Recoil question....buying a new handgun today

[tantrix]

I posted an earlier thread about getting a CCW handgun for my wife. She is about 4' 10" with petite hands, so I have to be very careful on what I buy. I let her look at about 30 different handguns yesterday evening and absolutely adores the Glock 26 in 9mm and Glock 27 in .40......These 2 handguns are exactly the same size, except for caliber. They are both limited to 10 rd (post ban) magazines, so I figured it would make more sense to get the more potent .40 caliber since the guns are identical in size. She will NOT be able to shoot either of these before the purchase, so it will be a done deal after today.

My question is....how much of a difference is it between shooting a G26 in 9mm and a G27 in .40? IF she can handle the 9mm, then the .40 shouldn't be a problem? I haven't shot either of these models to feel the difference of recoil. I heard the .40 is more "snappy" which I assume meaning more muzzle flip. She will have to get used to whichever one we get, so I am double checking with you guys who have maybe shot the G26 and the G27 both and can fill me in on how different they shoot. As of now I am leaning towards the G27 in .40.

 

[dairycreek]

Dear tantrix!

As you say the G26 and G27 are virtually the same gun as far as looks, handling, etc. But the G27 has IMHO a lot more felt recoil. I own both and shoot both on occasion. While I am not particularly sensitive to recoil (noise is a bigger problem for me) I really do not enjoy the G27 while the G26 is a real pussycat to shoot. FWIW Good shooting

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Tantrix...

My wife is exactly one foot taller than yours. She has "medium" sized hands.
She loves to shoot my G27. I've watched her. It's loaded with 135gr hollow points. It "flips up" some, but not enough to bother her. I think she'd rather shoot my G27 than my PM9. She likes "fat" grips, and the G27 fits her hands well. I think that's what it comes down to. She just doesn't like thin grips. She's fired my P-32 a "little"---she hated it. "Too thin".<shrug> If it fit's her hand, I'd say go with the G27. Ammunition is a little higher priced though.

Good luck,
KR

 

[Wedge]

Has she ever shot a handgun before? It is good that she picked it out and that is is comfortable for her but I would hesitate to buy the more 'potent' round. If you get the G26 and she finds 9mm to be very easy to handle, you can bet that she will practice very often. OTOH, if you buy the .40 and she doesn't like the recoil you have to go buy her another gun.

I have shot the G23 (the G27 fits my hands well but they are about the same weight etc) and it definitely had a little bit of a kick to it. I am most decidedly NOT recoil sensitive so it didn't bother me to shoot, but I did notice that it kicked more than the .38 that we were shooting. I would put the recoil around the same as my Blackhawk with .45 ACP rounds with a slightly faster recoil.

 

[JaviFL]

Is there really no place available to you where you can rent these pieces with her and shoot them? My first reaction is to tell you to go with the G26, but, since this is meant to be her defensive weapon, maybe you should go the extra mile (if possible) to make sure she will be comfortable with this gun.

Recoil perception is very subjective. You never know. She may be able to handle the .40 just fine. But if she does not like it, then you have a problem.

 

[Mark13]

I think you should stick with a small frame handgun

I think for concealment purposes and because your wife has small hands you should go for as small a handgun as possible with an effective caliber.

Yes I love my G23 .40, but it kicks with hot ammo and is blocky. I would never recommend the even smaller .40 glock for a novice.

My Kahr K9 9mm is much more concealable, and the grip is small. Also the S&W 5-shot lightweight alloy .357 frames loaded with .38 +P would work ok.

My goals for a concealed carry gun are light weight, very compact size, effective caliber.

Hope this helps

 

[treeprof]

Do not buy until you both can test them! Drive a long ways to rent them if you must, but don't buy sight-unseen. That said, IMO, you are better off w/the 26 or some other 9 mm. Despite the junk written in gun rags and on gun boards, a good 9 mm bullet is just as effective as anything in .40 in "stopping" a BG, and is significantly easier to shoot. Most folks who think they shoot one caliber as good as the other have never really tested them w/a timer.

Re "feel", it's one thing in a gun store and something else altogether on the range. How it feels while shooting is the real key, including the ability to maintain a good firing grip thru multiple rapid shots. If she really has small hands, that's prob. not going to be true for a blocky Glock. Personally, I used to have a Glock 33 (357 SIG) but it was way too dinky for me and too big for my petite wife. I carry a G19 or G32 w/built up grips to fit my hands, while she carries a Keltec P-32 and small revolver.

 

[tantrix]

Thanks for the replies everyone....I forgot to mention, she can handle a 9mm but has never shot a .40.....I have, but never the G27 so I can't vouch for how it shoots. I guess the G26 wouldn't that bad...I mean after all A gun is better than NO gun. I'd rather her be a good shoot with a 9mm than be a lousy one with a .40 Now I am swaying towards the G26 for obvious reasons....like Wedge said I'd hate to buy the .40 and her not like to shoot it, or be uncomfortable shooting it.

 

[W Turner]

I would go with the 26. My wife is 5'5"/125 and can shoot an alloy j frame and 9mm sub-compact equally well, but she doesn't care for the extra recoil that the .40 gives.

Another reason I would go this route is ammo cost. Even if you buy the WWB ammo at Walmart you're looking at $4 per hundred rounds difference in price. You can buy four boxes of 9mm for what three boxes of .40 will cost you.

Mino

 

[Sean Smith]

The correct answer is the 26 in 9x19. If you want more power later, get some Ranger-T 127gr +P+ and get more muzzle energy than most .40 S&W out there.

 

[crebralfix]

It is not clear if this is her first gun and if she has established proficiency in shooting. If she is not a proficient handgun shooter, then I recommend that you step away from the mini-glocks for the time being. I posted before as to why in your earlier thread. But, in summary, the mini-glock is not a good learning gun.

If she's proficient and can diagnose her own shooting errors, then get it. But if she's just learning, she will probably end up frustrated with shooting.

By the way, something just occurred to me. Check the rear of the grip in her hand. How much of her hand is supported by the abbreviated mini-glock grip? Due to her hand size, she may get a bit more stability out of it than a person with normal sized hands. However, I suspect that she'll be all over the target for awhile.

Remember, for newbie shooters, grouping is important because it's an indicator that they're shooting the same way every time. Keep that in mind if she starts getting frustrated...you don't want her to quit just because of the mini-glock grip.

All that said... G26 is a nice gun!

Good luck!!!