NIGHTLORD40K
Member
.41 Mag is like the bear's porridge- just right. 
What's next after 357 mag?
- Thread starter Centella
- Start date
tomrkba
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44 Magnum is the way to go. However, be aware that the Ruger Redhawk is a massive revolver. I found mine to be unbalanced and annoying. I only owned it for a short time before trading it off to a friend. I really like the S&W 29 and 629 4". I find it to be a great balance between managing the 44 Magnum cartridge and a gun that handles well.
bigpower491
Member
Agreed. Both 357s I own are heavy guns, and even the book max loads are very tolerable. I probably get more fatigue holding them up during a longer session than the recoil. But a guy that's a handloader could really dabble into about wherever he wants with all the calibers mentioned. One things for certain....1 revolver, irregardless of caliber, always leads to several more....just sayin
Sudden Thunder
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I did it in reverse like many others, got rid of the .44 dangblam, then found a really nice Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, then lucked into a perfect S&W model 25 (also in .45 Colt)…. then got a S&W 586 in .357 to use for plinking, and Colt MK III for close up plinking encounters.
I don’t recall feeling any recoil on anything but the dangblam .44!
I don’t recall feeling any recoil on anything but the dangblam .44!
bigpower491
Member
.41 Mag is like the bear's porridge- just right.
You need to stop putting these great ideas in my head
Palladan44
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44 Mag
There is a great deal of truth in this quote from UncleEd...In my case, after 57 years of handgun shooting, (and never really shooting all that much of the high end magnum rounds), both thumbs have arthritic joint problems as well as nerve damage. Jerry Miculek, the revolver champion says his thumb nerves have been shot for years and just endures the pain while competing. It's something to think about guys...the years creep by and the damage is done....best regards, RodAfter a few years, then do what so many other shooters
do, go back to the .38 or a 9mm because now nerve damage has really taken hold. It's the story of so many handgunners.
NeroM
Member
Another echo for 45 Colt, especially a S&W M25.
I shoot 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt and 454. My father had a S&W Victory, which was my youthful introduction to revolvers. Then I got a 45 Colt, which seemed nice at the time - however I got magnumitis - and really needed those magnums- now half a century later - I realize the 150 year old 45 Colt is probably about optimal for my needs.
I shoot 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt and 454. My father had a S&W Victory, which was my youthful introduction to revolvers. Then I got a 45 Colt, which seemed nice at the time - however I got magnumitis - and really needed those magnums- now half a century later - I realize the 150 year old 45 Colt is probably about optimal for my needs.
lee n. field
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.44 Special. Then maybe move into the magnum.
Necessary_Nutrient
Member
Go 44 Mag. I’d probably buy that 7.5 inch Ruger Redhawk if I didn’t already have a 5.5”
you can go from mild to wild. I love it.
I would NOT shoot through hand pain but WOULD hit the upper body weights and make sure to do progressive Thera-band (or equivalent) forearm exercises to strengthen from finger to shoulder. Your hands are very important to keep healthy.
you can go from mild to wild. I love it.
I would NOT shoot through hand pain but WOULD hit the upper body weights and make sure to do progressive Thera-band (or equivalent) forearm exercises to strengthen from finger to shoulder. Your hands are very important to keep healthy.
UncleEd
Member
And constant magnum shooting will still damage your hands, wrists and
possibly elbows. Those harsh repetitive "blows" will take their toll on the bones.
OP
OP
Centella
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Hey thanks, yeah I agree with that reasoning
!
OP
OP
Centella
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Yeah, always been curious about the 327 mag. Unfortunately the ammo is difficult to find from what I've read...
OP
OP
Centella
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Thanks! Yeah, I actually started on a 22 and then went to 38 sp. It's been a great deal of fun...and a bit addictive. I'm currently reloading my 38sp and 357 mags, so perhaps some progressively hotter 44 special loads might be a good approach...
bigpower491
Member
Well good that you load your own. If you purchase yourself a good quality revolver you can load 44 magnum as mild or wild to suit your taste. In say, like a 5.5 or 7.5 inch Redhawk, 44 special would be right easy on you, even with its max book loads.
Of course, if you opted for a 45 Colt, in one of the stronger framed revolvers, you have the ability to shoot cream puffs and pour the coals to it. Although the cream puff loads are pretty powerful in their own right. A 45 caliber 255 grain chunk of lead at 900 fps ain't no slouch in the knockdown department
WisBorn
Contributing Member
Unless you have a need to increase your energy level I would consider a more concealable 357! If you like your 686 maybe add a 66 with a short barrel.
If you are looking to knock over steel targets at a long range then add a 44mag.
Then of course a 41mag is never a bad idea
If you are looking to knock over steel targets at a long range then add a 44mag.
Then of course a 41mag is never a bad idea
wankerjake
Member
There’s a lot of room for a reloader between 357 and 44mag or 45 Colt ballbusters
Targa
Member
As a reloader my opinion is buy that .44mag you want with confidence. You can do what ever you want with that round and although the same could be said about the .45Colt you will be very limited on the number of revolvers, especially double action, that will allow you to take the 45Colt to “magnum” levels.
Tallball
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- Oct 2, 2014
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- 7,814
Maybe I'm wrong, but I got a 40 caliber 2" k-frame recently, and it seems to have a little more recoil than the 44 special types.
To me, 44 special, 45acp, and "normal" 45 colt all feel about the same out of similar revolvers.
22
38
9mm
357
45colt/45acp/44special
40 caliber
44 magnum
To me, 44 special, 45acp, and "normal" 45 colt all feel about the same out of similar revolvers.
22
38
9mm
357
45colt/45acp/44special
40 caliber
44 magnum
mcb
Member
Who makes a 40 caliber K-frame? Are you talking about a Charter Arms Pitbull?
Necessary_Nutrient
Member
Agreed but, like anything, doing so in moderation and carefully evaluating your bodies response to this should help prevent injury. But, absolutely, at a certain point you should stop for the day!
Palladan44
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- 1,904
I usually get a headache from my teeth rattling in my jaw, before anything else
Last edited:
W.E.G.
Member
Depends on your age.
I can tell you for sure, after many decades on this planet, my wrists do not get "more tolerant" of abuse by subjecting them to more abuse.
Most pistol shooters, who are firing large quanties of ammunition on any single outing, are not shooting large quanties of heavy-recoil ammunition.
Protect your joints before its too late.
If you enjoy heavy recoil and muzzle-blast, enjoy it while you're young.
If you like shooting pistols, I suggest you find a COMPETITION event that involves shooting pistols. The guys who will be winning the competitions are doing everything allowed within the rules of the competition to MINIMIZE the recoil.
Except maybe IHMSA matches, there is no award for shooting 100 rounds of full-house .44 Magnum at one sitting.
Looks like IHMSA - big frame guns with unusually long pistol barrels - is still a thing at a few clubs in the west.
https://www.ihmsa.org/index.html
https://www.ihmsa.org/uploads/3/4/4/0/34407353/2022_master_schedule1.pdf
J.D. Jones was the "king" of shooting handguns with crazy amounts of recoil. So much so, that he made it his business. He called his premier product the "HAND CANNON." - Well, alright J.D.
Fortunately, J.D.'s Hand Cannons were kind of pricey. So I was saved of that.
IIRC, J.D.'s doctors made him retire his King of Recoil crown when he couldn't feel his fingers anymore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Jones
I had a T/C Contender with three barrels: a .44 Magnum barrel; and a .45 Long Colt/..410 (shotgun) combo-barrel; and a 10-inch 30-30 barrel.
The .45 barrel with .410 shells was a novelty - but with no utility for me. Squirrels were safe beyond about 10 yards.
The 44 was tolerable to a point.
The 30-30 was, at minimum, UN-GODLY. Felt like the two bones in my forearm were flexing like some sort of bow-spring on every shot. Waking up in the middle of the night with wrists throbbing and figertips tingling is not a good sign. I knew then, I wasn't interested in the maximum-handgun-recoil game. I traded the whole T/C package for a semi-auto pistol.
I had a couple nice N-frame S&W's. .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum. Like I said, I'm old. I knew I wasn't going to shoot them hardly ever. Big guns. Way too big for EDC or any kind of local competition. So, those got sold-off after I experienced the (brief) joy simply of ownership, and soon-thereafter, the burden of storing them without shooting them.
I sometimes still look at big revolvers, in mondo calibers, and think how "I sure would like to own one of those." Then I remember.
There's always gonna be some guy at the range with a really loud gun, and lots of muzzle-flash. I was that guy for a while. The short-barrel AR's have really dumbed-down the loud-handgun ("handgun" only by legal definition) game. Anyone with a few hundred dollars can own one. Show up with a bunch of mags loaded with cheap 5.56 ammo, and mag dump while everyone else on the range is mashing their double-plugged earmuffs against their skull as hard as they can while the "performance" goes on. Those guys get to make all that noise, and don't even have to suffer the wrist injuries. Just tinnitus for them. Yeah, I've got that too. I sound like a Fudd who can't make up his mind, don't I? I've been that guy with cheap ammo and the short barrel AR at the range. Every time I put on a "performance," It looked like I was making way more people mad, than garnering envy of my noisemaker. I put a suppressor on the noisemaker, and its not nearly as offensive as it used to be. It sits in the safe most range days. I use real rifles to do real rifle stuff. Same for handguns.
As for the hard-recoil "real" handguns, some shooters endure wrist-smashing better than others. For a while.
I can tell you for sure, after many decades on this planet, my wrists do not get "more tolerant" of abuse by subjecting them to more abuse.
Most pistol shooters, who are firing large quanties of ammunition on any single outing, are not shooting large quanties of heavy-recoil ammunition.
Protect your joints before its too late.
If you enjoy heavy recoil and muzzle-blast, enjoy it while you're young.
If you like shooting pistols, I suggest you find a COMPETITION event that involves shooting pistols. The guys who will be winning the competitions are doing everything allowed within the rules of the competition to MINIMIZE the recoil.
Except maybe IHMSA matches, there is no award for shooting 100 rounds of full-house .44 Magnum at one sitting.
Looks like IHMSA - big frame guns with unusually long pistol barrels - is still a thing at a few clubs in the west.
https://www.ihmsa.org/index.html
https://www.ihmsa.org/uploads/3/4/4/0/34407353/2022_master_schedule1.pdf
J.D. Jones was the "king" of shooting handguns with crazy amounts of recoil. So much so, that he made it his business. He called his premier product the "HAND CANNON." - Well, alright J.D.
Fortunately, J.D.'s Hand Cannons were kind of pricey. So I was saved of that.
IIRC, J.D.'s doctors made him retire his King of Recoil crown when he couldn't feel his fingers anymore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Jones
I had a T/C Contender with three barrels: a .44 Magnum barrel; and a .45 Long Colt/..410 (shotgun) combo-barrel; and a 10-inch 30-30 barrel.
The .45 barrel with .410 shells was a novelty - but with no utility for me. Squirrels were safe beyond about 10 yards.
The 44 was tolerable to a point.
The 30-30 was, at minimum, UN-GODLY. Felt like the two bones in my forearm were flexing like some sort of bow-spring on every shot. Waking up in the middle of the night with wrists throbbing and figertips tingling is not a good sign. I knew then, I wasn't interested in the maximum-handgun-recoil game. I traded the whole T/C package for a semi-auto pistol.
I had a couple nice N-frame S&W's. .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum. Like I said, I'm old. I knew I wasn't going to shoot them hardly ever. Big guns. Way too big for EDC or any kind of local competition. So, those got sold-off after I experienced the (brief) joy simply of ownership, and soon-thereafter, the burden of storing them without shooting them.
I sometimes still look at big revolvers, in mondo calibers, and think how "I sure would like to own one of those." Then I remember.
There's always gonna be some guy at the range with a really loud gun, and lots of muzzle-flash. I was that guy for a while. The short-barrel AR's have really dumbed-down the loud-handgun ("handgun" only by legal definition) game. Anyone with a few hundred dollars can own one. Show up with a bunch of mags loaded with cheap 5.56 ammo, and mag dump while everyone else on the range is mashing their double-plugged earmuffs against their skull as hard as they can while the "performance" goes on. Those guys get to make all that noise, and don't even have to suffer the wrist injuries. Just tinnitus for them. Yeah, I've got that too. I sound like a Fudd who can't make up his mind, don't I? I've been that guy with cheap ammo and the short barrel AR at the range. Every time I put on a "performance," It looked like I was making way more people mad, than garnering envy of my noisemaker. I put a suppressor on the noisemaker, and its not nearly as offensive as it used to be. It sits in the safe most range days. I use real rifles to do real rifle stuff. Same for handguns.
As for the hard-recoil "real" handguns, some shooters endure wrist-smashing better than others. For a while.
