How much less recoil would a .380 ACP pistol have than a 9mm pistol if fired from similar pistols? My gf likes going to the range with me but is still scared to shoot my guns even though I'm right there with her. She says my instruction helps her but halfway into a magazine her hands are shaking because she's nervous. She's fired my 3" 1911 a few times but would do much better with a pistol that has less recoil. She doesn't have the strength to pull the trigger on my S&W 442. Even my Ruger LC9 makes her nervous. I was looking at the website of a local gun shop/range I like to frequent and noticed he has a new Taurus 738TCP .380 auto for $199. I realize it's the same case except 1mm shorter. 100 grain bullet instead of 115-147 grain. Probably a little over 3 grains powder instead of close to 5 grains when reloading. I'd imagine the recoil difference would be quite a bit, but the pistol is lighter than my LC9. What do you guys think? I'd like a low recoil pistol to take to the range for her to shoot. Aside from this pistol I've been thinking about a .22LR revolver for her to shoot. $199 for this Taurus is hard to beat, though.
.380 ACP recoil
- Thread starter djcantr
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Sheikyourbootie
New member
My 11 year old girl (small hands that cannot pull the trigger in DA, and has to use the overhand method to rack the slide) likes shooting the CZ83. It's heavy for caliber, and the single action pull is only 4# or so with my gun.
Recoil is negligible
Here is my review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNJz_E3bR_g
Sorry about the dark lighting, but I'm better at shooting than I am at filming.
Recoil is negligible
Here is my review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNJz_E3bR_g
Sorry about the dark lighting, but I'm better at shooting than I am at filming.
bamaranger
New member
only one answer
I am always surprised by how stiff the recoil is in my .380 Sig. Rather than a .380 on a 9mm platform, how 'bout getting your girl a real beginners pistol, a .22!!!!!!!!!!! A Rugr MkII is neat. Or a single six
Hey. Valentines Day tomorrow! Nothing kicks less, you can shoot cheap, and maybe she'll gift you likewise down the road.
I am always surprised by how stiff the recoil is in my .380 Sig. Rather than a .380 on a 9mm platform, how 'bout getting your girl a real beginners pistol, a .22!!!!!!!!!!! A Rugr MkII is neat. Or a single six
Hey. Valentines Day tomorrow! Nothing kicks less, you can shoot cheap, and maybe she'll gift you likewise down the road.
If she is nervous about recoil do NOT get her the Taurus TCP. I have one and love it as a pocket carry, but it has significant muzzle flip. I can almost gaurantee you that she will not enjoy it.
If you are thinking about a .22 I just bought a S&W 22A that I love, and it was only $250. My wife shot it and was surprised by how little recoil there really is. But, the downside with the 22A is that the grip is really big. I imagine most women would find it too big for their hands.
I would suggest taking a look at the Walther P22. It seems to be quite a bit smaller but still good sized.
If you are thinking about a .22 I just bought a S&W 22A that I love, and it was only $250. My wife shot it and was surprised by how little recoil there really is. But, the downside with the 22A is that the grip is really big. I imagine most women would find it too big for their hands.
I would suggest taking a look at the Walther P22. It seems to be quite a bit smaller but still good sized.
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Sparks1957
New member
Don't be so sure about that, it really depends on the pistol's design. My Bersa .380 has some snap to it, mainly due to the fixed-barrel, blowback design. It is quite manageable for most people, however. It is somewhat comparable to a small 9mm like my Kahr CW9
FrederickDav
New member
Berretta Neos is one awsome .22. Plus you can add "goodies" like a red dot to the slide.
Sig. P232 in .380 is very snappy!
Sig. P232 in .380 is very snappy!
carguychris
New member
Very few .380ACP pistols have a truly equivalent 9mm counterpart. The primary factor is that most .380s have a fixed barrel and utilize a blowback or unlocked-breech mechanism in which the barrel remains stationary and only the slide moves. Most 9mm pistols use a short-recoil or locked-breech mechanism in which the barrel and slide recoil together for a short distance, then the barrel stops, the barrel and slide unlock from one another, and the slide continues rearward.
All else being equal- which it's usually not, but we're discussing theory here- a blowback pistol will be less expensive to manufacture but will have more felt recoil and will require a stiffer recoil spring. The .380ACP round is low-powered enough that it works in a blowback pistol without requiring an excessively stiff recoil spring and/or an excessively heavy slide, and consequently, most .380s are blowback to keep their prices down. (Same goes for .22LR and .32ACP.)
AFAIK the only commonplace blowback 9mm on the American market is the Hi-Point C-9. Now you know why it's so big.
FWIW just about the lightest-recoiling new .380ACP pistol on the market is the Walther PK380, which uses short-recoil operation and is larger and heavier than most other .380s, reducing felt recoil even further. I'm not crazy about this pistol otherwise- a quick forum search will show you why
- but its extremely low recoil is probably its #1 selling point.Marquezj16
New member
The softest .380 I have ever shot is the PK380. My personal experience has been great with it. Zero malfunctions.
I have not shot the Sig P238 or the Beretta offering.
The other's were very snappy (Bersa Thunder, LCP, Taurus). Lighter weight and smaller frames do not tame recoil.
She would be better off with a .22lr or a compact 9mm (note here that an LC9 is more a pocket 9mm).
I have not shot the Sig P238 or the Beretta offering.
The other's were very snappy (Bersa Thunder, LCP, Taurus). Lighter weight and smaller frames do not tame recoil.
She would be better off with a .22lr or a compact 9mm (note here that an LC9 is more a pocket 9mm).
Another thing to consider with something like a PPK is the strength needed to pull back the slide. I would say that the larger .380s would be a good choice, but many of them are on the pricy side. The CZ is a little bit larger, and you can find those at a good price though.
I would try to find a place that she could rent a few, and go from there. If that isn't an option, than I would go with something that has a little weight. Small, polymer .380s are not for everyone... Even if they try to market them towards the masses.
I would try to find a place that she could rent a few, and go from there. If that isn't an option, than I would go with something that has a little weight. Small, polymer .380s are not for everyone... Even if they try to market them towards the masses.
Willie Sutton
Moderator
"She says my instruction helps her but halfway into a magazine her hands are shaking because she's nervous."
I've taught a lot, and to me, this does not seem like recoil sensitivity, it sounds like old fashioned "anxious about shooting". Her hands are not shaking because of recoil, her hands are shaking because she is in sensory overload from a lot of different stressors. She's showing classic adrenaline shake.
A .380 is not gonna help that, only exposure and exerience will help that. Lots of low stress exposure is the key.
Find a nice .22 and let her shoot it until she is no longer anxious about *shooting*, and then after she is comfortable adapting her to larger calibers will be easy. I usually find that a .22 revolver works best as there is zero stress figuring out the machine, as opposed to slide stops, magazine releases, and chambering. Reduce the variables and she'll likely thrive. Then a .22 autoloader to teach her all of that, and then a low recoil center fire after that.
Hate to say it, but the range environment is not always a help either. Other guns going off, the entire formality of it, all of it can lead to stress. Help her chill out. Informal "shoot the cans on the dump" plinking is another tactic to reduce stress, if you can find a place to do so.
As far as that .380 Taurus: Are you buying it for HER or are you buying for YOU? It's not the thing that she needs: She's not going to like it... so in either event it's gonna be yours... so YOU best like it...
Willie
.
I've taught a lot, and to me, this does not seem like recoil sensitivity, it sounds like old fashioned "anxious about shooting". Her hands are not shaking because of recoil, her hands are shaking because she is in sensory overload from a lot of different stressors. She's showing classic adrenaline shake.
A .380 is not gonna help that, only exposure and exerience will help that. Lots of low stress exposure is the key.
Find a nice .22 and let her shoot it until she is no longer anxious about *shooting*, and then after she is comfortable adapting her to larger calibers will be easy. I usually find that a .22 revolver works best as there is zero stress figuring out the machine, as opposed to slide stops, magazine releases, and chambering. Reduce the variables and she'll likely thrive. Then a .22 autoloader to teach her all of that, and then a low recoil center fire after that.
Hate to say it, but the range environment is not always a help either. Other guns going off, the entire formality of it, all of it can lead to stress. Help her chill out. Informal "shoot the cans on the dump" plinking is another tactic to reduce stress, if you can find a place to do so.
As far as that .380 Taurus: Are you buying it for HER or are you buying for YOU? It's not the thing that she needs: She's not going to like it... so in either event it's gonna be yours... so YOU best like it...
Willie
.
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380 acp recoil
DJ,
The 380 is one of best center fire ctgs to teach pistol shooting. Almost no recoil in a locked breach pistol. I would buy your GF a 7 shot magazine length 380. This is long enough to get all 3 fingers on the grip.
Good advice about 22 rimfire Ruger also. You can eventually scope that and make 50 yd head shots.
I am not familiar with the Tarus so cant comment on that.
You can buy bulk 250 round remington fmj for less than $80. Cheap entertainment.
DJ,
The 380 is one of best center fire ctgs to teach pistol shooting. Almost no recoil in a locked breach pistol. I would buy your GF a 7 shot magazine length 380. This is long enough to get all 3 fingers on the grip.
Good advice about 22 rimfire Ruger also. You can eventually scope that and make 50 yd head shots.
I am not familiar with the Tarus so cant comment on that.
You can buy bulk 250 round remington fmj for less than $80. Cheap entertainment.
I was in a similar situation with my girlfriend only not quite as severe. She will shoot anything you hand her for a mag or two but really didn't enjoy anything besides .22.
I took her to a gunshow and we checked out all the .380's I could find.
You don't want that little tcp if you go with a taurus, you want to get the pt138. Its a medium sized gun, very comparable in size to the 9mm gun in that same millenium pro line.
http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=31&category=Pistol
My girlfriend liked the size and weight of the pt138 pretty well, and could easily rack the slide. She didn't like the rough texturing of the grip though.
She ended up liking the walther pk380 the best and I bought one of them to try out. She shoots it well, doesn't mind the recoil, and can easily rack the slide. Put about 100 rounds through it the first time out. My only complaint is the cost of .380 and that really isn't a big deal in the long run. She'll shoot a box a couple times a year and I will continue shooting my 9mm's. It did have some issues with fte the first time out but I'm sure that can be resolved pretty easily if it doesn't go away with some break in.
I took her to a gunshow and we checked out all the .380's I could find.
You don't want that little tcp if you go with a taurus, you want to get the pt138. Its a medium sized gun, very comparable in size to the 9mm gun in that same millenium pro line.
http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=31&category=Pistol
My girlfriend liked the size and weight of the pt138 pretty well, and could easily rack the slide. She didn't like the rough texturing of the grip though.
She ended up liking the walther pk380 the best and I bought one of them to try out. She shoots it well, doesn't mind the recoil, and can easily rack the slide. Put about 100 rounds through it the first time out. My only complaint is the cost of .380 and that really isn't a big deal in the long run. She'll shoot a box a couple times a year and I will continue shooting my 9mm's. It did have some issues with fte the first time out but I'm sure that can be resolved pretty easily if it doesn't go away with some break in.
I had a Bersa Thunder .380 for only a couple of months, selling it because the recoil actually hurt my hand. If you go with a .380 make sure it's recoil-operated and not a blowback. My old Colt 1908 is also a blowback and it is definitely snappy as well, but at least with the grip shape it doesn't hurt my hand. I used to have a Colt Mustang a long time ago, but I can't remember how the recoil felt with that.