Ive got a new smith titanium 396 .44 special I shot it with 7.5 grains of unique and a 250 and recoil was heavy. I shot it last night with 16 grains of 2400 and a 250 and that dammed thing kicked! It took a chunk of skin off the hand and my wrist is sore today. It was harder on the hand then my .475 and .500 are with heavy loads. Neet little gun you can put it in a holster and you dont even know its on your side. But when that big bear comes at you you may consider throwing it at him and taking a chance that if he does get you he only cripples you a little

What barrel length on the 396. I was thinking about a ti 44 mag model. They are light but my redhawk gets awful heavy.

its a 3in L frame 5 shot

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:
What barrel length on the 396. I was thinking about a ti 44 mag model. They are light but my redhawk gets awful heavy.

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Shucks,if you guys want heavy,try carting around a Desert Eagle 44 all day under your armpit. Fortunately I was never out in much over 90 Degree heat and it was dry. It was a lot of fun to shoot though! derf

Lloyd, I bought a CIA model .357 Smith years ago...3" bbl and ROUND BUTT. First thing I did was rush out and start busting off some fullhouse .357 loads with 158gr bullets.

But I never finished the first cylinder of ammo. I've never had a pistol hurt my hand like that and I don't think I EVER want another round butt revolver again. It allows the thing to rotate in your hand and just about rip the web between your thumb and fingers apart.

Not sure if your new pistol is round butt or not but it sounds like you are going to have to do like I did and back off slightly on your loads.

I can shoot max loads in 125 gr or lighter and I can shoot some pretty healthy 158 gr bullets...but there is sure a line in there that you don't want to cross with this pistol or it will start hurting you more than the target.

The good news is a well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft lbs of energy anyway...so just find a load that feels good to you and practice till your dead-eye Dick with it. Good hunting.

Lloyd,

I think you are on the correct path. You may want to up the charge a little more too.

What you want for a bear protection handgun is something that is only slightly the lesser of two evils when you need it......

The idea with these super light belly and trail guns is to shoot mild loads that penetrate well very fast. For the 44, try lead cast 240s at 750 fps for 300 FPE. Then practice triple taps from 7 paces...you should be able to hit an 8 by 11 inch sheet of paper 3 time in 2 seconds. This is about 5 times more effective than a single hit from a full house 44 Mag.

Lloyd, I read a test of this revolver in Guns magazine by Charles Petty. His observations were the same as yours regarding the recoil of this little beast. He ended up putting Pachmayr Decelerator grips. The main reason he went with these grips is because they cover the backstrap and made it much more pleasant to shoot. You might want to give it a try.

Tony D ><>

allready ordered them Ill let you know if they help I also ordered a plain set of sights from smith for it. Cant stand those fiber optic front and express rear. Fine for hitting a barn door but thats about it.

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Originally posted by Tony D:
Lloyd, I read a test of this revolver in Guns magazine by Charles Petty. His observations were the same as yours regarding the recoil of this little beast. He ended up putting Pachmayr Decelerator grips. The main reason he went with these grips is because they cover the backstrap and made it much more pleasant to shoot. You might want to give it a try.

Tony D ><>

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