Can You Handle The .44 Magnum?

[CraigC]

We have to keep in mind that when the .44Mag was introduced, no one had ever shot anything like it. Even the heaviest .357 loads do not hold a candle to the .44Mag. There were very few that had even shot heavy .44Spl loads so folks had to figure out how to live with the recoil. Most were not willing to. What did not help matters at all are S&W's cheesegrater checkered stocks. What 90% of those who shot .44Mag's decided was that they did not want to do the work to become proficient with them. So it really shouldn't be any surprise at all that it gained the reputation it did. It's still a small percentage of the shooting public that are willing to deal with the recoil of the .44Mag or bigger.

 

[Rclark]

Handle the .44Mag? No problem. Like too? Not really. The Skeeter load 7.5g Unique pushing 240g SWC in .44Spec is just perfect for me. I just chrono'ed (is that a word?) mine last weekend. 1050fps average (15 rounds) out of the 5 1/2" barrel .44Spec BH. Std Dev of ~16. Very accurate load too in my revolver and will do everything I need doin' . I load 8.5g with same bullet in the .44Mag case for a pleasant shooting 44mag. I am finding in .45 Colt and the .44s, I like the 900-1000fps range of velocities for all my general purpose shooting.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

We have to keep in mind that when the .44Mag was introduced, no one had ever shot anything like it. Even the heaviest .357 loads do not hold a candle to the .44Mag. There were very few that had even shot heavy .44Spl loads so folks had to figure out how to live with the recoil. Most were not willing to. What did not help matters at all are S&W's cheesegrater checkered stocks. What 90% of those who shot .44Mag's decided was that they did not want to do the work to become proficient with them. So it really shouldn't be any surprise at all that it gained the reputation it did. It's still a small percentage of the shooting public that are willing to deal with the recoil of the .44Mag or bigger.

Craig, that pretty much is an excellent explanation. And if a relatively inexperienced shooter is not properly taught how to shoot, that turns them off even more and thus they do not wish to take the time to gain proficiency. Myself, I am willing to take a beating initially to learn to be proficient with lesser rounds. My comments about my shotgun were to explain that I first shot heavy recoiling rounds so that I would be quite used to target loads. I also get myself in the mindset that the gun will recoil quite viciously (even if I know it will not) so that the recoil turns out to be anticlimactic.

Your explanation could easily explain why manual transmissions are so unpopular over here. After bucking, stalling, and jerking a few times, as well as being unnerved by rolling backwards down a steep hill before the clutch engages, people say "to heck with it" and the reputation remains. Those like myself that are proficient with a manual will say it becomes so ingrained to shift that it is almost reflexive. After gaining a high level of competence with a big bore magnum, we tend to not even notice the recoil.

I do suspect that my ability to handle the 44 Magnum can be in no small part to my wrist strength. Before I was laid off, I worked at a job in the warehouse where I was doing a lot of lifting, loading/unloading, etc. I also worked spots on the assembly lines that required a lot more repetitive motion with my hands and wrists due to my doing very well at those spots. So I chalk those experiences up to helping prepare me for the 44 Magnum and its recoil.

 

[CraigC]

Remember when a manual transmission was "standard" and an automatic was an option with a price tag? Nowadays, the manual is the extra cost option on most vehicles that they are even available in. Proficiency with one is not something you learn in a day. It takes time and effort but most would rather just put it in drive and go. I have a somewhat unpopular opinion of anti-lock brakes and airbags. The closest I ever came to skidding off an embankment was when my ABS system couldn't figure out what to do. I'd rather rely on my own driving skill than a computer that thinks it knows what to do and will be forever grateful that I learned to drive on a four-speed without ABS. I'd love to disable the ABS on my `04 but it's got a pretty snappy automatic in it so I can live with that. Not as mushy as it is on half tons and SUV's. But I digress.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where quick and easy is the rule and few are willing to put much effort into anything. Everybody seems to want everything real cheap and right now. Equipment and gadgets make up for skill. Folks can't be bothered with actually learning how to use something with any level of proficiency. Present company excluded, of course.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

Folks can't be bothered with actually learning how to use something with any level of proficiency. Present company excluded, of course.

PREACH IT, BROTHER. PREACH IT!!!! :lol:

I do not mind taking the time to learn things. As somebody who has not shot handguns seriously (save for plinking in the late 80s) until May of 2010, I know it will take time to become an exceptional offhand shooter with my 22/45, let alone my Super Redhawk. But the biggest joy in wanting to take the same is seeing my skills improve over time! When I look at my first outings back in June 2010 with a P90 and my first time with my 22/45 last November, I can smile when I see my groups get smaller and smaller over time.

And if I have a bad run shooting, and we all do, then I take a break. I have been shooting like GARBAGE at the local trap range. So I took a little sabbatical for a month which ended up getting increased due to bad weather on the day they are open. But now I can go back with a fresh start and get back to improving my skills.

 

[FergusonTO35]

.357 Magnum in a GP-100 is my personal limit. I have tried the .44 Magnum out of a SRH and, while it wasn't horrible, just didn't appeal to me. I suspect I would enjoy the .44 Special and .45 Colt out of a full size revolver, just never had the opportunity to try one. I've always been a fan of Magnum revolver cartridges out of lever action carbines. My Marlin 1894 with full power .357 handloads is lots of fun and easy to shoot. If I encounter an 1894 in .44 at a semi-reasonable price I'll likely pick it up.

 

[frogger]

The op wrote: "Lyman 429421 bullet cast hard over 22 grains of 2400 powder, and some blackpowder"
Huh, 22 grs of 2400 is a max load (it purty near tore the gun from my hand)+ blackpowder? only 1400 fps?
gramps

You need to go back and re-read the beginning of the original post. He was quoting an article written in 1972. The loading data is nearly 40 years old.

 

[gramps]

The op wrote: "Lyman 429421 bullet cast hard over 22 grains of 2400 powder, and some blackpowder"
Huh, 22 grs of 2400 is a max load (it purty near tore the gun from my hand)+ blackpowder? only 1400 fps?
gramps

You need to go back and re-read the beginning of the original post. He was quoting an article written in 1972. The loading data is nearly 40 years old.

So how does the data being 40 years old make a difference. Black powder is blackpowder and 2400 is still reasonably the same? Mixing them sounds, well, explosive!
gramps

 

[J Miller]

The op wrote: "Lyman 429421 bullet cast hard over 22 grains of 2400 powder, and some blackpowder"
Huh, 22 grs of 2400 is a max load (it purty near tore the gun from my hand)+ blackpowder? only 1400 fps?
gramps

You need to go back and re-read the beginning of the original post. He was quoting an article written in 1972. The loading data is nearly 40 years old.

So how does the data being 40 years old make a difference. Black powder is blackpowder and 2400 is still reasonably the same? Mixing them sounds, well, explosive!
gramps

gramps,
The actual quote:
"Knowing how proud Elmer was of his new cartridge, I ran similar test of my own. I found that Keith was, if anything, understanding the case for the stopping power of the factory .44 Magnum load. At a friend's slaughter plant I compared the effect of the Remington load, a handload comprised of the Lyman 429421 bullet cast hard over 22 grains of 2400 powder, and some blackpowder, and some black-tipped, armor piercing .30-06 stuff fired from a bolt-action rifle. "
looks to me as if he was comparing many different loads. The Keith load of 22 grs 2400 as well as some black powder loads, and AP -06 loads. I didn't read it as a mixed load of a black powder and 2400.

Joe

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I wonder what he would have said about my son's 480 vaquero.

 

[batmann]

I find the .44M just about my limit on handguns, but do love to shoot 'em! I have several including a couple of Smiths and my favorite, a Flatltop (50th) in .44M. I much prefer to shoot my .44 Special Flattops, but hard to beat a good .44M.

 

[bigbill]

If you like the 357mag and don't like the recoil on the 44mag i would look at the 41mag. With my 5 1/2" barrel and my 7 1/2" barrel on my redhawks i do notice that the longer 7 1/2" barrel has less recoil and is a pleasure to shoot too over the 5 1/2" barrel. Seeing / feeling this tells me the more weight up front on the barrel makes less recoil at the rear with the 44mag. But most shooters still have the 41mag option too. Bill

 

[dougader]

The first time I fired a 44 mag it was from a then-new SBH with the 4-5/8" barrel; a Samsom 240 grain jsp if I recall. I didn't like it at all.

The last time I fired a 44 mag S&W 629, 4" bbl with a 240 gr swc at 1200 fps), it was after a chrono session with the 454 Casull SRH and handloads pushing a 335 grain Cast Performance WLNGC slug at 1428 fps.

Well, shooting the 44 mag after some 454's makes the 44 mag seem like a cake walk.

 

[Rodfac]

Gramps, et al, Keith's 22 gr load of 2400 behind a 240-250 gr SWC, hard cast, was his standard load....it did not mix blackpowder in with the 2400. Today's version of 2400 is slightly faster than that available in the 50's, and 22 gr of the newer version produces significantly more pressure indications in MY GUNS. My range notes go back to the early 60's and to produce similar velocities, I now use 20 gr of MODERN 2400. Rodfac

 

[bowfishn]

I got my first 44mag in 1975 a 7.5" SBH, started handgun hunting and switched to the 10.5" SBH, then around 1981 I got a 7.5" Redhawk, then a 9.5" SRH , later I went to the 454 in the SRH with the 9.5" barrel used to shoot a 310gr cast bullet with gas check from a Mountain Moulds custom designed mould ahead of 32.5 grains of H110 (my 18 year old daughter handled shooting that load just fine) It shot well 5/8" 25 yard 6 shot groups, (scoped from sand bags) and could hit 2 out of 3 clay pigeons at 200 yards. (scoped from sand bags) Sold all my loading and casting equipment as well as my handguns to invest more money and time in my business. Did not hunt for a couple years, but when it was time to get another handgun, I chose the 44 mag in the 9.5" SRH, because it was cheaper to load without casting my own bullets and it had all the power I needed to take any game I would hunt out to 150 yards. Also it is very mild to shoot.

 

[Bucks Owin]

I wonder what he would have said about my son's 480 vaquero.

What am I missing here? .480 Vaquero? :?

An aside, I have a little HS .22WMR derringer that bucks kinda briskly. Don't see how folks shoot anything bigger from a like sized gun! :shock:

 

[Pal Val]

I've been shooting .44 magnums for over 20 years. So far, no ill effects. My advice to a new shooter is - Make sure the grip fits your hand and avoid textured finishes. The grip should slip a bit on firing, and checkered grips act on your skin like a file on wood. No good.

 

[Swampbilly_2]

For me, it depends on the gun. I've shot several .44 Magnums, with mixed results.

A ten-inch barrelled, scoped T/C Contender with hot 240-grain JSP handloads - an acquaintance's deerhunting gun and load - was actually pleasant to shoot. Recoil was somewhat stiff but quite manageable; more of a smooth upwards shove than a violent snap.

On the other hand, the same load out of a stock Ruger Redhawk, with the skinny magna-style grips, frikkin' HURT. I've had worse recoil experiences - such as my one and only outing with a pistol-gripped shotgun, a twelve-gauge Mossberg Persuader with 3" magnum shells - but not many. Actually, I think that Redhawk was a close second... :lol:

Given my druthers, I prefer to shoot that round out of a lever-action rifle. For handguns, .357 or .44 Special will do everything that I need...and I just love my Lipsey's .44 SPL Blackhawk.

Couple of tips :

On the 44 Magnum, I found investing in a pair of shooting gloves, with gel pack shock absorbers in the palm, greatly reduce hand or wrist discomfort after shooting range sessions.

On that pistol grip shotgun...invest in a Knox Recoil Reducing pistol grip...or stock. Makes a big difference.

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

The two calibers that cause damage all out of proportion within their range are the 243 Win and 44 mag.

I use Gunfighter Grips on my Vaqueros and they do the trick, way better than factory. I've had every 44 rifle made and my favorite is a stainless handi rifle with red dot.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

That said, nobody could hyperbole like skeeter.