Thinking of stepping it down.

[ontarget]

Luckily for my shooting hand and my wallet I never caught the magnumitis bug.
I have been very content with 45 Colt as my upper limit.
No Grizz around here, only an occasional black bear, so no need for anything bigger from a NEED perspective.
Yeah, I know, since when does NEED enter the equation?
I think that the OP is on the right path.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I have never been a fan of heavy recoil. Always found that it just took the fun out of shooting. I do like a good 357 Magnum.
When growing up, I used to watch all the cowboy movies and TV shows. I knew that I wanted a Single action revolver from an earlier age. When I turned 21 I bought my first 45 Colt revolver, and fell in love. I know own a matching pair of SSA clones in 45 Colt and they are my favorite handguns to shoot.

 

[Gordon]

Wells boyz I was a heavy equipment mechanic from 1987- 2017 and a physical manic before that resulting in blown out knees and shoulders . My wrists however are still shafts of steel , probably from the three times a week Taekwondo workouts (although gunfire and explosions have made me profoundly deaf without hearing aides). I never liked jolting magnums ever since sitting thru a lecture by Col. Cooper in 1982 about the physics of gun fighting limiting a human frame to at the maximum hurling 230-250 grains under 900 fps to do fast and devastating work with a pistol format.
I really enjoy shooting my Mark V Webley with Fiocchi 265 grain ammo at 650 FPS from it's 4" barrel ! Or a .45 Colt new service with 250 grain bullets at 850 -900 fps . My .44 Mag Mountain revolver is ok with 240 grain cast at 1100 FPS for a few cylinders, but on the verge of unpleasant , as is my Bulldogs with the same bullet at 750 FPS.
So it looks like all my friends are moving to Montana lately ! They all have been asking me what they should carry in the big bear country there. The 50 year olds who still back pack and hike for fun are thinking .44 Mag or Snub .454 Super Redhawks in chest rigs . So are the early 60 year old fly fishermen who ride ATVs to their remote hideaways . The Gunfighter Kenai Chest rigs seem to be the system of choice for carrying their artillery including one of the early 50s with his 10 MM Glock stoked with "bear Loads" . I told them that all those choices are good and shoot the pistols enough to be comfortable hitting a 9" target consistently at 25 yards with the load of their choice.- unrested !
Me, I'm staying in Oregon where we got lots of black bear and elk. I pack a 4 5/8" Ruger Bisley that has been modified into a 5 shot .454 , but with 300 grain wide lead Colt .45 ammo at just subsonic in an old Milt Sparks Sloan Style hip holster (with suspenders) or my Mountain revolver .44 mag in the Kenai rig with those Keith type 240 grain at the same trans sonic level. I have actually shot a couple black bear over the years with the .44mag , but nevr with a .45- yet , but have no fear with a good full .45 Colt load of 250 grains at 900 fps or so would get same decent results.
These days I don't waste alot of ammo. Ocasionally I shoot a couple hundred 9mm in my EDCs to keep sharp , not much recoil there ! Or snap off a few .32s I cook up in various things for fun . The kids get to shoot the .22 as I train them but the wasting ammo days are gone as far as I can see it !

 

[TTv2]

I can't say I stepped down because I never stepped up to begin with. I mean, I got into .45 Colt for various reasons and have several guns in the chambering. I've had the .45 Colt Redhawk for years, yet I've not intentionally loaded it to .44 Mag levels because the bullets would cost more and because I don't really have a need for that right now. It is nice to have that option available to me in the future tho.

I've had thoughts of getting a used .454 Ruger as I don't think people shoot them much, but also because they seemed to be around $800 on gunbroker a few years ago, but every time I look at a powerful magnum I ask myself "Why do I need this?" The novelty of the big boom and wrist snapping recoil wears off really fast and the cost of shooting the big bores is astronomical compared to other calibers. I mean, .44 and .45 aren't too bad, but go up to .480 and .500 and you're looking at over 40 cents on a basic bullet alone.

Then over time I realized just how heavy these darn revolvers were and wondering just what advantage they give me where I live, I decided it was time last year before He Who Must Not Be Named assumed power to buy a 10mm and with a 200gr bullet at 1200 fps I don't see what that isn't going to stop that I'd be shooting at. Even if I were a handgun hunter, with the movement of red dots on pistols, I could put one on the Glock 10mm and easily hit something out to 50 yards and the entire setup not weigh over 4 lbs.

About the only guns that I still shoot now that have a lot of blast are the .327 and .357 Magnum and 7.62x25. They don't have much recoil tho, so shooting them is still fun and they don't break the bank to shoot them either.

Stuff like the .454 and .460 and larger have such a narrow reason for existing and such a small niche that unless Grizzley bears are a major threat where you live or you're hunting in Africa or are involved in long range handgun hunting I don't see the point of owning them.

I would say go ahead and step down, if you haven't gotten around to using the .460 for what it was meant for, you're not using it properly anyway and may as well get something more practical.

 

[Slamfire]

Everyone goes through the big bore phase, an eight incher is not enough



gotta go to the 16 inch babies



and Momma made me sell the nuclear cannon when half the state disappeared



but eventually, the blast, the noise, and the recoil are no fun, and you acquire a flinch of gigantic proportions.

There are two calibers that I think are outstanding in accuracy, power, and controllability, and that is the 44 Special and 45 LC. These rounds loaded to around 850 fps are plenty powerful, accurate out to 50 yards, and don't beat me up.

This has been a favorite



And so is this



This Ruger, is built heavier than a Colt SAA, and I can push a 240 Lead bullet at 1000 fps, and that is all the blast and recoil I want. The load, in 44 Special, is a 240 grain bullet with 7.5 grains Unique, that will go 1000 fps in this Lipsey.



My 45 LC's are either a USFA single action, or S&W N frames, so I don't push them all that hard. Neither do I push the 44 Specials in N frame revolvers over 900 fps, but my Ruger is built like a tank, and does not weigh like a tank.

 

[Oldtown102]

Yep, I started off with a 454, now have a 44 that I shoot a lot with medium loads. My dream gun is a .380 revolver with a 6-7 inch barrel but dont think anybody ever made one. Magnum bug went away fast for me.

 

[doubleh]

Age has a way of lessening one's physical abilities, everyone's and some more quickly than others. Uncle arther in my wrist made me turn my Super BlackHawk into a 44 special and I am not going to be packing it around anywhere anymore. It's a fun gun at the range now and the specials do a good job of ringing steel and a shooting bench does a good job of holding it while I'm resting.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

How about "GettingWiser"?

I'd say go for it.

LOL!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Part of it is that I always wanted a Colt Anaconda also, and own no colt firearms at all. With a lot of 45 brass around I’m tempted to look for an old one chambered in 45, but the cost.....

I want a 44 I think, and a double action. It’ll be more fun and cheaper to shoot.

like I said though, I’ll keep the brass as I see a SAA in my future. Maybe as a retirement gift some day. Hell, I could even cut down my 460 and 454 brass to 45 colt lengths and use them in the SAA. For that matter, I could pull the bullets and reuse them also.

only the powder would be wasted.

 

[.308 Norma]

There are two calibers that I think are outstanding in accuracy, power, and controllability, and that is the 44 Special and 45 LC. These rounds loaded to around 850 fps are plenty powerful, accurate out to 50 yards, and don't beat me up

Wow! Slamfire, this picture belongs in that "Pretty Guns" thread. THAT'S what I call a "pretty gun!"
And I'm envious.

 

[Pat Riot]

Especially since I developed a nasty case of Arthritis at the base of my shooting thumb.

That is right where mine is. My therapist showed me a couple of exercises that help.

 

[Paul R Zartman]

The 44 mag is very versatile, here is my Dan Wesson set up as my Pocket Pistol...



Only drawback is i have to wear suspenders and a belt well... there is that bruise too, and a little issue of a limp...but other than that its AWESOME

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I personally have no intention of "stepping it down".
I have been shooting big bore revolvers for decades and reloading for them since the early 1980s.
I have multiple revolvers in .41Magnum and .44Magnum and shoot all of them just about every week plus .45Colt and .44Spl revolvers. I typically shoot about 20 rounds through each revolver every shooting session. That adds up to well over 200 rounds just in .41 and .44Magnum and the same amount or more in .44Spl and .45Colt. That doesn't include a couple hundred rounds through multiple .357Mag revolvers.
In addition, I shoot .357Maximum and .375SuperMag revolvers regularly.

Just yesterday, I bought a three screw Super BlackHawk .44Magnum that was made in 1970. I don't really need it...I already have a New Model SBH, but...

FWIW....I am 66 years old with some serious health issues in my past (cancer three times with multiple surgeries, radiation treatments and chemotherapy).

 

[Pat Riot]

Only drawback is i have to wear suspenders and a belt well... there is that bruise too, and a little issue of a limp...but other than that its AWESOME

Thank you for the laugh. I was thinking “Pocket pistol?…this gent must be a BIIIIIG man!”

Oh, best thing for that limp and the walking in circles is another one in the other pocket.

 

[bannockburn]

Haven't had a .44 Magnum or a .41 Magnum revolver in years. There were three Ruger Super Blackhawks, a S&W Model 629, a Model 57, and a Model 58. I liked having them (the Super Blackhawk was quite a hand full but with some custom grips it was a bit more manageable), but didn't really have a specific purpose for owning any of them. I didn't hunt with a handgun, didn't have any large predatory critters around, and ammunition was sort of expensive at the time. Ended up selling or trading them in for something else, most likely for a semi-auto as I found myself more interested in them (primarily Colt 1911s and Browning Hi-Powers), than I did with revolvers.

Many years go by and for no particular reason I got back into single action revolvers, mostly in .45 Colt (plus one very nice Ruger Flattop in .44 Special), along with some black powder revolvers, and have been enjoying myself ever since! The .45 Colt and the .44 Special guns are definitely unadulterated fun to shoot, balance and handle really well, and are so easy to handload for! So basically you could say that I "stepped it down" some time ago but didn't realize it until now!

 

[sparkyv]

So sad to hear, 460Shooter. I still enjoy shooting full bore 460S&W loads as well as in the 44RM. Your posts and those of others influenced my 5" 460S&W purchase a few years back. I also had hoped to one day hunt with the 460S&W, and that remains to be seen. For now she's just a very enjoyable range toy. I too, have the 2021 Anaconda on the list; it'll pair up nicely with my 6.5" M629. Your post saddens me because it reminds me that someday, I will no longer be able to tolerate the big bores.

I have been shooting a 5 inch 460 Magnum for over a decade. However it has always been more of an interest in the design capabilities than a need to hunt. Lately I find myself not really caring for the blast and noise of the cartridge, and I find the weight of the gun annoying when shooting 454 Casull or 45 Colt (with mediocre accuracy), but more so the bulk. I'm also getting older and don't find it fun to carry. Two years ago I bought a set of Redding dies for it and I have yet to even set up my tool head to play with loads.

I'm thinking of trading it, the holster, the dies, and my 454 and 460 brass towards a new 6 inch Colt Anaconda, and tooling up for that cartridge. I don't have a 44 and it seems it is a lot better fit for me now since I could load 44 special level ammo, all the way up to back country hiking in Idaho levels. I thought at one point I'd want to handgun hunt, and would use the 460, but it never happened, s powerful cartridges?

 

[CajunBass]

I've owned a few 44 Magnums over the years, but I'll bet I haven't fired a full box (50 rounds) of actual 44 Magnum ammo in all of them put together, over all those years...going back to the 80's at least. It just never really interested me. About all I shoot is paper, and it doesn't take much killing.

I've cut back to this in recent years,



(Ok...not exclusively, but I have gotten bit by the air gun bug. Low recoil, low noise, inexpensive guns and ammo. Ammo is almost always available. Reloading requires no special tools, they can be shot in a lot more places...What's not to like?)

Seriously I've gotten to the point where if I don't enjoy it, it doesn't stay around here long.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

About all I shoot is paper, and it doesn't take much killing.

Same here. I mean don't get me wrong, I shoot stout loads from all my guns, but lately I find myself wondering why.

I enjoy the laser like trajectory of the 460 mag, even with a 5" barrel, but I just haven't cared much about the big loads for a while now. Maybe I'm in a funk, I dunno. I have two HKs that haven't gotten much use for the last two years or so. Maybe I'll trade them towards an Anaconda and reserve judgement on the 460.

 

[bassjam]

I'm just glad I live in a state where .357 is arguably overkill. I can shoot that cartridge all day out of a full sized revolver with a 4-6" barrel. But I've got a 6" Anaconda in .44mag that I struggle to put more than a couple cylinders through before I start to flinch. I've never shot anything larger than that out of a handgun, and don't have much of a desire to.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

Never got the magnumitis bug either. 44 Mag is about where the fun stops for me.

 

[Boattale]

I could change it to "44Shooter", or "460HasBeen", or maybe just "GettinOld".

Always remember, it's better to be a used to be than a never was.

 

[TTv2]

Same here. I mean don't get me wrong, I shoot stout loads from all my guns, but lately I find myself wondering why.

I enjoy the laser like trajectory of the 460 mag, even with a 5" barrel, but I just haven't cared much about the big loads for a while now. Maybe I'm in a funk, I dunno. I have two HKs that haven't gotten much use for the last two years or so. Maybe I'll trade them towards an Anaconda and reserve judgement on the 460.

I think we're all in a funk right now. I went to the range last week for the first time in near two months. I'm stretching out my stock of primers as long as I can because I know that they ain't coming back until next year.

 

[Pat Riot]

Last year before all the CoVid silliness I was seeing a surgeon about wrist and thumb joint pain.
He asked about my hobbies and I told him “target shooting, Cowboy Action shooting, reloading, motorcycle riding” and I mentioned a couple of others.
He said he used to shoot IPSC and IDPA.
He asked me what was more important to me, motorcycles or shooting? I said I liked them equally.
He asked if I shot hard recoiling handguns. I told him I didn’t do that anymore.
He said “Good, because as it is you probably wouldn’t be shooting or motorcycling much if you continued to do so.”
He asked what I liked to shoot and I told him the hottest or heaviest rounds I shoot were .357 magnum and .45 Colt.
He recommended I stick with heavier guns to help with recoil then he asked about semiauto pistols and I told him I only shot 9mm but was considering a 10mm. He told me to skip the 10mm then went in to explain how the hand and wrist react to semiautos vs revolvers and then said “If you really want to shoot 10mm you should consider a revolver.

Anyway, the bottom line is I want to shoot and ride motorcycles for a long time so if that means toning things down or using heavier guns that is fine with me.

 

[Drail]

I found out many years ago after having shot USPSA, pins and Steel for about 10 years that my wrists and hands were hurting a lot when riding a motorcycle (cruiser style - not crotch rocket). I am reasonably certain that all of those heavy handgun loads were the cause. Since then I have had to also give up archery and finally had to sell the bike. Getting old ain't no fun.....

 

[brunowbe]

I think we're all in a funk right now. I went to the range last week for the first time in near two months. I'm stretching out my stock of primers as long as I can because I know that they ain't coming back until next year.

Truth right there. I've only been out once this summer, back in June, its much too expensive to replace shot ammo right now. Its too bad as I've got a couple of guns purchased this summer that I have yet to shoot........