Quote:
Originally Posted by keithwins
I went to the range with my new to me 29-2 today, shot about 20 rounds of 44 sp and 10 rounds of 44 mag. First time I've ever shot mag, and only the second time special. Wow, I understand why so many people consider the mag a punishing round to shoot. Ouch.
I was fascinated to notice that the specials grouped about 4"higher than the mag's at 10 yards. Even when I mixed them in one cylinder, and alternated. I got pretty similar groups to my Glock G26, maybe 3"or a little worse (I've only been shooting a few months, and have mediocre eye sight... Excuses, excuses). Anyway, anyone have any similar experience? I'd done a fair bit of dry firing, familiarizing myself with the gun, so I'm fairly sure my aim and trigger control weren't changing much. The 44 mag were a tighter group, maybe even 2.5". I realize this isn't bragging territory for an 8 3/8"barrel at 10 yards! You gotta start somewhere.
Another question re: grip. I'm still working it out, and mostly I'm struggling with thumb placement right now (I'm trying everything), but what ended my range session earlier, perhaps, than otherwise, was the trigger guard smashing back into the outside of my index knuckle. My finger was pretty beat up by the time I figured out what was going on. I was working hard to get my hand high in the grips for recoil control, but the trade off was that my index finger was sort of wedged between the grip and the trigger guard. When the gun smashed backwards with recoil, my finger got hit pretty hard (numbness an hour later), just on that knuckle.
Brilliant insight welcome
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Check your grip. If you grip a Model 29 correctly, it'll NEVER hurt you. Seriously. If you feel so inclined, post a pic of how you're holding it? I'd be glad to analyze and advise. I'll bet many others here would, too.
Are you using the stock S&W grips? Switch to a set of N Frame Pachmayr Presentation target (non-finger groove) grips before you head to the range. They range in price on EBay for $25-40 depending on condition and they are extremely comfortable and effective at soaking-up recoil from Magnum loads.
I just picked these up on EBay for $29.00 with free shipping.
I used to shoot two IHMSA large bore revolver matches every other week using 100-120
very warm Magnum loads and my shooting hand was never any worse for the wear. Take the Pach's off after you get back from the range and put your nice wood grips back on for ogling purposes. That's what I do. Your shooting hand will thank you!
You've already got some good advice here. I'll step-up and also recommend .44 Special for training purposes. If you haven't considered reloading, give it a second thought. Straight-wall revolver cases are a great for beginners and .44 is one of the easiest to learn. Otherwise, look for deals online and stick with decent name brands. Freedom Munitions is great stuff but, the demand for it always exceeds the supply. I think there's only one .44 Magnum load available for order at the moment.
With the right load and practice, you can easily shoot one-hole groups with a Model 29 at 10 yards. .44 is one of the most accurate handgun cartridges ever conceived.