What's the hardest kicking handgun you have shot?

[Dufus]

I shot a two barrel derringer 357 Mag that was tough to hold.

Matter of fact, that one would qualify as the stupidest gun I have ever shot.

Also, what aarondhgraham said in post #40. The BFR is a handful with stout 45-70 loads.

[LineStretcher]

For me, it was my buddy's short barrel .500 S&W Magnum. It hurt the palm of my hand bad enough that I was done after just 4 rounds. I still wanted a big hand gun so I got the S&W 460 XVR which not only shoots easier but is also likely more devastating as a hunting pistol, my second reason for wanting a big hand gun. It remains as the fastest production handgun available.

[tlm225]

It's a toss up between a 4" .44 magnum (Model 29) and my 3" S&W 60-15 J frame .357. Either way I don't want to exceed those levels of recoil.

[jolly roger]

Probably...a scandium S&W 357 snub with full magnums. Just nasty. And yes I have shot some big ones..45-70 and 375 JDJ in Contenders and all sorts of hot loaded 44 Mags and 45 Colts. But that little Scandium of a friends was downright painful. And I don't need a 500 S&W. If I need to kill something that bad I'll have a Guide Gun LOL

[2wheelwander]

.380 AMT. I'd rather run full house rounds through my Airwieght as fast as I can pull the trigger than shoot that AMT.

Dad bought one of those holsters with a trigger hole in it to look like a wallet. That was just pouring salt on a wound. Makes my NAA .22 magnum feel like a 686.

[spawndn72]

My Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag is the hardest kicking gun I have but I would rather shoot that thing all day long as compared to my Ruger LCP II. The LCP is just painful to shoot.

[Kreyzhorse]

Interesting thread.

My Airweight, LCP, I find those pretty easy to shoot. I'm sure there are a ton of variables that make some guns easier to shoot than others on an individual basis.

Anyway, my Ruger Vaquero 44 Mag is about as ugly as I want to go. Great gun, fun to shoot, but Not for long. The trigger guard smashes into my trigger finger every damn shot.

Can't take it for too many shots.

[mikejonestkd]

recoil gets interesting with TC encores in rifle calibers.
I thought my .308 win barrel was obscene, until I shot my brother's .30-06 barrel...…3 shots and I gave it back, and never wanted to shoot it again.

a heavy .45-70 load in a lighter contender will clear your sinuses and leave a memory that you will not forget.

[TailGator]

Heizer Defense makes single shot pocket pistols in .45LC/.410, 7.62x39, and .223. These weigh ~23 oz. Has anyone ever shot one of these?

I haven't, but a fellow at the range was passing around a derringer in .410. It was no fun, and it was considerably heavier than 23 oz.

[RaySendero]

The 2 largest handguns I've shot were a 460 SW and a 50 AE.
Both were above the recoil of a 44M.
The 8" barrel 460 was ported and handled surprisingly well.

The 50AE in Desert Eagle was worst
The recoil jumps up. 1 guy "planted" it in his forehead.
After watching that, I shot it twice with my right elbow locked.
Didn't come up or back as far, but my shoulder was hurting that night.

[Dave T]

454 Cassul (or how ever it's spelled). One of my students wanted to shoot his new Ruger Redhawk after class. After a cylinder or two he offered it to me to try. For years I have always fired DA revolvers double action. As the sports people say, you play the way you practice so without thinking much about it I fired two shots DA at a silhouette target. When I handed the gun back to the owner he said there were 4 more rounds, and I told him to enjoy them.

The web of my shooting hand was so bruised I had trouble shooting a 45 ACP 1911 for several days. Never again.

Dave

[Rangerrich99]

Either the Desert Eagle .50 or the S&W 460 XVR.

The DE was pretty snappy, plus the grip is huge, so I couldn't get comfortable with it at all.

The XVR was mostly a really big push. I was actually surprised at controllable it really was, considering the 2300 fps/200 gr. bullets. But it pushed pretty hard, significantly harder than my M69 .44 mag.

[Targa]

The XVR was mostly a really big push. I was actually surprised at controllable it really was, considering the 2300 fps/200 gr. bullets

Agreed^^^S&W did an excellent job with the XVR. The recoil from my SBH .44mag is stouter than the XVR’s. Now, for the concussive blast coming out of the barrel, that .460 is tough to beat....WOW!!

[gwpercle]

Thompson Center Encore Pistol in 308 Winchester but I didn't shoot the 45 - 70 barrel my friend had either ... one shot of 308 and I had enough .
Gary

[jonnyc]

Easy........a Double Tap derringer in 9mm. I almost cried with the 2nd shot.

[darkgael]

Years ago, I bought a small single shot Cobray derringer chambered for .45 Colt/ .410.
I have fired it a number of times; enough shooting to stay familiar with it.
Recoil spins the barrel up 90 degrees due to the birds head grip. I have never found the recoil particularly abusive.
Perceived recoil is a very individual thing.
Pete

[chaim]

I'm not sure...

It is between a small framed Taurus 605 I used to have when shooting full strength 158gr magnums, or a 4" S&W 629 I rented a few times. They were shot far enough apart that I'm not sure how they compare, but neither was very comfortable to shoot (more like a bit painful). I have no interest in shooting the super small/light .357mags or the more powerful than .44mag revolvers.

[subhuman]

American Derringer in 44 mag, full power 240 grain JSP Remington years ago, shot both barrels my thumb and inner palm around the thumb base was black and blue for a couple of weeks, never wanted to shoot that one again

[montanaoffroader]

My 5.5" Super Blackhawk has a moderate amount of recoil, but the most unpleasant handgun for me was my Kel Tec PF9. I really wanted to like that little beast, but it was very unreliable and hurt my hand every time I fired it. My .44 is much more pleasant to shoot.

Tried "Fluff and buff", replaced the extractor, did a bunch of other work to it to try and get it to run but never could get to run reliably enough to use it as a carry gun. Finally sold it with full disclosure.

[223 shooter]

Easily my TC Contender with 10" 44 Magnum barrel. Night and day difference compared to a 44 Mag revolver.

[.45 Vet]

Nephew was home for a visit and brought along his Contender in .444 Marlin. For a straight-walled case it kind of woke me up...

[Crankylove]

a scandium S&W 357 snub with full magnums. Just nasty.

This.

I’ve shot a number of full power big bore handguns, and while some of them weren’t pleasant, they were manageable, and I would shoot them again. But, my uncles scandium J frame is just horrible to shoot. It’s about the only gun in the family (rifle or pistol) that I flat out refuse to shoot again.

[DaveBj]

I had never fired a hand-gun before, and when my son (then an instructor at Ft. Benning) took me to the range the first time, he put a .357 Magnum in my hand. The first shot I almost creased my forehead with the top of the barrel, and he was standing to the side laughing. Eventually I shot .22 - .45, and my sidearm of choice is the XD9. I would like to shoot a .500, just to see what it's like, as well as an old-fashioned cowboy .45 SA.

D

[GarandTd]

I remember my brother sending me outside deer camp with a 10guage to try. I would like to experience the same extremes with hand guns

[CharlieSW]

Bear and Deer Loads out of my L-frame 44 Magnum Smith Model 69.