Pain or Fun When Do You Draw The Line.

[mrt949]

Well what is it .How many rounds does it take you to find out it's not fun to shoot the light weight firearms with the big boomers .

[bossman]

Short anwser once is enough. I'm not going to shoot a gun that gives me pain. I only shoot magnums out of all steel guns. Just too many choices out there on the gun market. I see people that have no clue buying lightweight .357's and then are afraid to shoot them or develop bad shooting habits.

I shoot often and most are low pressure 38 spl's or 45 acp. When I move up to the harder shooting rounds I also move to heavier guns. Most of the time when I go to the range I'll put 300 to 500 rounds down range and sure couldn't do that if I was in any pain.

[mrt949]

One of the worst was 3 rds in a T C CONTENDER in 44 MAG 10 "OCTAGON back in the 1980's' . Lately a light wt smith j frame but . a RUGER SP 101 .In 357 mag is still fun at 150 rds.

[Xfire68]

I think larger calibers that are made to take large/dangerous game have a place in a hunters gun safe but, if your shooting targets and smaller game there is no need for a big boomer.

I have shot some guns that IMO don't have a enjoyment factor as they leave my hand numb from the massive recoil/vibration they create. There are a number of larger caliber guns I love to shoot that don't beat you up. A large frame .44 mag with a good grip, 500 S&W with less then max loads, Glock 20 10mm even with max loads and a few bolt action rifles that have a good weight for the caliber to absorb some of the recoil.

[Bull Barrell]

No need for large boomer in target shooting? If you want to be proficient with it there darn sure is a need.
Besides, who cares if there is a "need" it's your freedom of choice.

[Tactical Jackalope]

My girlfriend accidentally bought me .40 instead of .45 for Christmas...So I went with my cousin to the range with my first little police Glock 22.

I realized why I stopped shooting and carrying .40 a few years back.

Funny too. Cause I use to ONLY shoot .40 for 2.5 years exclusively.

The past 3 though I've been a .45 & 9mm preferred shooter.

[chris in va]

My Kahr K9 is the smallest size/weight I will go. If I can't hit a target reliably at 40 yards, the gun gets sold. This goes for recoil as well.

I had a KelTec P11 for a while. Very concealable but good grief did that thing kick. In five years it probably had four mags through it.

[Xfire68]

No need for large boomer in target shooting? If you want to be proficient with it there darn sure is a need.

Most that use them for hunting shoot them a handful of times to sight them in and however many shots needed in hunting season.

Your not going to see anyone at the range testing 100's of 416 Rigby....

[Guv]

My buddies 454 SRH 7 1/2 wasn't too much fun! What I really don't like is how the comb on a big lever gun or shot gun gets into may cheek with a heavy load.

[Gaerek]

As a rule, for a carry gun, if it hurts to shoot less than 5 consecutive shots, I don't want it. Reason being, I won't train with it, since I won't want to shoot it. That means most ultralight (scandium/titanium) J-Frames, LCP (and similar sized guns), etc are a no go for me. Smallest gun I own is an LCR, and it's actually really nice to shoot. +P is a bit uncomfortable to shoot with it, but not painful.

Beyond that, it depends on why I want the gun, as to whether how painful it is to shoot is a problem. I don't currently own anything that I wouldn't be willing to put 50+ rounds through in a session, with the exception of my Mossberg 500. And even then, light target loads aren't usually a problem.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Cold weather takes the fun out. A couple of magazines of hot 357sig in cold weather and my G33 isn't fun anymore.

15-20 rounds of 7mm-08 out of my 15" Encore Pro Hunter, warm or cold weather, and the web of your hand and thumb joint starts to know something is happening.

[Tactical Jackalope]

As a rule, for a carry gun, if it hurts to shoot less than 5 consecutive shots, I don't want it. Reason being, I won't train with it, since I won't want to shoot it. That means most ultralight (scandium/titanium) J-Frames, LCP (and similar sized guns), etc are a no go for me. Smallest gun I own is an LCR, and it's actually really nice to shoot. +P is a bit uncomfortable to shoot with it, but not painful.

Definitely agree with this. That's why in my thread that's active right now I denied the idea of those guns.

They make the range unpleasant therefore, I won't train with them as much, which in turn will make me feel inadequate to carry a gun like that.

[Aguila Blanca]

Well what is it .How many rounds does it take you to find out it's not fun to shoot the light weight firearms with the big boomers .

One.

I fired it about (I think) eight years ago.

[jason_iowa]

I don't do the "air weight" type guns. I just have no use for em. I have never shot anything I would not shoot again. The right grips can make a world of difference.

[bikerbill]

After I got my Smith 637, decided to try some FBI loads in it ... 158gr +p SJHPs ... I shot two, unloaded the gun and put it away ... the 637 is one of my carry guns, it's loaded with Federal 110gr Low Recoil JHPs ... saved the 158s for my 686+ ...

[Sheriff Gotcha]

I haven't shot anything bigger than 9mm since my first time shooting 4 years ago. Now that I have my own gun and its an all steel framed gun in 9mm I hope I have not spoiled myself with recoil or lack there of.

I'm going to be getting a Glock here soon. We will see how the recoil differs hopefully not painfully.

[Mike Irwin]

Worst I ever experienced was one of those little double shot derringers chambered in .44 Mag.

It actually dislocated my thumb because of the way I was holding it.

I never did take the second shot.

[FrankenMauser]

Most that use them for hunting shoot them a handful of times to sight them in and however many shots needed in hunting season.

Your not going to see anyone at the range testing 100's of 416 Rigby....

You've obviously never been out with my family.

The average day with the big boomers (every 6 to 9 weeks) sees each shooter absorbing recoil from 80-120 rounds, spread out over 2-5 heavy hitters:
.450-400 Nitro 3.25" - 20-30 rounds
.444 Marlin - 20-50 rounds (6.3 lb Handi-Rifle nicknamed "Thumper")
.416 Rigby - 25-40 rounds
.375 H&H - 40-60 rounds
.375 Ruger - 20-30 rounds (recently sold)
.338 Win Mag - 40-60 rounds (multiple rifles)
.300 Win Mag - 20-40 rounds
In the past, the average day with .458 Win Mag (multiple rifles) was well over 100 rounds - often 150 to 200.
(A sometimes not-so-smart owner bought a substantial quantity of a bullets that turned out to be horribly inaccurate in all of the available .458s; and decided to sell his own .458s. So, they were used for 'blasting' ammo.)


And, then you get into the mundane "light" stuff:
7.7x58mm Arisaka
7.62x54R (multiple rifles, heavy loads - not the light ball surplus crap)
.30-06 (multiple rifles)
.30 WCF
.270 Win (multiple rifles)
.45 Colt ("Ruger" loads - multiple revolvers)
.44 Mag ("Ruger" loads - multiple revolvers)
.357 Mag (multiple revolvers)
.327 Mag (multiple revolvers)
And, a new addition: TC Encore, currently wearing a 10" .30 WCF barrel.

All the smaller stuff (.243 Win, 9mm, .32 H&R, .22 LR, etc) feels like an air gun, once you play with the big boomers for a while.


It takes one round to decide it hurts. But...

It might take 3-5 more, to figure out what you're doing wrong, and to make it stop hurting. From there, you're just wearing yourself down with muzzle blast and recoil. When you're fatigued, it's time to quit. If it starts hurting again, you're doing something wrong.


We go (ground) squirrel and rabbit hunting with the big boomers and 'magnum' handguns, at least twice a year, as well. It's great practice, and you don't really feel recoil or much of the fatigue in a hunting situation.

Some people "bark" tree squirrels. We occasionally "mud" ground squirrels. There's nothing quite like firing a .416 Rigby into a mud bank one or two inches below a squirrel, and watching them fly through the air... stone dead.

There you were
sitting on a mud bank.
Launched into the goo.
It was hydraulic shock
That catapulted you...


(Sorry. Space Oddity popped into my head.)

[Xfire68]

FrankenMauser Your an exception for sure.

I should have said most don't. If I had the guns and ammo I would shoot more of everything aside from my stupid shooting shoulder being whacked right now.

[foxytwo]

I am not going to shoot something that causes me pain because I get my share of pain just by growing old.

[Ricklin]

I brought two guns to the range this week. Both new to me. .44 mag T/C Contender, and a Keltec P11. The Keltec was downright pleasant by comparison. The target loads that I assembled for the .44 were pretty sweet, the full house loads I built were a real handful. 3 rounds of the full house .44 were about all I wanted to shoot. Felt like I got hit in the palm with a baseball bat. I think I need some comfy grips for the .44 handcannon.

[Cheapshooter]

Around 10 to 15 founds of 300 grain 45/70's in my Contender with the 10" ported barrel. Maybe 40 or so with the Super14 35 Remington barrel.
Haven't found a pistol round that I didn't wish I brought another box or two of ammo to the range when I'm out of ammo, and done.

[BGutzman]

Its not the pain that makes me shy away from some guns for concealed carry so much as the effect of too much recoil on accuracy... If I'm already under stress I don't need too much recoil. Too much recoil almost always results in flinching..

One of the reasons I like my little Sig P290 is it has a little more weight, not that 9mms a problem but the little extra weight makes it a steadier platform for me.

44 Magnum power is plenty in a pistol (for me).

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by Mike Irwin

Worst I ever experienced was one of those little double shot derringers chambered in .44 Mag.

It actually dislocated my thumb because of the way I was holding it.

I never did take the second shot.

Didn't you have another hand? Two shots - two hands. Perfect symmetry. Man up, dude.

Of course, SOME people LIKE the pain.

Lost Sheep

[bird_dog]

Most that use them for hunting shoot them a handful of times to sight them in and however many shots needed in hunting season.

Really? I have 2 large framed 44's for shooting / hunting, and one Tracker in 44 (considerably lighter). I must be weird...I enjoy target shooting with all of them.