Holding techniques for severe recoil of .454 Casull?

[His lordship.]

I bought and fired my first Ruger Super Redhawk the other day, I used .45 long colt to start with, and then fired some of my Hornady .454 Casull in 300 gr. bullets.  Gun was sighted in from the factory, and proved to be very accurate.

When I shot the .454 loads I used my usual bench technique of sitting, grip of pistol on a rest, both hands, with right elbow on the table.  The recoil is so severe that the pounding on my right hand, wrist, and right arm may have done some internal damage, sprain, or other?  I quickly switched to shooting two handed with both arms off the bench as I know that trying to stand/sit up alleviates heavy kick with my shotgun shooting Foster slugs.  I  was flinching with most of my shots, but managed to get some excellent accuracy at 50 feet by using some psychological tricks.  I am a large person with 35 years of shooting experience, so that helped.

The Rugers do not have the muzzle break feature to reduce recoil like the Smith and Wesson's have, is there a technique to shooting these heavy guns, any gloves or arm devises that can be used?  I won't have much need to shoot the .454 Casull anyways, it has been recommended that I use hot loads in the .45 long colt for any deer/wild hog hunting.  Still, it would be nice to be able to fire all 6 shots of Casull and not have a flinch/heavy beating issue.  I have some bicycle gloves that I could use, they have a padded hand area and would take some of the pounding.  Any hold technique, posture that can be used?

Thanks.

[Mikey]

Yes, there are a couple of techniques that may help.  I have the same problem with a short 44 mag and heavy loads and I have seen and heard of a number of guys who have scoped their 454s and come back to the hunting camp with a semi-circular cut to their forehead that required stitches to close. 

There are a couple of things I would do:  I would tape my wrists up like a boxer's to strengthen them/it; get some elbow pads from one of the supply houses or from someplace like Home Despot, Lowes, etc., and while you are there get yourself a tight fitting pair of work gloves that have padded palms and knuckles.  Those should help.  Also, make sure the darn thing is far enough away from your forehead when you touch it off that it doesn't come back and hit you hard enough to knock you silly.

And for Whitetail and hog hunting youneed not suffer through heavy 454 loads - they may be nice to have if you are facing a charging bulldozer but for the two game animals you mentioned lighter loads that favor your hands, wrists and elbows will get youwhat you want.  jmtcw and hth. 

[williamlayton]

Sound like you were standing behind me when I was shooting my friends .44 mag.
Were you  .
That experience is what changed my thought process about a .41 or .44 mag.
I would rather shoot a lot more comfortably than a few times and dread it.
Stick with mild or .45's and enjoy the experience.
Blessings

[Ken ONeill]

If you have long enough fingers to allow a proper trigger reach, then a PAST or Uncle Mike's shooting glove will help. Be sure that the grip is centered in your hand so that the recoil is directed to the web, not your thumb.
When shooting from a bench rest, do not allow the grip to rest on the bench, and absolutely do not rest your elbows on the bench, although a portion of your forearms may be okay, depending upon the bench configuration.
Grip the handgun firmly, but not white knuckle, trembling, firm.
The extra weight of a scope and rings will also help dampen the recoil.
With careful practice, most people can master a .454.

[drdougrx]

....and change the grips!  Put some Hogue Tamers on it asap.  I have the same issues with my heavily loaded 480.  I also found that Mag-Na-Porting does help...some guys like it - some don't, I do but haven't had it done because I no longer see the need for wrist cracking loads.

[Redhawk1]

When I am shooing my big bore handguns off the bench, I wear a pair of weight lifting gloves, they offer a lot of wrist support and palm support.  But what I found is, I don't shoot a lot from sitting at a bunch with a rest. I shoot my hunting handgun like I would be shooing them in the field. Either off hand, or off a shooting stick or leaning on a tree or some kind of support.  I find it best to shoot big bore handgun off hand. It just makes more since to for me to practice the way I use the gun in the field. 

[ole 5 hole group]

PAST gloves are no longer being offered by Battenfeld, as the supplier went out of business – this is the information my son-in-law received from the company when he attempted to return a “defective” pair last month.  You might be able to purchase a pair from retailers that still have them but Battenfeld will no longer replace them if they come apart.  I & my son-in-law have ruined several pair of the PAST gloves in the past due to palm splitting when firing 475L & 500 full-on loads in single actions. 
This brand has held up to everything but they are much larger and have a different feel to them than do PAST or similar type shooting gloves. http://www.gripswell.com/

Shooting the 454 off the bench is no joy but for load development it’s probably the way most go about it.  You’ll find it much more forgiving shooting off-hand with full-on loads.  Off-hand I prefer the isosceles shooting stance but the modified Weaver will do as well as will other forms.  There’s probably some websites that will show different shooting styles and revolver hand positions – just modified them to your tastes.

Make sure no part of your anatomy (hand or leg) gets close to your revolver’s cylinder/barrel gap, as a lap in attention here will get real serious in a hurry with a high pressure caliber such as that 454. 

[His lordship.]

Thanks for the reply guys, I am finding this to be a learning experience.  I know what you mean on keeping my left hand away from the cylinder gap, I watched a fellow who was shooting a borrowed .500 S/W revolver and his hand initially was right on the gap, we caught it in time.  I have .357 magnum experience, so I know to keep my hand clear of this part.

I thought my arm had a cracked bone, but I just think it got sore as it is better now.  I will try the gloves and shoot off hand like a hunting trip.  Will add a scope later as I want to be able to shoot this thing out to 100 yards accurately.  Thinking of a 2X for magnification.

WilliamLayton...No, it must have been someone else, the same guy who brought the .500 S/W X-frame also had his Model 29 there as well, it was really interesting to see both guns being fired, quite the flamers they are.   The theme that day at the pistol range was heavy magnum revolvers!

[msmith]

I used my 454 for hunting, so when I am shooting, whether it is just plinking or practice, I shoot like I would in the woods which is always off hand. I never shoot a handgun from a bench. Icosoles with a good grip, no gloves, no problem. I also mostly use whitetail loads, 250g JHP at about 1500fps, but do the heavy pounders the same.

[mcwoodduck]

Shoot 45 Colt cowboy loads!
Work your way up in power as you get used to the recoil and the gun.
NASA spent a few Million dollars making a pen that would write in  the zero gravity of space.
The russians used a pencil.
Sometime the simple answer still works.

[Lloyd Smale]

i dont care for padded shooting gloves. the dont allow me to get a good enough grip on a gun. I like redhawk prefer either a weight lifting glove or just a pair of leather work gloves with the fingers cut off. Choking down on your grip (holding lower on the grip) helps prevent some of the muzzle flip and also keeps my nuckles from getting bashed. Also its is more comfortable to me to shoot standing rather then sitting. Make yourself up a bench that allows you to stand and shoot in a simular postition to what you would if you were shooting off hand. If i cant do that what also works is sitting on the ground with your knees up and rest your hands on your knees. With a little practice this is just as accurate for load developement as a bench and it gives you practice in a position that can be used in the field. Also anymore i dont push it. I used to go to the range and shoot 300 or more big bore loads in a sitting. Id come away feeling beat up. Anymore i keep it to about 50 rounds at a time.

[SHOOTALL]

start off with lighter loads and work up . Try standing if you need support to steady revolver try shooting sticks or as i do at range use a 5 ft step ladder resting arms across top step. You have to allow your whole body absorb the shock of recoil.

[1911crazy]

Lately i been thinking of getting shooting gloves too.  I do have motorcycle leather gloves here too. I notice being retired, not working my hands are getting soft.  And when things are rough they seem to hurt much easier. My grip is still tough but my skin isn't anymore.

I also find that shooting more often helps too.

I been shooting the 44mags since the mid 70's with mostly hotter loads.  I hold the revolver with my right hand and use my left hand to pull it down to take up some of the predicted recoil.  Having the experience with the 5 1/2" to 7 1/2" redhawk/blackhawk barrels the longer the better.  I'm not too fond of the shorter barreled magnums.  I'll still buy them and shoot them, just not that often.  My redhawk in 44mag w/7 1/2" barrel is a dream to shoot over the 5 1/2" barrel.

When i first started shooting the magnums i put a hot load in every other chamber and leadcast in the others.  I even mixed them up sometimes too.  This way i never knew what bullet was going to fire.  The flinching stopped.  Or you can shoot leadcast and work your way up too. I did find out by staying shooting that one gun i did get better with it sooner.  Its harder to shoot multiple guns and expect to get good with just one of them when each one handles a tad different.  Don't rush, calm down, go slow and enjoy.

My dealer has a new S&W w/ 6 1/2" barrel in 500S&W ported from the factory marked down right now.  I don't think its any fun to buy a train set only to have it pulling one box car?  My point is why buy a cannon and load it down thats not me. Light loads are for leadcast bullets. I been on the fence but with what your saying about the well balanced super redhawk in 454 casull i'm thinking of staying with the older magnums.  I know in another 10 years or sooner i'll be like William here and prefer the auto's even more.  I'm 60yo right now.  My body is more like 90yo and my mind feels like 20yo this iswhere my mind gets my body into trouble.  My mind says just do it and my body answers your kidding me right? William time and age catches up to all of us sooner or later.                       CZY

BTW;  God made man and winchester and Viagra made him equal.

[saddlebum]

The suggestion of changing the grips is a good one. You can look at Pacmayer Decellerators too. You might not want to wear a glove in the field, so rubber grips are good. When I shoot the big boomers I try to bend my elbows just a little and position myself so I get a little shock absorbtion when it goes off. If I keep my arms stretched out straight and rigid, it pounds the heck out of my bad elbows and wrists. Just be sure to catch it before it smacks you in the forehead and pad your elbows from the bench. If you get a little shock absorbtion through your arms instead of being stiff and straight, it doesn't pound your hand as bad either. The bent elbow thing works better when standing up and you can roll with the recoil with your upper body..................Anyway, that's what I do.
Even with maxed out 300gr loads in my .41mag and rubber grips, I still get a pretty good red mark on my palm after a couple of cylinders full.

[BIG Dog454]

The 454 can be brutal with max loads.  I load a 250 gr bullet at about 1150 fps in the 454 case with blue dot powder,  it's like a warm 45 colt load. It's accurate, dosn't kick bad and goes thru and thru a deer.  No need to use max loads unless ya got a griz coming at ya.
BD

[SHOOTALL]

Some max loads give Flat trj. extending point blank hold.

[1911crazy]

I'm looking for a pair of thinner SWAT leather gloves??

I put the larger pachmayer rubber presentation grips on all my magnums and rubber full wrap around grips on most of my 1911's too. I notice that i can grip tighter on the rubber grips.  When i had a ruger super blackhawk we were loading very stout 44mag loads and i could just about hang on to the single action revolver.  I had people actually leave the range who were shooting near me.  The flames were unbelieveable out of the barrel and both sides of the cylinder even in the day time.  Needless to say at my age i'm not going any larger than the 44mag or 45 long colt.  When it comes to shooting the bigger bores i really miss my mentor, my older brother for he was our "mikey" of the group, let mikey try it??  Remember mikey with the breakfast cereal?     CZY

BTW;  I still suffer from two bad rotator cups in my shoulders, broke ribs three times and what ever else from my off road riding days. I still get the aches and pains when it rains.  I'm still shootin what i can....

[S.B.]

A lot of very good advice here and all is true.
Steve

[SHOOTALL]

One thing not to be over looked is the need to build up the shooters strength to handle the 454 loads. Not only will the hands need it but the arms and back also . Also the concusion even with hearing protection is hard to get used to and takes pratice.

[gr8ful]

I have found that a tight pair of mechanic's gloves from Home Depot work great with my big boomers, i buy them a size smaller than iwould for work gloves, and even got a couple in camo last hunting season.  The padded knuckles really help keep the back of the trigger guard off my support hand. 

[S.B.]

I own a S&W JRC 500 and I have never, or seen anyone else, shoot this gun without leaving trace rubber in the web of shooting hand. I tried bicycle riding gloves but, didn't see much benifit from them with this gun? There was no rubber with gloves but, recoil wasn't much different. I do advice all who try this gun to keep both thumbs off the gun as far as possible.
I do not own a 454 so can't comment on this guns recoil.
Steve

[greenrivers]

Chris D, I to own a Super Redhawk in .454 and like you say they can really slam you while shooting from the bench! But after using the gun for a bit, you may find that the concussion from muzzle blast is what is making it seem worse than it really is. Shooting from a bench is much worse than off hand as you are aligning all the bones in your arms and shoulders as well as probably leaning into it. For sighting and load testing it is needed but I get away from the bench as quickly as I can and shoot mine off hand as in the real world. Having the ability to take any game out there with that gun did not mean that I was going to use the loads that could do it all the time. I put a Burris two power locking reticule on mine and have been very satisfied with it and the gun. It now has fired well over a thousand rounds. Once smoothed up the SRH is a fine and accurate weapon. I think that Loyd's idea for a stand up bench for load testing is in my future as well.

[Blackhawker]

First off, why on earth did you buy a gun of such a caliber if you had not known what you were in for or hadn't had  any previous experience with heavy recoiling revolvers? 
It's not a bad thing though because it's people like you that allow me to find revolvers such as these in near new condition at a good price because often times the owner ends up selling the gun within a few weeks or months and it is literally unused. 

OK, I won't "knock" on you anymore.  I'm just teasing you here so please don't take it personally!

Here is my advice:  Shoot 45 Colts from your SRH for quite some time.  However, there is a danger of doing this if you're not an avid gun cleaner.  You MUST remove all traces of build up in the chambers in order that you can chamber and or don't create a ringing effect in the chambers once you decide to step up to the .454 rounds.  In fact, I'd almost recommend that you buy yourself a Ruger Blackhawk in .44 mag or .45 Colt and shoot it for a good year with hot ammo loads in it in order for you to become accustomed to the recoil before stepping up to the .454.  Once you have mastered the heavy recoil of loads such as a 255 grain bullet at 1250 fps or a 300 grain bullet at 1100 fps, then you can begin to consider stepping up to the .454.  (in my mind anyway)

Gloves:  I use a nice supple pair of wrestling gloves whenever I shoot my heavy loaded 45 Colt's or .454. These gloves are very much like weight lifting gloves with lots of cushion in the palms.  Most competitive shooters are not big advocates of gloves and I can see where they are coming from with this, however, I've grown accustomed to shooting with gloves and I never have any problems.  If you're going to wear gloves, then just wear them all of the time and become accustomed to that feel rather than going back and forth between using gloves and not using them.  (again, just my thoughts)

Handloading:  Handloading will come to your rescue a bit because you can develop handloads with your .454 that are like your run of the mill warm or hot loaded .45 Colts.  So, if you don't want to shoot all .45 Colts and leave deposits in your chambers of your .454, then just load the .454 ammo down until you can master the lighter recoil.  Once you have mastered lighter loads, then it's time to move up.

As far as holding the revolver goes; every person is different.  I never hold any of my revolvers with two hands on the grips, regardless of recoil.  I typically hold the revolver in my right hand and rest the stock and bottom of my right hand it in the palm of my left and support the hold through my elbow on down into my torso.  Although I don't have wrist spraining or pain issues, you may....as I said, everyone is different.  However, until you can find a decent way to hold your revolver that works for you and the pain subsides, you are going to develop a bad flinch in all of your shooting.  Stop it now while you can.  Training yourself to lose a flinch can take a lot of time.

Good luck!  If you take your time and are patient, you'll master that .454 rather than giving it away via a trade in.