Euclidean

Felt recoil is an extremely subjective thing. I put about 175 rounds of .40 S&W downrange this morning since I was there anyway , and I couldn't help but overhear some comments about the caliber as we had a lot of people plinking away with their .40s today. Granted the 9mm still rules the roost at the pistol range, but there were enough .40s to shake a stick at.

"Oh I hate .40 Smith and Wesson. It's just too powerful." was one I overheard. It seems there are a lot of people who think that .40 S&W is just too much to handle.

I've heard the same thing about pretty much all the service calibers except 9x19.

Now I admit I don't want to shoot more than 100 rounds at a time and I start to get a bruise after a while, but I like the rush of shooting .44 Magnum and wouldn't mind trying bigger. Of course I also admit I don't rapidly fire .44 Magnum like I might with a service caliber. I couldn't control it.

Now I know there's bigger and badder, but for most people .44 Magnum recoil is intimidating. My own father won't dare touch a .44 Magnum revolver after his first experience with one. My point is that, big bores don't equate to unpleasant felt recoil in my book.

What I don't like to shoot at all from a recoil perspective is my 642. I have to make myself shoot it. It's a whole lot like holding an Altoids tin with about a dozen firecrackers going off inside of it. It's gotten better since I replaced the grips, but that flyweight little gun with that +P ammo is not pleasant.

I also have yet to fire a .380 I found palatable, but to be fair I haven't experienced the Sig or the Colt .380s. The Bersa Thunder wasn't bad once I got the rubber sleeve on it, but I just find these pistols to be awkward to shoot.

Isn't that weird that the large bore calibers are just fine, and it's the little bitty poodle shooter calibers that bother me? I've always maintained that what is or is not too much recoil is subjective and unique to each individual and I don't think I'll ever change that opinion.

Indeed, credit where credit is due, the best shooting experiences I've had recoil wise are my XD40s, and shooting .44 Special out of my 629 (Light Magnums really aren't bad either). Both of these platforms with the appropriate load just seem to make all the recoil go away.

__________________
I am The Armed Educator.

P95Carry

Threshold Euc is obviously a very personal thing, for many reasons.

Funny that your mention of the Bersa coincided with me having got my wife over to that exact gun today and she finds it very good to manage compared with even just 38 spl's in the M85 snub, which of course is a full weight snub. No extras on Bersa either - just a stock gun.

I would agree re lightweight snubs - I actually hate them - I like weight and have no problem with it at all.

When you progress up to relative cannons then technique, grip type, hand size all play a part.

I find 44 mag thru my 4" 629 almost as ''punishing'' as .454 thru my SRH - in some ways. But for me the big power rounds are not ones I will ever want (or need) to shoot in huge numbers at a time.

In fact the big stuff like 454 thru SRH, 45-70 in BFR and even 500 if I had it - I regard as long range/hunting rounds and so way apart from ''plinking'' category.

I'll shoot 20 454's in a session as a max - and same with 44 mag thru 629 tho 44 mag thru SRH I can shoot a lot and not be uncomfortable.

Actually, re mouse guns - my old P3AT was my least fave - too light and too small. The R9 is pretty stiff to shoot but again - small - and that has a purpose by being so small - carry a lot, shoot a little.

I class myself a recoil junkie but not to the point of pain LOL. I enjoy powerful and accurate loads but draw the line at blood from hands or significant pain

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

RSSZ

In the early/mid 80's I bought a T/C with a 14" .44 mag bbl. I had been reading stuff the JDJ people were doing with their very high powered pistols. My bbl was off to them and in about 2 weeks I had a .444 Marlin bbl on my T/C. Nobody else in my entire area could fathom such a thing. I started loading 240's and went up to the (then)kinda new Hornady 265's. They were ok but not enough power. Finally I graduated to the 300's at more than book max. I think that I finally got up to almost 4 full grains over. What a firebreather. That weapon has been gone for some time now but still will take the Taurus(.454 Casull) to the range and have some fun with the .45 and the .38 shooters. Power is great. I shoot the 360gr. hardcast the fastest they will be allowed to be pushed without streaking the bbl with lead. I have shot the biggest and the baddest of the English doubles and the big Mauser actioned bolts. My biggest was the .500 A-Square. Only loved that one,one time. My threshhole for recoil is pretty much the .458 Win. Mag. now. I have a Ruger #1H that I stoke pretty hot. The 300grainers coming outta my Super Blachhawk start to make my hand tingle after 25 or so rounds. I can shoot my .45's pretty much all day. Except for some of that CorBon stuff. I find that the older I get,the less tolerant that I am to the real punishing recoil. But I still love it. Go figure.--------

Chad

It is indeed a personal, subjective experience.
Having put 350 rounds of Doubletap 10mm downrange today I can't imagine .40s&w being a recoil problem.
I prefer shooting my 10mm Colt Deltas over my Ruger Security Six .357.
The former 'pushes', the latter 'bites'.

Bud White

Your right it is a Personal thing .. I wont shoot Full power 454's over 25-30 rounds have shot up to 100 but usually not.

500 is a Cake walk compared to 454 But round 500 full powers does it becuse of the Concussion indoors out door well i can go more.

9mm Can go all day my Dad will not shoot more than 25 rounds though one complaines the Concussion bothers him but will shoot couple hundred 357's no problem


Depending on 357 platform im good for high amounts if grips wrong im good for 6 shots before i bloody knuckles


44mag Full power is a shoot um till there gone no problem.

40 Short and Weak I shoot as little as possible From the Man who shoots a 500 S&W I find the Recoil and vibration transfered Though the Gun To be uncomfortable To me..

If that makes sense but i do not like shooting a 40 in either a Glock or a S&W.


357 Sig no problems with it but ive only shot it in a SIg and was a Smooth shooter


Rifles thats a whole other Ball of wax my 300 mag Remington i found recoil to much and had it breaked

But i can shoot a 375 with not problems in a browning must be stock design

gregarat

I never had any problems with rifle recoil.

The worse recoil I ever felt was from an 10' octagon barrel .44mag Contender OUCH!!! It felt 10x worse than even a .454!! Im dieing to get a chance at shooting a .500

Bud White

Make sure if you do shoot one ya shoot a 4" or the 500 with the new style Comp the old style comp didnt help and all and thats where you get the its so violent itll break your rwrists etc etc .. in Video we took of me shooting the 4" recoil is a lot less than from the 454 in same video

RSSZ

Bud, Got a chance to shoot some of them 440 grainers outta a friends 7 1/2" .500 Smith(custon shop edition). It wasn't as bad as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick---BUT--- it wasn't something that I'd want to do for a living.--------

P95Carry

Re your comment Bud on the 300 vs 375 - indeed a huge amount is down to platform config' and shape etc. My blackpowder Musketoon is a killer on my cheek cos stock so straight and yet my boy's Rem 7mm mag is easy.

My Ruger #1 which I like a lot is rather punishing - bit small and light.

Then we have our own body weight, strength, technique etc - it is different for everyone really.

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

Bud White

Yes the 440 Corbons are stout And again i think the Comp on the front makes a Difference the comp on the Pc isnt nothing like on my4"
I think it makes the Difference


there 6 ports on the top and 3 ports on each side of the comp for 12 ports .. When you switch to lead comp you lose the top 6 ports and recoil does go up a ton and is Stout but since i shoot jacketed 99% of the time so far i use the other comp