S & W 460 Recoil verses 44 Mag.

[Revolver Nuts]

My lightest 44 mag is 6 1/2" Classic, which is scoped. I am thinking of purchasing a 7 1/2" Performance Center 460, which I will also scope. I will use it mostly for deer with probably the 200 grain Hornady's. What difference could I expect in recoil between the two.
Thanks,
Revolver Nuts

[irold]

Can give you some insight....tho don't own either one.  I do have a Super Redhawk in 44 and shot a friends 46o Smith.....a very noticeable difference. Though, nothing to be nervous about.  Just hold on with a good grip, the Smith will put them where you want them, providing you do your part.  Need lots of practice in the field, not that range work isn't good, but you need that other dimension when you hunt.  Being able to use anything available for a rest.  Not many of us can shot well enough offhand not to use a rest, at least at moderate distances.   Good Luck.....and goood shooting

[Redhawk1]

I happen to own both and there is not much difference in recoil, now there is a lot more muzzle flash with the 460 which can be tamed by installing an end cap instead of the compensator.

Remember the S&W 460 mag is a lot bigger and heavier than the S&W 629. So therefor the recoil is tamed a lot. I shoot a lot of 300 gr heavy loaded rounds in my 460 mag and I don't find the recoil bad at all, with the 200 gr. bullets you mentioned, the recoil will be a lot less.

Get the 460 Mag and fave fun, you may not shoot that 44 Mag any more after you shoot the 460 Mag. I sold my S&W 629 after I purchased my 460 Mag. 

[Grumulkin]

I sold my S&W 629 after I purchased my 460 Mag.

The 450 S&W does make the 44 Magnum seem a little anemic.

[irold]

Redhawk, no offense, but you must have tree stumps for arms.  My 44 is a 9.5 incher SRR , I load with 25 gr of 296 pushing Horn XTP 240 gr.....you gotta hold on to it . but I wouldn't say its bad.   My 460 barrel I load with 48 gr of 296 again pushing a 240 XTP Mag, the barrel is now a 13 inch with the muzzel tamer ( as previously stated).........there is a difference.  A big difference.  Reading your past posts, I realize you are a fan of the BIG bores, and probably have a special tolerance for their recoil.  And as stated before, recoil may be percieved differently by any one individual..........maybe I'm a wimp....just my thoughts.

[Redhawk1]

irold, from you post I gather you have a Encore barrel? Sure the recoil in the Encore is totally different than in the S&W 460 Mag.  Yes I am use to recoil and handle it well, but I still can tell the difference between guns. I have shot several 44 Mag loads in my 629 that recoil was more than any load I have shot in my S&W 460 Mag. I have also owned a Encore barrel in 460 Mag and the recoil was totally different than any of my S&W 460 Mags. What I have noticed from people that shoot the 460 Mag is, they always say the recoil is not bad, but what surprises them is the concussion and flash.

I can load you up some of my 300 gr. bullets in a 44 mag and have you shoot them out of a S&W model 629 and then load you up some heavy 300 gr. loads in my S&W 460 Mag, and you would notice the 44 Mag had more felt recoil. Even though the 460 Mag would be faster and have a lot more powder, the gun itself is what makes the difference. Now shoot them same 460 Mag loads in a Encore pistol barrel and the recoil would be a lot more then the 44 Mag in a S&W model 629.

[irold]

Your right , Redhawk, my only experience with the 460 Smith is about a dozen rounds from a friends revolver.....I have an encore in 460, and as you stated the recoil is different....also I don't load with 300 gr in my SSR 44, only 240.  They work well for me, never lost a deer.....and in the brush of Pa, thats saying something !  Anyway I was not comparing apples to apples...my mistake   Good shooting

[stuffit]

Redhawk,
If you have fired a FA 7 1/2 " 454 and a Ruger OMSBH 7 1/2" .44 mag, each with a near max load of H110/win296 behind a 300 gr cast GC bullet, how would you rate them in terms of perceived recoil?  And I'll give mine up front.  The FA has a lot more and I've fired both revolvers a good bit.  How would you compare your experience with the .460 to these two circumstances I've described here?
 
stuffit

[Redhawk1]

You are right , the FA 454 Casull will have more felt recoil than the Ruger super Blackhawk in 44 Mag, we are talking about guns with the same or very close weight. I have also owned a FA 454 Casull and I put quit a few rounds down it. To compare the S&W 460 mag to either of these guns is not a fair comparison. The S&W 460 Mag is a lot heavier gun and handles recoil better in my opinion.  Put a 460 Mag in a lighter gun would be a real handful.  But I would rather shoot the S&W 460 mag with heavy loads than a FA 454 Casull with heavy loads.  Also the recoil of the double action of the S&W is totally different than the recoil of a single action handgun.
I have shot a ultra light titanium 357 Mag that had more felt recoil then my S&W 500 Mag. The weight of guns makes a big difference in perceived and actual recoil.

[Revolver Nuts]

I finally got to shoot the 460. What a great gun, really fun to shoot.
I do not have the scope on it yet, so it is still 1/2 to 1 pound lighter that it is going to be.
Recoil wise, not bad. You wouldn't want to shoot it all day long but I wouldn't want to do that with a 44 mag either.
Actually the recoil is not as harsh or sharp or crisp (don't know exactly what to call it) as the 44 mag. The 460 tends to push you harder but the gun doesn't jump like the 44 mag does.
I guess to sum it up it's a different type of recoil with a heavier push but not as violent as the 44.
Next we scope it.
Happy Shooting,
Revolver Nuts

[corbanzo]

As redhawk says, the revolver weight has a lot to do with the percieved recoil. The big x frames handle the .460 and .500 pretty well.  I shoot a 4" 29-2, and that thing will give your wrists more of a workout than a 8-3/8'' x-frame will.  The 460 is going to push back into you more, but it isnt going to tire out your arms faster. IMHO