I once took my 4" S&W 629 (44mag) to compete in the bi-weekly center fire competition. I usually took a 4" 686+ with lightly loaded 38SPL. The big 240 gr JHP 44mag made a boom that really set the rest of the firing line off their game. I took a hit in my score when shooting the first target with one hand at 25 yards. That scored only 26 points. The next target was two-hands. That scored 77 points. I normally scored 96 to 100 points on the two targets using the 38SPL. The big booms did lower the overall scores for the evening. There is no way I would categorize a .22LR as "exploding out of the barrel". It's a little pop. The 500 S&W mag explodes out of the barrel.
We had plenty of women competing in both center fire and rim fire competitions (alternate weeks). The women were very competitive. Often one of them would have the top score for the evening.
.44 Mag is ok for a few rounds but it is too much for me to do much more than empty a cylinder.
The great philosopher Harold Callahan once said that a man has got to know his own limitations and .44 Mag is pushing mine!