The amount of recoil generated is commensurate with the gun and ammunition. Loaded with .44 Specials, recoil is very mild. Loaded with light bullet .44 Magnum cartridges, recoil gets a bit stiffer. Full power 240 gr. loads recoil is pretty stout. With heavy bullets, recoil is very potent.

Using a Smith & Wesson, the recoil will be more noticeable than with a Ruger Single Action because of the grip shape. The shorter barrel gun will "whip" more than one with a longer barrel.

Having said all of that, how sensitive are you to recoil? I am accustomed to heavy loads and experienced with shooting, so recoil doesn't bother me that much. If you are accustomed to only 9mm or .38 Special, you will find the .44 to be a beast.

What is your goal with the .44 Magnum? If just paper punching or plinking, then stick with .44 Special or mild .44 Magnum handloads. If for hunting, the by all means work up to a comfortable level of moderately heavy ammunition. A 1200 fps load that you can handle well is far superior to a 1500 fps load that you will fling over the countryside.

Bob Wright

 

The amount of recoil generated is commensurate with the gun and ammunition. Loaded with .44 Specials, recoil is very mild. Loaded with light bullet .44 Magnum cartridges, recoil gets a bit stiffer. Full power 240 gr. loads recoil is pretty stout. With heavy bullets, recoil is very potent.

Using a Smith & Wesson, the recoil will be more noticeable than with a Ruger Single Action because of the grip shape. The shorter barrel gun will "whip" more than one with a longer barrel.

Having said all of that, how sensitive are you to recoil? I am accustomed to heavy loads and experienced with shooting, so recoil doesn't bother me that much. If you are accustomed to only 9mm or .38 Special, you will find the .44 to be a beast.

What is your goal with the .44 Magnum? If just paper punching or plinking, then stick with .44 Special or mild .44 Magnum handloads. If for hunting, the by all means work up to a comfortable level of moderately heavy ammunition. A 1200 fps load that you can handle well is far superior to a 1500 fps load that you will fling over the countryside.

Bob Wright[/QUOTE

Try 44 cal pistol balls for cap guns they are accurate with the recoil of a 38 wadcutter but still make 44 cal. holes. For noise/ recoil sensative people who want to shoot a magnum it may be the ticket. Use two powder cards over the charge and mouth crimp the case just enough to secure the ball. I use this load in my Bonds Arms

 

Thanks Bob. I obviously forgot to include ammo in the equation. My only big bore experience so far has been with standard factory 357 magnum ammo in my Blackhawk convertible. I have no issue with recoil there and honestly that's "enough" of a fun factor for me. My only use for any hand gun would be for range plinking and target practice. I don't need a 44 magnum but am considering getting one eventually just for the periodic experience of shooting some more heavy stuff. I just don't want to make the mistake of buying something that is unpleasant to shoot under ideal conditions. I suppose that everything is just a matter of experience and newbies like me spend too much time thinking about it. I could probably get just about anything and shoot the lightest loads and be plenty happy. Early on as a complete novice I got suckered into a buying a lightweight O/U field shotgun for sporting clays and don't want to make any mistake like that again. I don't know many people who own any firearms so it's hard to try out anything before making a purchase.

 

Most of my experience with 44 Mag is with my Alaskan. Definitely not for the recoil sensitive.

 

I shot full power Underwood in my alaskan and thought my ruger lcr 357 recoiled quite a bit more.

 

I find Bisley grips to be VERY helpful when shooting big bore revolvers. Grips can't change the amount of recoil but they sure can make a difference as to how manageable the recoil is. The only plow handled Ruger 44mag I can comfortably shoot with full house loads is an original large framed Vaquero. Both of the Blackhawk/SBH's I owned were not fun at all and I got rid of the short barreled one simply because of the recoil. None of my Bisley gripped pistols are a problem to shoot including a 454C. YMMV.

 

I am just the opposite. I do not like the Bisley grip at all. The regular plow handle, or the square back Super grip frame works best for me.

In answer to the OP, the Super Redhawk in the longer barrel lengths kick less than any .44 Magnum I have ever shot. Even full power loads are *****cats in that gun.

 

Have owned and shot several versions of the Super Blackhawk, as well as the Redhawk and the Super Redhawk, all in 44 mag. With standard factory loads, I found the Super Redhawk with the 7 1/2" barrel to be the easiest on me, followed by the Bisley in the SBH. Also, the several SRHs I've owned in 7 1/2" have been the most consistently accurate Ruger 44 mag revolvers for me. As far as looks, the SRH comes in dead last for me, but if beauty is, as beauty does ...

Of course, this is all highly subjective and a matter of personal preference, but that has been my experience.

 

Different people prefer different grips, but I can say that my Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter with a Burris 2-7 x 32 scope felt really mild even with super hot 300 grain XTP loads.
The added mass from the scope made a huge difference and almost took the fun out of the gun.

Here it is with an Ultra dot on it, not the scope, but you can get the general idea.

 

Well, I shoot alot of big bore guns, pistols, and rifles. The 44 magnum I have is the dirty harry special, the smith model 29 with the 8&3/8 barrel. I find that the full, power 44 mag is not something you would want to shoot all day. So when I reloaded for it I backed the charge down to the minimum for a 240 grain extreme flat point, and its far more enjoyable. You also have the option to shoot 44 specials, very mild. The rugers I own are the gp100 in 3", and 4" 357 mag, and alaskan 454 casull. I find the hogue overmold grip is the most comfortable at absorbing heavy recoil. However for looks, the wood customs definately look way better. I have fired the magnum calibered black hawks, and red hawks. I used to own a vaquero in 44 mag. With the stock wood grips and polished finish it was a beauty, however I could not enjoy it for the recoil with 44 mag. That was before I reloaded. Looking back I wish I would have just bought and shot 44 specials in it, that way I would still own it.

 

I would get a bisley super blackhawk hunter. Lots of weight up front and the bisley grip as mentioned really tames the feel of the recoil. This is why Hamilton Bowen uses bisley grips on his hand cannons.

 

.44mag for a range toy? sir you are a braver man than I. Maybe try some of those BB 180gr loads in your .357 to see how that recoil goes.

 

I tend to prefer the standard plow handle SBH with a 7.5 bbl. I know this is a very subjective thing, what I notice is the plow handle has a nice roll under recoil, where the Bisley seems to recoil straight back in my hand, I feel it more. I am OK with the square trigger guard too, it can hit you but I have figured out how to hold it so it works.. The SBH is a very nice gun to shoot.

You need to shoot a 454 or a 480 Ruger, then the 44 mag will feel like a fun toy !

 

no matter what you shoot, it will kick like a mule! If youre concerned about recoil, don't get anything bigger than a 45 acp!
Why get that strong a weapon? if youre going to display it, recoil shouldn't matter! If youre gonna use it for something other than holes in paper, wear a catchers mitt. If only punching holes, ?????

 

My 5.5" SBH is a tame cat with the .44 Specials. Full magnum factory loads are quit a handful:

 

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all the varied opinions and definitely gives me a lot to think about. I have a couple of other purchases higher up in the priority list but will consider all of this feedback if I get to the 44 magnum decision later on. Maybe I can save myself some money and skip it altogether.

 

I traded away my Super Redhawk because I couldn't afford to shoot it, but still feeling a need for a Big Bore handgun I settled on a .45 Blackhawk convertible. It has met my needs perfectly, shooting .45acp mostly but still get that boomer cartridge with a hot .45C.

 

This photo was made about a hundred years ago. My Super Blackhawk in recoil from a 240 gr. SWC at 1500 fps:



Don't hoot these rounds so much anymore. But do touch off a few 240 gr. JHPs at around 1400 fps at times still.

This is the old .44 in the photo, my log book shows it stands at just over 17,000 rounds fired through it:



Bob Wright

 

Superperb Blackhawk!


The condition you are able to keep all your firearms is nothing short of amazing! I believe in shooting all my guns but handle them more than most people as I have nothing but time and have no where near the skills required to keep them so pristine such that you do.I do take as good of care as I can but still manage to get some "handling" marks.I believe it was you that said older looking guns have character marks and look good as is and I agree completely.That is one beautiful Superperb Blackhawk Sir! Thanks for sharing all of your photos and wisdom!
Hikup41.

 

As far as 44 mag goes. The 7.5 inch Super Blackhawk had the most tame recoil of any 44 mag that I have ever fired. That includes Smiths, Taurus and various Rugers. I say the same about my Blackhawk 357 mag.

 

l shoot IHMSA silhouettes.. Been doing it since the late 70s.. 90% with a 44magnum
of various flavors. Gun that was most BRUTAL on me was a 10 1/2'' SBH.. Esp that
square back trigger guard chewed on my poor knuckles like a junkyard dog...
The ONE 44mag BlackHawk l have shot with rounded guard was EASY on these old
hands.50TH Anni Model.. l find Smith&Wesson 44s more pleasant and accurate for M E

 

Get some place and handle them. Shoot if you can. I like the Blackhawks in the 44 magnum cartridge.

 

I remember when the movie "Dirty Harry" came out. You could not find a new S&W model 29 on a dealers shelf because they were snapped up so fast. About 10-12 months later you would have a hard time counting all the used model-29 setting on gun dealers display cases with less then a box of ammo fired though them. At one large gun store in Sacramento I saw 4 brand new looking model 29s that had only a partial box of ammo fired in them. The owners had sold or traded the guns back in due to the recoil was too much for them.
Before you put down your hard earned money, find one to shoot to determine if you can handle and enjoy the recoil. You may decide to pass on that caliber.

 

I think a .44 Magnum , in some form whether DA or SA is one of those guns every revolver enthusiast MUST have

I have 3 now, that I actually shoot (Kodiak, Alaskan and SBH Hunter) and my S&W 29, which is more of just a collectible. My gun club doesn't allow stuff like .44 Mag in the "pistol pits" that I like to shoot in, plus .44 Mag is cost prohibitive so I don't feel the need to acquire piles of .44 revolvers.......but, my range WILL allow me to shoot low velocity .44 Special in those pits. So I have options, I can always shoot the Mags at the dedicated "pistol range" part of the club but it is usually more heavily used and I don't like to wait to shoot.

 

We have the Vaquero 44 Magnum, just last Sunday ran 50 rds. of Fiocchi 44 Special's 200 gr. sjhp. through it. It's been awhile since I've had it out, forgot just what a Joy it is to shoot.
Using this ammo one does not have to think about the Recoil Stuff. Just makes it a dream to shoot it.
Too bad it is so hard to find 44 Special ammo, would shoot it a whole lot more.

HPD72 - Still give it some thought, the 44 Magnum still is one heck of a Firearm.
_________________

Life without a Sense of Humor, Ain't no Fun Anymore.

 

Thanks Army11B and OrgLongHair. If every revolver enthusiast MUST have one then I guess I must. Now I have to keep working on that 2nd job and explain to my wife that I must have yet another revolver. I guess Christmas is only 5 months away. Have to decide between a SR1911 and a 44 magnum...

 

I own an SR1911 and a couple of 44mag revolvers. If it were me I'd buy whichever I didn't already own. IOW, if you already own some type of 1911 get a big bore revolver. If you don't have either one flip a coin. If you reload either caliber is pretty inexpensive to shoot. If you don't reload a 45ACP 1911 is much cheaper to feed than 44mag/spl.

 

The Super Redhawk with the Hogue Tamer grips is very comfortable to shoot.

 

Thanks. I don't own a 1911 yet and have a Bearcat, two Single Ten's, and a Blackhawk so it probably makes sense to get the 1911 next to have something completely different. That's how I'm leaning although I really enjoy the SA's and can't seem to get away from wanting more!

 

I own and shoot five different 44 mag. revolvers. The easiest recoiling of the five would be my 5 1/2" Redhawk. The worst would be my 4" Taurus Tracker. My old dragoon style Super blackhawk is worse than my 4 5/8 round trigger guard model. My model 29 is worse than the SBH's due to it's light weight.

 

I have had a whole bunch of .44's over the years....Im down to two now. The Ruger SBH
imho is the easiest shooting SA for felt recoil that I have experienced. Grip shape of the standard plow works for me.

 

Easy shootin .44?


My vote for the easiest on recoil was my 8 3/8" Taurus Raging Bull.I have had and shot most all kinds and that gun by a large margin shoots the easiest on your hands.It was the heaviest ugiest most hard to haul around chuck of boat ancor there ever was but a smooth shooter it was for sure and by far!!! YMMV
Hikup41.