[Bezoar]

I just read some old, but nice reviews of Taurus Trackers from Shooting Times by Dick Metcalf.

He kept saying the Titanium revolvers in 357 and 41 magnum have less recoil and are easier to control then the identical gun in steel using the same cartridge.

This does not make much sense to me, he used this bit of wisdom to prove it to the non-pistoleer:
Its easier and alot less painfull to stop and redirect the swing of a plastic wiffle ball bat then it is to stop and redirect a swing from a louiseville slugger.

Is a titanium, 23 ounce gun using full power 347/41/44spl/44magnum ammunition going to be easier to control and have less recoild then the normal 30-38 ounce steel version with the same ammunition?

[Nightcrawler]

Is a titanium, 23 ounce gun using full power 347/41/44spl/44magnum ammunition going to be easier to control and have less recoild then the normal 30-38 ounce steel version with the same ammunition?

No.

Recoil is the result of physics. The explosion in the cartridge forces the bullet down the barrel at a high rate of speed. The reaction to this is the gun is pushed in the opposite direction, into your hand.

The more the gun weighs, the less the amount of recoil generated will move it (and thusly, the less the gun itself will recoil). The more mass you have, the more energy it takes to move it.

The analogy given isn't an accurate one. Imagine instead that someone is trying to push someone else down. The pusher runs at full speed and charges into the push-ee. If the pusher is an 85 pound adolescent girl and the push-ee is a 265 pound linebacker, he's not going to fall down. The linebacker has so much mass that the energy the girl can generate isn't enough to have a substantial effect.

Replace the linebacker with a 30-pound toddler and he might get hurt.

[Antihero]

Is a titanium, 23 ounce gun using full power 347/41/44spl/44magnum ammunition going to be easier to control and have less recoild then the normal 30-38 ounce steel version with the same ammunition?

Supposedly this has something to do with the fact that you have less weight in motion with titanium than steel. I imagine it means that the titanium has a sharper shorter recoil.

In my experience though the Taurus Grippers and porting does considerable cutdown on felt recoil. I have a M44C which is a steel 2 1/2 barreled 44mag and the recoil isnt anywhere near bad. In fact its pretty close to the felt recoil of my Redhawk.

[Nightcrawler]

A heavier gun will have more momentum; that means, once it's in motion, it takes more energy to slow it down. This is why you can run full speed into the side of your house and you'll just hurt yourself and fall down. A two ton truck moving at the same speed will likely crash through the wall.

Thing is, though, the gun is grasped in your hand. Regardless of weight, the recoil force is going to be transfered into your hand; if you have a firm grip, the gun isn't going to slap against your hand as if it were thrown.

[bakert]

I've read some very good articles by Dick Metcalf but have got to disagree with his reasoning here.(maybe the old gentleman has been sniffing the fumes from too many powder cans) Although the grips make a lot of difference in felt recoil on some guns, lighter guns kick harder in .357 and for damned sure in.44 mag.

[Bezoar]

thanks for the help everyone. At least i know im not tooo uneducated on recoil.

[miko]

Dick Metcalf might have had a point. You see, there is a difference between the physical recoil and a perceived recoil.

When I shoot 38 out of my steel J-frame 3" model 60, I perceive recoil and muzzle rise.
When I shoot 357 out of same model 60, I perceive a more solid push and much more significant muzzle raise.


Now, when I shoot 357 in my 12-ounce J-frame scandium 340, the excruciating pain precludes me from perceiving anything. When I come back to my senses - in a fraction of a second, my gun is pointing back on target and I have no recollection of the push, muzzle rise or anything else. :rolleyes:

miko

[Majic]

Its easier and alot less painfull to stop and redirect the swing of a plastic wiffle ball bat then it is to stop and redirect a swing from a louiseville slugger.
That is true but no other force is being directed at the bats. Now trying a fastball with the bats and notice the difference. Firing the cartridge is like hitting the fastball rather than just waving the handgun around in the air like the bats were done above.

[DMK]

Its easier and a lot less painfull to stop and redirect the swing of a plastic wiffle ball bat then it is to stop and redirect a swing from a louiseville slugger.His analogy is wrong (I assume he's talking about getting hit with a bat and not hitting a ball with one, which would be an even worse analogy). Plus a plastic wiffle ball bat deforms and absorbs some of the impact.

Now a lighter bullet would be less painful than a heavier one assuming the same energy spent moving it (125gr .357 vs. 180gr.)

[Iggy]

Now, when I shoot 357 in my 12-ounce J-frame scandium 340, the excruciating pain precludes me from perceiving anything. When I come back to my senses - in a fraction of a second, my gun is pointing back on target and I have no recollection of the push, muzzle rise or anything else.


:evil: :D