The most brutal, and the one that 'hurts' EVERY time is the 4 inch 44-Mags. The others people in the shop tell me they can hear me scream in pain after each shot.
I agree with you about the .44 magnum. It has by far the most kick of a pistol I have ever fired. You have to either have the barrel ported or fire .44 specials. Very little kick to them, a very accurate round and still has very good knockdown power.