The 357 Magnum and my hands.

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sgt127

sgt127

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I’ve shot .357’s for years. Own a bunch of them.

Hands down, one of the greatest and most versatile cartridges ever created.

So, I dusted off the old 3” 65 the other day for a morning of revolver shooting.

My hands are apparently getting old.

It hurt. Like serious pain in the web and bone of my thumb. It stopped being fun in short order. Tried different grips, rubber, wood, whatever. It’s just a nasty, sharp recoil impulse.

The only gun that used to hurt like that was my Model 58 with full house .41 mag loads.

I’ve still got other .357’s to shoot. Bigger heavier guns. But, I’m about done with K frame and smaller .357 Magnums.

Then, I dug out the S&W 696.

250 gr .44 Special Keith loads. Not particularly hot at all.

It was remarkable. The recoil impulse was just a push. Not the “it feels like the gun exploded in my hand” sharp recoil of the Magnum.

A buddy was with me. Old cop that started in the revolver era. He shot a cylinder full, looked at me and said “damn, did we just not notice how miserable these were 30 years ago??”

Maybe we just got acclimated to shooting autos that have a lower bore axis and, the action eats some of the recoil.

As much as I love and appreciate an easy to tote .357, I’m parking them. It’s just not fun to shoot them anymore.

I had my fun. I Shot thousands of rounds of various Magnums in my life.

I think I’ll survive with a little less shock and awe, save what remains of my hearing and, not do more damage to my hands.

I’m hardly unarmed with a good .44 Special.... I’ll likely survive.
 
sgt127 said:
I’ve still got other .357’s to shoot. Bigger heavier guns. But, I’m about done with K frame and smaller .357 Magnums.
Click to expand...

I don't think I ever knew anyone(other than the young and foolish) that thought shooting K-Frames with legitimate magnum ammo were a lot of fun. For the most part they were the firearms that started the phrase, "Made to be carried a lot and shot little." One of the reason the L-Frames became so popular so quickly and why folks rave about their N-Frame .357s is the reduction in recoil. You are right tho, used to be the day when folks accpeted harsh recoil as a fact of life if one wanted a powerful handgun. My little 637 still hurts more than my X-Frame when shot with standard ammo.

I've been an avid dirt-bike rider most of my life. Started almost half a century ago with a Yammie 125. Even did a little Moto-X in my twenties. Still have an old Honda XR400 I ride once in a while. Beats the heck outta me when I do, but still puts a smile on my face.
 
Early on shooting the hard loadings that sent a tingle through your hand and up the arm was "amusing". Touching off the .357's in the 66 was snappy and tolerable for a few cylinders. A slightly less than firm grip one snapped up and that twinge was painful. Went back to shooting .38 spl's in that one then on. The 686 handles them better though some of the hotter loads aren't fun either.

The phases we pass through in life and this is ok to shoot a load that doesn't bring injury and is enjoyable. Like watching the younger generations eat mega cheese encrusted dishes, fried foods accompanied with bacon and sugar drinks. Had my time and there are foods that don't encourage a stern talking from the cardio doc about one's blood work readings. o_O;)
 
Fast is snappy compared to slow. And I have also found that if I neglect my shooting my ability to handle recoil goes down, but if I shoot regularly, it goes up. Now I still have recoil thresholds with handgun and rifles that have been fairly consistent over the years.

Peppy 125s in .357 are not fun in a 66 or a 19 or a Security Six, never have been for me. Some people love them, and they can have them.

I like shooting .308 but not .30-06, starts getting snappy to me. I dislike shooting 7 Mag, but like shooting .458 Win Mag. Snappy vs a slow push. A big push mind you, but slow compared to the 7 mag, .300 Mag etc. :)
 
I understand what you are saying. I have a K frame and it smarts with 357 loads. That why it's turned in to 38 special now. :D I have a 4 5/8" (?) barreled Ruger Blackhawk and a Dan Wesson 15-2 VH8 and they are still fine with 357. Much heavier equipment than the Smith.

I've also gotten rid of my 40 cal. M&P. My wrist couldn't stand up to it anymore. I have no trouble with 9MM and 45ACP though if they are in full size guns. I have a light weight 9mm and it gets unpleasant after a half dozen or so mags of ammo..
 
I shot lots of full power 158 gr hollow points in my Model 19 in my youth, circa 1980. I was shooting revolver class in IHMSA Silhouette.

I do not care to shoot many full magnum rounds these days. Last I shot was from my 460 XVR a couple years ago and my formerly broken wrist ached for days. I have a nice soft load for the gun for plinking.

I reload my 357 Magnum to about 1000 fps with 158 gr semi-wadcutters these days. A bit more zip than 38 Special but much easier on the hands even with a 3" Model 60.

Besides, most of my targets these days are paper, plastic jugs and other inanimate targets of opportunity. Standard loads are more than adequate here.
 
Sometimes I'll fire a few 158 gr magnums in my M65 and have 10 rounds left , I sold another box I had to my boss who has a GP100 .
 
I understand, a few months back we ran some of my pretty stout 140gr .357 hand loads through a friends SP101. Not pleasant to say the least.
 
Time catches up with all of us. I'd stick with .38's in the K-frames. I tried some .357's in my M27 about a week ago and it was just fine, on my K's it's a whole other story.

I have a brother-in-law who will get out his M629 maybe once a year. He will shoot about one cylinder and call it quits. He likes the fire ball and loud report of the .44 mag., but walks away complaining about all the money he just wasted. To each his own.
 
I have been considering buying a shooting glove / weight lifting glove for my more obnoxious hand guns. I have a light weight 5" Desert Eagle in 50ae... it doesn't bother me at all. But my DB9 9mm sub-subcompact does not get the range time I would like because of its painful kick (after 20 rounds I don't want to shoot it any more). Does anyone use a shooting glove to tame recoil and save the web of their hand?

These are the ones I have been looking at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EJZQBPO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3AHBBWF9HQVTB

91I4zfc4fHL._SL1500_.jpg
 
I save the true magnums for my 686. My 19 Snub gets "low flash tactical reduced recoil" loads very sparingly and the 4" 19 mainly sees 38's with an occasional 158gr LSWC around 1100fps.
 
You don’t have to shoot full house 125 grains! Like others hav said, download to your liking. Just be alert to squibs!!!!!!
Unique and universal are my favorite Light 357 powders!

I also had that same problem when I got my 629, but found with regular shooting sessions I was able to over come the hurt! I’m bumping 70.
Have fun!
 
I don't understand why you have to retire the K-frame pistol from carry use. Practice with .38 Special and carry .357 Magnum. What's the problem?
 
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