I've been shooting a contender in 44 mag for over 25 years. Mine wears decelerator grips to tame the recoil. You will find that you get near, but not quite, 454 casull revolver velocities due to the closed breech design. Plus the blast is not nearly as bad as a revolver due to this same feature. I have used this gun quite a bit for hunting over the years, and have found the Hornady 265 grain jsp to be a reliable performer on whitetails and hogs. I would probably step up to a 300 grain xtp or hard cast if I were to hunt something bigger.