What's your recoil limit???

[grizz]

I just skimmed through this thread and it seems like about 90% + of those who posted said a .44 mag is the maximum they prefer to shoot from a handgun.

Now then, WHY is S&W selling so many .500s and .460s? It's gotta be the "Mine is bigger than yours" thing.

That being said, I still wouldn't mind a .500 in the snub nose variety for Alaskan adventures.

 

[SRMohawk]

This is such an interesting question, as the answer certainly changes from day to day in my own case. For example, just as my tolerance for physical training varies dramatically from day to day (sometimes even from hour to hour within a given day) so does my tolerance for the recoil of handguns and rifles. Some days I wake up feeling so revitalized from the strains of life that I go to the gym and even the heavy loads with which I usually work out feel light and I have little to no pain in either of my shoudlers or knees. Other days, even my moderate working loads feel heavy and my shoulders and knees grieve me to no end. So it is with firearms training. In fact, such is probably even more the case. I own a FA Model 83 .475 Linebaugh, but I have to wake up feeling really healthy both physically and psychologically in order to even want to shoot it, much more so, to be able to tolerate the recoil with full-house loads. Once, I caved in to a buddy who wanted me to take him out to train with it when I was a bit hung over. After only 3 rounds, however, my dominant hand felt like it was broken and my head was throbbing so bad I started vomiting. But there have been other times when I've taken the little bastard to the range and managed 30 rounds through it before needing to ice my wrists and knock back a couple Motrin .

 

[Action_Can_Do]

I don't know what my limit is. I haven't found it yet. The 500 magnum comes close. It is funny how recoil can seem worse one day than another.

 

[usmccpl]

20 years ago when I started shooting a handgun 44 mag was my limit.Now that Im quite a bit bigger(I was 6 years old then) I aint found the cannon I cant one hand. In my Contender 45/70 if I dont feel the grips flex it aint enough.





one shot one kill

 

[Marshall]

When the barrel hits my forehead I know I've gone one past my limit.

 

[fastbolt]

When the barrel hits my forehead I know I've gone one past my limit.

Yep ...

While I dislike shooting a Freedom Arms .454 CAS with the stock wooden grips, and without wearing shooting gloves, for more than a few rounds ...

I've spent some enjoyable afternoons in the backwoods shooting several hundred rounds of .357 Magnum, .41 & .44 Magnum over the course of an afternoon. But hey, I grew up shooting and reloading for Ruger Blackhawks chambered in those calibers.

On the other hand, I've found I much prefer to shoot several cylinder loads of .500 S&W Magnum to shooting a cylinder load of full power .357 Magnum ammunition in one of the J-frame Scandium Airlites.

Demostrating being able to fire a few fast & accurate doubles & triples at silhouette targets (10-11 yards), using one of these little powerhouses loaded with 125gr .357 Magnum, bare-handed, using stock grips, pretty much means I'll be experiencing "Magnum Thumb" (twitching) for the rest of the day.

 

[M2 Carbine]

My recoil limit has been when my hand bleeds.
Any more though, some guns and not the most powerful ones, seem to punish my muscles or nerves and my hand will shake. Then it's time to quit or shoot left handed.

Yesterday shooting slugs was no problem.

 

[possum]

so far i haven't found a handguns recoil to be to much for me but the most potent thing i have shot is some .44 mag reloads that my dad reloaded to the max, but i am a young guy and can handle it, but probally not forever!

 

[Warren]

6 rounds of 454 was enough as was 5 rounds of 500 SW.

I have not yet fired a .44 mag or special so I don't yet know about those.

I've fired some "cowboy" .45 colt which was so sweet I could have done it all day if I could have afforded the ammo.

I like .45 ACP in a full size 1911 it is not a problem, however after only 200 rounds out my SIG I need to rest a day or so.

I did 340 rounds out my .40 PX4 yesterday, the recoil was not a problem it was loading the new mags that kicked my hiney. If only I could get a trained monkey to load mags for me, that would help a lot.

 

[SRMohawk]

While I dislike shooting a Freedom Arms .454 CAS with the stock wooden grips, and without wearing shooting gloves, for more than a few rounds ...

This reminds me (thanx, FB), I've only shot my FA .475 Linebaugh on a couple of occassions without my Bob Allen shooting gloves. I even tape my dominant wrist with foam pre-wrap and athletic tape prior to training with the little monster. So it's not fair for me to say that even on a good day my tolerance threshhold is a .475 Linebaugh with full-house loads withstanding NO equipment. It's actually probably a bit closer to a .454 Casull with starting loads or a .44 Magnum with full-house loads.

 

[absolute0]

44 Magnum is it for me.

I can enjoy putting a box or so down the pipe of my Redhawk or Model 29, much more though and it starts to turn into a chore instead of being fun. For me, it's not so much the physical recoil, it's the noise and the shock wave that start to wear on me.

I was looking at a Super Redhawk yesterday that had been chopped to about 4" and was chambered in .454 Casull. Someone who knew what they were doing had done an action job on it, it had a nice 2x Leupold mounted and was priced to move. I kinda ogled it for a minute or two and then suddenly came to my senses...

No Thanks!!

 

[jman74]

I know what you mean about the shock/blast getting to you. I can shoot my 44 Redhawk with a 7-1/4 barrel all day long, but my Speed Six in .357 with it's 2-3/16 barrel causes the head to start hurting after 50 rounds or so. It's not the noise so much (I wear plugs and muffs most of the time), as the blast. I can actually feel the pressure, especially at the club. The outdoor range there has a overhange that seems to be designed to redirect the blast straight back at the shooter. The roof angles down in front of the firing line. Even a .40 S&W seems annoying there.

 

[Dallee]

My limit would have to be my 4" Mod. 57 in 41 Magnum with a load of 20.5 gr of Lil' Gun and a 210 gr Hornady XTP. I use Hogues for my smaller hands so I get a lot of backstrap slap. Sure has the juice @ 1310 fps and easy case extraction. Can't complain, just as hot as I care to shoot.

 

[280PLUS]

I one handed a 5 shots out of a 10" .500 with some really potent corbons in it. While it was boomy with the lighter loads these corbons made it go "CRACK!!" It was cool. I thought the toughest part was holding the gun up on target. That thing is HEAVY! I haven't tried the .480 or the casull so I can't compare. So far the most PAINFUL was the lightweight S&W .357 with some hot loads. That thing REALLY stings your hand. I compare it to the sting you get out of a baseball bat when you hit a really hard pitch.

 

[Rebeldon]

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum--that's enough for me. However, I remember several pistols that were more unpleasant to shoot, such as Kel-Tec P3AT (w/ 90-gr. Cor-Bon), Glock 27 (w/ 135-gr. +p Cor-Bon), and CZ-52 (85-gr. S&B 7.62x25).

 

[Dogbite]

I have a Ruger SR that i love to shoot. I can handle the 454 loadings with no problem. A buddy of mine has a 500 mag. I shot it with no problems at all. I found that it seems the problems with hurting your hands firing these really big bores is a very individual thing. A friend of mines hands hurt bad after shooting the 500, but mine were fine. I guess chalk it up to hand shape/grip differences..

 

[riverdog]

Range sessions with .44 Mag are limited. I can sustain fire with .45ACP in a 1911 or Glock G-21, but I carry a 9mm.

 

[sixgunner455]

I carry a 17 shot 9mm, and/or a 642. I have a Detective Special also, that only comes out to play, or for special occaisions.

The 642, I avoid shooting +P through. Not pleasant. The CZ-75 9mm with anything, and any of the .38 Specials I have (with standard pressure or target loads) I'll shoot till I'm bored or out of ammo. The Detective Special isn't too bad with +P, I can shoot that, but the gun isn't rated to live through too many of them without needing work, so I don't do that. Full size .38/.357, shoot the .38 +p rounds all day if I have them. Funner with the milder loads, especially my softball handloads, but it's not a problem to shoot the +p.

.357? I've shot a GP100 (4"), and a S&W model 19, six inch. Both of them were fun with the .38s. The GP100 was impressively accurate, very, very nice with the .38s. The .357, 125 grain softpoints were not that much fun. Painful after less than 20 rounds. Yes, painful. My right wrist is arthritic, so I have to baby it. Such is life. Model 19 was less painful, but then, I shot fewer rounds through it. I fired 3 rounds of PMC softpoints through an old model 29 once. I stopped because I didn't think it would be a good idea to shoot the other three. It was fun, accurate, destroyed the log and rock I shot, and it's tempting to get one and load milder handloads for it. Big booms. But I'm not going to shoot anymore full-power .44 magnums by choice.

.40 S&W, I had one. It was a decent gun, but it recoils more than the 9mm, slowing me down, without giving enough advantage to be worth the recoil and added ammo expense.

.45 ACP through a SIG P220, I decided I wasn't really having fun anymore after less than 50 rounds. The recoil was not nearly as pleasant as a steel framed 1911. I don't have one of either.

I stick with mild-recoiling pistols -- .22, .38, 9mm. If I need more power, I always say I'll take a rifle or a shotgun. I'm tempted to try the 10mm, but I kind of think it will depend on the gun as to whether I'll be able to handle it.

 

[ETXhiker]

Gun weight and fit really are what makes the difference with a given cartridge. I've had three S&W model 57 .41 mags over the years, two 6 in. and the last was a 4in. All were painless to shoot, even with full house loads. Accurate as all get out, too. Likewise my L frame .357 - the weight kept the recoil tame in spite of the blast from a short barrel (CS-1 model with 3in.) My least favorite handgun to practice with has always been my S&W airweight Bodyguard. Even with wimpy .38 standard velocity loads, it hammers the web of my hand after a couple of cylinders.

I was excited but a little nervous the first time I shot my buddy's Win. model 70 African in 375 H&H. We took turns through a 20 rd. box - by the last round, my shoulder was getting a little tender, but nothing like I expected. A few years ago I had a Winchester 94 "big bore" in .356 Win. and out of the 6.5 lb. rifle, it would get your attention by the second or third shot.

Don't know why recoil seems like fun sometimes... I really would like a .404 Jeffrey or .416 Rigby, just for the hell of it. Quite expensive, though.

 

[makarovnik]

I like shooting an all-steel .44 magnum with a six inch barrel, but shooting a titanium .357 magnum with a two inch barrel is painful (for me). As far as my limit, that would be it.

Has anybody here shot a derringer loaded with .410 shot shells? That's not very fun either.

 

[GungHo]

Depends on the weight/configuration of the gun.

One of the hardest kicking handguns I've shot was a Kahr MK40. My .44 Blackhawk doesn't compare unless you get into hot 300 gr loads.

 

[usmccpl]

I got a single shopt 410 derringer and I shoot it every day with either 000 or the hottest 45lc loads I can find.




one shot one kill

 

[Steve Wynn]

It's physical and mental. At 6'3" and 200 pounds, 'I've regularly shot 50 rounds of full house 300 grain .454 Casull and the accuracy didn'f fall off. That's sitting, standing and kneeliing.

120 rounds of .44 and I start getting maxed out. I shoot a lot of IHMSA silhouette.

Buckeye

 

[JCF]

44 mag is a bit too much for me. Had a friend with a pair of XP-100's a few years back in 308 and 35 Rem. Tried them both. Not cool. 357/45Colt/44spec... that's about it for me in a handgun.

 

[SolaScriptura139]

Full power .357 is about all I've shot so far. .44 mag interests me though, I would like to get a 4 or 5 inch revolver in .44 mag one day, but practicality and affordability (especially in ammo) are more important to me right now.