My day job is as a registered and licensed occupational therapist (OTR) with advanced credentials as a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT). I like to think I'm pretty good at it.
Your hands are going numb shooting a very light gun with perhaps unnecessarily powerful ammunition. Hello...Earth to Packard.
Permanent damage is on the way, and will probably involve a confrontation with a masked man with a knife and a needle in a well-lit room.
The M63 is a good idea for any number of reasons. Just buy it. I love mine. Even then, reduced loads, gloves, new/different grips, perhaps re-thinking your carry options/platform and hand strengthening are all things to be considered. Like, now.
Good advice Murdock.... I switched grips on my 340PD after shooting 20 rounds of .357 mag through it when I first bought it. I found the Pachmayr grips help to reduce the shock factor to my hand.
What type of hand exercise do you recommend to strengthen arthritic hands?