recoil impulse 9mm & 40sw

[Sig Bill]

You want to unsnap the 40SW--shoot it thru a G29 10mm (no need to change barrels).

Because I have a 9x25 Dillon barrel for my G29 I have a 21# Wolff recoil spring assembly in it. I also have a 40sw barrel for it and it amazed me how well the 40sw shoot with the 21# spring.

Some of the pistols were made for the 9mm and the 40sw were put on them too. That makes them snappy because they not heavier made.

 

[PCFlorida]

Get the carpal tunnel surgery. I had it done on both of my wrists in 2007 and after 6 months of recuperation I can shoot anything with no issues.

Oh, they will only do one wrist at a time. When you think about it you will agree

 

[jjones45]

40 does have noticeably more recoil than 9mm, especially in compact and sub compact polymer handguns. Rent a g19 and first shoot a hundred rounds through your g23, then go to the g19 and you'll feel like you're shooting 38 special or something. If I ever run into the issues you have I wouldn't have any problem ditching my 40's for 9mm. Right now I only have 2 40's, a g23 and ppq m2. The ppq has even more muzzle flip and felt recoil than my g23. When you shoot a g27 vs a g26 it's even more noticeable. To add on to others comments on perceived recoil, I notice when I shoot outside I don't feel the difference in 40 and 9mm as much as when indoors

 

[JO JO]

Thanks for all the input, not wanting surgery at this time as nerve is compressed in wrist and elbow, have had my share of surgerys in the past but I need to think on this going with a 9mm instead of the 40, my kid and wife may enjoy the 9mm better too.
Like I mentioned I have been shooting solely 40 for the last decade plus ,
Even if I got a 9mm I have several years of 40 ammo to shoot off,

 

[Sig Bill]

Then get this and shoot off the 40s.

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/Hi-Point-carbines/40SW_carbine.html

 

[JO JO]

I had a 9mm 15 years ago or so found having 9mm and 40 ammo on the shooting bench was a issue so I figured for simplicity it would be one or the other but that's how long it's been since I fired a 9mm renting a g19 is a good idea

 

[Monac]

JO JO, if you take any two identical pistols except that one is chambered in 9mm Parabellum and the other in 40S&W, the 40 is going to have heavier felt recoil. This is in line with what ATLDave said back in post 10. Further in line with that, within each caliber, lighter bullets give lighter felt recoil, despite their greater kinetic energy (in standard factory loads).

 

[Hokkmike]

First thing this is NOT a caliber war or which is better just a simple question and asking advise
Here goes my issue I have been shooting 40 for the last decade plus and have not shot a 9mm in many many years but I am having issue with my hand and wrist " carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve compression" and I am wondering does 9mm really have that much less recoil that it would be more comfortable to shoot ?
Would I be better off selling of my 40's and going with the 9mm to save my wrist from getting fatigued
after firing 150 plus rounds ? I try to shoot weekly I have several G23's and reload but I am not interested in a conversion barrel but interested in possibly changing calibers to ease some stress on my wrist is there enough difference in recoil to make a difference ?

Weight of the gun is a factor. My Walther PPS in .40 was a hand wringer. I imagine it would be much more pleasant to shoot in 9. Start with one then decide.

 

[wally]

I try to shoot weekly I have several G23's and reload but I am not interested in a conversion barrel but interested in possibly changing calibers to ease some stress on my wrist is there enough difference in recoil to make a difference ?

Seems to me that a conversion barrel and magazine would be the least expensive way to get a definitive answer. With different guns bore axis height, grip, and weight differences could mask or exaggerate the difference.

If you don't reload, the conversion could quickly pay for itself in practice ammo cost savings even if you don't end up liking it. Shooting it for a while and then re-introducing more .40 rounds every week or two could help support healing.

 

[rsrocket1]

Good discussion here. I've been able to do quite a bit of subjective testing between light 40 S&W loads vs. 9mm loads in the same gun. I have an M&P 40 along with a 9mm barrel and magazines. The main point of recoil as mentioned earlier is momentum exiting the barrel. That is the weight of the bullet times the velocity of the bullet. There is also the speed and mass of the powder burn products exiting the muzzle that play into the recoil but for "felt recoil" the bullet weight and speed are close enough.

My typical 9mm load is 120g bullets at 1100 fps which gives me an IPSC power factor of (120g x 1100fps)/1000 = 132
My 40 S&W cast bullets are 180g in weight so to achieve a 137.5 power factor, I need to make a load that pushes the bullets (132 x 1,000) /180g = 733 fps

After testing numerous powders and charges, I found that 2.7g Clays gives me 735 fps.
I shot a lot of round going back and forth between 1100 fps 120g 9mm loads and 735 fps 180g 40 S&W loads using the same gun and only changing the barrel and magazines. As far as I can tell, the loads shot the same with the exception of the hole size on the paper at 10 yards.

I typically load 180g 40 S&W at 950-1000 fps but have a number of boxes loaded with 3.0g Clays or Red Dot for "light loads" to let my kids shoot the 40 with close to 9mm recoil (just a little stronger to ensure good cycling and lockback of the slide after the last shot.

For economy's sake, if I really want to shoot a bunch of 9mm recoil loads, I'd rather load 9mm cartridges. One extra grain of powder for the 9mm load is cheaper than 60 grains of lead going from 120g to 180g (1/2 cent per shot)

 

[Winkman822]

This is just me, but I find that caliber doesn't make much difference in felt recoil when contending with injuries, the bigger difference is made by the weapon platform. For example, I find my HK VP9 feels much more tame than my Glock 19. My Sig Sauer P229 feels like it shoots softer than both the VP and the Glock, and my HK P30L feels like it shoots the softest of the lot.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Weight of the gun is a factor. My Walther PPS in .40 was a hand wringer. I imagine it would be much more pleasant to shoot in 9. Start with one then decide.

^ This. My LC9s has more kick than any fullsize .40 or .45 I've shot, regardless of what it's made of (plastic or metal).

For me personally, I don't really notice a difference in recoil in fullsize hanguns 9mm through .45. But when you start getting into the compact, and especially sub compact sized guns it becomes more noticeable.

 

[JO JO]

I think I may try the 180GR down loaded idea, maybe pick up a 9mm if I see a used one for sale I know the vp9 price is dropping, LGS runs specials on them new often in the upper $400 range, I have 3 G23's with upgraded sights and a shield 40 for edc, plus around 4k 40sw rounds and components to load more plus the dies and brass, I have been shooting/loading the 155 gr for many years.
I hope with the doctors referral to PT and hand squeeze thingy I will overcome this as I really enjoy shooting what I already own, but if I find the 9mm is more comfortable to shoot I will slowly converge over. All the joys of aging I guess