the 357's horrible recoil

[Hoploholic]

You know what I can't stand about the 357? That darned high pitch crack I get every time I pull the trigger. It just hurts my ears no matter what hearing protection I seem to be wearing. I much prefer the deep throated whump of a 44.

 

[michael_aos]

.38 Special and .38 +P are much more pleasant to shoot.

 

[miko]

.38 Special and .38 +P are much more pleasant to shoot.

As well as get shot with...

miko

 

[Action_Can_Do]

Obviously, shooting those 11oz 357 mags is going to be painful. They have virtually no grip and would be painful to shoot 32acp through! I was not referring to ultr-small, gimmick guns however. I was referring to the most common 357s on the market (gp100, 686, blackhawk, ect) or even the smaller but still controllable S&W M60 or the ruger sp101. I use a sp101 loaded with 357 magnum 125 grain SJHP for home defense.
Are this many people really having trouble with the poor 357? I've seen young girls shoot full power 44 magnums for fun. I shoot full power 454 cassull for fun.
Maybe that's why they have been calling me Pa stud man I really have difficulty believing that anyone could have trouble shooting and controlling the 357. Especially with the number of 45 fans on this forum. I've always found 45acp semiautos more difficult to control than any 357 revo. Obviously recoil is subjective, but I'm wondering if poor grip is more to blame.

 

[DWARREN123]

Small revolvers to include Lite Weights and small grips lead to a lot of people complaining about the recoil of the 357 mag. A little larger revolver with larger grips will usually tame the recoil. If a handgun does not fit properly it can hurt to fire it.
Just my opinion.

 

[Supertac45]

454 Casuall

For real recoil in a handgun, try the 7 1/2 inch barrel Ruger Super Redhawk in 454 Casuall. It hurts. The S&W kicks, but it doesn't hurt.

 

[Ichiro]

If you really want some pain, run full-speed, head-first into a brick wall.

Like this, but with running.

:banghead:

 

[Eightball]

For the first time today, took out my 620--started off with 50 .357's--found it to be a very mild and tame cartridge. I don't see why anyone complains. Now, out of a featherwieght gun, it would probably suck. However, after those 50, i shot 100 .38 +P--those were nothing. My girlfriend, however, said .357 was painful to shoot, and like the .38 so much she's considering buying a wheelgun for her own use to shoot 38s. I don't get why people say ".357 is very strong"---nah......you just got weak wrists . That, and I sorta allowed my elbow to take up a lotta the recoil--but hey, you can do that with a wheelgun.

Where .357 hurts is my wallet!

 

[the pistolero]

I have two Ruger .357 Magnum wheelguns, a 2.25" SP-101 and a 4" GP-100. Out of the bigger GP-100 my normal .357 load -- Remington UMC 125-grainer rated at 1450 fps -- isn't all that bad, but it's more than a handful out of the SP-101. The recoil is there in both guns, of course, though if I shot .357 exclusively out of them instead of a box of .38 for every box of .357 I figured I'd get used to it, at least in the GP. Still, though, a box of .357 Mag through the snubbie is quite painful, even for a hefty specimen like the SP-101. I dunno if I'd ever get used to that, although a set of Hogues might remedy that to an extent...

 

[carterbeauford]

I have not had the opportunity to shoot varied loads through my Taurus 65, I found one that works and stuck with it. HSM 158s make a nice muzzle flip out of the 4" barrel. Much more substantial than Winchester 125s. I would hesitate to let a new shooter shoot them. I would however like to try them out of a 2" snubby to see how bad it is.

How bad are 180s out of a medium frame rubber-gripped 4" .357MAG?

.44MAG has quite a reputation too. I shot some 240s out a coworker's Redhawk and it was much nicer than the 158s out of the .357 I was just talking about. Almost like a hot .38. That Redhawk had the longest barrel they offer, 9.something inches.

 

[MCgunner]

There's a world of difference in a 9 ounce titanium .357 and a 40 ounce Blackhawk. My Blackhawks are pussycats even in heavy .45 colt loadings.

 

[rageofangels]

From this forum, I can gather that the .357 is a wimp round that only crushes the wrists of the girliest of men. Being an obese mid-20's white kid, I must outdo everyone by explaining that MY girlfriend only shoots RPGs and complains about lack of recoil. I invent my own handgun loads, right now, because no yet invented recoil is worth my time, I have invented the FATKID MAGNUM EXPRESS NINJATUDE 3.14159265358979323846. I will carry it either in a wheel barrow in front of me or a Radioflyer Wagon. Of course, I am only talking ammunition because the actual firearm must be mounted on the bed of my truck and I will have to drive it backwards to aim it at things. Take that, manly comparisions!

 

[ezypikns]

My Ruger GP-100.....

in .357 mag was not a problem as far as recoil. Of course it had a 6" barrel. I just don't care for the flash and bang of the .357. Some of the more sensitive of us find that it distracts us from hitting the bullseye.

 

[YodaVader]

Grip type makes a big difference in felt recoil as well. Owned a 2.5" Smith 66 357 mag , the K-frame. With the skinny checkered wood grips it hurt to fire it from round one with magnum loads. With the Hogue replacement rubber grips the revolver did not hurt one bit through out an entire range session.

My 6" 686 and my 6 1/2" Blackhawk are two of the mildest to shoot 357s that I have fired.

 

[Juna]

I shot my buddy's 4" Ruger .357 magnum. The recoil really wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting from what I'd read and from what he'd said about it. These were JHPs, not sure of the weight. We shot it next to my 9mm CZ 75, and it really didn't have a whole lot more recoil. It was just brisker recoil. But it didn't blow my arms up over my head or anything like that. I thought it was really manageable.

 

[MartinBrody]

It is all relative. The first time I shot 357 was a 4 inch Colt Trooper, not much recoil but lots of impressive muzzle flash. Second time was a snubbie, which was unpleasant and hurt my hand. Last time was with a full size S&W, I checked the bullets 3 times to make sure they were 357 and not 38, I couldn't believe how little recoil there was.

 

[10-Ring]

It might be based on experience...novices might look at it as ALOT of punishing recoil, while more seasoned shooters find pleasure in performance of the round
Me, I like'em hot

 

[tube_ee]

Depends on the load, and the gun...

For example, I much prefer to shoot full-house .357s out of my Colt Trooper Mk III than out of my bro's Security Six. Both are 4", and both are great guns. The Colt's greater weight makes all the difference. The Colt just kicks, while the Ruger rings like a bell, vibrating noticably (and painfully) after each shot. This was especially noticable with a 125 grain JHP over a full load of H-110. The high-frequency ring of the Ruger stung the hand a lot more than the Colt did.

Using a 10.6 grain load of Blue Dot and a 158 grain lead bullet, (a solid, midrange .357 load) both guns are quite pleasant. Wood grips on the Colt, Pachmayrs on the Ruger.

Listen to your hand, it won't lie to you.

--Shannon

 

[Surefire]

In a GP 100, .357 magnum recoil with full power 158 grain bullets is IMO very mild--not much more noticable than a 9mm +P. I can shoot this load all day in a GP 100, or even a S&W 686--and to me the 158 grain load isn't snappy.

The 125 grain defense loads can be snappy, but are easy to control.

I've never had an issue controlling 180 or 200 grain Cor-Bons in a GP 100 either--they do recoil moderately, but nothing too painful.

.357 magnum IMO is a mild recoiling round, especially in medium and large frame revolvers. The only issue I've had is in small frames like the SP 101-- the light bullets are very snappy in an SP 101--and can be painful in a real light airweight.


I'm no Rambo either--about the biggest round I can take is .44 magnum. The .44 magnum in my Redhawk DOES hurt me and I cannot shoot that many of them before I give up. The exception is my Bisley Hunter--which is the only .44 magnum that doesn't bang up and hurt my hands.

I consider the .357 and .41 magnum to be a good combo of power and control. The .44 magnum is on the borderline of uncomfortable to me--except in a Bisley. Everything above .44 magnum is too much for me--I'm not very big or build strongly.

 

[1557]

125gr. Rem Golden sabre's give decent performance even from short barrels and are not unpleasant or painful to shoot,even in a J frame .357.

 

[Roughnck]

The .357 magnum is a SMALL round compared to todays big bore handguns. If you cant handle it even out of a 12 oz scandium frame joke you need to stick with plinking. then again my hands are so calloused i cant feel the difference in .38 spl and .357 mag.

 

[MCgunner]

The .357 magnum is a SMALL round compared to todays big bore handguns. If you cant handle it even out of a 12 oz scandium frame joke you need to stick with plinking. then again my hands are so calloused i cant feel the difference in .38 spl and .357 mag.

I can and have handled full power .45-70 handloads in a TC Contender.....for one shot at a time. In a defensive revolver, you not only need to be accurate, you might just need an accurate follow up shot. A 12 ounce 2" .357 not only has a heck of a recoil, the flash/bang indoors, with no ear protection especially (self defense, remember), is a might disorienting. And, the amount of power lost in such a short barrel hardly makes the caliber worth it in such a small gun to me. I'd rather be shooting a compact 9, just as much energy and a heck of a lot less flash/bang and muzzle flip. JMHO of course. I can shoot any handgun chambered for any cartridge in common use at the range, but there's a difference in self defense shooting and hunting.

And, I'll say again, the felt recoil of my .45 colt Blackhawk with .44 mag equivalent loads is far less than that of a .357 magnum in a 12 ounce snubby. The gun makes a lot of difference in felt recoil. In my 6.5" Blackhawk, .357s are wimpy. You need to be shooting over a chronograph to tell it's a magnum. You need no such aids out of a 12 ounce snub.