Is it just me or....

[Zachary]

I carry a Ruger sp101 .357 magnum with a 2 1/4" barrel. On many forums I hear people describe the recoil as being "punishing", "painful", or "brutal". I personally don't find it to be that bad; am I Superman or a there a whole lotta' wussies out there? Lest you think I am Superman, I'm 5' 9" and 130lbs. I also find the recoil from a .44 mag. Redhawk not "unmanageable". Just wondering...

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[1911_Kimber]

New to the forum I see... strange way of introducing yourself, it is as if you are coming in just pick a fight ... Welcome I guess...

[WHEC724]

Welcome from SC.

The pistol that works well for one person, may not work well for the next for a variety of reasons. It's nice to have options.

[OldVet]

I felt my Blackhawk .357 with 4 5/8" barrel was more punishing than my BH .41 Mag with a 6 1/2" barrel. Not unmanageable, but definitely more punishing. It's all relative.

[Metalman]

I carry the same gun, sometimes. I like the way it shoots and have no trouble with the recoil. What does concern me though is the flash and the noise. If I ever had reason to use this gun at night, after the first shot I'm afraid I'd be deaf and temporarily blind and unable to pull of a reliable second shot.

[ghost tracker]

It's just you. Welcome to the forum!

[Zachary]

I'm sorry if it seemed that I was trying to pick a fight. That was not my intention at all. I probably should have picked a better subject for a first post. Thanks for the welcome!

[oldnfat]

Zachary there have been numerous posts here with this same theme. We don't always perceive things the same. You may consider the recoil of your gun quite manageable. Others may not agree. That's a good thing. Respect others and take their views as you wish. Welcome from the great state of Texas.

[1MoreGoodGuy]

It has a lot to do with personal perception and technique and how each individual's body handles stress.

Welcome from Fort Worth, Texas.

[Brady]

Magnums in my SP were not as bad as I expected, surprisingly. I don't think I would want to shoot magnums in an "Airweight" type. If you can and want to, that's all good.

[DMan]

I have found that pocket pistols in .380 can pack more felt recoil than many of the magnums. It is physicals, the mass of the gun reduces the recoil felt. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The energy passing backward into your hands is equal to that moving forward. The same amount of energy it takes to move something that is a couple of ounces a few inches will only move something a couple of pounds a fraction of an inch. So a large frame, heavy gun can actually have less perceived recoil than a small lightweight gun. Weight to energy ratio's. Also the area of the energy transfer can affect perceived recoil. The larger the grip surface in firm contact with your hands will spread out the energy more than a small grip surface that transfers the energy during recoil in a more focused manner.

Many many factors come into play on perceived recoil. In the end it comes down to what can you shoot reliably. Give me .380 that hits the mark over a .44 mag that misses.

[Mike1956]

I carry a Ruger sp101 .357 magnum with a 2 1/4" barrel. On many forums I hear people describe the recoil as being "punishing", "painful", or "brutal". I personally don't find it to be that bad; am I Superman or a there a whole lotta' wussies out there? Lest you think I am Superman, I'm 5' 9" and 130lbs. I also find the recoil from a .44 mag. Redhawk not "unmanageable". Just wondering...

How does it feel after you put 150 rounds through it?

[PAPADALE1]

Welcome from Tennessee.

[Ghost1958]

Never found the .357 to be "punishing" in any barrel lengh from snub to 4 inch. But im not recoil sensitive. Low light the snubs were flame throwers for sure as far as flash the 4 inch not so much. I always did notice that the ringing in the ears would be worse with a 357 than say a 45 or 40. But even a 38 snub is a flame thrower and rings my ears as well though not as much as the 357 Welcome btw

[Zachary]

I put 100 .38 special rounds and 15 .357magnums through it the other day and felt fine . At $26/box , I can't afford to shoot 150 magnums at one time. I do think Dman's comment about grip surface area is correct; I've shot a .38 special airweight with fairly light loads in it and it seemed to bite the palm of my hand worse than my .357, and it had a much smaller grip area.(I would still like to have one; it would be an excellent ankle gun). ;)