44 magnum handgun?

Question

how strong would you say the recoil is on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 the strongest

Answer 1

I would say about 8, hold on with both hands, protect your eyes and definitely protect your ears!!! Happy hunting!!

Answer 2

Before I got my 500 S&W I would have said the 44 mag was a 10. But now I find it very easy to shoot two 44 mags (one with each hand) and do not have any problems of dropping the gun or missing the target. While there are other pistols that kick more than the 500 ( as noted the T/C Contenders in rifle calibers) the 500 hurts the hand more with a direct recoil back into the palm. You better have a PAST shooting glove on your hand or it will tingle for a day or so. So I give the 44 mag. a 6 and the 500 S&W a 15. LOL

Answer 3

The people who say it's a 10 either haven't shot much, haven't shot 44s much or haven't tried anything bigger.

The most unpleasant thing I ever shot is a 44 mag Derringer with 240gr +P+ loads, when it went off the trigger guard banged me hard on the back of my second finger and I thought it had blown up in my hand!

Snub nosed air weight 357s are about the most unpleasant thing most people will ever shoot, a decent sized 44 revolver like the Smith and Wesson 629 or Ruger Super Blackhawk is reasonably manageable.

It's actually easier to shoot a heavy recoiling handgun one handed, the mistake many people make is in trying to control the recoil. If you shoot my 308 Winchester 14" T/C Encore with both hands and try to hold it down you are going to feel like you have been hit in the hands with a mallet. If you hold it one handed and stay loose in the elbow it is quite a bang, but the recoil is absorbed by the gun pivoting upwards. For a really unpleasant experience try a 45-70 Encore pistol and shoot it from the bench with your elbows well supported. It will hammer your hands and rub the skin off your elbows.

Answer 4

I've owned & fired several .44 Magnums over the years, firing both factory and custom tailored combat reloads, even in competition, and would rate my custom loads at no more than a 7, compared to a full-house .357 at a 5. I have no problems controlling my S&W M-29's one-handed, although I almost always use a two-handed grip for faster recovery.
With properly formulated custom reloads, a .44 MAgnum is just as controllable, and still FAR more powerful than a .357 Mag or .45ACP.
Most of the nay-sayers posting here that find the .44's so uncontrollable are either shooting full-house factory ammo meant more for rifles and/ or carbines, or don't have the experience and/or stature to control these weapons.

Answer 5

Depends on the .44 handgun.

My old Desert Eagle would handle loads much heavier than I would fire out of my 3" barreled S&W.

My Colt Anaconda, 6" barreled gun will also handle loads I won't shoot in the S&W.

For plain maschocistic fun, a 300 grain round at 1200 feet per second, out of the 3" barrel, round butt, S&W would be my recommendation. Recoil caused a sharp twist to the left, a muzzle jump of about two feet, and a impulse jar I felt all the way to my shoulder. A definate 10.

Answer 6

I'd say a 7.5. And yes, some people can control a .44 with one hand.

I would recommend a Desert Eagle .44 mag. They have a little less recoil because of gas operated double spring blow-back.

Answer 7

Using factory loads, about 6 or seven. I'm assuming you are talking about a full size pistol with a regular barrel. (The weight of the pistol absorbs some of the recoil.)

Want to try for 10? Try a Thompson Contender pistol with a 30/30 barrel or 357 Herrett. Wristbreakers.

Answer 8

It's a lot more than common semi-auto pistol loads like .45, 9mm, .40 etc. But in general it isn't like they'd have you believe in the movies and popular culture. I've heard a million people tell me things like "Oh with a .44 Magnum you have to use two hands and hold it so tight or it will snap your wrist" other things like that.

So maybe a 6 or 7? Hard to say.

Answer 9

I have two Ruger Blackhawk in the .44 magnum round and the recoil is about a six for me, If I load heavy it goes up to an eight.
No problems firing accurately with one hand.

The muzzle report is tollerable, not like my Blackhawk in .30 carbine.

Answer 10

Out of my:

Desert Eagle, 2 or 3 depending on ammo
T/C contender, 5
N frame S&W 7-8 depending on ammo
Ruger bisley 6-7 depending on ammo.

Non of these were nearly as bad as the bite I got from my 357 S&W scanduim frame 340 snubby with full power 125 grain winchester loads.

Answer 11

Full size 44 mags are probably a 5; not really bad at all. I carry a matched pair of 4" Taurus magnaported 44s in shoulder holsters. To clear up your mindset fire a round or two from a 454 or a S&W 500; then after you get your arm out of the sling you will appreciate the 44 mag.