Does recoil affect your choice in a hand gun

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Rangerrich99

New member
To a degree, sure.

I found that I dislike the recoil of a Ruger LCP. it's very snappy, there isn't much to hold on to, the slide bites my hand every outing, and the narrow backstrap bangs something in my palm which causes an ache that coincides with a nasty shake after just a few dozen rounds.

On the other end of the spectrum, as I've aged, i've found that while I can still shoot my model 69 .44 magnum for short stints, I have no interest in shooting truly high-powered rounds, or anything larger than a .44 mag in general. Hurts my wrists after just a dozen rounds or so, and really big cannons like the S&W 500, hurt my elbows nowadays.

Within the common range of pistol rounds, 9mm through 45ACP or even .357 magnum I don't have any issues. Yet. Get back to me when i hit 60.
 
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DaleA

New member
Well, as I've said many times before I just won't shoot a Ruger LCR with 158 grain .357 magnum loads...too painful.

I'll shoot that load all day out of my own medium frame revolver though...

Also I got to shoot an S&W .460 magnum with the 8" barrel and was pleasantly surprised at how manageable that was...I'd shoot it any time given the chance and if I had the money to pay for the ammo.

Obviously the S&W generates more recoil than the LCR but it really does depend on how the gun manages it.

P.S. I believe the S&W had a compensator on it.
 
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reteach

New member
I hate to be a whiner about this, but since the question was asked, I have to say that with hands like mine, recoil has to be a consideration when I choose a handgun.

Injuries and most especially arthritis make it difficult for me [and others] to shoot the guns we used to shoot. Sure, if the handgun is big and heavy, the mass absorbs much of the energy and the gun can be a pleasure to shoot. But "big and heavy" doesn't usually make a good carry gun. The extent of my health issues makes it so that just carrying a more massive gun has become a problem. So in the past few years I have chosen the .32 calibers and .380 for daily carry because I can handle those better than the heavier calibers. I feel safer shooting those guns because I can handle them better.
 
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tlm225

New member
For me, yes, especially now with arthritis in my wrist and thumb joint. 9mm/40 S&W are not a problem. But years ago even in my prime heavy recoil was not my strong suite. The .44 magnum exceeded my tolerance level even though I really wanted to shoot it well while a .357 was no problem.

You've got to know your limitations and I knew mine. My hat is off to those with a higher tolerance level.
 
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ftttu

New member
Recoil didn't really enter into my decision to purchase certain handguns in my earlier years, by that changed about 5 years ago when i retired from LE. I left .40 S&W pistols and went 9mm and .380. I really liked my G42s, but one went to my sister and the other to my daughter. I went through an Hk VP9 and Canik TP9SA before I just started carrying a G43. I knew the G43 had a pretty good recoil, but it wasn't a deal breaker.

I went to a Sig P365 XL a few months ago, and the recoil over the G43 is better. I don't miss my G43 in the least.
 
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stinkeypete

New member
Yes, including the kind of recoil. And noise.

I used to own a Glock 22 Long Slide (.40 s&w) with a framed for sight and chunk of aluminum for the mag well. Even with the extra weight, I found the recoil to be “snappy-twisty.” My club’s indoor range had concrete walls and floor. The supersonic “crack” of the report made it an “in-ear plugs AND big cans” hearing protection gun.

Then I got a really nice 1911. While technically it may have hade more recoil (I don’t even care to do the math or look it up) the recoil was “PUSH!” back in to my hand, rocking me back with no snap or twist in my hand. The report was a subsonic “BOOM!” - I could just wear the cans without double plugging. I was instantly converted to being a “1911 guy.”

Lighting off a .40 indoors is going to leave ears ringing. Same is true for .357 Magnum.

I bought a Ruger LCRx 3” in .38 Special as a kit gun. .38 +p (or what we used to call a maximum load for sturdy modern revolvers in good condition) is plenty for any job it will be called to. Nice subsonic report.

Likewise for my .32 H&R Single Six 7” barrel woods bumming revolver- I keep the bullets under 1200 FPS which keeps the report mild while it would still flatten any wild stray soda can, rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or wild dog of several species. 327 Fed Mag is “more”, but I don’t need more- I have a .44 for “more”.

Same thing in .22 LR... I can’t see small game reacting any differently to my subsonic vs supersonic ammo except the subsonic is cheaper and more accurate as well as being more polite in report. Okay, so I do have a 17hmr barrel for my rifle I want to try after hunting season is over, that’s gonna make a “crack”

Do I have a .380? Yep- Bersa Thunder.I have not yet been overpowered by zombies. Same size hole as 9mm, within literally a human hair’s difference (two thousandths.)

If I was going to get a pocket pistol, it would be a little tiny ruger LCP. I know that thing is going to be like holding a fire cracker while a string goes off in your hand. No point in making the fire crackers bigger to my mind. I don’t carry in the city now, but I may change my mind.

Shotgun? I was using the classic 1 1/4 oz of No 4 or 5 going 1200 FPS from my sweet and light vintage Ithaca. My shoulder was all kinds of interesting colors, the Bakelite butt plate may have contributed. This year my pup has really come in to his own and we’ve bagged 9 pheasants. Experience this season with wound channels and crippled birds (the dog got them all, good dog!) is telling me to get modern pheasant loads (more, faster, plated Shot) and a stouter gas operated 12 gauge, even with a fancy butt pad! (Fabarms Hunter, FYI)

So.. in this case.. the birds deserve the better ammo. I just bought a new shotgun with less perceived recoil to shoot a stouter load. As the new load is supersonic, I must be more careful of my ears afield.

Summary- use enough tool for the job, not enough for any job.
 
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Jack19

New member
As I get older, to a degree, yes.

Much prefer 9mm, 45, and .380 over magnums. Strangely, I still like full house 10mm....in the right platform.

Hey, even Dirty Harry used .44 Specials. Shoot with what you can get hits. :D
 
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BourbonCowboy

New member
Any handgun I buy must meet three criteria:

1. It must have ambidextrous features (slide release, mag release, etc.). I'm a lefty, so these are important to me, and I won't buy a handgun that I can't fully operate with either hand.

2. It must be reasonably inexpensive to feed (at least at before-the-panic prices). I say this in reference to pistols that I will carry and train with often. I don't shoot my Judge or Python as much, as they are generally relegated to home defense situations and are strategically placed around my home. I do shoot with them some, but I almost always train with my 9mm semi autos.

3. It needs to have manageable recoil. I want to be able to make follow-up shots as quickly as possible, so this matters. I also want a relative degree of comfort while shooting or training.

So, yes, recoil is one of the factors that I consider(ed) before making a handgun purchase. And while it's only the third most important factor, it does (and did) affect my purchase choices.
 
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Creed Bennett

New member
In my late 30’s I had to have carpal tunnel surgery to correct what stupid amounts of heavy recoil I endured. Then again a year later right elbow surgery and finally four years later left elbow surgery. So yes, at 54 if 357 Magnum won’t kill it I’ll just have to pass. I was shooting quite a bit of 9MM recently until center fire ammo went crazy and now it’s 22’s because I refuse to pay crazy money to replace it.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
No. A handgun should be chosen by intended use and carry method with caliber being completely personal preference, except where minimums are established for hunting.

concealed carry - compact, sub compact, or mouse
home defense, range, competition - full size or long slide
hunting/dangerous animal defense - minimum barrel length and caliber as defined my state law and up.
 
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Kevin Rohrer

New member
I am comfortable w/ anything that has less recoil than this:

105MMHowitzer.gif
 
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jmstr

New member
Recoil matters, but I have a wide range of experiences and am ok with a lot of different loads. I will say that there are two 'common' loads that I am uncomfortable with: .40S&W and .454Casull.

I have a few .40S&W handguns, but shooting a .454 once was enough. I find .44mag more comfortable than .40S&W.
 
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cslinger

New member
I mean yes and no.

Will I use a scandium 44 magnum or one of those itty bitty scandium .357 hand grenades. No....not so much.

Do I find a major difference in any of the common defensive calibers.....no not really. If anything I don’t care for .357 SIG more for its noise/blast signature more so then it’s recoil.

So will I likely be defending hearth and home with. .460 or .500 magnum? Probably not. Do I care if it’s a 9mm/.40/.45/.38/.38 super etc. no not at all. .357 magnum and SIG are fine as well but I don’t care for the blast.
 
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1MoreFord

New member
Absolutely. I'm not a recoil junky.

In similar size/weight guns I prefer 9mm to larger rounds because I don't practice as much as I did in my younger days.

Even for hunting I'd rather have a .44 mag than the newer more macho calibers.

However, I will choose a LCP over a Sig P290 where size constraints dictate the LCP.
 
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