- Joined
- Sep 6, 2024
- Messages
- 715
- Reaction score
- 791
The older I get the less I like recoil
How do you actually enjoy a Magnum caliber revolver?
- Thread starter maxxer2
- Start date
Gunhohulk
Member
I enjoy mine with grin from ear to ear! Especially when I have a target such as a watermelon to obliterate.
To be fair though, they are enjoyed in small doses. I have a little bit of everything from .22lr up to .500 magnum. The .500 & .460 are great when you take the buddies out to just go blasting. My long barrel .44, .41, and .357’s are great for extended range sessions. The ones that start with a 4 and are under a 4” barrel length begin to get pretty snappy, but the worst of all is my M&P 340. I feel like it’s a harder shooting gun than the X-Frames in its own way.
To be fair though, they are enjoyed in small doses. I have a little bit of everything from .22lr up to .500 magnum. The .500 & .460 are great when you take the buddies out to just go blasting. My long barrel .44, .41, and .357’s are great for extended range sessions. The ones that start with a 4 and are under a 4” barrel length begin to get pretty snappy, but the worst of all is my M&P 340. I feel like it’s a harder shooting gun than the X-Frames in its own way.
I have decided to enjoy this safe queen 29-5 Classic Hunter as a shooter. From around 1991 product code 101282 with unfluted cylinder and endurance features. When I acquired this heavy 6" full lug 44 it did not have any wear marks but had been fired and was in need of cleaning. I made the mistake of putting it on consignment at LGS and after two months of sliding on the glass shelf it developed some spots of bluing wear on the cylinder and muzzle. I can't wait to take it out and make it a little more used, as that is what it was made for! 
Magnum recoil doesn't bother me. Having said that, I shoot way more 32 S&W long....just sayin.
poledorus
Member
Yes, I agree. I've found that is the case, too, with my choice of hunting rifles. Rifles I hunted with for years have ended up in the safe, replaced with lighter numbers.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2024
- Messages
- 715
- Reaction score
- 791
I sold all the big boomers like the 338 Magnum and 45 70
JohnRippert
Member
One of my favorite things is shooting 158gr .357 Magnum in my 4inch Model 19's. I like the thump to the hand it gives. K-frame target grips fit my hand perfectly and I find them more controllable than a .357 N-frame with targets. Just works for me.
xtrtsqrt11
Member
My heaviest recoiling revolver is my 340 PD. I have shot one cylinder of full house 357 with Uncle Mike's Spegal combat (3 finger) grips.
That was enough. I mostly shot mid range power level loads.
Otherwise, I don't abuse my hands and wrists with horribly recoiling loads. No arthritis yet as I approach 60 years old and 50 years of shooting.
That was enough. I mostly shot mid range power level loads.
Otherwise, I don't abuse my hands and wrists with horribly recoiling loads. No arthritis yet as I approach 60 years old and 50 years of shooting.
poledorus
Member
I am holding onto the 300 H&H, the .45-90, and the .416 Rigby for sentimental reasons...but if I take the field today, I carry a 7x64...light enough to carry all day, recoil somewhat south of a .30-06, and still a fairly effective round on most game.
gnappi
Member
I like the pickles analogy 
I never enjoyed shooting 357 or 44 magnum revolvers, although I’ve killed a few deer with them. Then I discovered the 1911 in 45acp. That’s my favorite center fire handgun. Handy, pleasant to shoot and does everything I need done with a center fire handgun.
Echo5niner
Member
My first experience shooting handguns was with my father shooting his model 29 with a full lugg 8 and 3/8ths in barrel. That gun while heavy shot really well to my 16 year old brain. Recoil wasn't bad at all with it while shooting a model 37 air weight was incredibly uncomfortable. The lesson learned that day and applied since is that if you're going to shoot magnum rounds the guns weight and grips make a huge difference. Furthermore not all magnum rounds are made the same so shoot what feels comfortable and accomplishes the goal you have. If you're shooting magnum rounds for fun theres no point in shooting loads that hurt and no shame in shooting 38spc or 44spc.
Yes
These Dan Wessons were made to shoot. My M&P 340 on the other hand isn’t fun at all…
These Dan Wessons were made to shoot. My M&P 340 on the other hand isn’t fun at all…
One round at the time.
With heavy loads, single action revolvers are much more comfortable to shoot than double action revolvers. In double action revolvers the "saw handle" grip can be painful as the web between the thumb and index finger absorbs a large part of the sharp recoil in a very sensitive part of the hand. In single action revolvers the "plow handle" grip is designed to roll back in the hand and distribute the recoil more evenly to the entire hand.
The first time I fired a Model 29 it 4" standard model which belonged to someone else. I've never found the original "plow handle" stocks to fit my hand well, or to be comfortable. So, while I enjoyed the cartridge, I didn't relish the shooting experience.
I later purchased a 3" Lew Horton Model 29-3, which has a frame that it is cut down to K Frame round but specs and came fitted with S&W combat stocks. I found it much more comfortable to hold, as well as to shoot, but it still moved around in my hand more than I wanted, owing to the smooth, slick stocks.
Fitting Pachmayr rubber finger groove grips transformed the shooting experience for me, and now I find the revolver fun to shoot, sort of like taming a dragon.
I believe that stocks make a huge difference on any handgun, and choose mine to suit my own tastes. Everyone has their own tastes, and some people just plain don't like shooting big Magnums. But if you don't mind the boom and the blast, but still aren't having fun, you might consider experimenting with various stocks/grips in hopes of finding something that allows your hand to become one with the revolver.
I know it's popular to bag on Pachmayrs because they're not as pretty as wood, but I removed the gorgeous (and comfortable) finger-groove stocks from my .22 Diamondback and my tri-tone Hi-Power in favor of Pachys, simply because they increase traction, even in the heat when my hands are sweaty.
I'm kind of amazed at the number of revolvers I see here with original stocks. I fully understand not wanting to permanently mod a beautiful old revolver, but AFAIC installing stocks/grips that fit your hand extremely well is the best thing you can do to improve your shooting experience. And keeping the originals in the box ensures they'll look their best when you refit them for glamor photos.
I later purchased a 3" Lew Horton Model 29-3, which has a frame that it is cut down to K Frame round but specs and came fitted with S&W combat stocks. I found it much more comfortable to hold, as well as to shoot, but it still moved around in my hand more than I wanted, owing to the smooth, slick stocks.
Fitting Pachmayr rubber finger groove grips transformed the shooting experience for me, and now I find the revolver fun to shoot, sort of like taming a dragon.
I believe that stocks make a huge difference on any handgun, and choose mine to suit my own tastes. Everyone has their own tastes, and some people just plain don't like shooting big Magnums. But if you don't mind the boom and the blast, but still aren't having fun, you might consider experimenting with various stocks/grips in hopes of finding something that allows your hand to become one with the revolver.
I know it's popular to bag on Pachmayrs because they're not as pretty as wood, but I removed the gorgeous (and comfortable) finger-groove stocks from my .22 Diamondback and my tri-tone Hi-Power in favor of Pachys, simply because they increase traction, even in the heat when my hands are sweaty.
I'm kind of amazed at the number of revolvers I see here with original stocks. I fully understand not wanting to permanently mod a beautiful old revolver, but AFAIC installing stocks/grips that fit your hand extremely well is the best thing you can do to improve your shooting experience. And keeping the originals in the box ensures they'll look their best when you refit them for glamor photos.
Number1gun
Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2012
- Messages
- 109
- Reaction score
- 75
How do I enjoy shooting Magnum revolvers? One round at a time!
.357 Magnum is a nice round. I had a .44 Magnum, after a few boxes of ammo I decided it was time to sell it. Slapped the palm of my hand pretty hard, and for what reason, to prove how manly I was? With gloves on it was no problem, but what's the sense of that.
Someone is enjoying that gun, or hopefully he enjoyed it for a bit. Still have plenty of .357's here.
.357 Magnum is a nice round. I had a .44 Magnum, after a few boxes of ammo I decided it was time to sell it. Slapped the palm of my hand pretty hard, and for what reason, to prove how manly I was? With gloves on it was no problem, but what's the sense of that.
Someone is enjoying that gun, or hopefully he enjoyed it for a bit. Still have plenty of .357's here.
The reason I enjoy magnum revolvers is because then there is a larger selection to choose from. If I limited myself to only non-magnum revolvers I wouldn't be able to justify 19's, 29's etc!
walkin' trails
Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,818
- Reaction score
- 1,463
Ice and ibuprofen
Well, everybody loves John Wayne! or should I say "Rooster Cogburn", and yes, I read the book! Reading this makes me a little annoyed, we are a damned neurotic bunch, some good psycho analyst could make a great case that we are all a little crazy...
My favorite calibers. As a cast bullet shooter and reloader, I can load the 357 and 44 down to a more reasonable level, and also shoot 38 and 44 special in them.
I shoot a 1960 made 28 6" (no dash) and a 1956 made 5 screw pre 29 6". The 44 has cokes and really is not pleasant to shoot with full house loads.
But you always have to run a few full house loads through them every time out....just to remind you why you load them down.
I shoot a 1960 made 28 6" (no dash) and a 1956 made 5 screw pre 29 6". The 44 has cokes and really is not pleasant to shoot with full house loads.
But you always have to run a few full house loads through them every time out....just to remind you why you load them down.
lunger
Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2016
- Messages
- 414
- Reaction score
- 570
Age , arthritis, a broken middle finger that never healed right , and carpal tunnel surgery have taken most of the fun out of magnums for me. Funny how in my youth I never even noticed the recoil.
Once in a while I will shoot a few 357 out of a 6" L frame. My 44's usually ride the safe.
I have a Taurus Ragging Bull in 44 mag that isn't to bad to shoot. Soft rubber grips, ported, and it weighs a ton. doesn't bother my hand at all. Just not as classy as a 29 and would not want to lug it around.
Once in a while I will shoot a few 357 out of a 6" L frame. My 44's usually ride the safe.
I have a Taurus Ragging Bull in 44 mag that isn't to bad to shoot. Soft rubber grips, ported, and it weighs a ton. doesn't bother my hand at all. Just not as classy as a 29 and would not want to lug it around.
sigp220.45
US Veteran
This thread caused me dig this 28-2 out of the safe and head for the range.
Big sights, smooth action, hand-filling grips - it was great, especially with wimpy .38s I shot.
Big sights, smooth action, hand-filling grips - it was great, especially with wimpy .38s I shot.
Similar threads
