I've shot both and the felt recoil is different. Both recoil pretty well, but the 454 has more of a "snappy" recoil with more muzzle-flip, while the longer barreled Contender has more of a push back toward you. As stated above, it all depends on the load being used, but I'd have to say the 454 has more because of the way it recoils. just my .02