I don't see what's so different about the 44 magnum revolver before the shot goes off, so for me it is not a question of hitting anything in double action, rather about how happy I am with the way my hand feels afterwards and how quickly I can get my sights back on target if I want to shoot again. I don't find that my hand feels all that good with full-house magnum loads in my model 69, and it definitely takes longer to get the sights back on target than with a 357 magnum. Moreover, if I fire again quickly in double action, my grip won't be ideal, and so the follow-up shot will feel even worse. So I don't shoot the 69 fast in DA mode, maybe one cylinder just for the hell of it, but slow, smooth, steady double action pulls instead of thumbing the hammer back for one shot at a time? Yeah, sure, I do it. So call me a liar.
Gloves help, but all the stock grips still suck. Even the S&W 500 grips, which will fit on the Model 69 and 29/629, aren't very good, though they are a damned sight better than the hard plastic stock grips. If you get Herrett's to make you some custom Jordan Trooper grips, the recoil is more directed to the palm with an upward rolling, same principle as with the Ruger Bisley grips. I still prefer to wear gloves with my model 69, though, because the gun tends to roll up to the point where the top of the backstrap-covering grips rolls across the webbing of my thumb and forefinger. It tends to happen if I try to shoot again before getting my grip just right. Better to have something there other than skin.
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