FIRST TIME....!!!

[Johnnu2]

It's hard to believe, but over the many, many decades of buying/selling/shooting, I never fired a honest-to-God factory .44 Magnum round. I owned many S&W Mod.29's but just passed them thru for the money I could make on them. During my 'macho years', I found a hot loaded Ruger OM 45Colt could push a (250 gr.) jacketed bullet 1300fps, so I figured, who needs anything else. Truth be told, I never needed that either, but I still own it. Fast forward to last year (IIRC), I bought my OM FT (7 1/2" bbl) in 44 Mag. I hand load so we've been able to enjoy each other in "our" senior years. Then, last Sept. I got a birthday present of some factory (Fiocchi) 44 Mag. ammo, and this past Tuesday, fired off my first 5 rounds of the big (to me) boomers just so I could experience the recoil of the round formerly known as the most powerful (handgun) in the world (I paraphrased Clint). I was actually able to hit my 25 yd. 'slow fire' target shooting off hand and standing (to be sure I didn't hurt myself). Probably will never fire the rest of that box (although, one never knows, do one?). Overall, it was a good experience that was long overdue. I'm happy...!!

J.

 

[rugerguy]

well good for you sorry it took you so long, we did it 50 years ago, BEFORE the Dirty Harry movie and thought not a lot about it as we preferred 22s, 38s and 45s way more, yes did bring back some memories though,,so again good for you.....
and yes that is a fine looking Ruger !!!

 

[KIR]

Greetings from Sparks, NV. Good shootin' to ya and STAY SAFE!

 

[mr.deerstalker]

and you should be!

 

[contender]

That's a NICE,, AND hard to get OM .44!

As for never shooting that caliber in a factory round,, well, better late than never. Now you can say; "I'm glad I did",,, instead of having a regret and saying; "I wish I had!"

 

[Jeepnik]

My first.44 mag round was fired from my first model 29. Still have the Smith.

 

[larry8]

Took my redhawk to the range with a box of 44 cal. I figured the kick would be rather stout, but when I shot it the kick nearly knocked me backwards out of the shooting stall. Needless to say I'll keep that gun as a safe queen.

 

[jimbo1096]

Congratulations and I'm like you, I've retired my 44m but will continue the 44 special as one of my favorite rounds. You should try that in the FT.

 

[arcticruger]

Nothing wrong with shooting factory 44 magnum ammo. Even though I am set up to reload 44 mag, I have mostly shot factory 44 mag rounds of various flavors for the last 44 years (see what I did there ). I shoot a lot of .44 mag. Next to .22 and .45 it’s probably my 3rd most used round of late with 5.56 (and at one time .30 carbine) vying for that spot.

IMHO, the old Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag with the 7.5” barrel is still the easiest handling, best shooting .44 mag out there.

 

[contender]

"Took my redhawk to the range with a box of 44 cal. I figured the kick would be rather stout, but when I shot it the kick nearly knocked me backwards out of the shooting stall. Needless to say I'll keep that gun as a safe queen."

While I fully understand this statement,, as an instructor,, I feel a bit frustrated when I see or hear such comments.

Why?

Because when a person is given proper instruction on HOW to shoot a heavy recoiling handgun,, it can be nothing like what is shared here. I have had 10-11 year old kids, and 80ish year old ladies who have been able to shoot a .44 mag w/o those kinds of results.

Now,, before larry8 & maybe others say I'm wrong or anything,, I'll also say I've had some folks who try it,, with proper instruction, and still prefer to not shoot them anymore. But they don't get "nearly knocked out of the stall" either.

What I have seen all too often is people trying to shoot something without proper instruction, that have a poor stance, poor gripping method, wrong grips, (size or shape) wrong arm position, or such that it does cause a bad experience. Even when they expect recoil or such,, (and this can contribute to the response as well,) if approached wrongly,, can cause issues.

My point to my reply here is MAYBE,,, just MAYBE a better result could be achieved if a person is unfamiliar with something,, for them to get proper instruction before attempting something.

I'm not trying to be offensive,, just adding a lot of years experiences to be put forth.

 

[Shamus2022]

When I bought my first Blackhawk (SN 23xx) in 1957 it came with a box of truly original .44 factory rounds....Winchester 240 gr Lubaloy advertised as over 1500 fps. Only 3 rds fired. I fired 2 more and used the rest making bets and money with the uninitiated. I still have the empty box and the gun. Absolute wrist breakers. I soon learned to reload Keith bullets to 1100 fps and call it a day... and 99% of my shooting has been with assorted Specials and Russians. I have shot just about everything here (in VT) and have found even Russians at 770 fps and Specials at 900 fps to be more than adequate. Made a lot of money betting no one could put 5 rds on the paper at 25 yds with those Lubaloys.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I've been shooting .44 magnums since 1976, and I'm not sure that I've ever fired a factory load. Fairly sure I have not, if I did it was something someone gave me. Certain I've never bought a box of .44 mag factory ammo. I have fired thousands of rounds of factory equivalent handloads, including Elmer's 22 grs of 2400, but in recent years have backed that down to 20.5 grains. That still runs over 1200 fps out of my 6.5" model 29 or 7.5" flattop. Enough.

 

[roarindan51]

those factory loads are what I call "self defense loads". Like the 45-70 in a carbine.

 

[Johnnu2]

those factory loads are what I call "self defense loads". Like the 45-70 in a carbine.

I call'em "self destruction" loads

J.

 

[larry8]

Well I'm a lightweight and have been shooting guns for the last 40 years. It's just a little too powerful a round for me to handle.

 

[NC FNS]

I generally shoot bunny-fart reloads, but some of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen came right after someone’s first shot with factory or very warmly reloaded .44 mag…. I always keep some factory loads around just for that purpose.

 

[freakindawgen]

https://www.remington.com/handgun/umc-handgun/29-23744.html
Doesn't anyone shoot these? Lighter bullet cuts recoil down.

 

[Hankus]

https://www.remington.com/handgun/umc-handgun/29-23744.html
Doesn't anyone shoot these? Lighter bullet cuts recoil down.

Not when you push them to 1610 FPS!!

 

[contender]

"Well I'm a lightweight and have been shooting guns for the last 40 years. It's just a little too powerful a round for me to handle."

Understood.

And you have a valid point. Many people just don't care for,, or feel comfortable with shooting more powerful ammo.

But I've also seen quite a few who had a wrong grip, posture or whatever that caused more felt recoil than necessary. Without seeing you shoot,, I can NOT say that's why a .44 mag about knocked you out of the stall. I was just trying to point out that improper shooting techniques can cause issues,,that can be avoided. Don't want anyone hurt by such stuff.

Your posting brought to mind the idiots who put a .44 mag in the hands of a new, young, female, or whatever type w/o proper instruction,, and laugh when it kicks the fire outta them. Heck,, even my own Miss Penny had a bad experience when her 1st hubby had her shoot a gun that kicked her hard. So,, when she finally got around to asking me to teach her to shoot,, we went slow,, using very mild .38's (her demand,, as she was scared of "magnum" anything,) in a Security-Six .357 mag. After several sessions,, and she discovered she could shoot,, and got her posture, stance, gripping, sight alignment, trigger control etc all doing good,, I slipped in a .357 mag round. She fired a couple of 38's, fired the magnum, then fired another .38. She stopped & said; "Hey,, one of those sounded funny!" I smiled & said,, "You didn't feel anything different?" She said,, well, I don't think so. I informed her of how one round was an actual .357 Mag. She realized her fear was unfounded, and asked me to load up some more. Before I did,, I explained how proper instruction & training up to that point had mitigated felt recoil. She realized how her idiot ex-hubby had once again, treated her badly.

Bad habits, such as improper gripping, bad stance, poor posture, improper fit of a gun, poor trigger control, all can have a negative effect. And even worse,, if you have a bad habit AND spend a lot of time duplicating that bad technique,, you develop a motor memory skill that is hard to re-train your brain against. Ask me how I know,,,,,,!

My posting is not directed at larry8,, but mostly hoping to help anybody who may feel they can't handle heavier recoiling handguns etc,, or even worse,, have a bad experience & wish to overcome it. Just pointing out that anyone can have issues,, but most can be overcome.

 

[XP100]

Shot Many rounds from my S&W Trail Boss 44 Mag. Factory or my reloads were stout. Recoil was more than managable. saving the reloads I have hoping powder prices come down. I have about 6000 primers and several hundred bullets + a mold and lots of lead if I need it.

 

[larry8]

OK, I was just saying that "when I shot it the kick nearly knocked me backwards out of the shooting stall", as to emphasize just how powerful the 44 felt to me. Obviously I didn't fall out of the stall, just saying that the kick was very strong that's all.

 

[Randyzzz]

I’ve shot plenty .44 Mag and .44 Spcl out of my Super Blackhawks. But I’ve never felt anything as pleasurable to shoot as .44 Spcl out of my new 4 5/8” flattop with one of Ronnie’s Gripframes.

 

[txramfan]

Second handgun I bought was a Super Blackhawk with a 7 1/2 " barrel. Recoil didn't bother me, getting my knuckle smacked did. Didn't matter how I adjusted my grip . I know I fired less than 100 rounds of factory ammo before I sold it to friend .

 

[Randyzzz]

I'm fitting a bit of a unique gripframe to my NM Super currently…should help with the knuckle bit-

 

[Paul B]

I probably had one of the first .44 mag. to hit San Francisco way back when the m29 was issued. I worked in a gun store part time and this older gentleman came in and trade a "registered" S&W in on the then very new M29 .44 mag. I snapped up the "registered" mag for the $75.00 allowed plus as a trade in plus $10 for profit..
The following Sunday I was with friends at the range when the old gentleman showed ready and raring to shoot his new .44. He'd noticed that I had his old gun and asked how I liked it. I said it was a sweetheart and I Iiked it a lot. I really did.
He proceeded to load the .44 and fired a shot. He then set the gun down and saaid something to the effect that the gun really kicked hard. Much more than he expected. He proceeded to fire five more rounds and frankly said to me, "I think this is too much gun for me.? I asked to try it which he allowed me to do and yes, it did kick quite hard but those were the days when I felt hard kicking guns were a challenge to be met and conquered I told him that I liked it and probably will buy one once I get the money up. He then asked me if I would trade his old .357 Mag. back to him for the .44 and I jumped on it. That .44 is long gone for one reason of another and to this day I regret letting that "registered"magnum go as they have a pretty high value these days.
Paul B.

 

[peachhead]

What is this "factory ammo" you speak of

 

[KIR]

ya see, there is this factory and you can shoot your ammo at it!

 

[WV460hunter]

I have shot thousands of rounds of 44 mag. Started with a 22mag then .357 44 mag Was mild so I moved up to .454 after that I went to 460. I actually want a 500 but ain't had the extra cash lately.
I said that to say . I worked my way up through the years was an LEO for 10 yrs. Shot thousands of rounds of 357,40S&W , 45ACP
Taken lots of deer with 44(ruger),454(ruger)(& Taurus)&460(BFR)
I am gonna side with Contender on this one . With proper grip and technique they are very manageable. Barring any restraints like arthritic hands bad wrist etc..

 

[Hankus]

I'm fitting a bit of a unique gripframe to my NM Super currently…should help with the knuckle bit-View attachment 47970

I personally prefer the Bisley grip frame with my heavy caliber revolvers. I’ve never really had any issues with .44 Magnum or heavy .45 Colt loads. My SRH in .454 Casull is a handful, but recoil is still manageable.

 

[s4s4u]

Not the best handle for magnum loads on that revolver. Swap it over to a Bisley and it will be a much more enjoyable experience, IMO.