Bad wrist searching for lightest recoil 9mm

Beretta 92FS. Softest shooting 9mm I've come across.

RhinoDefense said:

Heavy guns soak up more recoil than lighter guns. If you want the lightest recoiling gun, get a 9mm 1911.

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What he said.

Glock 17 shoots soft. Go rent one and then decide.

I know someone who has a ruger sr40c and claims it is the softest recoiling 40 cal. Maybe the sr9's are as well.

recoil

Least noticeable recoil I have felt was a full sized SAI 1911 in 9mm.
Just had a bone removed from right wrist (arthoplasty) and am going to wait a while before firing hand guns again.

I recommend a fullsize 5" steel 1911 in 9mm. I think Les Baer offers those. And Ed Brown will surely make one.

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not anything against those fine makers of precision pistols ... but the budget option of Rock Island Armory should be presented alongside.
http://galleryofguns.com/genie/Defa...omatic+Pistol&cal=9MM&fin=&sit=&zipcode=43452
I'd go with that model, myself, there is a less expensive version with basic GI sights

I have a few cz pistols but my ruger p95 has very light recoil for what ever reason. If you have a bad wrist the ruger is lighter too. Mark

If it's just recoil what bothers you, and you can reasonably handle a heavier pistol, I'd say CZ75 SP01. Amongst the polymers, the Steyr M9A1, due to its low bore axis, seems like a good option. This includes the Caracal too.

The only 9mms I've shot have been very small... DB9, Glock 26, etc... EXCEPT for my most recent purchase, a Taurus 24/7 Pro Long Slide. It has a polymer frame and a 5" barrel. I don't have much to compare it to, but the recoil was practically non-existent, even compared to my G22 (.40sw)... But for someone more used to .44mag/spl, 10mm, .40sw, and pocket pistols, the long Taurus is a piece of cake.

Anyways, I haven't been able to read the replies, but off the top of my head, I'd say the Hi-Power and the CZ-75 would be good bets for extra light recoil.

I have a lot of guns in many calibers, the Ruger P95 is a great and affordable choice.

For more money but a great piece, look at a 1911 in 9mm. I have a STI Trojan in 9mm and 6" slide... Talk about shooting what feels like a .22!

When i teach people to shoot, The step after the .22 is my ruger p95

The softest shooting 9mm I have is my smith 5906. VERY soft shooting. softer than my sig, beretta clone, fnx, etc.

But given your specific problem, you should look into the FN five seven. The recoil is much less than 9mm, but the ballistics are still decent. And you get 20 rounds in a mag.

The softest shooting 9mm I have is my smith 5906.

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Me too! Although the that DA first shot might cause some discomfort.

Also if your not reloading, you should be. You can load some very soft shooting 9mm ammo.

I normally shoot a 1911 in .45, I got to shoot a fellow's Springfield 1911 9mm target gun at the range a few trips ago... that thing was the absolute softest shooting gun I have fired yet... It was quite pleasant

Another +1 for the P95. It's one of the heavier polymer guns, and the recoil feels mild to me. It's a bit more compact than the P89. Just make sure you try before you buy!

I'm sure there are some members in your area. Perhaps you could arrange a meet at a public range for "show and tell?" If you were in S. Texas, I'd offer to let you shoot my P95.

I'm sure you'll find a good pistol. This is the best time ever for choices in 9mm pistols.

I also want to echo the suggestion for reloading. A light bullet at modest velocity will be a very easy shooter. Just play with it until you find a light recoiling load that functions your pistol reliably. Reloading does not have to be expensive. I have a basic setup, with a pair of single-stage Lee presses in a homemade side-by-side portable, tabletop stand. I find reloading to be a lot of fun.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

The P89 is not all steel. It has an aluminum frame.

Check out a Star MOD 30. They're great guns and they weigh a ton. The recoil is very slight.

I read the sr40 is a low recoil 40 so maybe just maybe the sr9 will be a low recoilin 9?

When I had a job that taxed my wrists I used VetWrap (3M) to very lightly wrap my wrist with just a cuff shape; I didn't go up around my thumb at all. I used the vetwrap because it is disposable (and would be covered in cowpoo by the end of the shift). It only took 2 or 3 wraps around the wrist to make a big difference. Just be sure not to pull it very tight; a little support goes a long way.

I'm kinda in the same boat. Injured my wrist in an altercation, had surgery, couldn't be fully repaired, etc. I have owned a bunch of 9MMs over the past 45 years, to include Lugers, S&Ws, Glocks, HKs, Benelli, CZ, Colts, Kimbers, Springfields, Rugers, a Star, SIGs, etc.

I believe the softest recoiling 9MM, that I'm aware of, at least as felt by the shooter, would have to be the SIG X-5. I have a S&W Performance Center PC5906 with 5" barrel and full size steel 1911 type guns in 9MM that are pretty soft shooting too, but have to say the X-5 feels the softest to me, even with NATO, +P and +P+ ammo.

I have read one very prominent writer who believes the HK P7 recoil feels very soft. Not for me. Recoil with my P7M8 and previous P7, and their gas retarded action, feels very sharp to me. The worst 9MM recoil I've ever experienced was with a nasty, IMHO, little straight blow back 9MM called the Detonocs Pocket 9...ymmv

S&W 5906......a truly amazing piece of hardware.

My Wife just had Carpol Tunnel Surgery in December and loves her P95 (it was the first gun she shot after her surgery). It is known to be a light recoiling gun due to design and low bore axis. She has some problems with limp-wristing (especially when she is wearing her brace) causing stove pipes because she is still working on getting strength back in her wrist and cannot grip the gun tight enough. If you are able to hold onto the P89 properly enough to shoot it then you should have no problems with the P95. Don't let the P95s lighter weight scare you, it shoots marvelously and is easy on the wrists. Even after surgery and only a month into recovery my wife shot well over 50 rounds and loved every one of them.

P.S.
I forgot to mention that my wife used to own a P89 in the past and loves the P95 because it is so close in feel and design and even liked the fact that it was lighter because it did not hurt her wrists as much as the heavier P89. The P95 is very affordable and is plentiful enough to easily find. Another gun to check that you may not have considered is the Ruger SR9 (I have not shot it and do not know how light the perceived recoil will be but you may be able to find one easier to test fire than the P95) and if you are looking for a striker polymer framed gun it may be worth checking out.

A full size all-steel gun

CZ-75 and copies (Baby Eagle, EAA Witness, Armalite AR-24)
S&W 5906
Browning Hi-Power
1911

My first ever handgun was a Ruger P95, and having small hands, the grip was just simply too thick for me to ever get comfortable shooting it. I have since had the pleasure of owning a number of semiauto pistols over the years, and the smoothest and softest recoil of them all has to be my Beretta 92G (Government model, no safety, just a decocker). Even my wife likes it: easy to cock (no wrestling with the slide) and easy on the recoil, especially when firing very light loads (I reload, so I can tailor blowoff ammo) which include the 85-grain Extreme Hydra-Shok defensive loads.

Having said that, my Springfiled XD-9 has the next-smoothest recoil, with the bore situated lower (closer to the hand, therefore the recoil thrust is more directly rearward before upward).

BTW, I have carpal tunnel, too, and have had 2 steriod shots in the past 10 years. Been shooting since 1986.

If you decide on a gun (based on recommendations), try to shoot it before buying it. The ergonomics of the grip as it sits in your hand will be the single most important determining factor. And if you have a friend that reloads, perhaps you can prevail upon him to make you a batch of soft loaded ammo, perhaps for the price of a case of beer?

Recoil is so subjective because of hand/wrist geometry that it is hard to measure in a meaningful way.

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Yea it's subjective when you are injured. If it hurts, it hurts.

I have always liked a full size Colt Government in 9mm. Use a light recoil spring, I run a 12lb spring in my 9mm 1911's. I have 3 Colts, 2 Springfield's, and a Kimber. The rest of my 19ll's, 16 are all 45acp. Got into the 9's during the last ammo crunch.

There are other light recoiling 9's today. I would suggest some of the full size USP HK's, Beretta's. NOTE: Most could use a lighter recoil spring for practice, competition and Grins and giggles.

As each hand/wrist injury is different, remember each of the guns available have a different recoil impulse. Try as many as you can, from friends and if available to you a range where you can rent guns.

My general advice would be a full size, all steel gun. Besides my 1911's I have a single action all steel Beretta, the Steel I, with very little recoil. I have a couple of the single action X-5/6 SIG's which have little or no recoil to speak of. And of course the CZ is a light recoil too.

I have a stainless 9mm 1911, and it recoils fairly harshly compared to my slightly lighter 92FS, I'm sure that big grip helps make it feel cushy!