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Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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Well it's time for me to eat a little crow here. Thee has been a lot of discussion and some complaint about the recoil of a 445SM. On several occasions I have said that I don't find it any worse than my 744.
Where did this come from? Well, when I bought the gun I asked the seller why he was selling. His reply was that it was just too much gun with too much recoil. So, a few days ago I took it back to the range and finished off the handloads he had sent me with the gun.
Then I opened a box of factory loads. Whoa Mama! What a difference a load makes.
This gun really does have some punch and the recoil is noticeably greater than my 744. I stand corrected and I apologize.
I misplaced the slip of paper that was in the box of hand-loads, but I think it was 240gr. JSP over either 28 or 34 grains of 686. So you guys be the judge. It feels to me like a light load.
I'l bet that if the grip didn't fill in behind the trigger guard, this would be a flippin finger slammer almost like my FA 500WE. Maybe I need custom grips for the FA. No, don't suggest rubber; I hate rubber grips.
I still love the gun and it's power.
-Mike
February 4, 2009
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Mike,
What were the factory load specs? Bullet weight?
The reason I ask is because I have never really had any issues with the recoil. There was a time though when I shot some 240gr. bullets over H110 and it was definitely a handful. I usually shoot 250gr over 4227 and find it to be a reasonably pleasant round to shoot.
When I had my 744, I was shooting 300gr XTP's and felt those were pleasant as well. But once I went back to 240's and H110, the recoil felt as if it had doubled- I guess it must be a powder variable. I even tried to shoot them through the 7445 and the same result occured- too much recoil for my tastes. The weight of the 7445 made absolutely no difference to the amount of felt recoil. I have since abandoned H110.
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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I too dine on crow fairly regularly and it's not to bad with enough salt and pepper, but the feathers are darn tough to choke down. I said the same thing about the recoil not being so bad, maybe I need to try factory loads as I have only shot reloads. Did by chance the factory ammo list the info such as velocity and bullet weight so we can try and compare to hand loaded data?
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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Maybe I overstated the case. These are not at all unpleasant to shoot. It was just such a surprise after almost 200 rounds of experience where the recoil seemed to actually be less than that of my 744; to experience a much more powerful load.
The bullets in the factory loads are 240gr. XTP's. I have contacted the provider to see if I can get more details. I will post his answer here, whatever it might be.
-Mike
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 9, 2009
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I had similar experiences over the years when using H-110 vs. just about everything else. I believe the most exagerrated example was the 475 Linebaugh load that smacked me in the forehead. I think that was an H-110 round, don't plan to use H-110 in one of those cases anytime soon. Grips mean alot and while the Freedom Arms wood and micarta grips are some of the prettiest ever made to look at, the rubber hogues on my Magnum Research make it much easier to handle than the FA grips.
A man cannot have too many SuperMags
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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I got a response from the maker. No surprise; he says he can't give out the info due to liability issues.
Apparently there are too many lawyers and too amny people with entitlement issues for him to take the risk. I understand his concern, but it sure would be nice to have that info for comparison.
-Mike
October 1, 2009
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I have shot mostly 240 grain handloads & a couple boxes of DW factory loads.
The DW factory loads are not real hot in my opinion, my hand loads are hotter.
Never had a recoil issue with my 7445, so whose factory loads are these??
I lost any interest in H110 (.357 mag) some years ago & gave the last of it away.
DWF Supporters
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November 17, 2008
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I checked my load book last night to see what I am shooting and it was 240 gr JTC/SIL over 33 gr W296 and 300gr HP/XTP over 28gr W296. Both area handful but neither was worse than a lot of 44 mag loads and a few 45LC loads ( lot lighter gun) I have fired. At least as far as recoil goes.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
November 14, 2009
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lbruce said:
I checked my load book last night to see what I am shooting and it was 240 gr JTC/SIL over 33 gr W296 and 300gr HP/XTP over 28gr W296. Both area handful but neither was worse than a lot of 44 mag loads and a few 45LC loads ( lot lighter gun) I have fired. At least as far as recoil goes.
LB
LB,
is that 45LC a DW? Because I have both DW 744 and 745 and they seem the same weight to me.
Happyness is a Hot DW and a pile of used brass!!! Rich
DWF Supporters
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November 17, 2008
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mox-ct said:
LB,is that 45LC a DW? Because I have both DW 744 and 745 and they seem the same weight to me.
No, I wish I had a DW 45LC, it was a smith mountain gun. It just had possibility the worst recoil I remember experiencing.( with cor-bon ammo) I realise that is not comparing apples to apples.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
November 14, 2009
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lbruce said:
mox-ct said:
LB,
is that 45LC a DW? Because I have both DW 744 and 745 and they seem the same weight to me.
No, I wish I had a DW 45LC, it was a smith mountain gun. It just had possibility the worst recoil I remember experiencing.( with cor-bon ammo) I realise that is not comparing apples to apples.
LB
Thanks for the clarification.
BTW, anytime you want to fondle and/or shoot my 745, I have plenty of handloads and targets.
Happyness is a Hot DW and a pile of used brass!!! Rich
DWF Supporters
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November 17, 2008
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Gee thanks Mox, But the 970 miles one way, you had better not wait up on me.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
Supporter
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January 24, 2009
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So far I've only shot 20 rounds through my .445 & my experience has been the same...I was surprised that the recoil was less than expected. Now, the ammo I have shot was some Reed's loads...300g XTP, but I don't know what sort of powder was used. So maybe these are some lower power loads, I don't know.
Regarding H110, I have only used it in my .44 Mag reloads (22 gr behind 240g bullets) & have found it to be pretty nice so far, in my Ruger SBH. Maybe if I bumped the powder amount up to 24 grains, it might be more of a handful in felt recoil. It does seem to burn pretty hot though & is a little harder to clean off the gun. When I get around to reloading .445, I'll probably take you guys advise & use a different powder.
March 21, 2010
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I've shot alot of the factory ammo, & didn't think it was too bad. The 300 grain had a little thump, but in my 8"VH, I didn't mind.
I use IMR4227 for 240 gr jacked bullets. 31gr powder @ 1750 fps. That's pretty hot, but very managable. I find the muzzel blast of the 357SM more offensive than the recoil of the 445.
I have loaded some lead 240grwadcutters for plinking loads. 10.5 grains of Trail Boss in 445brass. Good accurate paperpunching loads anyone can shoot. Burns clean, & you don't have to scrub the chambers like you would using 44 special or mag brass.
Don't know what the fps is, probably @950 (guess).
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