I find it easier to shoot hard-kicking handguns than hard-kicking rifles. My shoulder and my lower back always ache after an afternoon with the rifles, but with a handgun you have your whole arm to absorb recoil.
For me the main thing with a handgun is making sure your fingers aren't getting smacked by the trigger guard. For years I kept the old-style grips on the TC, and couldn't stand shooting the 44 mag barrel. When I finally changed grips, that barrel suddenly become my new best friend! (Same thing when I bought a SRH 454 Casull - back of the trigger guard was killing my middle finger, put Hogues on it and now it is a joy to shoot.)
The way the recoil rolls the hand also makes a difference for me. While I was cursing the 10" iron-sighted 44 mag barrel, I was enjoying shooting a 14" non-ported 45-70 barrel with a scope. The extra weight and length really altered the quality of the recoil. It pushes a lot harder, but more of a hard, friendly shove than a vicious beating. And leaves me saying "Ooh yeah!" rather than "Ow! Ow! Ouch!!"
