.44 magnum recoil

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At the risk of being branded less than a real man, and in spite of all the people under three feet tall shooting the .44 Mags with aplomb, I have to say that, with the very heavy loads (particularly with the 300 gr. bullets), nearly any .44 Mag "full house" load will get your attention when you touch it off. Some guns seem to be more prone to amplify recoil effects than others.

Three of my .44 mag guns are definitely more easy to shoot than the other two (I miscounted). The 3" Mod. 29 and 4" skinny barrel Mtn. Gun are much more punishing than the Ruger SA's and 6" barrel Smith. Why there should be so much difference I can't tell and it's strange that the Mtn. Gun is actually the worst of the bunch in terms of felt recoil. It isn't a gun you'd want to shoot regularly with heavy loads just for the fun of it, unless you're a masochist. It's a very handy gun and seems very good for carrying when a heavy hitter is needed, but weight is a concern.
 
Rod, you make a good point. I think one of the reasons the Ruger is so easy to shoot is the grips. I retrospect, I have shot several .44 mags that hurt after 4 or five rounds. The reason for this was mainly because the checkered grips made my hand raw. Anybody else have this problem?

Luke 22:36..........RKBA!.......m16

[This message has been edited by m16a2223 (edited September 16, 1999).]
 
Hi, Rod,

I have fired many .44 magnums. My thing is that I shoot for fun, and the .44 just beats me around too much for it to be fun. (OK, I'm a wimp!)

Also, the front sight gets beat up when the gun recoils into the Dulles approach path and a 747 on final hits the barrel.

Jim
 
M16a2223 and Jim Keenan,

Hi, guys. It's always dangerous to let people know that you don't absolutely love being beat to death by recoil. It has been true for a long time, from before Gen. Julian Hatcher wrote of the then new .44 Magnum in American Rifleman that he had spent some time testing the new gun/ammo (a Smith) and that he suggested wearing a glove when shooting this combo, since the checkered stocks abraded his hand.

(Later to be Col.) Charles Askins answered in another publication that "some pantywaists" required a glove to shoot the new .44 Magnum. He, however, insisted, in his usual irritating (to me anyway) way, that he had fired a .44 Magnum all afternoon, finding it quite pleasant. No doubt junior officers were more macho than "pantywaist" retired generals.

Now, I ask you, who among us wouldn't like to be identified with the macho rather than the pantywaist? Well, naturally, I want to be considered a real man, but I have reached the number of years that that sort of thing isn't as relevant anymore. I'm more interested in the chosen gun and load doing the job I've selected it for, be it plinking, hunting, or informal targets.

I wear a shooting glove (padded) when I practice with the heavy .44 mag loads (but usually not when hunting, and then only in cold weather when the steel might freeze to my hand). Maybe I'm only macho when hunting in warm weather. So be it.
 
Update:

Just came back from the range after firing my new model 29 for the first time. This is sweet, not at all as bad as I expected...but it sure puts the steel down! Hoooeee!

I tried 240gr JHP .44 mag (American Eagle), and 246gr LRN .44 Spec (Winchester).

Both seemed accurate. Weird thing though, the magnum was hitting way LOWER on the pepper-poppers at 50 metres. Strange thing, I would have thought it would be the opposite way around. It wasn't just me either because the same thing was happening to my wife too.

My wife likes the new 44 very much, she didn't even touch the 357 the whole day. Though the space between her thumb and pointing finger is tender now she says.

The 44 specials out of this gun are very mild and very pleasant to shoot, but definitely didn't put the steel down the same as the magnum. The magnum rounds did require a more concious effort against flinching, but I still fired some good groups, sent a few cans down range, and hammered down a lot of steel. I definitely see the appeal of this round.

Now I have to stock up on reloading stuff for the new caliber I'll be reloading for. I'd like to load some hot 240gr loads to see what those are like, and then make some loads somewhere in between the 44 special and the 44 magnum loads I fired today, for everyday shooting/plinking.

Thanks for all the input on this subject, I appreciate the additional insight.
 
My take on recoil is that ALL guns are too loud and wiggle too much when you push the go-button. Handling 'recoil' then is mostly a matter of keeping the ears comfortable (I shoot all centerfires with both muffs and plugs, and when people ask me why, I answer "What???", because for years, I used just plugs,) and proper grips. S&W checkered grips with the deep, sharp edged 'gutter' around the checkering are the worst abraders of the flesh. Rubber grips make blisters. I like smooth grips, that have an oil finish...they're solid in the hand, but can slide when recoil takes over. Holding the gun properly, with a firm but not rigid grip, makes big guns more comfortable to shoot. For years I thought the .44 Magnum was a great carbine cartridge, until I started shooting silhouette with a Super Blackhawk and learned to handle the big bores. slabsides

------------------
An armed man is a citizen; an unarmed man is a subject; a disarmed man is a slave.
 
Sharpcdn, I am very glad the experience was so positive for you and your wife. What a great report that you enjoyed it so much.

One possible and probable explanation for the mag rounds hitting lower is that they have a higher velocity, causing them to exit the barrel much faster than the agonizingly slow (but pleasant) .44 Spl. round. The increased muzzle flip, therefore, has not enough time to act on the bullet causing it to hit higher. Longer barrel time would equal more elevation of the bullet as the muzzle rises.

The mag round probably isn't too far away velocity-wise from doubling the speed of the Spl. round with essentially the same weight bullet.

Again, congrats on a great gun and a positive experience.
 
Sharpcdn. Congrats on your pleasurable experiences with the .44 Mag.
Now that you plan on reloading for it, let me pass on some kinks that will help you out.
You have two sizes of .44 cartridges. Get the dies for .44 Spl. I think RCBS marks their dies 44 Spl/44 Mag. now. To save yourself the trouble of adjusting from one round to the other, make a set of spacers for your dies. Set them up for the Specials, and when you go to the Mag's, use the spacers, rather than re-adjusting the dies back and forth.
Another thing, get carbide dies. Wiping down a couple of hundred rounds of greasy brass just "ain"t no fun!" I did it for years, till I learned better.
When I load .44's, It's usually 500 at a crack, so any time saved is more than welcome.
I have several pet loads for the .44's, both Spl. and Mag. including some serious hunting loads with bullets up to 300 gr. If you are interested, E-mail me and I'll pass them on. I do not, as a rule, post load data on the forums. One of the loads for the .44 Spl. is above max for .44 Spl. guns, but is perfectly safe in a handgun chambered for the .44 Magnum.
BTW. I load for six .44 Mags. 5 Rugers and a S&W 629. They keep me busy and out of trouble. That's what my wife says anyway.
Paul B.
 
my Ruger Redhawk with intergal scope mount,
{sounds like a Ruger ad} I use a reddot sight
sighted for 25 yards is the best fungun for
hunting turkey, it has a blast the same as .357, kick is a bit heavier but depends on what load ya shoot, I shoot 180 gr. JHPs and
their sharp with recoil, 300 gr max loads are wrist benders, have fun! Elmer Keith
would be proud.:}
 
WOW,

I got to fire a Dan Wesson with a 7 or 8" bbl today. First time for that cal. Only got to do two shots since it was a class. I was told it was a fairly hot load.

THE RECOIL WAS NOT BAD.

Funny what the imaginary recoil is like...

I'm still going to get a .357. But, I was very pleased to find out that the .44 is not nearly as bad as I had imagined.

Aloha,

Dave
 
HAVING OWNED EVERY 44MAG FROM A 4" S&W 29, RUGER BLACKHAWK, REDHAWK, SUPER REDHAWK, AND DAN WESSON, TAKE IT FROM ME, RECOIL PERCEPTION VARIES FROM PERSON TO PERSON. I SOLD ALL MY 44'S AND BOUGHT A PREMIER GRADE FREEDOM ARMS IN 454 CASULL. KICK? YES. HURT YOU? NO. YOUR S&W SHOULD BE VERY NICE TO SHOOT. THE BEST THING I EVER DID FOR HEAVY CALIBER HANDGUNS IS TO BUY A SET OF SHOOTING GLOVES FROM P.A.S.T. UNCLE MIKES HAS SOME GOOD ONES TOO. THEY REALLY SAVE WEAR AND TEAR ON YOUR HANDS. OTHER MEMBERS HAVE MADE SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS ABOUT USING 44 SPECIAL AMMO OR MED. VELOCITY 44 MAG. START WITH THAT. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE IS THE WAY TO MASTER THIS CALIBER. GOOD LUCK.
 
Good Move! Your post brings back found memories. I didn't read all the posts before me so forgive if I duplicate. Do not buy 44 special ammo..do go to the range in peace without rush..in other words.. go when you can suck it all in and enjoy your 1st outing with this fine pistol in this fine caliber. Do not go to an indoor range. It will scare you! I reloaded a mess of test rounds and headed out to my local indoor range due to winter conditions- the blast,recoil, and sound scared me..thought my reloads were off! My 1st Magnum..a M19 S&W hurt me more. Those nasty hard, wood grips and my lg. hands met at the trigger guard! I thought "ooh, no wonder this is a bad caliber". Just a bad match of caliber and gun-to shooter. See my post. Luckyned. Enjoy your toy!
 
Recoil on a 44 mag handgun is around 14lbs pressure.

HJN

[This message has been edited by Harley Nolden (edited September 25, 1999).]
 
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