keelbolts.... as Contender alludes, people are unique----an individual anatomy for the each of us. The .44 Magnum is a wonderful cartridge. Bill Ruger's first .44 Mag was built on the Blackhawk, which grip mimics the Colt Peacemaker, one of the all-time natural grips. Alas, in 1873 the Peacemaker handle wasn't obliged to tame a .44 Magnum. Talk about a knuckle-splitter, the original .44 Mag Blackhawk! Leastwise, in my hand.
The Super Blackhawk was Bill Ruger's adaptation of his nearly indestructible Blackhawk to the big forty-four. Unfortunately, the exaggerated flare of factory walnut grips accentuates roll on recoil, which may send the trigger guard into your middle finger. (Custom wood stocks should be thicker at the top.) To slow recoil roll, I use a HEAL INDEX grip, wherein the heal of my palm indexes the butt of the revolver grip. This creates an air gap between my middle finger and the trigger guard.
Pachmayr lead the way in aftermarket grip development. Uncle Mike's followed with its own, slimmer rubber stock. Steve Herrett lead the way for a wood alternative to the factory stocks.
A not-so-secret secret of the single action grip----don't fight it if you intend to shoot straight. One learns to ride recoil. Whatever your grip pressure, there cannot be any panic anywhere about it. This is where DRY FIRE comes in. Dry fire tones muscles in the coordinations requisite to CONSISTENCY. MARKSMANSHIP is a child of consistency. No gun in the world takes dry fire better than a Ruger.
And... Yes, the Dragoon trigger guard bumps my middle finger with full house .44s. Back in the raucous days of silhouette, I was about the last shooter dragged to the Pachmayr party, despite having worked the International Championship with factory walnut stocks. Today I shoot that long retired sixgun with one or another set of factory wood, and rather love it. Nostalgia, I suppose.
David Bradshaw