Is it just me? .357 hurts my hands...

[mehavey]

Personally, I find the 357 Mag to be "snappy-nasty"
So a pair of Hogue grips solved that -- including for all three daughters.

By contrast, I find the 44 Mag/500S&W to just be big/(really)big "pushes"

[BigJimP]

I shoot a lot of .357 Mag...in K, L and N frame S&W revovlers...in 2", 2 5/8", 4" and 6" guns.../ and to me, its pleasant to shoot.

What makes the difference is how the gun fits your hands...and it looks to me like in the photo, that you have a Hogue wood grip on the gun / I like those grips although yours have no checkering that I can see - and they make them with and without checkering. I prefer the checkering...helps me hang onto the gun better.

But its all about finding the right grip for your hands...to make it more pleasant to shoot that gun. ( I hate the look of the rubber grips on revolvers too !! )...

some of my .357's with wood grips...
http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...5&d=1357929955

A .44 mag ( mod 29 8 3/8" in Nickel ) with wood Hogue grips checkerd on it....
http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...3&d=1371763692

[FairWarning]

My 686 6" is cake to shoot with rubber Hogue grips. No complaints at all.

A snubby with full house loads however, is a no-no for SEVERAL reasons!

[Cosmodragoon]

Full-power .357 magnum would hurt my hand out of that gun too. I have long held that the exposed back strap is a poor design for snappy magnum loads. I don't know why it persists, other than nostalgia. Metal transfers shock very well. You don't want to deliver all that shock into the bony or nervous structures of your hand. This is why many metal tools that produce shock waves have wooden, rubber, or other grips that go between hand and handle. It dampens the shock you receive. Having an exposed back strap on a magnum handgun is a bit like cutting a slice out of the handle of your favorite metal hammer.

Now, wood is much prettier and has other advantages over rubber. However, I don't know of any nice wood grips that cover the back strap of an L-frame. So let me share an amazing secret with you. The L-frame can also wear X-frame grips without any special modification. The standard rubber stock grip for the X-frame not only covers the back strap, it is specially cushioned for recoil! I also find that it fills my hand better than the rubber L-frame grips. Give it a try. You might just love it.

[mineralman55]

OP, do you reload? If you do, there are lots of low-powered loads in .357 that are a dream to shoot. That way you can get more practice and get better used to the .357.
If you don't reload, get the Pachmayr wrap-around grips. They do a great job at reducing perceived recoil.
BTW, the character Harry Callahan shot .44 specials in his model 29. The character says so in the second movie.

[Chainsaw.]

You're not alone, 357 is sharp, like catching a wood dowel swing at you swiftly. As stated, grips. Do you have the factory rubber grips? Im actually pretty partial to them.

[ChiefTJS]

Cosmodragoon made a great point, try out those X frame grips for a while and you'll be a champ. I'd suspect loosening your grip a bit would help a bit as well.

[amd6547]

I don't find 357 to be too bad.
When I had a 2.5" Model 19, I had some rubber grips, but I preferred the small wood magna grips with a Tyler t grip.
A 4" 686 i owned was a kitty- cat with any 357 load and wood grips.
If you are gripping the revolver right, it can't "smack" the palm...not unless you hold it loose enough to get some movement before it reaches skin.
I watched a guy shooting a Model 28 at the range, and he was doing that...holding too low on the grip, too loosely...the barrel was flipping up like a big magnum. None of that when I shot it.

[BigJimP]

Its more about the size and style of the grip fitting your hands...not whether its wood or rubber in my view.

I have K frames in 2 1/2" ( model 66) ...and an N frames in 2 5/8" ( model 627 ) ....and I have wood finger groove grips on both of them, because that is what fits my hands the best...and I shoot a lot of "close to full power" - .357 Mag loads in them.

[Clark]

Break out the guns and ammo and see how much gets shot.

The 454 gets old in a hurry.
The 22LR lasts the longest.

Everything else is in between.

The 357 mag noise bothers me.
The 357 mag recoil bothers me.
The 38sp smaller groups bother me.

Still, I am happy to own 357 magnum revolvers.

[DWFan]

Find a telephone/cable technician and ask him for a piece of his rubber sealing tape. (You can buy a whole roll at Lowe's or Home Depot, but why if you only need approx. 6 inches?) Cut a strip and apply it to the backstrap from the top to the bottom. Try shooting again. If it works, trim to fit with an X-Acto knife or razor blade.

[Doc Holliday 1950]

Your S&W is appr. the same weight(give or take)
As my 4" GP100 and I am on the other side of 65.
My grips are Hoque over molded & fits
My hand size like it was custom made for me.
Ok, to your problem. I can shoot 125 gr 357 mag ammo
& don't have pain issues. Switch your grips. Last, get a
Rubber ball & just squeeze it for about 10-15 min per day
To strengthen your hands. IMHO,
This should help.

[Cousin Pat]

Thinking SD, I am impressed that 125gr 357 JHP wins the "one-shot-stop" tests (97% per Hawks) -- so I aspire to that, but it means nothing if you miss. Can you put 3 of 6 shots in a 3" circle at 7 yards starting from chest-press position (shooting 3 double-tap groups)? If not, then back off to 38+P. SD just requires that you (1) hit the target and (2) hit quickly. Add power only if you have accomplished that art the minimum power level (say 380, 38s)

[Nick_C_S]

I'm a revolver guy. I shoot a lot with my 686 3" & 4" bbls (the 3" is a "+"); and I shoot pretty much the full spectrum - from 38 target wadcutters to full house magnum flame throwers.

Yes, full power rounds can be a bit much after a while. I personally like Hogue grips. I like the shock absorption and I like the tacky feel. My suggestion is to try different grips - amazingly, the current issue stock grips are pretty soft on the hands. Now, my 4" was new in 1986 and it didn't have the "current issue" grips. My 3" did, but I use it for carry and so I needed to put a set of "bantam" grips on it to maximize concealability - otherwise, the stock units would be on it.

Practice helps too

[Clark]

Cousin Pat
.. I am impressed that 125gr 357 JHP wins the "one-shot-stop" tests (97% per Hawks)

When I started gun forums ~1994 on usenet before www gun lists, there was lots of talk about the one stop statistics on 125 gr 357 mag.

My pet theory was that it made so much noise that the shooter and perp paused giving the perp time to fall down.

22 years later, I could add flash to that.