9mm vs .40 vs .45 Recoil

[HisSoldier]

The only .40 I have is a Firestar by Star, an amazingly compact and well made handgun. It's heavy, but maybe that's why I haven't thought of the recoil as excessive. It never occurred to me.

 

[RPCVYemen]

The .40S&W is the 10mm's little brother.

And the 10mm is the 41 magnum's little sister, and the 41 magnum is the 44 magnum's weak old aunt and the 44 magnum is the 454 Casull's little brother, and the 454 Casull is the 500 magnum's ...

I agree with a lot of poster's. I like the 40 S&W least of all the rounds I have shot. It has a snap I don't like. i would call it more annoying than excessive.

I don't think it's the over amount of recoil - my favorite shoot is a 45 LC that's pushing a 255 gr @ 900 fps (that's a guess from the reload manual, I haven't chrony'd it).

There is something about the impulse I don't like. Here's what have shot (in handguns) in the last 5 years, and the 40 S&W is my least favorite:

• 45 LC
• 9 mm
• 7.62 X 25 Tok
• 357 SIG
• 357 Magnum
• 357 Maximum
• 45 ACP
• 40 S&SW

Mike

 

[DWARREN123]

I like the 40 S&W round very much. The recoil from my GLOCK 23 or 27 is not bad at all in my opinion. The GLOCKs seem to have less felt recoil than a CZ 75 Compact in 40 I had.

 

[-v-]

Have a CZ-40p in the .40, and from shooting 9mm, .357Sig, and .45 I will say I like the .40 the least. I find that it has far too much flip making fast follow up shots more difficult. While there is certainly something to be said for having a challenge in shooting a firearm quickly and accurately, for a defensive firearm I prefer something that I can get back on target as fast as possible, hence why I prefer the 9mm, the .45 is fine too, but just personal preference there.

 

[easyg]

I can't tell much difference between a .40 and .45 and a 9mm+P when it comes to recoil.
In no way is the .40 difficult to control or unpleasant to shoot.
Heck, thousands of cops (many who are women and smaller-than-average men) have no trouble qualifying with the .40S&W.
It's really not an issue unless the shooter is really weak or disabled.

 

[ZeSpectre]

The thing with recoil is you have, basically, a triangle.
Leg 1-the round
Leg 2-the weight of the firearm
Leg 3-personal experience (other rounds you've shot)

I grew up shooting .357 Magnum from a pretty early age. Honest to God you've got to get up into a pretty serious semi-auto round before any of them start feeling comparable to a "Ruger Only" .357 load.

Also, the little .380 round out of a mousegun like the P3AT can get punishing after just a few shots because it's like you are just holding the round in your hand and the gun isn't even there <grin>.

But having said all of that my own general opinion of the rounds are...
9mm - some snap but really a mild round. Feels like a toy popgun in something heavy framed like a Beretta 92.

.40 S&W - A challenging round to learn. Lots of fast recoil ("snap") that really throws some folks off their stride. Certain guns are just nasty in .40 S&W but others tame it very well (SIG 229 and CZ-75B)

.45ACP - Seems like a longer "shove" vs an abrupt jerk. All I've ever fired .45 out of was large, heavy framed, 1911 style guns so I don't have that broad an experience with it.

Regardless, they all seem like pussycats compared to .357 out of a light framed 4" barrel revolver.

(P.S. - The .40 S&W is my FAVORITE semi-auto round...out of the right gun that is)

 

[wheelgunslinger]

What zespectre said- I second that.

I dislike 40 the most out of the 3 because of the recoil snappiness. But, I shot a 40 cal baby eagle for a while. I was very accurate with it. I just didn't like the recoil type.
I prefer 45's push or 9's slighter snap.

 

[JBP55]

I prefer the 9 and 45 over the 40.

 

[DFW1911]

I'm kind of surprised by the responses to the .40. It's not my favorite caliber, but I do like its snappy recoil, which I really don't consider too harsh.

Both the 9mm and .45 almost feel sluggish after shooting a .40; it's hard to explain but I'm sure you get what I mean.

 

[1boredguy]

for me, the 9mm and .45 have a clean upwards "tap" feel. the .40 has more of a jolted+twisted motion, and doesn't feel as smooth as the others unless I have a good Hogue grip.

so I recommend a good rubber grip if you go for the .40.