Forgot that they chew up most of the bark. I had a Model 29 for a short amount of time that I put about 100 rounds through. Only light loads as I was brand new to reloading at that time.
Am I a weakling? 44mag
- Thread starter Polish-Jack
- Start date
Forgot that they chew up most of the bark. I had a Model 29 for a short amount of time that I put about 100 rounds through. Only light loads as I was brand new to reloading at that time.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Yeah, they're chunky guns. Near 70oz (4.3lbs) vs 45oz (2.8lbs) for a revolver.
The comments about the size of the handgun, are very true. I have big magnums (41, 44, 45 etc) in barrel lengths from 3" to 10". Bigger the gun, the lest felt recoil. 44 mag recoil in a snubbie is a whole level more difficult to mitigate than than the same loads in an 8" heavy barrel for example. - dan
Well, it seems to me that the OP was talking about the recoil/blast of a Smith & Wesson revolver in .44 Magnum. I cannot follow you on the revolver hunting side of the equation. To kill a deer with a revolver cartridge, you have to hit it FIRST. At any range.
As we go from .22 LR to .38 Special to .357 Magnum to .44 Magnum to .454 Casull to .500 Smith & Wesson, the accuracy is degrading rapidly. Sure, you can take out the time pressure if you wish. I will not.
Single action or "Double action", one or two hands. Any distance. The time pressure remains in place. For me.
Come on. You understand the need to tailor the tool to the task, right? A 22 is great for fast and accurate rapid fire practice or competition. A 44 would never be someones first choice for that task and you would never logically compare the results of the 2. Likewise, a 22 would not be the tool of a handgun deer hunter, but a 44 magnum would be perfectly suited to that task. Apples and oranges
Hunting is not part of the Original Post. Handgun recoil/blast/control is. I stay on track.
Agreed. Neither was speed. It was about painful recoil. Your comparison is non-sensical
"Show me a man who can shoot a .44 Magnum (240/1300) STOCK revolver - no muzzle brake - every bit as well and as fast as he can shoot a .22 revolver or even a .38 Special revolver"
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Only hand cannons I own is a 357 rem max and a 30 Herrett ( 30/30 wildcat ) Which is pleasant to shoot. 110grn at 2100 FPS.
Certainly. My 460 / 454 S&W 10” barrel with a muzzle break wasn’t a handful at all.
A shooting glove helps, but what helped me the most was a Hogue hardwood stock. It's counterintuitive I know, but I found the rubber Smith and Wesson grip had too much give in it and rather than absorbing recoil, it was just transfering into my hand and wrist. A properly fitted wood stock transfers the recoil into your arm and body.
Having said that, the .44 Rem Mag is a stout load when pushed up to its limits and it is bound to beat you up a bit when shooting it.
Having said that, the .44 Rem Mag is a stout load when pushed up to its limits and it is bound to beat you up a bit when shooting it.
you have girly man wrists sorry...
I find .44 hot loads pretty easy to shoot...I have gotten as good now as being able to put a round into a 8" circle at 30yds 3 out of 6 or all of them 1.5-2" groups around the bulls at 25 ft. with my trusty original M29-2 1974 dirty harry .44 6.5" (I also have a M29-10 and its even more accurate for some reason). Back in the 70's these were a preferred cop gun for awhile but had to be stopped as the bullets went through 3 apartments when shooting at the bad guys...I dont care what they say...IMO its still the most powerful handgun in the world "you can actually shoot" 50 caliber handguns are stupid...10lbs and kick like a rifle, really pointless if you ask me, even hunting all you need is .44..plus it takes care of any "punks" feeling lucky
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OP, you are not a weakling. Here's the thing...for me a big part of target shooting is the fun aspect. And part of that ties into the satisfaction of hitting targets. And doing so without enduring a lot of discomfort and / or pain.
A few weeks ago, a fellow range member kindly brought his 686 in .357 Mag for me to shoot. I have never shot a revolver before and bought my own .38 Special to try out. The recoil on the .38 special was fine...then he brought some .357 Mag for me to try.
It was a significant difference; not just in my hands, but also in my wrist. Now, I am a small middle aged guy. Don't exactly have John Cena physique. And I recognize my limitations. Can I get used to .357? Probably - over time...a long, long time. Would I want to shoot anything stronger than that? Probably not at this point. Does that make me a weakling? Don't care. I don't have anything to prove, don't need to play a game of machismo with anyone and to circle back to my original point, I want shooting to be fun. Just like any other activity, once it ceases to be enjoyable, both the interest and time invested will wane.
I am not getting any younger and my family has a history of arthritis. I would love to continue shooting into senior citizen-hood, and part of that is recognizing and being comfortable with my physical limitations and tolerances.
That said, it could also be the gun and the mating of the ammo. Many years ago a friend let me shoot his Browning 12ga pump action. At the time I had an 870 20ga shooting 7.5 to 8 birdshot only. Little did I realize he loaded his 12ga with 3 1/2" magnum rounds. After the first shot, my shoulder ached for a while and I swore off any 12ga shotgun until last year when I bought one and some low recoil 12ga slug. Years later, shooting 12ga ha become more manageable, but that's also considering the difference in the gun, ammo and much more trigger time with various calibers over the years. I am sure one day my body may not be able to enjoy 12ga anymore and if that happens, I'll just drop down to the 20ga again or even 410 or whatever. No harm, no foul. As the saying goes, you do you, I do me.
So I'd say if you don't enjoy 44 mag, maybe drop down to 44 Special, or as others have said perhaps a reloading recipe may help reduce the power. Or consider a different gun and ammo mating to experiment.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I used to shoot a 44 mag a lot as well as 357 and 41 mag. Full power loads in the M29 are a bit punishing all right but you get used to it with the correct technique. Since you reload try Trailboss with a cast bullet around 1000 fps, I think you'll find that's pretty pleasant to shoot.
Interesting observation. I have limited handgun experience but I did shoot a buddy's Tokarev earlier in the summer. It was indeed snappy. Last time I was out it was his Sig226 and Beretta FS92. I enjoyed both of these (equally actually) and hope to get both if and when they are available again (hopefully under a PP government). The Tokarev seemed harder to control, but maybe it is all in the brain and perception. The weight and manageability of the 9mms definitely makes me understand their popularity amongst people of all ages and shooting skills.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
you have girly man wrists sorry...
Everybody is different, physically and mentally. As for the cops using it, so what? There is a big different in forcing to have to use it and choose to use it. Forcing yourself to shoot something your mind says it's going to hurt. Stockholm syndrome yourself to like it, won't make you shoot any better.
Welcome to my pistol round.
