What's your recoil limit???

[P. Plainsman]

My recoil threshold is a lot like Black Majik's:

Top for me would be .44 magnum out of a 629. I can shoot a box of that stuff but any more and I get the mad shakes.

I can comfortably shoot .357 magnum ... all day through full size revolver ....

I enjoy shooting middle-of-the road, 240 gr .44 Magnum loads out of a steel N-frame revolver. It's brisk and feisty, but fun, and when I bear down and concentrate I can get satisfying accuracy with offhand groups. The .44 Mag is a well engineered, accurate cartridge and most .44s are excellent sixguns. The hardcore factory .44 Mag loads from the specialty companies are too much for me in a S&W.

With a Ruger Bisley single action I can venture into somewhat hotter realms of .44. Wonderful grip and design.

With a Ruger GP100 in my hands there's no .357 Magnum round whose recoil is intimidating. Buffalo Bore's muscular 180 gr hard cast could be shot all day long. Mind you, some top-fuel .357 rounds with lighter bullets do display objectionable amounts of muzzle flash and blast, but recoil isn't a problem.

I can shoot .38+P effectively in an aluminum-frame snubby revolver, but that's my limit. No scandium guns or lightweight .357s for me.

 

[greyhawk178]

I like a .44 mag although not as a steady diet. .45 auto and .357 Mag are no problem. While at a friends house the other day, he let me shoot a custom something in .50 cal. It was a bit much. I fired 3 out of a cylinder and handed it back to him. He was laughing his butt off at me when I shot it.

 

[Oldnamvet]

45-70 out of my contender pistol was enough for me. 5 shots to sight in and I was done for the day.

 

[vanmc]

Missed alot of fun

I had never shot anything more powerful than a .38 spl +p in a k-framed S&W until about 5 years ago. Always heard that the boomers kicked too hard and that you couldn't hit anything with them and shied away from them for many years. About 5 years ago I discovered earmuffs and found out that, for me, recoil is about 75% sound. I'm 64 now, have had 5 heart attacks and can pretty easily handle .357 mag in a K or larger revolver and .45 acp +p in a 1911 if it has a good beavertail (blood thinners you know.) Shoot .38 +p's in a Taurus Model 85. 44 mag's are a bit too much for me though...I really tense up just knowing they are in my hand. Ear protection and rubber grips, and don't believe everything you hear have really helped me.
Thanks,
Van

 

[Desk Jockey]

Honestly, whats the point of having anything larger than .357 in a collection? Practically speaking (unless you're into large calibers, you know past .44mag) you're not going to need a handgun more powerful than a .357

If you want to hunt big game with a handgun in Colorado, the 357 is too small to be legal.

 

[ChristopherG]

The gun totally makes the cartridge. In my Ruger Bisley, with bare wood grips and exposed backstrap, I can shoot .41 mag loads that make me quail when fired from a S&W657 that: (a) weighs more, (b) boasts fat cushy rubber grips, and (c) lags behind the Bisley in velocity, even though it's got a half-inch longer barrel. Lots of factors of geometry are apparently at play here.

What's beyond my tolerance is full-on .357 from my 340PD. I'll recite the best description I've heard, though I can't take credit for it:

Place a golfball on a hardwood table. Now smack the golfball with your open palm, hard enough to drive it through the table. Having failed, smack it again, but twice as hard this time. THAT'S what it feels like to shoot full power .357 from an airlite.

 

[DFW1911]

This one is actually easy for me...

A SW 329PD in .44; unmodified with the stock wooden grips.

"Ouch" may be the greatest understatement I've ever made.

Modified (meaning comp'd and rubber grips) makes it much more tolerable.

Take care,
DFW1911

 

[orionengnr]

340 PD with full power Federal 357 125gr HPs.

Slamming your hand in the doorjamb of a 68 Olds is not much of an understatement.

One door-slam per round.

I did two cylinders full six months ago and my hand still hurts.

I can shoot the same round out of my M-66 or M-19, well, not all day long, but as nearly long as my wallet can stand....

 

[.38 Special]

So far I have handled a single gunful of anything I've tried, although I haven't tried the .460 or .500 and don't plan to.

I can accurately shoot a gunful of five-shot .45 Colt loads or .454 loads from a Bisley or similar, and then start to shake.

I can accurately shoot about 50 full house .44 loads from a model 29, and then start to flinch.

Ditto for .357 from a snubby, although one of the Scandium snubbies made me especially miserable after 24 rounds.

But I've called myself .38 Special on this forum because I LOVE to shoot 148 HBWCs with 2.7 grains of Bullseye. I never get tired of them and never get hurt. That, for me, is the difference between "tolerating" and "enjoying myself". I can shoot the big bores, more or less, if I have a pressing need. (Like showing someone what a stud I am. ) But "fun", for me, ends somewhere just above that .38 wadcutter level.

 

[HSMITH]

I have not found my recoil limit with a handgun yet, but I do limit my shooting with ultralight 357 magnum and above. Noise is more limiting for me than recoil, really loud handguns turn me off pretty quickly these days.....

 

[Zundfolge]

I'm somewhat of a recoil junky ... biggest thing I've got is a .44mag, but having shot a .500mag, .480 Ruger and .454 Casull, I admit I really want one or each.

Actually my .44 bothers me the most (I hate the grips ... came with the Hogue rubber grips that don't cover the back strap and I recently got a set of factory "Coke Bottle" grips that don't quite fit right ... wish I could afford some Nills).

Most powerful handgun I've shot was a Thompson Center in .309JDJ ... that was a HOOT!

I should get me a Thompson and a variety of rifle caliber barrels (I think a .45-70 would be fun).

 

[kir_kenix]

ive never shot a 460 or 500....but im pretty sure i dont really want to, lol. maybe once each, just to say i have. the .44 mag is about all for me. and even then, pbly less than 20 rounds before my right arm starts to shake. .357....same story. i can shoot .45 or .40 all day long tho...and i know alot of guys who cant put nearly as many rounds thru a .45 as me that can shoot twice as many .357 rounds as i can. think it just depends on the size of your hands and the pistol itself.

 

[DFW1911]

Orionengnr nailed it!

And was even able to name the vehicle associated with the, wel, kind of extreme pain.

I described shooting my 329PD w/ .44 Mag out of the box as "having your hand hit with a baseball bat."

Personally, I like the car anology better. I'm not a baseball player but love muscle cars.

Oh, BTW, when I purchased it I was told "when you need it you will not feel the recoil", which may be the greatest lie I have ever believed.

Stay safe and take care,
DFW1911

 

[anotherinkling]

I don't know that I've reached my threshold yet, but I can tolerate .357Mag and enjoy .45ACP. I'd be curious to try the Desert Eagle in .44Mag...kind of ease into it by shooting a handgun weighing as much as a carbine.

Anyone tried the Desert Eagle in anything besides the .50AE?

 

[Hook686]

I shoot a couple of hours worth of .44 magnum, usually a mix of 180, 200 & 240 grain factory and 200, 240 & 300 grain hand loads. I go home, because I shot all I had.

Don't get me wrong, a box of 'full house' loads, would end my doing that, after about 4 cylinders. I'd then go to my low level .240 grain loads (10.8 grains of Unique).

I'll not be going any higher in caliber ... I'm content trying to handle what I got ... S&W 629 6-1/2" Classic.

 

[wanderinwalker]

I'm with Hook686. I love to shoot my 6" 629, but about 4 or 5 cylinders full of true full-tilt-boogey .44s is all I can take. I keep my 240gr XTP reloads "throttled-back" to about 1200-1300-fps out of that pistol. I've chrono'ed Winchesters from Wal-Mart at 1400-fps!! Smokes!! The box said 1180! Should have chrony'ed them out of the Marlin too.

Most of my practice is done with a 200gr LRNFP at about, oh, 800-fps or so (1000 out of the rifle). Much more fun to shoot, kinda like a .45 ACP. Makes short work of balloons, playing cards, silhouettes, clays, etc., etc...

 

[TexasRifleman]

Yes, the 329PD with Magnum loads is pretty bad, but High Velocity here has a 340PD that I shot once with .357 Mags....... MUCH worse.

Anyone tried the Desert Eagle in anything besides the .50AE?

Yes, I shot an entire IPSC match with a .44 Mag DE years ago. Guy I knew had been doing matches with it and we all gave him a hard time so he let us try it one match. It's really not that bad since darned thing is so heavy and you have the moving mass of the bolt to take some of the recoil.

 

[stevelyn]

A cylinder full of full power .454 is my absolute limit and I'm likely to stop before the gun is empty. I'd prefer to go no higher than top end on .45 Colt.

I'm not in the least interested in shooting any of the S&W super revolvers.

 

[Run&Shoot]

So far I haven't shot anything I didn't enjoy, except for the Makarov which shredded my hand before filing the slide. I've shot lots through a 4" Redhawk .44 mag with full house 240 gr and 300 gr. loads. Also lots of .357 through a SP101, with the 125 gr being the most violent. And plenty of .38 +P Special in a 642 Airweight.

I have not experienced anything greater than .44 mag yet, or any of the lightweight .357.

I tend to not have any problem with the recoil, but heavy .44 in a 4" barrel create a lot of muzzle blast, especially with magnaporting. After about 100 rounds I start to get a headache from the concussive blast.

I found the best way to handle recoil is to decide I am going to enjoy it and just focus on front sight and smooth trigger pull. Then let whatever happens after let off hapen!

 

[MachIVshooter]

Handgun-wise, I've yet to find one that I considered "too much" (though the S&W 340/360 PD have quite a nasty bite). I have not yet fired the "Emergency survival" 2.5" S&W 500, but fouund the 4" .500 pleasant with <350 gr. loads and tolerable with the heavier pills.

Now rifles are a different story. My 8 pound 700 BDL in .375 Ultra with top 300 gr. loads generates a very fast 82 ft/lbs and is toward my upper limit for recoil tolerance, especially off the bench. 15 or 20 rounds will actually give me a headache. Given the chance, I would fire the really big critters (.585 Nyati, .577 Tyrannosaur, .700 NE, etc.), but probably only once or twice.

 

[Jack19]

I like the 10mm, even in original loadings...but only in an auto. In a revolver, the 10mm is too much for me; can't shoot 41 or 44mag worth a flip in a revolver either. But I like 44mag in the DEagle.

Go figure.

 

[trickyasafox]

for pistol i haven't found it yet. 500sw 50 ae 44mag 12gauge mossy with pistol grip i can't help but giggle at the chance to shoot any of them!

rifle the biggest i've fired is a 45/120 shilo (sp) sharps repro, which was awesome!

i'd like to try something with a bit more punch, just don't have access to it.

i can't help but think its fun to have some 'big thunder'

 

[highlander 5]

recoil

44 mag from a Redhawk no problem 45 colt 1300fps Redhakw or Bisley no problem but just about my limit I've fired a 45/70 contender with muzzle break and three shots enough already
Though this doesn't count HEAVY 45/70 loads 500gr at 1700+ fps and 375 H&H are my limits in rifle

 

[John C]

.44 Mag tip

For those of you having trouble with the .44 mag, I found that Blazer .44 mag is slightly less powerful than other brands. I looked at the CCI website, and it shows the .44 mag as having a 240 grain bullet going 1250 fps.

In contrast, the Federal American Eagle .44 mag clocks, for the same 240 grain bullet, at 1450 fps.

The difference is astounding. In my S&W 329 PD, a scandium .44 mag, the American Eagle is like hitting your hand with a hammer. Hard.

The Blazer, on the other hand (pun intended), is just below the threshold of pain, while still a powerful round. I can shoot a whole box of Blazers in a session. My hand is a little sore, but nothing outrageous (add to that that I do absolutely NO work with my hands other than type, a more physical guy might do better with it).

Anyways, I hope this helps. And no, I have no affiliation with CCI or Blazer.

-John

 

[WarMachine]

I haven't had the chance to shoot the higher power loads unfortunately. However, I did shoot nearly 1000 rounds from a GLOCK 22 in one session. The next morning I was literally in the seventh level of hell.