Guns!!!

Mongo

Mongo

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
8,969
Greetings all, I was able to take an afternoon off last week and went shooting with my brother. Since he is in the market for a handgun... lucky enough to live in a CCW state... he shot a Beretta 9mm and a Sig .40SW. I shot my Dad's .357 Ruger and .22 Ruger.
With the .357 I shot both .357 loads and .38spec loads. BIG difference in recoil!!! I also consistently shot up and to the right on everything but the .22. Gotta be something I am doing wrong with the trigger pull.
I then shot a Ruger Super RedHawk in .44mag. Sweeeeet Jeeeeesus! Yeah it was a handful, but I could still shoot it one-handed ok. And the surprising to me part was that there wasn't a lot more recoil than the .357!!! Shooting these two DA revolvers kinda changed my mind about SA's. Now I have to shoot a SA to see how much a pain in the butt it is to load and unload. The shooting part didn't make much of a difference to me as I was shooting the DA's in a SA mode most of the time anyway.
I shot the Beretta and Sig just for yucks. REALLY liked the Sig. Nice gun and shoots well. Looks like it could take a higher capacity magazine though. The Beretta was nice too, kinda big though.
Has anybody shot .357mag, .44mag and .45LC and can compare the three for me? I'm liking the sound of the .45LC due to it's versatility.
Ramble off,
Mongo
 
I no longer shoot a .357 Magnum. I had some nice ones, a Python and a short barreled stainless SW 66. Both guns seemed to prefer a slightly reduced load, loaded into .357 cases with heavy bullets; in my experience, a linotype 158 grain, bevel base semi-wadcutter. I used Blue-Dot and Alcan AL-8.

I still shoot a .44, but not as much. I had a slew of them. I started on a SW 29 in 1979, had some horrible ones when Bangor Punta owned the company, a Ruger 5" Redhawk and my present SW Magna Classic. I fed them all with a real Keith 250 grain semi-wadcutter, a 429421 design with a square cut lube groove. The Magna Classic is spooky; it out shoots a SW DX.

The 45 LC, BTW, the name 'Long Colt' really irritates some guys, is not in my inventory. I load a factory duplicate for a friend with a six gun, but I have never loaded a Siefried style load for a custom 5-shot. Don't shoot those loads in a Colt.
 
If you are left handed the 'up and to the right' could be trigger, but if you are a righty then I would say your grip is too loosey. The grip pressure may not become apparent in the little 9mm only getting more visible as you increase the recoil.

Hold it like a hammer. not to tight but don't limp wrist it or youll loose control.

I have shot all of the one you mention. recoils is percieved and relative to the type of grips on the gun, the weight and the ammunition. With all of the calibers you mention you can shoot lighter loads for practice with less percieved recoil.

I had a .44mag with full power loads that I shot a deer at 70 yards with. Didn't hurt or for that matter even bother my ears(Auditory exclusion). I also have had a .38 derringer that I only shot 2 times. Both time the gun slipped in my grip and I got spurred by the hammer. I got rid of that one. It bit the crap out of me!:rolleyes:

Gadget54
 
I've only fired a few rounds of .45 LC, so I can't really comment on their merits. I shoot .44 Magnums a lot and .357 Magnums fairly often. There can be huge variations in perceived recoil based on both the loadings and the handguns used.

My preference is for modern revolvers that have been optimized to minimize perceived recoil and maximize control. I like heavy barrel models with full-length ribs and lugs to put more weight out in front. I also like serious compensation and porting. A great set of grips really makes a difference too; I prefer the rubber type.

My favorite revolver is the Taurus Raging Bull .44 Magnum (M444) 6-1/2" barrel model. It combines all of my favorite features in a massive handgun that really soaks up the recoil. I am a little on the short side, although heavy-set, and I have no problem controlling +P loads in .44 Magnum with the Taurus. I can even do a credible double-tap.

My comparable .357 Magnum is a Taurus Tracker (M627) with a 4" barrel. It has similar features, although it is lighter than the huge Raging Bull. I have yet to find anyone, even a friend who is a 115 pound woman, who had any trouble controlling +P .357 Magnum loads with this handgun. Given basic training the recoil is easy to manage.

I think the .357 Magnum is the most versatile caliber around, but I prefer to go lighter for humans and heavier for large animals. I carry a 9mm everyday for defense and a .44 Magnum when in the woods. If I was limited to one choice it would be the .357.

--Bob Q
 
i have shot all 3 calibres, in several diff pistols, and imho the recoil on the .45 colt (or LC) normally loaded (i think a 250gr bullet at 800fps or so) out of a ruger bisley w/a 5" bbl, was very mild, about like a 45ACP in a std size 1911, BUT my bud had some 300 grain loads he got at the gunshow (garret? i will have to ask the brand) and these babies had some kick to them, not like a 454 casull or something, but at least as bad as the 44 mag, imho. oh, and the bisley is a custom model, w/a SS cylinder, SS ejector rod housing, blue frame, and custom grips. a guy in montana did the custom work, very well known, cant think of his name either, lol, but the thing has the best trigger, bar none, i have ever seen on a handgun, and i have shot clark .45's/etc.

greg
 
Hey Gadget, I got rid of my .38 derringer for pretty much the same reasons. It bit & I always seemed to get powder burns- leaked fire all over the place when I shot it. I have fairly strong hands, but hanging onto it was like holding a wet bar of soap. A loud & dangerous bar of soap.
I thought that I was just a big sissy. (hell, maybe I am...)
Hated that damned gun.
 
In the most general terms, I find the 357Magnum recoil to be sharp. Sort of like hitting your thumb with a hammer. This is generally due to the light weight of the revolver and the amount of recoil generated from full power 357 loads. The 125 grain loads seem the sharpest which I guess is due to the increased velocity compressing the recoil impulse into a slightly shorter time period.

I find the 44Magnums in general to be softer. More akin to a good hard slap on the back from a friend. The guns themselves have been heavier and the overall velocity is less so, while total recoil may be greater it is perceived as less in my case due to the longer time period is distributed through.

Standard 45 Colt wheelgun loads are akin to shooting 44Specials in a 44Magnum. Similar to your 38Special 357Magnum experience.

I find the 44Magnum to be the most versatile because you can shoot 44Specials for general plinking and practice, Mid-Power 44Magnums for reduced recoil but more power and, finally you have the Full Power 44Magnums when you need that level of power and penetration.
 
Get a Ruger Bisley in 45 Long Colt. You will love the grip shape. Also, you can economically shoot cowboy loads with mild recoil or load hotter for more serious encounters.
 
Originally posted by Rugger
A loud & dangerous bar of soap.
I thought that I was just a big sissy. (hell, maybe I am...)
Hated that damned gun.
Click to expand...

That's it! A loud & dangerous bar of soap!

And I don't care what they call me! It's like when my kids jump from the top of the slide and my wife gasps...I just say 'don't worry they'll only do that once!'

Gadget54
 
While you're trying out different rounds from a revolver, you might also try .45ACP. You have to use moon clips to eject the rimless casings, but this makes reloading a little quicker. Nice way to share ammunition between a revolver and a semiauto. S&W and Taurus both make revolvers chambered for .45ACP.
 
I too have shot extensively with all 3. The only .357 load I ever thought developed uncomfortable recoil was Elmer Keith's old 170grain semi-wadcutter over 16 grains of 2400. That's a compression load,BTW.
Did boot some, even out of the S&W M27 I was shooting then. (N-frame)

With the .44, we found the stock grips on the S&W M29 to be awful; especially with full-house loads. Attacking the grips with a file to round off all the sharp edges and take down the checkering helped a bunch, as did shooting loads that developed about 900 fps. A superbly accurate weapon.

I had one of the first Ruger .45 Colts, with the long (7 1/2"?) barrell. Great gun- used to shoot the 250 grain cast semi-wadcutter over 10 grains of Unique powder. (not reccomended for vintage Colts!)
Those huge bullets and cases are marvellously easy to reload.
I even made up a bunch of the standard black-powder loads from the 1800's- case full of triple-F and that same bullet. Not a wimpy load, I assure you! Of course, then you had to clean the gun....
 
Thanks all, the .357 I was shooting is old enough to say Sturm and Ruger on it... not much in the way of comfy grip ergonomics. Also I thought the trigger had some sharp edges, as my fairly well callused hand had some sore spots. The SuperRedHawk was a fairly nice pistol to shoot because of the recoil absorbing grips and better ergos. I gotta try out the Bisely per Danbo's reccs... hopefully they have one to rent at the range.
Now I gotta figure out why I'm shooting high and to the right on anything higher than a .22! My wife's friend, who's family owns the gunshop mentioned that there are some classes just for this type of problem.
Mongo
 
I'm reading this and realizing I haven't been to the range in a long time.

My favorite cartridge is the 45LC, if I shot more I'd have Bowen or someone build me a gun. The recoil really is like a 44 special, very shootable. I have a 454 Freedeom Arms, 7". Shooting 45LC is a pleasure. They reccommend you have another cylinder, but a good cleaning takes care of that. 454's are a handful.

I also have an interesting 45. Bill Grover is a gunsmith who made his
living restoring Colt SA's. Back in the early '90s he started a company called Texas Longhorn Arms. They built SAs, but made them right handed, loading gate on the left side. Awesome gun!! Unfortunately, Bill was a better gunsmith than businessman and the company is out of business.

Anybody that loves revolvers should get a copy of John Taffins "BIG
BORE SIXGUNS". A great book documenting all the guns mentioned in this thread.

Happy New Year,
Win
 
Another good one is "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith. Kieth got a lot of flack for his somewhat opinionated style of writing, but he was around for the development of all the "magnum" pistol cartridges, as well as being old enough to have met some of the surviving "wild West" characters as a child. Lots of good stuff on long-range shooting.
 
I am not a huge fan of the .357, but I am a fan of the Colt Python, so I suffer along with the caliber some.:)

Actually my favorite big bore is the .41 Magnum. I have a Smith & Wesson model 57, and it is one of my favorite shooters. It does virtually anything the .44 mag will do, and with less recoil and muzzle blast. I have also read that the .41 has greater "inherent or intrinsic accuracy" than the .44, whatever that is. I don't know about that, I just know I shoot it better.
 
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