MidLife

Just curious on the 44 magnum recoil in big Ruger revolvers...
Can anyone advise on the felt or otherwise experienced recoil on these cartrideges in the Ruger revolvers?
I have an Ruger GP100 357 magnum revolvers and am comfortable with the recoil. Is the 44 magnum recoil and shooting experience similar or significantly different in the heavier Ruger 44 magnum revolvers?
I am trying to assess whether a pound of gun evens out a 15,000 PSI or so difference?
I wanted to try out a 44 magnum at a recent range visit, but, they weren't available, only 40's and 45s.

Thanks.

Brisk44

It's a bit heavier than .357 but certainly managable. IMO it doesn't get bad till you get the really heavy hand loads. And then thats only with the small grips where your little finger is below the grip.

Spike12

I think Brisk44 has it about right. I've always thought that anybody in reasonable health beyond about 14 y/o could handle at least one round.

Don't get me wrong, pulling the trigger on a 44mag IS an event but it's way over hyped in my opinion. In my youth I'd shoot 20-50 rounds at a wack and not think too much about it using my OM Super Blackhawk. RedHawk wasn't much different. The load you're using makes a huge difference.

Just don't rest the but on the hood of your '66 Charger as it will leave a visible dent.

off road

Not to worry! Rugers .44's are big and heavy, and in the case of the newer SRH and Alaskan they use the very excellent Hogue "Tamer" grips that make a HUGE difference. Sure, the recoil will be more than an a GP, but not so significant that you will go home from the range regreting it.

A couple notes: Grips make all the difference! Some folks love the older style Ruger grips, but my advice is to avoid them if you are recoil sensitive. Never owned a Redhawk, but I have to imagine that its recoil is far more severe seeing it has an "old school" exposed metal backstrap that isn't covered, at least with any of the stock grips.

Handgun recoil is one of the most over-hyped issues! I'm out there shooting .357's through little 12 oz S&W J-frames, and a I have a 29 oz .44 S&W 329PD on order , so by comparison even the .454 Rugers are absolute pussycats!

terry_p

I have a 4" Redhawk and an older 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk. With the factory grips the SBH would slide in my hands and cause discomfort. I replaced them with pachmyrs and the problem solved. The Redhawk came with hogues and is fun to shoot. The 44 mag with full power loads to me is a hard push with the right grips. Rent one at a range and have some fun.

off road

Grips make all the difference, and I think a lot of the hype about recoil, got its start back in the days of dreadfull grip design.

My first .44's were a pair of S&W M29's (a 4" and a 6'5"). Back then, they came with huge oversize hardwood "Goncalo Alves" grips. There weren't any good aftermarket rubber grips available, at that time. The gun is relatively light framed, and they put these huge hard grips on it.....what an exercise in stupidity!!!

I have a buddy who is a LEO. He has to qualify with his .40 service pistol and a little J-frame backup, so he is no stranger to shooting. Yet, he won't even touch any of my big bore revolvers. In his youth, somebody handed him an M29 and said "give this a try", and the recoil made such an impression on him that he doesn't want to have anything to do with them ever again.

Got to applaud Ruger for putting excellent Hogue Tamer grips on the little LCR's! The SP101 needs a similar grip makeover now....

Cowboy T

Same experience for me, but my hands prefer the Pachmayr stocks vs. the Hogues. Get what fits well for your hand. Recoil from .44 Magnum rounds isn't that bad in a good, stout, heavy gun like a Ruger.

The Super Redhawk's "wooden insert" stock is pretty good, though I wish it wrapped around the back of the trigger guard a little more when shooting hotter loads.

1010

i read this "recoil question" all the time, it all depends on how much you can handle....one guy says the recoil is massive and makes the gun not fun to shoot, and hurts every time.....then the guy who says its not bad at all, and loves to shoot it...they are all opinions...from people who perceive things differently. i shoot a .454 Casull and would not want anything smaller...yet before buying the gun....i read all the hype about it being a nasty recoiling round and people wanting to sell their .454 after their first session out shooting it...one 250gr round moving at 1300fps i was liking that...but wanted more, so 300gr moving at 1800fps...i love it..!!!

i think that you should shoot a .454 or .500 first...then work your way down to where your comfortable...if you start small ad work your way up, of course each time you move up its going to feel like a lot more than the previous smaller round...and you might sell your self short thinking that thats your limit....of course thats just my opinion. grips make a big difference...

.357...wimpy

.44 mag...better

.454 Casull...love it, dont know what everyone is whining about..

1010

pussycat.......if you were to shoot the .454 out of a 12-29 oz frame i think it would be a little different...

Ks Hayseed

Then again, depends on the load, depends on the grip and what you’re going after. I like my Redhawk .44 Mag. 7½ inch barrel custom tuned and custom fitted for my hand. Full power loads, you’ll fell it kick. But you can also practice with .44 Specials. Light load, less recoil. Practice with someone who owns one. The “Bark” is not as bad as the bite. .44 Mag recoil is way over rated…

Rover

Psi, per se, has no effect on recoil. Recoil is a function of bullet weight, powder weight to a small degree, muzzle velocity squared and gun weight. Recoil is inversely proportional to gun weight. Somewhere there is a formula for all this. A 4" GP weighs about 41 oz, a 4" RH about 46 and a 5.5" RH about 49 oz.

As noted grips make a big difference in what you feel and everyone is different. They must fit your hand to allow good trigger placement. I never liked the small wood grips on Redhawks as they chewed up my hand web. Others love them. I wound up ultimately with a set of Herrett Ropers made to fit my hand. With these on the gun shooting 100-200 rounds a session of the 240 gr .44 mag loads or 165 gr Corbon were no problem. Never shot the 300 gr + bullets in it but the recoil probably would be heavier. I also reload so one can load really mild loads such as 180 gr or 200 gr. Alliant has some loads listed for these that are like shooting .38 wadcutters out of a medium frame gun. If you don't reload you can shoot .44 Russian and Special loads out of the gun for mild loads.

In the past owned some S&W .44 mags and a Dan Wesson 744. The Wesson was heavier so had even less recoil. The Smith Mtn. Gun weighs about 39 oz so it has a bit heavier recoil. Smith makes a Titanium 26.5 oz .44 Mag I would not care to shoot. As you shoot them you can get used to the recoil within reason. It is like getting used to shooting the .357 loads after using .38's in a medium frame gun. I would say the RH definitely had a bit milder recoil, to me, than shooting full house .357's in my SP.

off road

Nobody makes one....damit!

Got to remember too, that guns like the ultralights are really meant to be carried often, but fired seldom. On the other hand, I find that my 7.5" SRH's get carried seldom, because of their bulk and weight. The sweet spot in Ruger's .44 lineup for me, is the Alaskans. Not to big, and not to small!

north tex

My first experience with the 44 Mag was not a good one. T/C Contender with a (unknown to me) "special" hand load. It took me back a full step with my arms nearly verticle over my head. The crotch of my right hand was sore for 2 days. I swore off of 44 mag for many years until a friend got me me try a S&W 29 with factory loads. I was pleasantly surprised and bought a 629 4 inch and have had it ever since. Yes the recoil is heavier than my S&W mod 27 with 357, but with the good grips it is very managable. I usually leave the full power stuff to the last 20 rounds or so in a session. After that I'm ready to put it away... but I do it with a smile on my face.

jonyrotten

laffin my ass off at that one

Tater

Okay, not a DA. But I recently bought a Ruger SBH Bisley in 44 Mag. I was worried about the recoil, too, compared to my GP100.

My first range visit opened my eyes a lot. The recoil was more than managable with 240 grain factory magnum loads. I shot a whole box and went home with no pain or recoil sensitivity. I was quite pleasantly surprised. Compared to my GP100, there was very little difference in "felt" recoil.

Now, a full bore magnum load, say Buffalo Bore's 44 Mag +P 340 grain at 1400 feet per second I am sure would be much stouter and not nearly fun to shoot. But that's a monstrous load, too!

I believe it's a function of the grips, as this revolver simply rolls my arm up instead of beating the crud out of the web of my hand (like my buddy's S&W 29).

Hogue Tamer grips are also a great plus.