Trigger Mike Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 If you were going to buy a 44 magnum but had a nerve issue in the web of your thumb which would you buy? If you limited it to a 4 or 5 inch barrel and already know a ruger redhawk with the narrow wood grip jumps too much, but the Alaskan rubber grip felt good in relation to where the nerve problem is and the smith and wesson 629 rubber grip did as well? I got to hold the Alaskan and the 7 inch barrel 629 and the grip seemed fine. For a prospective, a beretta 380 grip rides right on that nerve but a 1911 does not. The smith 686 rides a portion of that nerve, but a ruger gp100 does not at all and a kimber k6 and colt king Cobra are just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I don't have nerve issues in my hand and have never found a 44 Magnum that was comfortable to shoot with full house loads. They hurt! The most comfortable was a big Ruger single action belonging to a friend, an old Super Blackhawk. No joy, but it rolled in the hand. You did have to watch out for the trigger guard. Never shot an AutoMag or Desert Eagle. they might be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mongo, SASS #61450 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I love my Redhawk, but I went through several replacement (soft rubber) grips until I found something that fit my hand and was comfortable while shooting. There are a number of different grip offerings for the Redhawk. You can also remove material from rubber grips to help them fit your hand better. A couple of people I know have had good luck with some Taurus .44 revolvers which feature soft recoiling absorbing grips. Maybe someone who owns one of these revolvers will chime in. Also, remember that you can experiment with different hand loads to find something comfortable to shoot and you can also shoot .44 specials in your revolver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
July Smith Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 The large bore revolvers produced by Freedom Arms are probably the "best" commercially available guns money can buy. Ruger and BFR both produce fine single actions for the money. The Ruger Redhawk and the S&W 629/29 are fine double action revolvers. Every 44mag I am aware of either comes with or there are aftermarket oversized rubber grips readily available. Good luck finding exactly what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 A Redhawk or Super Redhawk with good aftermarket grips is tolerable. It's been a long time since I fired a Desert Eagle. I don't remember the recoil as unpleasant, probably because it's a gas action and it's a very big gun. Aside from the cost, it's biggest failing is the gas operated action generally needs full power loads for the gun to be reliable. Light loads and lead only loads are not going to work in a Desert Eagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 How about a Bisley grip on a Super Blackhawk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Whichever model you get, always remember that you can always wear a nice, padded shooting glove. I love my little S&W 69. It sports a 2.75" barrel and balances well. AND... it has good rubber grips. And I shoot Godzilla loads in it. But regardless of how much I like it and enjoy blasting away with it..... it helps to wear gloves. Keep that in mind. And I often wear my gloves while shooting my .460 Rowlands and a couple mid-size 10mm Pistols. Gloves help! ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I gotta agree with @TN Mongo, SASS #61450 on the Taurus grips. And this is coming from a S&W snob! Otherwise a S&W 629 with the full underlug barrel and Hogue rubber grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I love em all. Don't have a problem with recoil on 44 mag. I do however find I get the fastest and most accurate follow up shots with a 7" Redhawk in DA and my 5.5" SBH. Most of my 44 mags are Ruger Bisleys. The short 3.75" Bisley SBH does have pretty stout recoil compared to even the 5.5" same gun. I generally find Bisleys handle recoil better than plowwhandles but barrel length/weight must be considered. My Ruger SRH 44 mag 2.75" is quite controllable even under 300 grain loads. I'd imagine the weight of that beast helps tame recoil. I find real recoil doesn't start until the heavy 454 Casull loads. My 500 JRH mag will definitely get your attention. Overall my preferred Ruger 44 mags are the 5.5" SBH and the 4 point something SRH in 45 Colt with bbearloads. I don't have much experience with the S&W 44s but plan to soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 44 Special is pleasant and accurate. Since I attained "Geezerhood" I decided pain is not my friend. I can think of places I'd want a 44 Mag, but at this point in life I'll carry a rifle in a useful caliber. What pops into my mind is a short rifle based on the Colonel's in 350 Remington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 The older Dan Wesson revolvers were made so that almost any size and shape of grip could be made. I do not know if the newer versions have the same feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 3 hours ago, Chantry said: A Redhawk or Super Redhawk with good aftermarket grips is tolerable. It's been a long time since I fired a Desert Eagle. I don't remember the recoil as unpleasant, probably because it's a gas action and it's a very big gun. Aside from the cost, it's biggest failing is the gas operated action generally needs full power loads for the gun to be reliable. Light loads and lead only loads are not going to work in a Desert Eagle. Quite correct, not even the .357 mag version. Full factory loads or forget reliable cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I prefer my 7.5" Super Blackhawk. With hot loads, it rolls upwards in the hand to help control the recoil. In recoil, to me, doesn't seem to hit so much in the web of my thumb like a DA revolver does. If you hit your target with the first shot, you dont need the second... . When trying to pull a quicker second shot, you can fight the roll. You feel the recoil more, but it can be done. Never got a DA 44 Mag (although if I tripped on a deal for an old school model 29 I'd have to bring it home). I have other guns that will work in case I have a need to put a lot of lead downrange in a hurry. Then again, if you are trying to get away from a bear you managed to piss off, I dont think you will feel the recoil in the moment... adrenaline is kind of magic in that way. But if you plan on pissing off big bears, bringing a 44mag revolver is akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. James H. Callahan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 9 hours ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said: I prefer my 7.5" Super Blackhawk. With hot loads, it rolls upwards in the hand to help control the recoil. In recoil, to me, doesn't seem to hit so much in the web of my thumb like a DA revolver does. If you hit your target with the first shot, you dont need the second... . When trying to pull a quicker second shot, you can fight the roll. You feel the recoil more, but it can be done. Never got a DA 44 Mag (although if I tripped on a deal for an old school model 29 I'd have to bring it home). I have other guns that will work in case I have a need to put a lot of lead downrange in a hurry. Then again, if you are trying to get away from a bear you managed to piss off, I dont think you will feel the recoil in the moment... adrenaline is kind of magic in that way. But if you plan on pissing off big bears, bringing a 44mag revolver is akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. I would agree with Barney. I've owned and shot both a good bit. A single action will roll in your had with wooden grips. Not good for fast follow up shots and they can bite, but a DA puts it all in your hand. I have a Smith 629, used to have an old model Super Blackhawk I gave to my son. If I was gonna go shoot a box of full house magnums I'd probably prefer the Ruger (don't like the $$^&& grooved trigger) than the Smith with rubber grips. A big boomer single action you just kinda let it roll and bring it back down out of recoil. JHC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe LaFives #5481 Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Had a Model 29 back in the late 70's. Lovely gun, accurate and really sweet trigger once I had a smith smooth it out a bit. BUT a friend's Super Blackhawk was much more pleasant to shoot. The difference was the hump in the grip frame on the 29 vs the traditional Single action grip on the Ruger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Fell in love with the Ruger Super Blackhawk back in the 70's and would love to have one now, cut to 6" and Magna-ported. The Freedom Arms guns are excellent, but the Bisley style grip seems a little harder on my hands than the Ruger plow handles. SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. James H. Callahan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 15 hours ago, Trigger Mike said: If you were going to buy a 44 magnum but had a nerve issue in the web of your thumb which would you buy? If you limited it to a 4 or 5 inch barrel and already know a ruger redhawk with the narrow wood grip jumps too much, but the Alaskan rubber grip felt good in relation to where the nerve problem is and the smith and wesson 629 rubber grip did as well? I got to hold the Alaskan and the 7 inch barrel 629 and the grip seemed fine. For a prospective, a beretta 380 grip rides right on that nerve but a 1911 does not. The smith 686 rides a portion of that nerve, but a ruger gp100 does not at all and a kimber k6 and colt king Cobra are just fine. You might also want to look at a .41 Magnum. I have a Blackhawk I bought long ago for backpacking into bear country. Lighter than a .44 with almost the same ballistics, but the recoil seems disproportionately less. I have several .357 Blackhawks and the .41 seems to bite very little more. JHC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 When I was 22 I had a Blackhawk in 44 and didn't like the roll and had thought a double action with different grip would do better. Sounds like the opposite is true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 2 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said: When I was 22 I had a Blackhawk in 44 and didn't like the roll and had thought a double action with different grip would do better. Sounds like the opposite is true Have you ever tried a Ruger Bisley gripped big bore? Plenty of folks who shoot a ton of heavy recoiling Ruger revolvers say the Bisley grip is a vast improvement over the Ruger plowwhandle. I'd agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 I once tried a bisley 45lc and didn't like the ergonomics of the grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 13 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said: I once tried a bisley 45lc and didn't like the ergonomics of the grip. Either you do or you do not. There's no changing that. Magnum Research uses their own interpretation of a Bisley style grip and it does have a slightly different shape Possibly something to think about. Magnum Research makes a very nice gun in 44 magnum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 The Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan has a nice fat grip that really soaks up recoil. If double action is what you are after either that grip or that gun might also be a good alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Graybeard Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I like my Taurus Raging Bull. Pretty easy shooting 44 mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashknife Cowboy Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 It is not so much which gun but which grips fit my hand best. Consider one of the following but I try to take one for a test drive before buying....Can't go wrong with rubber grips and avoid a light weight handgun. https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-629 https://ruger.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5044.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go West Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I like the Ruger Bisley for .44 magnum and was my first cowboy gun. I only shot full power loads and the grip made them pleasant to shoot. Now I have a S&W 629 with a cushy rubber grip. I haven't shot full power loads in it yet, but I think it will be comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 So far, my Bisley Vaqueros in 44 mag are very pleasant shooters. I much prefer the Bisley grip, and all my SAs have them. I get my Redhawk 44 mag out of CA waiting period jail on April 4, so it will be interesting to compare them with my Bisley Vaqueros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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