Wounded by the 44 Magnum...

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ChefJeff1

ChefJeff1

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the most powerful handgun in the world.

So, I was shooting some .357, 30-30 and some .22 today.
I was just finishing up and cleaning up my trash and collecting my target holder when someone pulls up. He gets out of his truck and we chat for a minute. He says he is going to shoot his 44 mag, a 629-8 4". I said I never shot one of those even I did shoot one once hoping he'd let me shoot it. He let me shoot it alright. He shared almost a full box with me, what a cool dude. It was fun, I liked it. However, on the last shot I don't know what I did but I got my thumbnail ripped off. I think it got caught on the latch. It hurts a lot and here is a pic. Thanks, Jeff Ps. I want one more than ever now...
 

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nice pic chefjeff1. just wait till you load it up, aim with a normal bent-elbow grip and crack yourself in the forehead with the front sight. doesn't feel good and bleeds a lot. best durn shoot'in there is!

murf
 
don't be afraid of it. just respect it and keep a firm grip before and after the shot. it's all good!

murf
 
Is your whole nail gone or just the corner piece. I don't know how you did that but it looks painful. I've shot a 50 cal many times and never had anything close to that happen. That's weird.
 
Just the corner. It was hanging on there but I yanked it off...better sooner than later. I enjoyed shooting the 44 mag, I guess it was just one of those things.

It is now the next gun on my list:evil:
 
NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD CALL MY 44MAG A PLINKING GUN.

but with the 454, 460, 500, 50ae.

ain't nothing to it anymore
 
i have always shot with my right armed straight and my left arm bent holding the gun in my right hand. i've heard people poopoo this way of shooting but i've never been injured by my gun.

after looking at my revolvers, the only way i can think of you getting an injury such as that is if your thumb caught on something in front of the grip as it was recoiling. when i shoot i keep my thumb kind of tucked in which keeps it out of the way.
 
Everybody needs a blued S&W 29 that's old enough to have original wood grips.

I'm 52 years old, 5' 9", 180lbs, and not exactly a studly dude. They're really not that hard to shoot without hurting yourself. :neener:

Les
 
I allways felt a heavy hot 357 load, say a 180gr at around 1275fps in a mid frame revolver had more twist and kick than a full house 44 240gr at 1400fps in the average full sized frame when the barrels are the same lenght. even the 300gr loads seem to push ,not snap.
 
Was it next to the cylinder gap? There are some serious gasses that leak out of there, especially with a .44 mag. I don't know how experienced of a pistol shooter you are, but I have to stop someone twice because they didn't know how to shoot a revolver (or any pistol for that matter). Just saying, injuring from that IS possible. Putting your finger there could easily take off your whole nail and/or give you a serious "slice."
 
Wow! thats strange. Iv'e shot two 44's at one time, a Vaqero in one hand and a Blackhawk in the other. Took me three tries to hit the phone book 10ft in front of me. It was a blast ( pun intended ).
 
Yeah, they are fun guns to shoot.

Without seeing how you were holding the gun at the time there's no way to know what caught you on the recoil and caused the injury. But it doesn't seem like a cylinder gap gas cutting injury to me. More like you had your thumb in a spot that it just caught the edge of the nail on a part of the gun due to holding it wrong.

I like a high hold in the grip and with the S&W 629 this means the cylinder catch button rips at my right hand thumb back around the knuckle. If I had one of my own I'd have to either modify my grip slightly to a lower hold or do something about the rear edges of the release button.
 
The 44 Mag. may not be the king of the hill anymore but you still gotta love it. Look at the the bullets and the different loads.It will kill anything I'm going to be hunting 2 or 4 legs. I bought My Super Blackhawk in 78 I love that gun.I load 300gr,240,gr,185gr and 255gr Keith SWC.
 
I`ll go with the cyl release theory or the nail caught up under the corner of the big wood target style grips , theres no injury on the thumb itself just the corner of the nail ripped off.

I chewed up my thumb knuckle purty good on my cuz`s 29 1 time . It`s always amazed me how shooters (me included & at the front of the line) will grip a handgun comfortably but the grip not neccasarily be correct/safe or work !!!!
 
From the sound of things it appears your shoot'n friend was loading up some super hot loads. I've never had a 44 mag. jump so hard it ended up over my head. A 454 Casull? You bet, but never a 44 mag.
 
ChefJeff1 said:
the most powerful handgun in the world.

So, I was shooting some .357, 30-30 and some .22 today.
I was just finishing up and cleaning up my trash and collecting my target holder when someone pulls up. He gets out of his truck and we chat for a minute. He says he is going to shoot his 44 mag, a 629-8 4". I said I never shot one of those even I did shoot one once hoping he'd let me shoot it. He let me shoot it alright. He shared almost a full box with me, what a cool dude. It was fun, I liked it. However, on the last shot I don't know what I did but I got my thumbnail ripped off. I think it got caught on the latch. It hurts a lot and here is a pic. Thanks, Jeff Ps. I want one more than ever now...
Click to expand...
Walk it off and go buy a 44 mag. I'd stay away from the lite weight models, they don't look fun at all.
 
Gotta say that looks friggin' painful! OUCH!

.44 Magnum is fun. I once blasted all six rounds of 300gr. full house hardcast loads as fast as possible from my 3" Model 29...and had a blister on the thumb of my grip hand for doing so!

I have to admit I usually download for most shooting though, still a big boom, but a bit more fun on the hand.

Paul
 
Without seeing how you were holding the gun at the time there's no way to know what caught you on the recoil and caused the injury. But it doesn't seem like a cylinder gap gas cutting injury to me. More like you had your thumb in a spot that it just caught the edge of the nail on a part of the gun due to holding it wrong.
Click to expand...

I have to concur. Let me add, please, an awful lot of shooters learn about recoil and semi-automatic slides the proverbial "hard way."

If the gun was blued, blood can destroy the bluing in seconds flat, and wiping it off may well not do the trick.
 
I suspect you ripped the nail while trying to wipe the big-azz smile off your face.
 
Ouch, well, that will grow back!! I have a Ruger bisley in 44mag, i really enjoy reloading the 44 special for it, its a nice cowboy round also.:)
 
yeah, my smile was pretty big and my nail will grow back.

I want a mountain gun so bad.

We were shooting 240grain winchester jacketed soft point, I think.
 
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