High volume magnum shooting?

[Nick_C_S]

I didn't read every response, but keep in mind that some people are recoil junkies. I know this, because I used to be one of them.

I used to take my 44 Mag to the range weekly and put about 150 full-throttle rounds downrange every trip. Sometimes shooting at silhouettes (100 yds, open sights - back when I could see and I didn't shake); but mostly just shooting at paper.

These days, I rarely shoot my 44 Mags; and when I do, it's almost always 44Spl ammo. I may end my day with a cylinder full (or two) of Mags - just for the novelty of it.

In short, different strokes for different folks.

 

[Bob Wright]

I've shot heavy handloads ad full power factory Magnums back in the day when I was hunting and also interested in long range revolver shooting. Now I'm pretty much limited to paper punching so use much tamer stuff for that. I do practice often with moderate stuff of personal protection, a .45 caliber 250 gr. bullet at around 1,000 F.P.S.

But when using heavy loads, it was not for the recoil effect, but for the power and accuracy of the gun/load. As to any physical damage, I've yet to experience that.

Bob Wright

 

[reddog81]

Thanks a lot guys. I should have mentioned i was referring more to the sbh, raging bull, 629 style field/hunting revolvers. CCW style guns i can totally understand. Thanks again

IMO CCW guns are the worst. I'd rather be shooting my S&W 460 XVR than my 325 PD in 45 ACP. Once proficient the with small/lightweight CCW guns any additional shooting is voluntary as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW I mainly shoot 9mm and .38 Special so I get the concept of sticking with the easy to shoot loads but I also bring out the hand cannons from time to time. It's just something different and adds some excitement into the mix.

 

[Bob Wright]

timothy75 asked:

Were you competing with that 45 Bob?

No, Sir. I used that .45 in developing some .45 Colt loads as well as .45 ACP ammunition. Also used it for comparing grip styles, Super Blackhawk, Blackhawk, and Bisley. Also did some long range shooting with the gun.

Bob Wright

 

[upstate81]

Cause its fun?

 

[Nanuk]

Wild cat, yep lifelong shooter and competition shooter. The 686 no dash was purchased in 1984, that is 37 years ago and used in competition for a long time, it also served as my duty gun for several years. It would see 1000 rounds a month for several years.

Just because you can't does not mean other don't.

 

[wild cat mccane]

Yep. I agreed. But the average to above average shooter isn't shooting cases like 9mm.

A non competition person who hasn't owned a revolver for 30 years vs anyone trigger happy at the range with an auto

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

[...]
An N frame S&W is, for me, great in .357 and too light for comfort in .44 Mag. Certainly eminently usable, but not comfortable with full magnum ammo.
[...]

My 5" 629 Classic (full-underlug) .44mag DOES feel comfortable to me, with full-spec 240gr Underwoods in it. That is because I use a very unusual shooting technique. I use a VERY relaxed grip, and with relaxed and flexed elbows, and relaxed shoulders. I also stand up straight in a relaxed posture, with my feet equidistant from the target. The result is that when the round goes off, the recoil just gets soaked up by the mass of my arms, and none of the JOLT gets transferred to any part of my body, because I'm not resisting the recoil. The muzzle ends up vertical, though, and that has gotten me kicked off of two different indoor ranges (for violating the rule of keeping the muzzle pointing down-range). It works so well for me, though, that I'm not willing to give it up. I also exclusively shoot single-action, and I cock the hammer with my weak thumb as the muzzle is coming back down, so the high muzzle rise doesn't really slow me down very much. I DID replace the factory grips with the X500 grips, so that also helps some with the recoil. But most of the credit goes to the relaxed shooting style.

As far as the idea of shooting mostly low-powered ammo for practice, I found out there is a downside to that. When I first got my 4" 686 (a couple of years before getting the 629), I planned to just shoot a few .357mags every session, with the rest being low-powered .38special American Eagles. What I found was that, when I was initially shooting only full-spec .357mags, I became completely accustomed to the recoil, with no tendency to flinch, but after changing strategy and shooting mostly .38specials, the .357mags suddenly felt harsh and I started to flinch again. After that, I decided to shoot ONLY full-spec magnum loads, in both guns. Because of that, they now always feel mild to me, and I have no tendency to flinch.