Do autos kick?

[Alan Fud]

I own 9mm's, .40S&W's & .45ACP's (not to mention, .32ACP's, .380ACP's, etc.) and never really experienced a "kick". They obviously have recoil when fired but not what I would consider "a kick".

When shooting revolvers (.38's, 357's, etc.), on the other hand, I definitely feel "a kick".

So the question is, do others notice a significant difference in recoil ("a kick") in the revolver over that of an auto?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

The difference in recoil is basic physics. In an autoloader, the process of the slide moving to the rear and ejecting the spent casing, followed by its return forward and reloading the chamber, absorbs some of the energy transmitted to the gun by the bullet being fired. With a revolver, all of that energy is transmitted to your hand.

 

[Blackhawk]

In line with what Hkmp5sd said, autos divert a lot of the recoil impulse to operate the gun. That helps.

 

[blades67]

If you're getting kicked it's not the gun, guns don't have legs.


Different grips will make a huge difference in felt recoil though.

 

[P95Carry]

It's been said, yeah ..... all down to dear Mr Newton ..... and energy absorbtion .... inertia, momentum etc ............

Surprising how a .45 auto will feel much more ''tame'' than the same round fired with half moons in a wheel gun. Of course, a significant amount of energy is ''soaked up'' thru the blowback cycle.

One thing I do notice tho....... outa interest . and this may be due to the usual sorta shape of a semi .. there is more perceived ''torque'' effect from semi's .... my HP and now my FEG .. are quite noticeable with this ''twist'' ... goin the opposite way to bullet spin ........ I even noticed it a lot in my ''baby Browning .32'' when i had it.

 

[EJ]

OH YAH --Torque

Especially in a 50ae AMT--
Makes it hard to hold onto--

 

[Kahr carrier]

In revolvers like a 44 I notice a kick. The only semi I notice a kick is a 10mm. But kick or recoil is subjective ,Depends on the person some or more sensitive to recoil than others.

 

[charleym3]

Recoil is very subjective. I fin anything smaller than a Commander size gun in .45 unacceptable with full power ammo and I don't care for the full size 1911. The Glock 21 is much easier going to me. When I put the same load in a 625 with decent grips or Blackhawk, it's pretty tame. But hey, I'll admit it, I'm a wimp and I don't like recoil.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

only auto i've ever had hurt my hand was my browning bda380, aka beretta 84f.... granted it's only a 380 but 50 rnds last weekend put some pain on the web of the hand....

feels like 357 in a k frame....

i guess it's just because the frame weighs like 2oz's and the light recoil spring... but it's no 44 by any means...

 

[Bullet Bob]

Kickin' and Screamin"

This is an interesting topic - I much prefer the recoil impulse of a revolver or bolt-action rifle to their semi-auto counterparts. One lick and it's over, whereas the spread-out recoil impulse of semi's bothers me more for some reason.

 

[iamkris]

I used to experiment with extremely heavy handloads in 45 Colt in a Ruger Blackhawk. They "kicked" like a mule. Then I read some Elmer Keith books. Elmer pointed out, for single actions at least, you should let the revolver "roll" in you hand during recoil, not hold on tight. It's amazing the lessening of felt recoil when you do this with out a reduction in accuarcy, control or time back on target.

This certainly doesn't work with autos and I assume not with DA revolvers either.

 

[denfoote]

A Glock 36 loaded with Triton 230gr +P has a wee bit of recoil!!!

 

[stans]

Semi-auto's seem to kick less because the movement of the slide absorbs some of the energy, but most semi-auto's sit much lower in the shooters hand than the average revolver. This means the bore axis is parallel with and much closer to being in direct line with the shooters arm, thus the felt recoil is more linear with the arm and the arm and shoulder absorb some of the energy. A revolver tends to place the bore axis much higher and the recoil energy tends to make the wrist flex, the result is more of a whipping action. Of course I could be totally wrong, but this is how I see it.

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's FUD & Other's-

I definitely experience more "felt recoil" when firing
heavy magnum caliber revolver's, over say the .40 S&W
or .45 auto. Maybe its just me, but the SIG "Classic" P
series auto's seem to handle stout recoil really well;
while the big-bore revolver's act erracticly, dependent
on the load used.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Shane]

I feel LESS subjective/felt recoil using revolvers. For example, standard 9mm recoil (from a semi-auto) feels MUCH sharper to me than the hottest .38 spl +P recoil (from a revolver). I think the grips have a lot to do with it--many revolvers have rubber grips that help tame "felt"/subjective recoil.

Now, comparing a full house magnum load to a basic semi-auto load is plain comparing apples to oranges, IMO. Of course a semi-auto firing a .45 ACP or 9mm is going to have less recoil than a revolver firing .357 magnum, .41 magnum, .44 magnum, or greater. A better comparison would be chosing loads that are similar--in fact some revolvers are chambered in semi-auto loads like the Blackhawk Convertibles and also the S&W double action revolver in .45 ACP (don't remember the model number).

I agree that theoretically the slide movement of a semi-auto can slightly lower recoil, but the ergonomics on most semi-autos actually magnify SUBJECTIVE, or FELT recoil at least for me. With a revolver, the rubber grips and grip shape for me anyway makes recoil less offensive--given similar loads.

 

[Dain Bramage]

Speaking of torque, I feel the twist most when I'm doing left-handed drills. It feels freaky. Maybe I'm just used to the motion with my right hand (insert joke here).

 

[Onslaught]

The Glock 29 had a bit of kick to it, as did the Kahr P40... but other than that, ultralight .38's with +P ammo, and snubbie .357 magnums in general are the only pistols I've ever felt any "kick" from.

 

[MrAcheson]

Its not energy its recoil impulse (Force*time). Revolvers transmit the impulse straight to your hand so the only buffer is the weight of the gun. Autos elongate the impulse time because the slide has to work and therefore reduce the amount of force necessary to control the gun.

 

[Jim K]

MrAcheson is correct. The total recoil is the same given the same bullet weight and velocity. But in an autoloader, the recoil impulse is spread over a longer period of time and feels less.

Jim