Not sure what velocities you are getting with your load, but 250 gr. is too heavy for the Schofield. The original loading for the .45 Revolver Ball (military nomenclature for the .45 Schofield round) was originally loaded with 28 gr. of BP with a 230 gr. bullet. This produced a MV of about 725 ft/sec. No one can tell what your perception of recoil is from any gun, so there is no way we can say such a load would be easier. It may well be that you may, indeed, need to go to a different grip shape, e.g., the Laramie (S&W New Model #3), if you can find one.