The Big Guns

Ok. So, really only one big gun... but that's OK.When I was switching jobs I promised myself that I'd get myself a gun of some variety when I got my new job. It was a toss-up between a 30-06 and a .44 Magnum. I set the criteria based on the properties of my next job and after I got the job the choice was made for me.The gun in question is a  Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum revolver.I had a .357 that was one of my dad's guns back in the day:It looks like a big gun. A good old Model 686 with a 4-inch barrel.Now it's met its big brother.The .357 is a L-Frame model. The .44 is an N-frame. In the hand it's substantially bigger.They are both formidable, but I would be far more afraid of one of these:As is the ammunition. The one thing I have to say is that while developing a load for this cartridge, the gun beat me up. The grip, right where it met the inside of my thumb, started rubbing my skin under recoil. Over the next 120 rounds this led to a blister.That's what I get for not wearing a glove. BTW: I settled on 20 grains of 2400 under a 240 grain Elmer Keith-style lead bullet. It shoots well.[smugmug url="http://photos.vec.com/hack/feed.mg?Type=gallery&Data=20513342_TSVKQQ&format=rss200" imagecount="100" start="1" num="100" thumbsize="Th" link="lightbox" captions="false" sort="false" window="true" smugmug="true" size="L"]