…or are full-power .357 and .41 Mags getting more painful to shoot?
I shot my 681-2 a couple of weeks ago and the Spegel Boot Plus grips just don’t cut it anymore. I’ve got the N frame versions on my 57 and the result is the same. I’m seriously thinking about snagging the “small” versions of Pachmayr Presentation grips for them off of flea bay for use until all my full-power loads are gone and I can load some milder loads into that brass. Good/bad idea? Alternatives?
I find that in my mid 50s I don’t tolerate recoil like I did in my 20s and 30s. Back then I could easily shoot magnums out of my SP 101 and Plus Ps from my 642.
Last fall I shot my 5” GP100 and the next day my hand hurt a bit. I just bought one of the Hogue Tamer grips as mentioned in the recent GP100 grip thread. I’m hoping that will help.
My very good friend Art H. Ritis made it clear to me those days of hot .357 are a bygone. Not so bad in the N-frames but J's are a no go for me.
I don’t believe it is about just getting older. The proliferation of 9mm ammo and pistols has recalibrated what our body believes is acceptable recoil.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
Since I have been vaccinated against the 9mm virus by a life time of shooting 45 ACPs, the pain from Magnum ammo is real for a 73 year old with arthritis. I got rid of my last 44 Magnum about 15 years ago and about 10 years ago I discovered the 38-44 loading from 1930 (158 @ 1125). That's all I've shot from my 357s and of course my S&W HDs since then. I even went to that performance level in my 357 carry gun by loading the Buffalo Bore Heavy 38 Special 158g SWCHP-GC. In the last year or so my hands have started complaining about that load and the practice rounds which duplicate that performance.
I recently posted my experiments on the Reloading Forum here, showing my efforts to come up with a load that will be effective against the forces of darkness, which I can control for 6-7 rounds, and which I can practice with without damaging myself. I now have a WFN hard cast bullet weighing 150g, going 913 fps from my 2.5" Magnum barrel and 1002 fps from a 4" 38 Special. That's what my age and decrepitude had brought me to. LOL
Dave
1. You are getting older and it gets harder, mid 1980's I was happy to pound full patch 125gr JHP's in an L frame with an open backstrap grip for a full range session, not now. No way.
2. GJM has a point I think. I find the .357 Sig and .40 S&W guns to be much more obnoxious now when I occasionally carry one to the range to eat some of my giant stash of those rounds.
I don’t doubt that this is part of it. I do think that a large part of it is just finally accepting that at 70 that level of pain isn’t as fun as it used to be.Originally Posted by GJM
I have some decade-old nerve damage in my right arm that affects grip strength and muscular endurance fairly frequently; ie I haven't had full sensation in my pinky or ring finger for a few years now. My ski season this year also ended prematurely with a fractured elbow and an impressive "mashing" of the soft tissues.
I stopped shooting .357 in J and K/GP sized pistols when I was 25 and haven't touched non-Glock .40 or .45 in about three years. I can happily do a weekend-long class but there is a penalty.
So, sob story aside, I do agree with @GJM that the steady dominance of 9mm service-sized pistols has probably changed the baseline, or exposed that some cartridges were always annoying and shooters didn't know what they didn't know. But there is also a physiological wear factor that does exist, especially with users who actually shoot frequently.
With my own situation and now "dad life" I am really happy with both my G42 and LCR .22, along the new .380 offerings of which a LCP Max is all but an assured purchase. I've also had to apply a good deal of scrutiny and experimentation to my dry fire regimens, but that is another thread.
Lastly, since this is the wheel degeneracy forum, I don't touch my .45 Colt or .44 too much anymore but should extended rifle carry become an issue I may give handgun hunting another attempt.
I think I've always been old, because I never cared to shoot heavy loads.
Recently, I've been shooting my "Old Man Gun" 22 LR 43c or 38 wadcutters.
I recently traded away a Redhawk in .45 Colt because, even in that beast, recoil was a bit more than I cared for. My round guns are now all .357 or .38s, and I don't own a single round of Magnum ammo.
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