gun weight in 3 inch barrel where you feel shooting .357 magnum felt recoil is accept

C

chrisintexas

New member
what would be the gun weight in 3 inch barrel revolver where you feel shooting .357 magnum felt recoil is acceptable? Is there a weight where felt recoil goes down significantly? thanks.
 
In my limited experience "good" grips are more important than more weight.

I had two .357s, a 39oz 6" M-19 with factory wood grips, and a 22+oz 2 1/8" M-60 with UM's Combat grips.

The same .357 loads were much more comfortable to shoot from the M-60.
 
What feels acceptable to me might not for you and this can depend a lot on experience. I think you should look for the heaviest gun that you can comfortably carry then go from there.
357 mags have a lot of recoil when you get into light guns but with enough practice you can get over the recoil.
Is this for SD or just the home and target?
For the 357 I would not go less than a Ruger 101 or 100 then get a good set of grips that fit your hand. If the mags are too much then stuff it with +P 38’s.
 
If the barrel length and ammunition are the same then the larger, heavier framed gun will move less movement under recoil since more energy is spent moving the greater mass. For example - let's say 100lbs of force moves an object weighing 10lbs 5 feet in 1 second, that same amount of force will move a lighter object further and a heavier object shorter distances in the same amount of time. So, a 3" large frame revolver weighing 45oz will move less under recoil than a 3" small frame revolver weighing 15oz when shooting the same load. Frame geometry and grip shape and material will make a difference in how the recoil feels to the shooter - rubber grips will absorb some of the impact where wood will not, etc. - but that doesn't change the physics of force vs mass.

Beyond that it is what you, the shooter, are comfortable with. I don't mind shooting my 327NG with full house magnum loads, I don't enjoy it, but I don't mind it. Put that same ammo in a 6" steel M27 and I'll shoot it all day and have a good time doing it.
 
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I have a Ruger LCR, and a couple Ruger SP101s and a GP100. Shooting full power 357s out of the 17 oz LCR isnt pleasant. From the 25 oz. 2" SP101, they are much better, and from the 40 oz. 4" GP100, they are mild. So somewhere between 17 oz and 40 oz is your answer.
 
I'd say a 30+oz. K-frame would be the minimum for my comfort.

My personal preference is to get the heaviest gun I can easily handle.
 
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