New handgun shooter and recoil?

Several years ago, when my daughter was a professional ballerina – 5’3” and 90 lbs – she asked me to take her to the range. Her favorite pistol was my lightweight .45 Commander with full loads.

Not only didn’t the recoil bother her, she thought shooting a .22 was a waste of time. “Nothing happens with that little gun,” she said. ”When I shoot, I want action!”

And she kept them all in the black, too. I think it might be genetic. I like recoil, too.

I went the opposite direction. From rifles I started with a 1911 in 45acp then 9mm/38 spl revolvers then finally to rimfire. I would not recommend this to anyone as I spent >4 years on centerfire before graduating to rimfire but without any thought, practice or preparation I can way outshoot my centerfire scores in SCSA with a rimfire. But to the OP if it's a 1911 you desire get one and start shooting!

As an example the 1911A1 and 230Gr-FMJ in regards to recoil much to do about nothing. Decades in the past at Parris Island SC recruits for the Marine Corps fired the 1911A1 for familiarization everyone of the recruits survived the experience with no pain or injures. Individuals whose MOS dictated the 1911A1 as the primary went on and qualified Marksman - Sharpshooter and or Expert. I myself had never fired a handgun before hand of my enlistment qualified as Expert latter on. Instruction by a Competent Qualified Instructor should see one thru the initial firing experience.

Regardless of the type of handgun you choose, its hard to beat a 9mm for novices and experienced shooters alike for the milder recoil and lower cost of ammunition. Whatever gun/caliber you choose, spend some $ on training. If you try to self-train, you will never progress as you would have with instruction, not to mention killing bad habits before they take root.

An Iver Johnson won't break the bank...

A way back in the dark ages I went directly from a 22 rimfire to a 1911. This was long before the days of 9mm 1911's of course. I'm 5' 8" and weighed in the lower 140's at that time. I had no problem at all. Yes, it had more recoil but it's not all that bad. Now I have a couple of 9mm 1911's and they are pussycats in the recoil department. I find the 1911 much more pleasant to shoot than my K frame S&W in 357.

Oh, how I long for the days of weighing only 140 or so pounds.

spazzy said:

I have always wanted a 1911 for its historical significance and because they are just plain cool to me, and I would love to blast some .45 caliber holes in tin cans! I am a bit concerned about recoil as 45acp is quite a bit more energy than my 22lr handgun. That being said I am not recoil sensitive with long guns. I love bringing out the 30.06 and 12 gauge slugs! I am an average sized guy, 5'8'' 185lbs

How much more felt recoil are we talking about with the jump from 22lr to 45acp? Should this be something to worry about? I would not like to buy a new gun and hate shooting it.

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With that in mind I figure it this way. If you want a Model 1911 in .45 ACP then I would get a Model 1911 in 45 ACP. All handguns like rifles and shotguns have recoil and the trick is managing the recoil, if there is even a trick to it. Personally I find the recoil of my 1911 guns to be very manageable. I am average height and weight. You practice with the gun until you become proficient with the gun, much like a rifle. I also saw suggested taking lessons from a good instructor which is certainly a good idea when possible and affordable. You also don't need a race gun to get started with a Model 1911. There is no shortage of affordable and well made Model 1911 guns out there to be had.

I just today read a comment in another gun forum where a member really came down on the Springfield Armory guns as junk. Needless to say this brought out the wrath of every Springfield 1911 owner in the forum. Personally I don't own one but have enjoyed shooting many which performed just fine. My belief is any 1911 gun can be improved but for the most part even those with a crunchy factory trigger shoot well once the shooter masters the gun. The recoil is about moderate at best and nothing there to make anyone gun shy of the gun. Practice and more practice will get you where you want to be and soon you will manage the gun just like a .22 you enjoy shooting. So while it would be nice to try before you buy I really doubt after you start shooting a Model 1911 in 45 ACP you will regret buying the gun.

Just My Take....
Ron

View media item 53Springfield Range Officer in 9mm, my “first” 1911 and I absolutely love this gun. Almost no recoil and so very easy to shoot well. I also have a 1911 in 45 and it is no problem to shoot, but the 9 is fine and I just prefer 9.

My First 1911 was a Range Officer Champion 4” in 9 but that is going to be my daughters, her birthday is 1-19-11 so I got her 1 1911.

The .45 is a more powerful round, but the recoil is manageable. For historical purposes, the 1911 is a fine gun, but they tend to be expensive. I have a Browning Hi-Power that I'm fond of. They're kind of pricey, too, but there are some clones that are outstanding and readily available. The first auto I ever shot was a 9mm, and I was very impressed with the gun and its power. As for the .45, my favorite model is the S&W 645, a second generation pistol that is a bit large, but it's very, very accurate and exceedingly reliable. It's the only gun I've ever seen that could feed empty sized cases from the magazine to the chamber! I'm also a huge fan of the S&W 659/5906, the 9mm models.

During the first series of military trials, the Beretta 92 malfunctioned on an average of an astounding one time in 2,000 rounds. The runner up was the S&W 459, which malfunctioned on an average of once every 950 times. Keep in mind this was with mud, dirt and sand, so the S&Ws are still remarkably reliable. I owned a few Berettas but sold them because the prices skyrocketed. Also, the Taurus PT-92s have been substantially cheaper. In the 1980s I found the Taurus PT-92/99 was just as reliable as the Berettas, but they weren't as accurate. About eight years ago I bought another Taurus PT-92 AR (stainless) and I found it to be as reliable as Berettas and as accurate. As a result, I now have a Taurus. I'm not a big fan of their revolvers at all, though.


Taurus PT-92 AR. A big gun that's remarkably reliable and accurate. One of my favorites.


S&W 645 .45ACP


S&W 5906 9mm


S&W 659. This is my favorite centerfire auto! It's all stainless steel, so it's not light. That
said, it's not objectionably heavy. Pictured with it is a 20-round magazine.

.

spazzy said:

Hey all,

I have been shooting rifles/shotguns and hunting for the better part of 20 years, but in the past year or two have started shooting handguns. I bought a browning buckmark and have been shooting it every chance I can get. Plinking has become a whole new challenge with a handgun and I am hooked. Very humbling to go from a crack shot with a rifle (off hand golf balls no problem at 25 yards) to barely keeping groups on a paper plate! but I am improving fast.

I have always wanted a 1911 for its historical significance and because they are just plain cool to me, and I would love to blast some .45 caliber holes in tin cans! I am a bit concerned about recoil as 45acp is quite a bit more energy than my 22lr handgun. That being said I am not recoil sensitive with long guns. I love bringing out the 30.06 and 12 gauge slugs! I am an average sized guy, 5'8'' 185lbs

How much more felt recoil are we talking about with the jump from 22lr to 45acp? Should this be something to worry about? I would not like to buy a new gun and hate shooting it.

I dont really have friends into handguns so little opportunity to try one out

Click to expand...

spazzy said:

Hey all,

I have been shooting rifles/shotguns and hunting for the better part of 20 years, but in the past year or two have started shooting handguns. I bought a browning buckmark and have been shooting it every chance I can get. Plinking has become a whole new challenge with a handgun and I am hooked. Very humbling to go from a crack shot with a rifle (off hand golf balls no problem at 25 yards) to barely keeping groups on a paper plate! but I am improving fast.

I have always wanted a 1911 for its historical significance and because they are just plain cool to me, and I would love to blast some .45 caliber holes in tin cans! I am a bit concerned about recoil as 45acp is quite a bit more energy than my 22lr handgun. That being said I am not recoil sensitive with long guns. I love bringing out the 30.06 and 12 gauge slugs! I am an average sized guy, 5'8'' 185lbs

How much more felt recoil are we talking about with the jump from 22lr to 45acp? Should this be something to worry about? I would not like to buy a new gun and hate shooting it.


I dont really have friends into handguns so little opportunity to try one out

Click to expand...

Having shot Gen 4 G20 and Colt 1911 Rail Gun I can tell you that G20 was significantly easier to shoot. The loads used in the Glock were 180gr at about 1250fps. If you want .45 skip 1911 for G21 or G41. If G21 get Gen 4 because those have dual recoil spring. Don't buy into net BS the two stage factory Glock trigger is not hard to get used to.

Shooting a Bond Arms Derringer with full house 454 Casull loads:

http://www.orchardphoto.com/454CasullDerringer.mov

I am not advising anyone to try this but the guy is an engineer and assured me that the Bond Arms Derringer was plenty strong enough to take the pressure. I let him shoot it first.

He is on blood thinner and had a bruise on his palm afterward. It stung a tiny bit but I didn't think it was too bad.

In my opinion the factors most objectionable to shooting higher recoil handguns is:

1. Muzzel blast. Be sure to wear good hearing protection.
2. Muzzle jump which, being transmitted to the grip can take the skin off your hand. The skin off hand part can be prevented by taping the area likely to be denuded of skin and/or a weight lifters glove.

In my opinion 45 Auto recoil is next to nothing. I've shot all sorts of high recoil handguns; 45-70, 375 H&H Magnum, 500 S&W Magnum, 460 S&W Magnum. In my opinion, the 500 S&W Magnum is the worst but I like it.

im mostly a revolver guy and my favorites are ruger single action revolvers. start with a rimfire ruger single six two cylinder 22lr/wmr, then go up to a centerfire ruger blackhawk two cylinder convertible, either in 45lc/acp or 357/38/9mm. single actions aren’t fast, they do force you to think and aim a bit rather than spray and pray. rugers are built like brick outhouses so that your unborn grandchildren will enjoy them. politically correct everywhere, single actions are “an elegant weapon for a more civilized age” (apologies to obiwan kenobi).

if you are committed to semiautomatic pistols and looking for a m1911 style in 9mm, as many here have suggested, the spanish milsurp star bm is a great shooter at $200+. it is, and will be, my only 9mm semi.