Recoil (Aka "kick")

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ROBSTOY

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Ok...I've got my Single Six .22, now I'm looking for another. My problem...I don't like alot of recoil (kick). Now I know this can be somewhat subjective, but I would like opinions on calibers and recoil. I am partial to revolvers with longer barrels, so I'm not really interested in stubies or anything shorter than
4-4.5". So what do you guys think...how would you rank recoil going from the
.22 on up?
 
I think a nice transition would be to shoot .38s out of a big heavy revolver, like a Ruger GP 100. You can buy one with a six inch barrel. A .38 round is usually pretty mild in terms of recoil and shooting them out of a heavy revolver will not beat the heck out of your hand.
 
Probably the next least recoiling round would be the .38 special. Next would be the .44 special or .45 acp. After that, you get into the magnum range. It's my experience that you can pretty much rank them in numerical order, .357, .41, .44. .44 magnum is about as much as I care to shoot, so I can't speak to the bigger boomers.

I've left off several lesser known calibers, cowboy action and older ammo. Most of these are niche cartridges and aren't seen much outside their niche.

If you're looking to move up the power ladder, it's hard to go wrong with a .357 magnum handgun loaded with .38 specials.
 
I agree the .38 is the next in line.
I've shot a few 32's, and .38 S&W.
But they are harder to find, and lack the power of the .38
 
A lot of felt recoil depends on the weight of the firearm in which you shoot a specific caliber; a heavier revolver will recoil less than a lighter one in the same caliber - thanks to inertia.

Example - a 357 mag with an 8" barrel has a lot of weight, and will be more comfortable to shoot than the same model revolver with a 2 3/4" barrel using the same ammunition. There are other factors as well, one being the effect of fast or slow-burning powders in different length barrels, yadda, yadda, but generally-speaking, the heavier the firearm, the less recoil you'll feel.
 
I couldn't agree more

I think a nice transition would be to shoot .38s out of a big heavy revolver, like a Ruger GP 100. You can buy one with a six inch barrel. A .38 round is usually pretty mild in terms of recoil and shooting them out of a heavy revolver will not beat the heck out of your hand.
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tank mechanic took the words right outta my mouth. Either that or a good full size 9mm.

just my $0.02

-Fred
 
A nice S&W N frame model 28 shooting 38 specials ought to do the trick. Same for the 44 special or the 45 long colt.

The physics has the heavy revolver kicking less and a low power round in a heavy pistol is a pleasure to shoot.

If you reload or have a friend that does, you have even more options since you can download a cartridge. For instance take a .357 case, put 3 grains of W231 or Bullseye in it and top it off with a 150g wadcutter - this approaches the absolute lowest possible recoil level. Shoot that in a large frame revolver and it's butter. Great on small game and fantastic on targets, cutting a clean easy to see hole.

Grips that fit properly are often overlooked. I use wood Hogues on heavy magnum loads in .357 and .44. I shoot a Casull .454 with ebony grips - no problem. Reason...the grips fit my hand and slide a bit at moment of recoil. Rubber grips generally don't have that capacity so believe it or not, they can transmit recoil more then properly fitted wood.

Recoil is part of the equation, so you'll always have it, but you can work around it some.
 
Or a Ruger Blackhawk .357 .38's out of them are real tame. The gun rolls back and absorbs recoil vs say my 686 which recoils more straight back. Fine until you start shooting .357's.
 
I think a nice transition would be to shoot .38s out of a big heavy revolver, like a Ruger GP 100. You can buy one with a six inch barrel. A .38 round is usually pretty mild in terms of recoil and shooting them out of a heavy revolver will not beat the heck out of your hand.
Click to expand...
Especially 148 grain wadcutters. Those are very tame in a heavy revolver like a GP100.
 
Robstoy, You Are Living Proof Of The Old Adage,

RECOIL IS 90% BETWEEN OUR EARS, NOT BETWEEN OUR HANDS.

Do not psych yourself out here. There is literally no pistol cartridge out there you cannot shoot effectively with some practise and some training. Nope, you cannot jump in and start shooting a 454CASULL right off the bat for the very same reason that as a kid you had to crawl before you learned to walk.
The advise here to get a nice 357MAG and begin by shooting 38 wadcutters in it is excellent advise. A bit of time on down the road you'll have worked up to 357MAG ammunition and you'll laugh at yourself for asking this question.
 
Sounds like the .357 Mag would be the next step in my shooting evolution!! A question though...from what I've read here, .38 caliber can be shot in the .357 Mag. Is this true for all .357 Mags? Or does this only apply to certain models or new models? Also, to shoot .38's in the .357 Mag., is there a two cylinder set up (convertible) or are the two shot in the same cylinder?
 
Every .357 magnum revolver can shoot .38 special (in the same cylinder). The .357 magnum case is slightly longer than a .38 special case, but same diameter. Just make sure to clean the cylinder chambers well after shooting .38 special ammo. This will prevent a build up of residue that would make it difficult to load and/or extract .357 magnum cases when you want to shoot .357 magnum rounds from the revolver.

See here for a more detailed explanation.

The same advice is used for .44 special and .44 magnum in a .44 magnum revolver. Same principle.
 
Try a steel K frame .357, you can shoot .38 spl out of it and if you decide to make the next step you can go to full magnum loads. I am partial to S&W but any of the medium frame guns (686, 620, gp100...) will do just fine.
 
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