.44 Mag. or .35 Rem

[barber]

Would the .35 Rem in a Contender be better for deer, elk, and bear than a .44 Mag  in a Ruger revolver? and how do they compare in recoil? thanks

[cbagman]

:eek:  Recoil?? What's that!..  Well it is subjective.. What can you shoot more accurately is more to the point. I have a 14 inch T/C .35 Remington with a custom muzzlebrake on the end giving an OAL of 15 1/2 inches. I shoot max loads behind 200 G softpoints at just over 1900 fps and the recoil is about like a .357 magnum or less..I also have a non ported 14 inch .357 Herrett and the recoil with 180 grain bullets feels twice as harsh as the .35 Rem. In addition I shot an unported 14 in barrel in .44 mag for awhile and traded it for one with a muzzlebrake. The unported one kicked as much or more than that .357 Herrett. I also have some .44 S&W Classic unported revolvers and one wears a Millet Red Dot scope. The recoil seems a little more than the ported T/C  barrel in .44 and less than the unported T/C one.. All this discussion regarding recoil is a bit moot for me as in a hunting situation you generally feel no recoil due to being focused on the job at hand. I am about immune to recoil flinching, though. Consider this: Many folks cannot shoot heavy kickers at all and if you can't get tight groups with them at the range in static situations, then you have no business fooling with them for big game.  You have to start small and work up, sorta like learning to walk fast before you can run. I don't know where you are in your shooting ability, but I hope this analytical discussion helped regarding recoil. . Now either will do the job with proper bullets at short ranges, but the .35 Remington would be my choice overall....That's my experience.. from cbagman..

[myronman3]

well i have had both.  the 14 inch 35 rem barrel was sweet but that sucker bucked hard when you touched it off.  one of the few pistols that actually hurt when i shot it.   keep in mind that was using t.c.'s composite grip.  i wish i had shot it with a pachmyer for comparison.  i am sure it would have taken the teeth out of the recoil.  i now know what a difference grips make.   but i no longer have that barrel.   if you decide to go this route definitly invest in pachmyer grips.  
   as far as recoil in ruger sbh, it depends alot on barrel length.   i have had all but the 5.5.   you cant believe the difference 2 inches can make.  the sweetest to shoot is the 10.5 incher.  accurate and recoil not really there.   but a bear to pack.     now a dream to pack is the 4 5/8.  the trick is to relax and let it buck.   also there is the 7.5.  i could take or leave this one.   a cross between the two.   maybe the best for hunting.    none of these lengths kicked anywhere near like the 35 remington did; and for that matter neither does my 454.  
   either will do, with the remington having more range.   the 44 is my favorite caliber for pistols.   were it me i would choose a sbh, for now(with the other to follow at a later date).

[Redhawk1]

Would the .35 Rem in a Contender be better for deer, elk, and bear than a .44 Mag  in a Ruger revolver? and how do they compare in recoil? thanks

If I had to chose between the 2 it would be the 35 Remington.  I personally find the 44MAG recoil mild and the 35 Remington a little more than the 44MAG.

[Straight Shooter]

As I am sure you know recoil is a very subjective thing.  I have shot both calibers you mention and here is my perception of their recoil.

14" Contender 35 Rem: Mine has a TSOB scope mount which adds a little weight. I have had Pachmayers on it. Currently it wears the standard wood T/C hardware.  You definately know when you touch this one off.  I tend to start to fatigue after a box of factory rounds.

7 1/2" Ruger Super Redhawk:  My Dad's gun.  It is scoped and is a pleasure to shoot.  The thig is HEAVY.

I have found that in most firearms the more weight = the less percieved recoil.

My vote would be for the T/C because you can always add more barrels.

[markc]

Mine is the super 16 and it wears Pachmayer decelerator grips.  No problem with recoil.  It does certainly lift up when fired, but it doesn't hurt my hand a bit.   I think you gain some range with the 35 Rem over the .44mag in the Ruger Revolver.  
markc

[barber]

Thanks for all the replies. They were very informative.