More or less by accident I acquired a Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casull - and the 'miracle cure' for any problems handling my 629 classic... 44 is a wimpy .22 after a few 454's
By the way - the Hogue grips on the S&W are pretty good - certainly better than the Taurus invention, with a hard plastic (?) insert up the backstrap that guarantees the full delivery of all the shock from the recoil... loosens up all the old bones just fine.
Peter Knight (aka 'El Chimango Pete')
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"A 454 beats a 44 which beats 4 aces"