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When I was teaching my daughter to shoot she didn't start getting excited till I put a .357 in her hand. She smiled when she shot my .45 1911, but she got happy when she squeezed off her first .44 mag round. This is in a Ruger Redhawk with a 4.2" barrel. She has made me promise that is the one gun I can never get rid of and she is to get it when I die.

Recoil is what you make of it.
 
I have two .44 mag revolvers.

One is a Hawes Western Marshall with a 6" barrel.
It weighs 46 oz. empty.

Single action revolvers ride up when fired. My ring finger takes a beating. I just accept it.

The other one is a Ruger Redhawk with a 2x Leopold long eye relief scope.
It has a 7" barrel and weighs 64 oz. empty (without the scope).

A pleasure to shoot.
 
Always had a hankering for a .32 Mag, but never got one. Thought that would make a great knock around chambering.
My brother and friend Gary both have 32 mags in Smith revolvers and contenders, I've loaded thousands of them on a Dillon 550 but never owned one because I want a Smith 631 which are outrageously priced when you can find one, well any Smith in 32 mag is ridiculously priced, 16's are going for over 3k.
It's a very useful caliber that is much more potent than it looks.
My wife carries a 431 I bought her.
 
I’d love a Scandium S&W J frame with a 6 shot cylinder in .327 federal magnum!

I think .327 is very underrated for a lightweight compact wheel gun. Probably far more tolerable than .357 and more potent than .38+p.
My wife had difficulty shooting a Ladysmith in 38 so I traded it in on like new used 431 at a LGS, she's deadly with it.
It's a smaller caliber but I'm thing they're not going to harmlessly bounce off anyone she shoots with it, that bullets going to leave a mark!
 
I have been considering getting a Smith and Wesson 29 for a while. The only thing that's stopping me from pulling the trigger on one is the fact it's in 44 magnum. I have shot 40s&w and 45 ACP with no problems, and love shooting 45 colt out of my Uberti cattleman. I know that you can just load specials but I'm curious how manageable the recoil is with just standard 44 magnum ammo.
itst all in your hrad if you think that then you will always be a chicken.................dpnt listen tp pthers aas i heard once it;ll crack your hand ahhahhahhah shot it and low behold noy bad,,,,,i moved up from 7 1/2 super blackhawk to model 29 silhouette SW......now shoot SW 500 have gptten two deer with it,,,,,,like said in your head but stay with Smith wesson good accurate guns
 
I have been considering getting a Smith and Wesson 29 for a while. The only thing that's stopping me from pulling the trigger on one is the fact it's in 44 magnum. I have shot 40s&w and 45 ACP with no problems, and love shooting 45 colt out of my Uberti cattleman. I know that you can just load specials but I'm curious how manageable the recoil is with just standard 44 magnum ammo.
its all in your head if you think that then you will always be a chicken.................dont listen to others as i heard once it;ll crack your hand ahhahhahhah shot it and low behold not bad,,,, moved up from 7 1/2 super blackhawk to model 29 silhouette SW......now shoot SW 500 have gotten two deer with it,,,,,,like said in your head but stay with Smith wesson good accurate guns
 
I have several .44's that I've gotten over the years. It's not uncommon to buy one that hasn't been fired much because someone thinks they want one, buys a box of factory ammo and shoots a couple cylinders and find out it's not for them.

My scoped Redhawk with Pachmyr presentation grips handles anything comfortably. The weight and the grips make a huge difference. The factory grips were a little small and hard for my hands.

My 329 pd is just plain painful with anything more than target or cowboy loads. You can get through about 1 cylinder of factory 240's, and you'll find yourself flinching the next one.

My Super Blackhawk (7.5") is somewhere in the middle, as are my other two Mod. 29's. Factory stuff to me is slightly uncomfortable, but not unmanageable. But I'd for sure start with .44 specials or milder .44 mag. loads.

The .44 Mag is a reloader's dream. I probably wouldn't have one if I didn't reload - it's awfully expensive to buy factory loads, and when you reload you can taylor the load for what you want/need. Very versatile. Starting light and working up to where you're comfortable is the trick.

I did damage an eardrum one year when I shot a deer with a factory equivalent load (and no hearing protection) . After that one and a couple others before that, I realized I didn't need that much power to kill a deer at handgun ranges. So I tried carrying my target load hunting -240 gr. LSWC's at about 900 -fps - and they still shoot completely through our small-to-medium sized deer in eastern NC, and without the blast and recoil.

My 329pd is usually always in my backpack for tracking a deer I've shot or somebody else has. or for shots right under the stand. But it always has LSWC's in it.
 
Weight is a factor for sure...those 329's take a good bit of the fun out of things. Got one cylinderful as a try with one, wasn't my idea of "fun" ...but I doubt any one buys one with thoughts of long range sessions or fun shooting in mind.
Ran the calculations once....really is much more recoil with the 329 than the 500....one of the few times that's happened.

One of the reasons I asked "What mod. 29?".

HAve to admit, the orginal style is kind of "classic S&W"...very visually appealing. BUT the newer versions are actually a bit longer-lived.

The old ones snuck up on us and got expensive....maybe not a good idea to beat one into a rattle-trap. Besides, getting the right parts to get one of the older ones repaired is getting harder and harder.

Fine to buy one....shoot it...shoot it mostly with less than maxi-max type loads.
If I were seriousl going to shoot a .44mag a whole lot with top .44mag.loads,I'dget something other than a 29.
 
Hey NorCalCowboy - let us know when you get your M29 and how it shoots for you.
By the way, my 2 29's, a 6" and an 8 & 3/8" are the two most accurate revolvers I own.
I can almost shoot them (with iron sights) as accurately as my scoped Redhawk at 50 yds. And they seem not to care what ammo you feed them.
 
When you drop the hammer on a Super Redhawk sending 300 grains of lead down range
propelled by a full charge of H110. Everyone there knows the big boys are there.
That big charge of H110 will light up a indoor range like a big strobe light.

When my son takes the Redhawk out the range officers always look to see
who is shooting the cannon!!
 
I've probably owned close to a dozen .44 Mags over the years. Four Smith 29's (6 & 8 3/8), 6-7 Ruger Super Blackhawks (all 7 1/2), 4 Ruger Super Redhawks (3 - 7 1/1 inch and one 9 1/2 inch). They are all different in feel and recoil. When I was younger, there was not a load that was too hot. :D

I did like Hogue or Pachmayr grips for the most part. Ruger makes a fitted grip now that I had on my 9.5 inch Redhawk that I really liked.

I recently took out a Ruger SBH with fairly hot loads (factory grips), and it was no longer fun. Maybe with some proper aftermarket grips it would have been more manageable, but just not for me anymore.

See if you can find someone you can borrow what you are looking at and give it a try.

All the best and good luck.
 
i had a 44 mag in ruger srh in a 7 1/2" and a whole pile of win296 and hornady 200, 240 and 300gr xtp. i'd shoot the !@#$ out of them. they were a hot handload.

i sold her and i bought a 44 mag in ruger sbh with 4 5/8" barrel. i shoot mostly 44 specials and unique(255gr keith), but if i'm up to challenge, i go to 44 mag and 280gr wfn with............................unique!!!! yes, i am a wussy. i can't do win296/h110 anymore.
 
I can empathize with not being able to handle the higher power loads. At 69 and having a very bad back there are shoulder guns that I simply cannot shoot more than a couple of times.I've never fired a 357 or 44 mag carbine but I do shoot pistols in those calibers without a problem. I would think that the added weight of a carbine would make them easy to shoot but they are held against the shoulder. I think I might like to try one if given the chance but I am not going to buy one to find out. I have 223/556, 257 Roberts, and a 7mm TCU that are enough for the medium and small game. I have used my 357 on deer successfully and I have the option of reduced loads in my 30-06 and 358 if the time comes that I can no longer handle the standard loads.

I never considered myself a wuss but I suppose with age and injury I am getting closer. ;)
 
I have a 7 1/2" SBH that I bought in the 70's before seeing any Dirty Harry movies. It was my first handgun and I love shooting the beast. Over the years I've owned a Dan Wesson, a Contender, and a Redhawk in 44mag, but never cared much for any of them. I admit I fought with the SBH when I first got it and came home with sore hands all the time, and a bloody hand more than once.

Then another shooter showed me how to hold the SBH and everything changed. I have average sized hands and I use the factory grips. The trick was to move my grip lower and curl my pinky finger below the grip. It works and feels comfortable because the SBH grips are so small. It might seem counterproductive since it moves your hand further below the line of the barrel. But with your pinky curled up below the grip the gun can't rotate up so you can relax your grip some. Then use your off hand to lift the weight of the gun. As stated, the SBH twists when it goes off, so if you use this hold and don't lock your elbow the recoil lifts and twists your hand to the point where the gun ends up halfway vertical and well left of your line of sight. The twist actually plants the grip firmly into the palm of your hand. Not ideal for a quick follow up shot, but it's a single action so what's the real difference? The grip works equally well shooting one-handed or two. I'm right handed, and would be willing to bet this way of holding the gun would be a nightmare if you were left handed. Note to self: how can you shoot a gun for 40+ years and never bother learning to shoot it left handed?

The other 44mags I mentioned all had larger grips that kept me from using this hold. As a result I never got comfortable shooting them.

Before using this hold I doubt if I ever willingly shot much more than 20 rounds at a time. I can now make it through a tray of 100 magnum loads and wish I had a few more. I've shown ladies and youth this method of holding the SBH, gave them a couple lighter practice loads, then loaded the cylinder with magnum loads. I don't recall any of them putting the gun down before it was empty.
 
Then another shooter showed me how to hold the SBH and everything changed. I have average sized hands and I use the factory grips. The trick was to move my grip lower and curl my pinky finger below the grip.
l
With my gorilla mitts I hafta do that on my Redhawk with Pachmeyer Presentation grips :eek:

RJ
 
Recoil is relative to a bunch of things

I have shot just about every caliber handgun I can think of. They all have a purpose. I have a S&W Model 629 Classic w/ 8 3/8" barrel, among other handguns. I have had several Smiths or Ruger's in 357Mag caliber as well but sold them all. I found the 357 to have a harsher recoil than most of the 44 mags I have fired. The type of frame and grips matter a lot. The Model 629 is not bad to shoot as it has a heavy but slower (in my opinion) recoil than any 357 I have had. It kind of pushes your hand back a bit slower rather than being a heavy violent jolt. But we don't buy 357's and 44's to plink with typically. They are a purpose built caliber. If you want to shoot all day then get anything from a .22 to 9MM. I can shoot my various handguns in 45 acp for long periods without discomfort if they are in a full size frame. The compacts, etc, not so much. You don't buy a 44 typically for target practice unless you are younger and far tougher than I am for sure. Decide what you want a particular caliber for and then buy it in a frame that will not unduly punish you while shooting it. I have shot numerous 44 mags in many different frames and configurations and each recoiled a bit different for me. If you want a 44mag, get one. Load it with some reduced loads or just shoot 44 special and enjoy it. You only live once, so make sure you buy what you want.
 
You have to work your way up. It's a little rough, but not anything to be afraid of. As someone mentioned above, my friends dad shot one in the 60s and he got a bloody head and knocked out for a minute. He was 7'2 and weighed about 475. I shoot the Winchester White Box in my 27oz Rossi snubbie, and while it's not exactly a pleasure, it's not bad for what it is. 10 rounds is enough though. I have no problem shooting 100 rounds of 45 hardball in a 1911, so figure about 4 times more than a 45.
 
I find it kind of fascinating how differently various shooters respond to certain grips and recoil. I had several SBH's in years past. The first one or two I outfitted with Pachmayer grips; I hated them. I spite of being rubber, they felt like they drove the recoil straight into the palm of my hand. On the other hand, the smooth, wooden factory grips felt great to me: the gun just rotated smoothly in my hand and I hardly noticed the recoil. Never had an issue with the straight-back trigger guard.

I later had a first gen SRH; the rubber grips on that gun (a .454) were some of the most comfortable grips I've ever experienced. Really absorbed the recoil well.

With the Model 29/629, I love the looks of the original large wood grips, but they're not much fun to fire. The newer factory Hogue grips are a great improvement. They're pretty comfortable; close to the SBH grips in performance.

I always reloaded for the .44 Mag. 8 gr of WW231 behind a 240 gr SWC made for a very nice shooting, comfortable, superbly accurate round at around 980 fps from an 8 3/8" barrel.
 
I love .44s
I have a s&w 69 a 296? with a 3in barrel in .44 special a colt gen 3 7.5 in barrel in .44 special. A Marlin .44 1895 the only ones that hurts after about 50 rds. is the 69 I load lee 300 gr. bullets at 1250 fps.in .44 mag half a box of them out of the 69 will wear on my hand.
Islander
 
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