OUCH~!

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THIS DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF YOUR HANDS,

And how you hold the pistol. Keep in mind this is an all steel pistol--except for the ejector houseing?-and the 357MAG ain't much of a kicker anyways.
 
I've got one. It's very gentle on the hands to shoot. I am using 158 grain swc handloaded ammo, but I think the easy recoil comes from the fact the gun weighs a lot. A whole lot. You wouldn't want to get pistol whipped with one. I was initially a bit cautious as well. The only other .357 I'd ever shot was a S&W model something-or-the-other service pistol that we had to shoot Silvertips in. Maybe I was going through a sissy stage, but it was brutal. The Ruger, on the other hand, is a pleasure to shoot. Or do arm curls with. Did I mention it's heavy?
 
Well I sorta have that gun - I've got a New Vaquero in 357 which means it's a fixed-sight version of otherwise the same gun, same frame heft, weight class, trigger/hammer and grip frame.

I didn't find it a problem BUT I'm a "pinkie under" shooter with SAA-family guns: pinkie slung under the grip, not in front. That drops my middle finger just a bit.

Look...ALL these SA guns are "knucklebusters" for SOME people, depending on hand size and type of grip hold. Somebody will get stung with any. At which point you can either pick a different hold OR swap grip frames.

These new mid-frame Rugers will take any grip frame meant for the older larger size so long as you also swap mainspring, mainspring strut and mainspring "keeper". Bisley, Bird's-Head, SuperBlackHawk, whatever you want. My grip frame is stock but I'm running a SuperBlackHawk hammer. Worst case, you may have to tweak it some. It's unlikely to be an issue: the latest Ruger mid-frame guns like the 50th 357 are sized a lot like the Colt SAA, to such a degree they are "near clones" (similar exterior, different interior) just like the Taurus Gaucho and Beretta Stampede, except with a lot more grip frame interchangeability and other "tuning" possibilities.

Odds are you won't have a problem. You will NOT if you're a pinkie-under shooter. Otherwise, still unlikely, worst case customize it :).
 
Every hand is different, but I too have fairly large hands, and I can't stand single-action grips in centerfire calibers. I had a beautiful 3rd generation Colt in .357 that miraculously shot to point of aim, and grouped well. But even with .38's, I just didn't like shooting it, so off it went. That also goes for various Rugers SA's I've owned, although the Bisley is okay. My hands just like S&W revolvers better than anything else.

Oddly enough I do have a Colt New Frontier .22 that I love. Go figure.
 
I think our friend Mr. Jim March has a solution, by placing the
"pinkie finger" underneath the grip; thus allowing for better placement
of the middle finger. I'm certainly going to qive it a try; and thanks so
much Jim for that excellent idea~!:cool: :D
 
I have a new model Vaquero, in .45 Colt with the xr3 steel grip frame, and have fired about 1500 rounds to date.

The grip is smaller than on my super blackhawk. I have medium sized hands, recognize that if you have really large hands, this grip frame may be too small for you to shoot comfortably in the manner that I hold it.

I have found that if I choke up on the grip, taking a high hold, the heavier loads (9 grains of Unique under a 250 LFP .45 colt) will cause the trigger guard to rap my knuckle. If however I use a low grip, with a pinky dangling, I find the gun rotates in my hand and does not rap my middle finger.

If I use target loads, like 6.0 grains trailboss under the 250 LFP I can use the high hold without any knuckle rapping. The high hold does prevent the gun from rotating, and causes it to recoil straight back.

I love my new vaquero its extremely accurate and lots of fun to shoot.
The XR3 frame gives it a very nice balance.
 
Is it a knuckle-buster?

No way.

My GP-100, which is a smaller gun, is pleasant to shoot.

My SP-101, which is a way smaller gun, is fun to shoot, but can be punishing with 125s.
 
Murphster said:

"only other .357 I'd ever shot was a S&W model something-or-the-other service pistol that we had to shoot Silvertips in. Maybe I was going through a sissy stage, but it was brutal. "

I have a Ruger Security Six, my first handgun ever, and shot it and a 44 Magnum SBHK. Years ago for me also, both were not as brutal as a 4" Model 19 S&W to shoot. So you may not have been in such a sissy stage after all.

Or maybe we both were...:scrutiny:
 
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