Truth be told, it wasn't the .44 that put the hurt on me - it was 80 rounds of 45-70.

Those 420g boolits at 1650fps were not a party as were the 350's which were only marginally less punishing at 1800fps.

I can see why trapdoor loads are so popular.

I was piling on with the .44. I only shot 42 of those - 265g @ 1800fps and a plastic butt pad. My 1894 is a 1978 manufacture and that's the way they came. While it has force, I don't find the .44 too bad and I also shoot specials in it - just not yesterday. Specials are like a black powder load with almost no recoil and real downrange authority. Very nice.