Perceived recoil of Sig 220ST.

[carpenter]

I have a Sig 220 ST. It's a sweet shooting gun but for some reason irritates the tendonitis in my wrist. It's 45 ACP.

I also have two other 45s. Both Colt 1911s. These guns don't irritate my wrist.

I recently read somewhere that the angle of barrel to grip makes recoil/perceived recoil different on a Sig.

So I'm wondering, do you think the recoil for a 226 ST 9mm would be significantly less than the 220 ST?

Or is the mass of the two slides the same/similar size?

If so, then the recoil spring in the 226 is probably weaker than the 220 so as to allow ejection of the 9mm. This could result in the 226 slide's rearward motion being the same energy as the 220. My perceived recoil would be the same.

Or, should I have paid more attention in physics class?

I'm really hoping that the actual recoil of the 226 in 9mm would be a lot less than the 220 in 45. Cause then I can just trade one for the other.

 

[eltorrente]

I find this interesting.

My p220 non-st, doesn't recoil very hard at all - in fact it is an easy shooting gun. I use normal, 230gr rounds (non +P).

Last time at the range I switched guns with the guy next to me, and fired his CZ-75 9mm. It recoiled only slightly less than my p220, and it honestly didn't feel much different and I didn't think it was much more comfortable to shoot in terms of recoil. When he handed my gun back to me after going through two clips, he said, "wow this thing handles the recoil great!" - he loved it.

I can fire several hundred rounds through it at a time and my hand/wrist doesn't get sore at all.

The P226 should be excellent in terms of recoil. It's full-size, fairly heavy, and since it's based on the P220, it should handle and operate great.

I'm sure your an experienced shooter, but could the wrist soreness be a result of not holding your grip high enough, or some other grip/technique issue? It's just that most people find the P220 to be one of the easier shooting .45s, myself included. You are probably at least an average size guy with average strength, so I'm assuming it must be an issue with your grip (hope I don't sound condescending).

 

[carpenter]

but could the wrist soreness be a result of not holding your grip high enough

It's a chronic condition from years of too aggressive weight lifting techniques. (We used to call it "working in the pain zone." Today I call it stupid.) It bothers me lifting weights or playing the guitar or shooting some guns. Notably, the Sig 220. But not with any of my revolvers or any other semi autos. Certainly not my 1911s.

If it were improper grip, then I would be gripping all my guns improperly.

If it's not the grip angle/energy transfer of the Sig, I don't know what it is.

 

[Baneblade]

Recoil on the 9mm would be substantially less, especially in a full size pistol.

 

[eltorrente]

How about a Bedair guide rod?

The original piece weighs .4oz , the Stainless version weighs 1.1oz, and the Tungsten version weighs 2.5oz.

Click here for details

They look great and will add weight exactly where you would want it to help reduce flip. The Tungsten in particular looks interesting, as it would add 2.1oz beneath the barrel. Maybe get one of these and switch to 200gr or 185gr rounds and it should make a difference for you - I think. I haven't tried one of these, and most people that do have these rods use the stainless version. The stainless adds .7oz, so I'm not sure that would be significant enough for you.