Low Recoiling .40?

I guess maybe a Glock 27. The .40 by nature has a snappy recoil in my opinion, so the lighter/smaller you go with the gun, it's going to get hard to tame the recoil.

Here's mine. It is very shootable but not too easy to conceal with its bulky Glock grip.

Low bore axis and well shaped polymer grip make the Glock fine choice for your needs. I would pick model 26 and use +P ammo if more power is needed.

If you need a low recoiling .40 (and tempted to use a low recoil .40 ammo), you might as well use a 9mm.

May I suggest the excellent Glock 26 (9mm)? I actually switched from carrying the Glock 27 to a 26.

1. Pretty much same ballistics as the 27.
2. Less recoil.
3. One more round capacity.
4. Cheaper ammo price = more practice ammo.
5. Faster follow up shots.


Ok.. to be honest... I do like them both. And depending on my mood...both are my favorite guns.

I love my new XDM 3.8 in .40, very accurate and barely more recoil than my Sig 9mm. However it's not the most compact, but it's not too big.

The recoil of the .40 isn't the issue, The issue is the muzzle flip and the smaller the gun the more it will happen. As i dont consider muzzle flip recoil, I consider rearward force as recoil.

Ive shot .40 out of a G20 with a conversion barrel and the .40 had more muzzle flip than full power 10mm loads.
As long as the flip isnt an issue id say a Glock or XD is a good choice.
I have an XD SC .40 and its a great gun, But takes me alot of practice to even come close to getting back on target like i can with my 1911.

Given the same ammunition and similar barrels, the lowest recoil will always be the pistol that weighs the most. How the recoil feels, regardless of it's magnitude, is a separate matter and depends on nearly everything.

Its also the barrel/grip ergos, a high barrel is going to flip, a lower one push, how the flip/push is felt is in the grip. BUT, the faster the bullet, the heavier the bullet the lighter the gun, the more the recoil

Don't believe me, I have a Kel Tec P40, (10+1) in about a Pound, PM me I'll let you have it at a good price....

A low recoiling, compact .40 is an oxymoron, but I would say the S&W M&P would handle it the best. It has a low bore axis, a heavy slide and a well shaped grip that can be adjusted if need be.

I'll suggest the 4" XD, not as small as some, but concealable with relatively low felt recoil and surprisingly good accuracy.
Sig P229 is another, but they're kind of thick in the grip.

Light recoil .40

If you reload, you can load light rounds for the range and reduce recoil quite a bit. By putting in a lighter recoil spring you can make the pistol function with these lighter loads. You can carry full power ammo for when you might need it.

See the story below for more info.

http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/40lite_091806/index2.html

All the Best,
D. White

I suggest a glock 23C. Shoots like a glock 19.

Recoil is a function of cartridge and gun weight. If you want the lowest possible recoil, I would look for a steel framed gun. A low bore axis effect muzzle flip, not recoil.

I would look at guns like the Browning HP 40 or CZ 40, older S&W all steel autos or even a 1911, or as already noted consider going to 9mm and still look for a heavier pistol. The steel Kahrs are very compact and have reasonable recoil for their size, and have a very good grip. Any lightweight auto is going to have more recoil than a steel gun of the same size.

To give you an idea of comparative recoil, I used my recoil calculator to compare handguns firing the Federal 40S&W 155gn hydrashock (a relatively low recoil SD round).

The CZ-75 compact at 2.4 pounds has a recoil energy of about 8 Joules
The Glock 23 at only 1.4 pounds has a recoil energy of 14 Joules or 43% more recoil energy.
The Kahr K40 all steel at 1.5 pounds comes in at about 13 Joules

Hope that help

*Please note this is actual recoil, as opposed to perceived recoil, which can be influenced by grips and other design factors.

I've found theoretical recoil based on gun weight doesn't mean much at the range. The XD .40 doesn't do well in the formulas I'm sure, but it's very comfortable at the range. I don't own one, but they have really impressed me in .40 caliber.
The Glock 20 is another pistol that should have more recoil than an all steel 10mm like a S&W or 1911, but again, it feels softer.
I think much of it the way recoil is distributed in the hand. The Glock 20 is much wider that the others, with a nice rounded shape at the back strap.
A 1911 is thinner and not as smooth back there, focusing it's recoil in a smaller area resulting in more felt recoil.

M&P 40c

M&Ps are great at handling .40 S&W recoil. Never tried the compact, but the full sized handles .40 S&W recoil very well. I've also heard that the Ruger SR40 does as well.

Low bore axis, stainless steel reinforced chasis, and the M&Ps ergonomics all contribute to taming recoil.

I've heard a lot of people say the M&P tames the .40 the best. I've heard a few that say the SR40 is even a little bit better.

I've shot my glocks side by side with heavier all steel guns like the CZ and the recoil of the steel guns is quite noticeably reduced. Bad ergonomics can make recoil feel worse, and good ergonomics can make recoil feel better, but that is exactly why I made the note about perceived recoil.

I've fired handguns while wearing an accelerometer and I can state for a fact that lighter handguns generate more recoil.

What really odd about perceived recoil is that people with a preference for a particular handgun tend to rate its recoil as less than people who don't like that same handgun. When we were doing some comparative shooting of the XD, Glock and S&W M&P we found that people who stated a preference for one gun usually found that gun had the least perceived recoil. However, when I asked our two shooters who had never fired handguns before which gun had the least recoil they invariably chose the heaviest handgun.

I just went through this experiment again recently when trying to find a gun for my daughter, who is fairly small (5'4", 100 lbs). She is fairly recoil sensitive and did not enjoy shooting her S&W 36 38Spl. I thought an automatic might be a better solution so we went to the range with a large number of my 9mm automatics: Kahr K9, S&W 5906, S&W M&P, Glock 19, SA XD-9, BHP, CZ-75. She found the polymer guns quite unpleasant, and also had a couple of failures due to limp-wristing, a phenomenon not uncommon to compact autos with light frames.

She found the BHP and CZ-75 quite comfortable and easy to shoot, and the single action trigger easy to manipulate. We settled on the CZ-75 compact with steel frame since there is no comparable BHP equivalent. There were no problems with limp-wristing with either of these handguns.

A CZ-75 compact is now on its way from another THR member, and I will report back after we get a chance to put it through its paces.

As always, YMMV. But a users perception is influenced by what they like and are used to. 1911 shooters tend to complain that the grip angle of the Glock is wrong. People who started with the Glock don't perceive this problem.

Low Recoiling .40?
I am considering getting a compact .40. As I continue to age , I increasingly become more of a recoil wuss.

Having said that, what is the lowest recoiling, compact .40?

Click to expand...

It sounds like you are looking for a 9mm lightweight compact . . . which is probably a better choice when the chips are down anyway if you have to make fast, accurate, multiple shots to stop an intruder.

Another good choice would be a compact, lightweight .45ACP auto.

Both these calibers don't have the sharp, stinging type of recoil characteristics that are present in lightweight guns shooting calibers such as .40S&W, 10mm, .357 Magnum and .357 Sig.

Both the 9mm and .45ACP generally don't torque the gun out of the shooter's optimal grip and have more "pleasant" recoil characteristics that allow the shooter to maintain his/her optimal grip and trigger control (that's crucial to maintaining accuracy for fast, multiple followup shots.

In your case, I recommend that you strongly give consideration to a 9mm. With today's excellent hollowpoints you'll be well-armed indeed . . . and SHOT PLACEMENT trumps any other consideration when considering any of the previously mentioned, and outstanding self defense rounds!

The OLD cougars or a new one by stoeger (Beretta's value line, made on the same equipment, now in turkey) They have the direct/rear recoiling system, and the heft of metal, with basically the same ergos of the new PX4

DasFriek said:

Ive shot .40 out of a G20 with a conversion barrel and the .40 had more muzzle flip than full power 10mm loads.
As long as the flip isnt an issue id say a Glock or XD is a good choice.
I have an XD SC .40 and its a great gun, But takes me alot of practice to even come close to getting back on target like i can with my 1911.

Click to expand...

I'm not doubting your experiences, of course, but just to show how we're all different, the last time I shot a 1911 (with standard 230 grain .45 ACP loads) I deliberately paid close attention to how it recoiled in my hand and how fast I could get it back on target, and found that the muzzle flipped a lot more than I ever realized before and substantially more than my M&P40. Yes, the M&P40 is snappier (higher peak force), but its muzzle climbs less when I shoot it than when I shoot a 1911, and it seems to get back on target a bit more quickly for me, too.

Perhaps this is because I currently have a lot more experience with the M&P platform and .40 S&W than I do with the 1911 and .45 ACP (although .40 S&W has always just felt like a heavy 9mm to me), but whatever the reason that's how it works out for me personally.

Try to rent a USP .40 compact and let me know what you think. I rented one and it was pretty good compared to my way old G22.

I'm not doubting your experiences, of course, but just to show how we're all different, the last time I shot a 1911 (with standard 230 grain .45 ACP loads) I deliberately paid close attention to how it recoiled in my hand and how fast I could get it back on target, and found that the muzzle flipped a lot more than I ever realized before and substantially more than my M&P40. Yes, the M&P40 is snappier (higher peak force), but its muzzle climbs less when I shoot it than when I shoot a 1911, and it seems to get back on target a bit more quickly for me, too.

Perhaps this is because I currently have a lot more experience with the M&P platform and .40 S&W than I do with the 1911 and .45 ACP (although .40 S&W has always just felt like a heavy 9mm to me), but whatever the reason that's how it works out for me personally.

Click to expand...

I feel alot has to do with each gun being different, No 1911's shoot the same.
My gun has been changed a bit.
First i went to a 22lb recoil spring as an experiment, But it worked so well i kept it in for 1k rounds.
I just rebuilt that 1911 and went to just a HD 18lb spring and a flat bottomed firing pin stop which slows the slide in its initial cycle rearwards.
I would have kept the 22lb spring but i think with the flat FP stop it would have slowed the slide to much and cycled too slow causing jambs and slowing how fast i can shoot the gun between rounds.

This does increase the feeling of a "Push" but the gun stays almost flat when shot. Im a large guy so the push recoil doesn't bother me at all.

So many things can be done to change perceived recoil in a 1911.

I've heard the Sig 226 and Browning HP in .40 are very manageable. I have shot the Browning, and it is a nice handling pistol.

Compact or subcompact? G23 is compact, G27 is subcompact, big difference in performance in my experience. G23 is the .40S&W version of the great G19, if I had to choose between them, I would get the G19. 9mm is way more controlable in a compact than a .40 if you recoil from recoil. Good choices for either a 9mm or a .40 would include
Beretta PX4 Compact 9mm
G19 or G23
SIG P229
CZ PCR, P01 or P06 in .40
Walther P99 compact
FNH FNP
H&K USP
Note I did not list any, any Subcompacts, some love them, if I cannot hit 3 man sized targets, 2 shots each in center of mass in 5 seconds or less, I won't carry it. Thanks to my friends and their connections I have had the opportunity to shoot way more pistols than I have owned. As far as subcompacts go the Glocks are as soft shooters as they come, but I still don't want one, I would rather have my G34 or a G19 than a G26 at the range or at a gunfight.