where I had to reconsider owning one. After some research, I found a 7.5" SS Redhawk in 44 mag.

I began with the factory wooden grips and factory ammo since I needed to build up brass. The grips were not friendly and I needed handloads rather than full house ammo.

I started buying empty brass and settled on the Uncle Mike's rubber grip (available then) and built loads to suit me with a grip much to my liking.

It turns out that centerfire revolvers are very adaptable to power setting by pairing appropriate components with a gun that fits you.

Next you have "wrap your head around" getting over all the hype and getting down to business!

I will be the first to tell you that my shooting still centers on many more rounds fired in the lower and middle power range so as to reduce fatigue and damage to my aging carcass but I am certainly no stranger to full house DA and SA revolver work.

Besides 3 44 mag revolvers I also own a SRH in 480 Ruger and love them all.

I have fired the "dreaded" Smith 329 and while it was no fun at bear load levels with wooden grips I found it quite controllable and would certainly pack one if I owned one, but I would get the rubber grip for it.

One 44 I do not get along with however are the round and square trigger guard equipped SBHs. Everything I have tried still gets the back of my strong side middle finger bashed.

But the beef I have with gun writers is that the "bashers" do not explain to their readers about how adaptable the cartridge and the guns largely are.

Three44s

[rintinglen]

To answer the question originally posed, when a 47 ounce revolver firing a 240 grain bullet at 1400 fps was fired by a person whose previous experience was firing 158 grain bullets at 850 fps from a 38 ounce revolver. The free recoil is just about 5 times greater. "You canna change the laws of physics, Jim."

[Thom_44]

I also have a 5 " 629 and I can feel allot of difference between a mild target load and a full snort magnum load. I think the OP is bored and looking to start a discussion or others such nonsense.

What qualifies as a "full snort magnum load"? Ive used various factory jacketed bullets, various factory loaded lead projectiles, and a good number of loads using mail order cast bullets. An Elmer Kieth load of 2400 DOES have a unique feel in the hand when you fire it. Especially when I try to shoot one handed.

But for some reason all of my store bought ammunition has had 240 grain bullets. For some reason Heavier bullets really cost more. locally a box of 50 Blazer 240 FMJ costs 62$. Blazer 240 JSP costs 70$. Most of the heavier magnum ammunition costs 60$ for 20 rounds

[racepres]

What qualifies as a "full snort magnum load"? Ive used various factory jacketed bullets, various factory loaded lead projectiles, and a good number of loads using mail order cast bullets. An Elmer Kieth load of 2400 DOES have a unique feel in the hand when you fire it. Especially when I try to shoot one handed.

But for some reason all of my store bought ammunition has had 240 grain bullets. For some reason Heavier bullets really cost more. locally a box of 50 Blazer 240 FMJ costs 62$. Blazer 240 JSP costs 70$. Most of the heavier magnum ammunition costs 60$ for 20 rounds

Huh...My 310 FP Lee cost about the same as the 240...even with gas checks!! Yet use a bit less Powder to break yer Wrist!!!

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Doesn't unpleasant muzzle blast and unpleasant recoil make you a tough guy? Those mild loads, soft recoil pads and pleasant, high round count practice are just for us sissies.

[racepres]

Doesn't unpleasant muzzle blast and unpleasant recoil make you a tough guy? Those mild loads, soft recoil pads and pleasant, high round count practice are just for us sissies.
yes...

[steve urquell]

I find that faster burning powders are much more harsh than slow burners. A full case of 4227 is less punishing to me than a lighter charge of Unique. More of a push vs a pop to the palm.

I don't enjoy shooting the big boomers now as much as I did when younger and don't hunt so I have no push to load and shoot them as much.

[racepres]

I find that faster burning powders are much more harsh than slow burners. A full case of 4227 is less punishing to me than a lighter charge of Unique. More of a push vs a pop to the palm.

I don't enjoy shooting the big boomers now as much as I did when younger and don't hunt so I have no push to load and shoot them as much.
Odd...that I been working with AA Nitro100 NF recently...it really does produce reduced felt recoil..how??? IDK
It is also fairly low velocity thusfar!!! Duh!! But...even at like same velocity, it Feels softer somehow!!!

[steve urquell]

Odd...that I been working with AA Nitro100 NF recently...it really does produce reduced felt recoil..how??? IDK
It is also fairly low velocity thusfar!!! Duh!! But...even at like same velocity, it Feels softer somehow!!!

My Dan Wesson feels more flippy and harsh with the Keith 240gr Unique load than with a case full of 4227 under a 300gr bullet for some reason.

I love me some Nitro100NF and TiteWad (not TiteGroup) powder in my 9mm though. Be careful with it. Heavy bullets and super fast powder build pressure very quickly with tiny increases in charge weight.

[racepres]

My Dan Wesson feels more flippy and harsh with the Keith 240gr Unique load than with a case full of 4227 under a 300gr bullet for some reason.

I love me some Nitro100NF and TiteWad (not TiteGroup) powder in my 9mm though. Be careful with it. Heavy bullets and super fast powder build pressure very quickly with tiny increases in charge weight.
I will probably Not use Nitro 100 with Heavy boolits.. other better choices... but, with lighter Boolits... it works better for me than Red Dot... which shines with Typical for Caliber Projectiles!! Too Bad it is Unobtainium these days in these parts.
Currently experimenting with the Lee 200gr RF for my 44's. So far, not quite as successful as the 125's in the 38SPL..
Maybe I will seek out a 180 or so for the 44..

[Thom_44]

Powder is different, so are our guns. I wont disagree with you guys at all on your felt recoil or what you prefer. Not at all. I have a feeling that some of you have rather expensive and fancy cushy grips and shooting gloves.

[Kestrel4k]

My apologies for not reading all the posts, but I think a component of recoil that isn't often discussed is recoil /velocity/ - which is certainly perceived differently than recoil energy.

[RJM52]

"Why did the recoil stories start, 44 magnum"....because "in the beginning"...

1956/7 there were exactly two .44 Magnums....S&W .44 Magnum (pre-29) and the Ruger Blackhawk.

The S&W was available in three barrel lengths, 4", 6.5" and 8 3/8". The Ruger in three, 6.5", 7.5" and 10".

Ammo was only made by Remington and Winchester in one bullet weight...240 grain lead semi-wadcutter. Velocity was 1400+ fps from a 6.5" barrel.

If you have not tried a full Magnum 240 grain load in a Model 29 4" with original wood Target stocks you will understand after you do...

Today there are worse kicking .44 Magnum loads but "back then" the 240s were bad enough..

Bob

[racepres]

"Why did the recoil stories start, 44 magnum"....because "in the beginning"...

1956/7 there were exactly two .44 Magnums....S&W .44 Magnum (pre-29) and the Ruger Blackhawk.

The S&W was available in three barrel lengths, 4", 6.5" and 8 3/8". The Ruger in three, 6.5", 7.5" and 10".

Ammo was only made by Remington and Winchester in one bullet weight...240 grain lead semi-wadcutter. Velocity was 1400+ fps from a 6.5" barrel.

If you have not tried a full Magnum 240 grain load in a Model 29 4" with original wood Target stocks you will understand after you do...

Today there are worse kicking .44 Magnum loads but "back then" the 240s were bad enough..

Bob
Sums up the way I remember it...but...later than the '50's...by 20 years!!

[35 Rem]

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.

As a side note, I've put my hands in Clint Eastwood's handprints in the sidewalk in front of Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood and his paws ARE big. My hands looked like kid hands in comparison. Each finger was a full joint shorter than his. So there ya go, the Model 29 was made for Dirty Harry and any less a man can't be expected to handle it properly. :)

[M-Tecs]

As a side note, I've put my hands in Clint Eastwood's handprints in the sidewalk in front of Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood and his paws ARE big. My hands looked like kid hands in comparison. Each finger was a full joint shorter than his. So there ya go, the Model 29 was made for Dirty Harry and any less a man can't be expected to handle it properly. :)

I guess that's why I like the 29. For gloves XXL are tight on my paws but they will stretch. XXXL's are just right but hard to find. Some XL will stretch but most split as the seams.

[Thor's Daddy]

"Why did the recoil stories start, 44 magnum"....because "in the beginning"...

1956/7 there were exactly two .44 Magnums....S&W .44 Magnum (pre-29) and the Ruger Blackhawk.

The S&W was available in three barrel lengths, 4", 6.5" and 8 3/8". The Ruger in three, 6.5", 7.5" and 10".

Ammo was only made by Remington and Winchester in one bullet weight...240 grain lead semi-wadcutter. Velocity was 1400+ fps from a 6.5" barrel.

If you have not tried a full Magnum 240 grain load in a Model 29 4" with original wood Target stocks you will understand after you do...

Today there are worse kicking .44 Magnum loads but "back then" the 240s were bad enough..

Bob

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!!

The fun goes away in a real hurry with a light gun, or with a less-than-ideal grip shape or material.

[racepres]

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!!

The fun goes away in a real hurry with a light gun, or with a less-than-ideal grip shape or material.

Again...The Octagon barrel Contender comes Instantly to mind!!