.44 special help

R

reteach

New member
Howdy.

I have a Ruger Blackhawk New Model in .44 spl. It has the "New XR3" grip frame. It was fun to shoot when I got it but arthritis in my gun hand blah blah blah. So I need to either get rid of it or find a way to tame it down some. Here are my questions:

Has anyone found an aftermarket grip that fits that frame and that makes recoil easier to handle?

What is the lowest recoil factory ammo you have found for .44 spl?

Thanks.
 
R

reteach

New member
Thanks for all the ideas.

dahermit - I'm not sure those grips will work on the New XR3. There's a warning on the page you linked to that says they will need some modification. I've seen elsewhere that even with some carving they didn't work very well. I'll look into it further, though. That's the kind of grip I'd like to have.

rclark - That ammo looks good. I'll give it a try.

105kw - I've used other gloves, but you're the second person to suggest Past, so I'll check those out, too.
 
R

reteach

New member
I looked deeper into the web site for Choice ammunition. They make a reduced recoil .44 spl with a velocity of 540 fps. That looks like it might make shooting the Blackhawk fun again.
 
F

FoghornLeghorn

New member
OP, for what it's worth. I also have the author-itis in my wrists, knees, neck, etc.

On my gun range list, between ammo and mags, I have ibuprofin. If it's acting up, I take 4 200 mg tabs an hour before I leave the house. Or before I hit the treadmill, whatever.

Also, there is a NSAID called Voltarin gel that I'll put on the affected areas if necessary. The gel is a topical and you rub it into the affected area.

It helps considerably.

Best of luck.
 
R

reteach

New member
OK folks. I ordered the Hogue grips and a box of the reduced recoil ammo. The grips arrive tomorrow. Don't know when the ammo gets here, but I'll have plenty of time to make the grips fit. I have some gloves so I'm not ordering the Pasts yet.

I also ordered a "lost broadcast" Bonnie Raitt cd. If none of this gun stuff works, I'll have that to soothe the pain.

Thanks for the help. I'll report back.
 
D

dannyb

New member
Voltaren (diclofenac) gel

Voltaren (diclofenac is the generic name) is an extremely powerful NSAID. In pill form it's effectiveness has been compared with mild narcotics. It's also known to have significant liver damage as a potential side effect. For that last reason, you could only get a 10-day prescription at the most.

The gel, of course, may have fewer side effects than the pill unless you use it more frequently than prescribed or if you do things like put your wrist to your mouth and accidentally ingest it. Look it up before asking your doc for it, and - to quote Dr. E. Fudd - be vewwy vewwy careful.
 
C

CajunBass

New member
How about a Bisley grip? Would that help? You could probably change the grip frame, but it would probably be cheaper to just sell the one you've got, and buy another one.

My Bisley flattop in 44 Special.






Something to think about.
 
R

reteach

New member
As for the meds, I do use Voltaren gel. I'm aware of the side effects and use it carefully. Thanks to both of you for thinking to suggest it.

As for the grip frame, earlier this morning it occurred to me that I might be able to replace the frame on my Blackhawk with an older XR3 RED frame. Gotta look in to that if the Hogue grips don't fit.

I've never tried a Bisley frame. I don't know whether I would like it or whether it would help. I'll have to look around for one to hold and maybe even rent to shoot.
 
J

JERRYS.

New member
the softest shooting .44 special load I can remember shooting was the Hornady 165gr. something or other. as far as grips go, I think you're very limited with that gun.
 
H

Hawg

New member
The Bisley isn't going to let the gun roll up with recoil. It's going to shove it straight back into your hand.
 
R

reteach

New member
Dagnabbit.

The Hogue grips arrived today. My Blackhawk has the lock at the base of the grip frame. There doesn't seem to be a way to attached the stirrup to the frame with that lock in the way. Doesn't look like the Hogues will work.

But, the reviewer on Midway wrote this:

CAUTION:If you buy a new model Ruger Blackhawk with the safety lock in the handle, this grip will not fit without some modification and fiddling around. I contacted Hogue and they said that at the time they had no plans to change the grip to fit the new locking mechanism. It WILL work, but it's not as simple as just putting it on. Just thought this information should be out there.

But I don't see anything else that describes how to work around the lock. Anyone have an idea where to look for that info?
 
S

sarge912

New member
.44 Spl is probably one the easiest cartridges to reload.
I have a Ruger GP100 (5") in .44 Spl and it is a joy to shoot.
gp-44spl.jpg
 
R

reteach

New member
I looked deeper into the web site for Choice ammunition. They make a reduced recoil .44 spl with a velocity of 540 fps.
Click to expand...

To follow up - I still haven't been able to make the Hogue grips fit, but I did finally get to the range today with the Choice reduced recoil ammo. They advertise 540 fps, and I guess they were right. I could barely hear the report through my ear pro and recoil was like shooting a .22. But the holes in the paper were twice as big. Great stuff. Don't think it would do much good as defensive ammo, but it made shooting the .44 fun again.
 
R

reteach

New member
Trying one more thing on my Blackhawk. There's a company called BK Grips that makes an adapter to fill in between the grip and trigger guard. They do not make one for a single action revolver, but the owner, Kip, was very helpful in helping me choose an adapter that comes close. Great guy to do business with. I will try the adapter and make whatever modifications I can to the fit. We'll see what happens.


http://bkgrips.com/
 
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