Rating recoil subjectively 9MM, .40, .45

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tackleberry45

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Yes I know this is purley subjective. On a scale of 1 - 10 how would you rate recoil for the calibers you have experience with??

I will go:

9MM +p = 6
.40SW = 7 or 8
.45 = 8

I say 9 and 10 for the magnum bruisers.
 
Out of my G19 I rate 9mm as 4-6, depending on the ammo.
Out of my G21, I rate standard pressure .45 as 6. +P as a 7.
Out of my G27, I rate .40 as 7 or 8.
Out of a Cougar 8040, I rate .40 as a 6.
Out of my 6" 686, I rate full house .357 loads as an 8.

10 would be the max recoil I'm theoretically comfortable with as a multiple-box-per-session range blaster.
 
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Have fired .38 revolvers, .45 Vaquero, the Judge, numerous 9mm's (Berettas, KAHRs), full-size 1911s, and the .45 KAHR PM.

Of all, the one that stands out a little is a slug thru the Judge. The others - I tell friends I am immune to recoil (I only weigh 155#) - they all kick - that's the fun part. Even the PM - some say that little, light .45 kicks like a mule - I've even fired mine one-handed and enjoy it. I honestly cannot give you numerical rating.

I've never fired a .40, but hear they kick, but then you will get various opinions on any gun.

I guess I'm saying don't worry about detailed comparison. Accept that they all kick and have fun with any and all. If recoil is an issue, the one you won't notice is a .22 - the rest are just more fun to shoot.
 
127 9mm +P+ = 2.5
165 .40 S&W = 4
230 .45 ACP = 3
Recoil is not a factor IMO with any of the above cartridges, particularly the 9mm and .45 ACP. The .40 can be snappy, but by no means uncomfortable....You want recoil, you have to step up to the heavy magnum revolvers, I have fired ammo from .357 mags on up, that scorch anything thats every exited the barrel's of any of the above listed cartridges....
 
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It really depends on the particular firearm. My 1st model Detonics kicked like a mule, but it didn't hurt my hand - it just bucked upward a lot and took longer to get it back on target. A Gov't Model 1911 in .45acp works great for me, as the sights come back at the right time for a followup shot. Same with the Makarov, except the Mak comes back on line a little quicker. In rifles, the Weatherby stocks tend to direct the recoil upward and in the bigger calibers there's a real and constant threat of scope cuts - on the other hand, the Ruger 77 tends to kick straight back, and if you'll just learn to roll with it you can safely use a scope with the .458.

I had a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt that was absolutely brutal with the max loads that lead to the Casull. Until I put some 2x4 sized grips on it, it shaved a bit of meat off my thumb knuckle every time I dropped the hammer. The early T/C Contenders with wood stocks were painful in heavier calibers, my .357 Herritt sheared all the scope mount bolts and threw the scope at me (and, it hit dead center of my forehead). It genuinely hurt to shoot that thing. I shot it anyway, it was the flattest-shooting handgun I'd ever owned. As R. Lee Ermy might say, "suck it up, Buttercup". :D

I don't know how you'd fairly rate recoil without first specifying the platform.
 
For me it has always been a issue of sharpness more then quanity. For example, 1911s for me FEEL like less recoil than my G22 did with .40, it was way sharper so felt harder hitting. 9mm, I don't own any but have shot many, and they feel less sharp than .40 and less quanity than .45acp. To me, .357 mag feels harder hitting both sharper and harder than my 1911s do shooting even +p .45acp.
 
The gun makes a difference as well. My 2" Smith is much more brutal recoil than my 6" K frame with the same ammo.

Ditto with autos. A Springfield P9C Subcompact in 40 S&W has a sharper recoil than a Beretta 96.

For the same platform, an M&P40 FS has a heavier recoil as a M&P9 FS.
 
Recoil isn't an issue for these 3 cartridges for a lot of people, including myself. But let's not kid ourselves. It's not all bout pain tolerance.

9mm was the first centerfire pistol cartridge that showed me how to rat-a-tat-tat the center ring out like a machine gun. It wasn't long after that I was doing the same thing with the .45 and .40's.
 
I didn't think there was such a thing as painful recoil in the service calibers listed until I bough a Kahr P40. While my K9 was reasonable, that thing was a handful.

In standard service type guns, I find the recoil of 9mm to be light, 40 makes the muzzle climb sharply, and 45ACP is a controllable push. 9mm and 45ACP are pretty easy to shoot for me.
 
Kel Tec P11 (9mm) - 5

SA XD40SC (.40) - 3.5

Rossi 92 (.44 Mag) - 8

Kel Tec Sub 2000 (.40) - 3

Hi Point carbine (9mm) - 3

Colt pocket 1903 (.32 ACP) - 1.5

LLama Mark (6?) (.22 LR) - 1

It all depends on the firearm.:)
 
Instead of just guessing, try this place: http://www.genitron.com/Default.html

This site has a lot of guns, not all but most of them are listed. It has a "recoil factor" rating for each gun. Instead of just guessing I imagine they came up with some formula
by using the weight, size and caliber for each gun. It's also a really good site for researching a new gun you are interested in for comparisons sake. I spend hours in it just drooling.
 
.44.mag kicks a bit, as does .50AE. But it all seems kind of pathetic compared to hot rifle calibers like .300 win mag...:D
 
rellascout-
9mm Pop
40 S&W Snap
45 ACP Push
Click to expand...
I too agree with this over numbers.
Recoil to me is what the gun does when i pull the trigger.
Now imo what your looking for is "How violent is the inertia when you pull the trigger?"

One thing im limited by is ive never shot a handgun over a .45acp, Maybe a DE 44mag once or twice but was so long ago i forget.
Ill add some that hasn't been mentioned.

.22lr crack
.25acp crackier
.380 jump
10mm mushroom cloud as advertised.
12 gauge BaaWoooom!


I really feel the 9mm,.40 and .45 pretty much all feel about the same to me, But the gun does different things. But size of the gun makes all the difference in the world as a small .45 feels alot different than a 5" 1911. Then you can tell the difference in recoil and also an exaggerated affect the recoil has on the gun. That i can tell more than a difference in how each caliber recoils.
 
They are all pretty similiar...

Obviously the gun and the load will have an impact on the recoil.

In the same platform, I think that typical 180 grain .40 S&W loads recoil more than typical 230 grain factory loads. 9 mm is the lightest of the three, but not by that huge of a margin.

I wouldn't say the .40 s&w is difficult to control, but it is my least favorite of the three. I'd prefer .45 acp over .40 s&w. I probably like the 9mm the most, but that is because it is cheapest to shoot.
 
Let's try to quantify recoil using a formula called the power factor, similar pistols and a chrono.

Glock 19: Winchester Ranger T 127 gr. +P+ @ 1,238 fps = 157 PF
Glock 32: CCI Gold Dot 125 gr. @ 1,334 fps = 167 PF
Glock 23: Winchester Ranger T 165 gr. @ 1,125 fps = 186 PF
Glock 38: Winchester 230 gr. JHP @ 831 fps = 191 PF

Subjectively, people comment that the .357 Sig has more recoil than the 40, but in my comparison that ain't so; it has more blast and that is sometimes confused or included with recoil.

Subjectively, I think the model 38 has less recoil than the model 23. Despite the near identical pistols used in this comparison, the 38 has a thicker & heavier slide which will reduce felt recoil.

The Glock 36 with S&B 230 gr. FMJ @ 808 fps = 186 PF. Winchester Ranger T 230 gr. @ 874 fps = 201 PF

The Glock 36 has the same slide thickness as the 19/23; however, the grip is thinner which might influence the perception of felt recoil.

I have a little comparison "test" where the goal is to land a quick double tap on a 6'' circle at 18 feet. Both shots must hit the circle for the pair to count toward an average time; 1 inch away from the circle is not qualifying.

Ironically, the Glock 19 and the model 36 had some of the fastest average pairs after a dozen were qualified and averaged. The 19 was .29 second and the model 36 was .22 second and yes I used the Ranger T for both. So much for subjectivity, the timer doesn't lie.
 
Are you going to give us the formula and the rationale behind it? I could figure it out if I thought there was a rationale that made the effort worthwhile. I would think it should be a factor times the muzzle energy that gives us a recoil in reaction. Obviously the gun design and mass in combination with our physiology help to determine our "felt recoil."
 
9mm: Snap
.40 S&W: Snap
.45acp: push
10mm: Snap.

I can't really tell the difference between my xd45c and my Witness 10mm recoilwise. 'course the witness is heavier.
 
Ala Tom said:
Are you going to give us the formula and the rationale behind it? I could figure it out if I thought there was a rationale that made the effort worthwhile. I would think it should be a factor times the muzzle energy that gives us a recoil in reaction. Obviously the gun design and mass in combination with our physiology help to determine our "felt recoil."
Click to expand...

I assume this question was for me. The power factor PF is something they use in the shooting sports like ISPC to determine if a given caliber / load is major or minor. I don't and haven't ever competed so this description may not be 100% but it's close. For a load / caliber to make major I believe the minimum is PF 175. The idea is to have pistols with similar levels of recoil competing in a given competition. That is the basic logic. It's a formula that is used in competition.

Bullet weight x velocity / 1,000 = PF

It is based on bullet weight and velocity.
 
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