Am I a weakling? 44mag

First time I shot a .44mag was an old Superblackhawk with a long barrel.... my buddy was warning me about the recoil and I was holding on tight with both hands anticipating it getting blown out of my hands..... touched off the first shot, looked over at my buddy and smiled, then turned to a more bladed stance and finished emptying the gun one handed cowboy style.... :)

Not sure what type of loads were in the gun but in my opinion big heavy .44 mag revolvers are the way to go to help with recoil.
 
You try gloves? Somtimes grips make a big difference.

I remember a guy trying to complete the black badge course with a 44. Needless to say he didn't finish.
 
Snowy Owl said:
Only a few people can shoot a .45 ACP (230 gr./850 fps) or .357 Magnum (158/1200) handgun as well as they can shoot a .38 Special revolver. And I will add that the vast majority of people cannot shoot a revolver in .38 Special (158/850) as well as they can shoot a .22 LR revolver. One hand, two hands, not much difference if you had a little bit of time pressure. Range: 25 meters. NO BENCH please ! And STOCK handguns only - meaning NO compensator or muzzle brake. Your choice of "grips".

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. On demand. Show me.

Sometimes, we all read too many and too much gun magazines. Often times.
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Yes, heavy recoil and the blast associated with it, does not make guns easier to shoot... I think you forgot, "show me a person who can shoot a .44mag snubnose as well as a 7 1/2" barrelled model of the same gun..... :)
 
Can-down said:
Yes, heavy recoil and the blast associated with it, does not make guns easier to shoot... I think you forgot, "show me a person who can shoot a .44mag snubnose as well as a 7 1/2" barrelled model of the same gun..... :)
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Rrright ! Another level of recoil and blast. And on top of it add trigger cocking only for Double Action revolvers.

No matter what, I am always - ALWAYS - interested in watching people trying to control big and powerful handguns. But they never control their big revolvers or semi-automatic pistols - never. The handguns are controlling the shooters.
 
I carried a 4" Redhawk for many many years it never was fun to shoot. Shooting it once a week was enough for me, I would usually shoot 5 rnds. as I would tell people that it was 5 for the bear and 1 for me. If you can't resolve the problem with 5 shots 1 more won't make a difference.
 
My 4.25" model 69 L Frame absolutely sucks with full house loads, after 2 cylinders Iam done, it actually made my buddies thumb injury from the year previous act back up and swoll up to the size of a plum. On the other hand my model 629 6" and desert eagle are great to shoot with the same loads. The smaller gun makes an incredible difference. It's more for novelty anyways.
 
Polish-Jack said:
I was finally able to find some ammo for my new to me Smith and Wesson 629 6 inch. Firing of one round is unpleasant, the second round is borderline painful, and the third round simply hurts. No more, thank you.

Am I a weakling, is this normal, or is Callahan a monster?
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ravenzoom said:
Don't forget, Callahan used a special load! (Dirty Harry Magnum Force)
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dan belisle said:
44 Special type load. For the OP, load your ammo to 44 Special levels, most of your issues will go away. You might also want to look into better grips, factory ones leave a lot to be desired in the recoil department for most people. Also, if you are shooting some of the hunting ammo like Buffalo Bore makes, dont. Your 629 wasnt designed to hold up to that level of recoil for any length of time. - dan
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I'll chime in.... I've owned handguns of one form or another for over 40 yrs now. And my share of .44 Magnums. I'm no longer a fan of heavy recoil. I broken my right arm, at the wrist, back in 2016, in fall coming down a hiking trail.

These days I load my .44's to pop a 240 gr LSWC at ~ 850 fps. Plenty of shooting enjoyment right there.

So, IMHO, OP is not a weakling at all.

As has been said, even Callahan knew the value of "light specials". ;)

---------
NAA.
 
Polish-Jack said:
I was finally able to find some ammo for my new to me Smith and Wesson 629 6 inch. Firing of one round is unpleasant, the second round is borderline painful, and the third round simply hurts. No more, thank you.

Am I a weakling, is this normal, or is Callahan a monster?
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Any pain with other handguns? or arm work like hammering?
Recoil is one thing, pain can be another

I have some 240 gr 1150 fps loads you might want to try
 
dan belisle said:
44 Special type load. For the OP, load your ammo to 44 Special levels, most of your issues will go away. You might also want to look into better grips, factory ones leave a lot to be desired in the recoil department for most people. Also, if you are shooting some of the hunting ammo like Buffalo Bore makes, dont. Your 629 wasnt designed to hold up to that level of recoil for any length of time. - dan
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I was shooting the South Korean practice stuff, no super heavy/hot stuff. I was made aware of the 629's limitations by the PO.
 
The magnum rounds are just a myth in my opinion. The reason there is so much recoil is the longer casing which can hold more powder. Nobody needs that, other than dirty Harry. When reloading you can simply chose your powder and the amount. Also sold as cowboy loads.

Try a 9 mm and a Tokarev TT33, very snappy little pistol, most people don't enjoy it. Last week I shot a Beretta 92S and a Glock 48. Both 9mm but the Glock48 is so light, so some people don't appreciate the recoil while the weight of the Beretta absorbs most of it. I also don't see a reason having a 45 ACP pistol. Most people in the US are using a 9mm or 22lr for self defense since the ammo makes the difference. Even a 22lr with CCI stinger can be very powerful with 1,640 fps muzzle energy.

In short, 44 Magnum and also 45 ACP are a thing of the past and just a myth - just my opinion.
 
Snowy Owl said:
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. On demand. Show me.
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It is a magnum revolver. A totally different tool for a different purpose. Not meant to be shot as fast, but can be shot as accurately in the right hands with lots of practice. By your logic, show me a person who can kill a deer at a hundred yards as easily with a 22, as with a 44 magnum.
 
I could comfortably shoot my 629 for 12 rounds of full powered loads - after that is just wasn't fun anymore....
 
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Desert Eagle in 44mag. I am able to do mag dumps all day long but I am aware that I wont be able to do so for the rest of my life. Great thing about 44 is the wide range of loads you can make. Not so much with a semi like the Desert Eagle as it needs full power loads to cycle, but with a revolver you are in luck!

Make yourself some soft loads and enjoy the large caliber.
 
Spuhalsky said:
Desert Eagle in 44mag. I am able to do mag dumps all day long but I am aware that I wont be able to do so for the rest of my life. Great thing about 44 is the wide range of loads you can make. Not so much with a semi like the Desert Eagle as it needs full power loads to cycle, but with a revolver you are in luck!

Make yourself some soft loads and enjoy the large caliber.
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Full loads in a Deagle will still be mild compared to a revolver.
 
Many of you have mentioned that the grip used makes a huge difference. I am going to try that. When I shot it the first time I mimicked a semi-auto grip (holding the revolver as high up as physically possible) with the only difference in crossing the thumbs because cylinder gap. I will try some lower holds and see how it feels/recoils. Most of the pain was in the wrist and not the palm or hand.

Some mentioned other stout cartridges in revolvers and how most people can't shoot them long or often. I don't have that problem with my 610 or 686p. I even ran a full course of 150 rounds in a friendly PPC match with my 610 using Korean factory practice ammo. No pain or discomfort, just a massive torn blister on the web of my hand.

One mentioned arthritis and age. I'm 38 and have had no problems at all with any joints, ever, and from what I hear from old folks that I hang around with some times is that you know when you have arthritis. I don't think I have arthritis, but I'll bring it up with my Doc next time.
 
gdawg said:
It is a magnum revolver. A totally different tool for a different purpose. Not meant to be shot as fast, but can be shot as accurately in the right hands with lots of practice. By your logic, show me a person who can kill a deer at a hundred yards as easily with a 22, as with a 44 magnum.
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We used to shoot them in silhouette matches, 40 shots per round, two or three rounds per match. Hot as your gun could take, and some guys exceeded that. Some guys were scary accurate with those guns and loads, out to 200 yards/meters. You can learn to shoot them well, quite well in some cases. Now days, it depends how bad my arthritis is. - dan
 
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