Waning interest in magnums

For my 63rd birthday I bought a M686P/4", practice load for 125gr JHPs is AA#7/1430fps, that compares very well to the proven Remington 125gr SJHP chronogrphed 1456fps/DW/4".

Carry load at my property for 125gr JHP/SJHP is AA #9/1560fps. What the additional velocity gives me is distance on four legged vermin, one of the primary reasons for carrying the 357 mag in rural areas.

The scandium N-frame M327 TRR8 is pleasant to shoot with full power loads. Since the first week of March, I've shot 500 rounds of 357 mag out of both revolvers and I practice with a lot of leg movement.

Carried the mag back in the day and learned a long time ago not to carry this caliber in a small frame platform.

The mag is still the personal defense caliber that all others are compared to.

I like a mix of calibers and my favorite magnum is the 41 mag. I still wish someone would load them (factory loads) at around 1050-1100 fps with a 210 gr bullet. I shoot a lot of 22's for recreation as compared to my other caliber handguns.

I enjoy shooting magnums occasionally but in my Trooper III, not a 340pd which I owned briefly. Extreme recoil can actually cause permanent nerve damage and I make my living with my hands so decided that was a bad idea. Even max 180 gr loads aren't unpleasant in those heavy old Troopers, or a model 28,29 etc, but in an 11oz gun...forget it. I carry standard pressure loads in my 642--158gr LSWCHP at 815 fps. Accuracy first, then power.

Magnums

I love them & i will NEVER not love my Magnum i just put me a 300 Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 on layaway & i am paying on my Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5" 44 Magnum I shoot magnum loads & its not as costly as you may think i reload first off & sometimes i will get samples from some bullets makers to try before i buy just ask . My love for the magnums isn't because of just having a "MAGNUM" its because they shoot so hard that i can shoot completely through a 12" dia tree with my 300 WBY & i still killed that deer i didn't even see the tree untill i shot lol didn't matter my 300 WBY got that big doe anyway .Try that with a standard caliber

357 best ever

According to an article I read a few years ago on another forum which article was summarizing some slaughterhouse tests the issues to concerned with were as follows. 1. Recoil causes poor target reacquisition. 2. Larger bores cause over penetration. 3. Ammunition should be readily available. Based on their tests the 357 was the best man killer that existed. Addionally the 357 gives the option of being you g and preferring magnum loads or being an old f--- like me and preferring. 38 special. Honestly when comparing the characteristics of the 110 grain 38+P jhp with hotter loads I.like the 38 just fine. But you'll probably load with 357 when ccw, or home defense. Easy solution is to practice with both loads. When your hand starts to hurt just switch over to the lighter load. The projectile should always be your first consideration. When picking the pistol though I am certainly partial to 19s a d 27s.

Magnums

I have owned that S&W 500 Mag in the Preformance Center 10.5" bbl & i loaded my loads just above the mid range & the hit so hard & do a good job expanding & penatration & the recoil isn't that bad on it i had more problems with the gun messing up that i wish that recoil was the only problem . I have also shot some of those 700 grain T REX THUMPERS loaded with a load of 25.0 grains of the Hodgman H-110 & they weren't painful at all well at least not to me anyways the only thing is YOU HAD BETTER HAVE EARPLUGS OR MUFFS OR YOU WILL DAMAGE YOUR HEARING PERIOD thats the worst thing of the Magnums is they are very loud

I've found that, for heavy recoil management, it's hard to beat the single-action grip. The gun rolls in the hand and less is transmitted to the hand than with double-actions. I've shot thousands of .44 mag loads out of the two factory-gripped Super Blackhawks I owned (7.5" and 10") and recoil was never a problem. When I fired a buddy's rubber-gripped Super Blackhawk, it hurt, because the gun no longer rotated, but came straight back, like a DA.

The most comfortable double-action magnum I'd owned was my S&W 627, a very heavy full-underlug, non-fluted cylinder revolver. Trouble was, it was too darned heavy to carry around!

My two model 19s are just fine for both carry and range shooting, but I don't shoot really hot loads in them.

Model 19 is the only handgun made. All the others are imitations.

I always liked shooting the .357 mags, but usually went with the .44 special in those revolvers. Except in the Super Blackhawk, it was fun with the pachmayr's on it. Shot good,too. However, I rarely shoot .44 anymore and the only .357 I have left is a Model 27, and it's alot of fun. With magnums or the +P 38's.

Love my magnums, however, most loads I shoot are 240-260 grain bullets at 900-1000 fps...

I own .357's but I shoot 38's in them mostly. It's just a very pleasant round to shoot in a full frame gun. Not to mention cheaper.

I've only ever owned magnums in .357. I like having them on principle, and I shoot them just fine, but over the last year or so I've decided I'd rather carry and shoot standard .38 Special in them.

I'm never going to need a magnum round to take out some huge critter, and if I ever run into a zombie I'm confident I can take him out with .38 Special.

I like the idea of not being deaf after I pull the trigger, too.

When I lived on the Left Coast, my trail gun was a .357 Mag. More than enough power with moderate handloads, I didn't see any point in beating up myself or the guns with hot loads.

Nowadays I spend a lot of time in grizzly country, so it's a Super Blackhawk .44 that goes with me. My plinking loads are still generally on the lighter side, I don't put that many hot loads through it although it is fun once in a while. I have 2 nephews that live near me, they both own several firearms and ha ve access to my brother in law's .44 Mag, but neither one likes to shoot it. They shoot lots of 9mm, .380, .45 ACP etc., but no magnum rounds.

Don't own any magnum rifles, never cared for the recoil. For some reason recoil in long guns bothers me far more than it does in handguns, no idea why.
I can put literally hundreds of .357 loads downrange in one session but I have trouble getting through one box of .338 Win mag.

My all time favorite round is the .22LR - Little or no recoil, not much noise, and cheap to shoot.

The only magnum I have is a Colt Trooper MK III 357 and I love it. I also shoot a Ruger 45 colt with mildly hot loads and also a Ruger 44 special all of the time. I usually take all 3 to the range. The 44 and the 357 don't really kick that much at least not to me when compared to the 45.

I just read Montanaoffroader's post and am the same about rifle recoil vs handgun recoil.

As a kid in his 20s, shooting a heavy hitter was a thrill just in itself.

Now, to me, its more about using what will get the job done adequately (not marginally).

I use magnums when they're suitable, but my favorite handgun cartridges are the 45 Colt and 44 Special. They have plenty of power to do most jobs. Best of all, they don't produce all the muzzle blast of other rounds. (If youve experienced some high frequency hearing loss from shooting/hunting you know what I mean.) I usually wear hearing protection when at the range or in the field, but sometimes situations come up quickly & you don't have time to throw on the ear muffs. Thats a nice time to have a 45 Colt revolver with you.

I can't think of any hunting HG I like better than my 480Ruger.

And

I am as old as dirt