Softest shooting 45 alive?

[IMTHDUKE]

In your experience what is the softest shooting 45 alive. I will like to confine the answers to 4.25 barrel or commander size since I am in that market right now. Thanks

 

[ny32182]

Heavier gun and heavier bullets will lead to the softest recoil, all else equal.

 

[Jolly Rogers]

I agree with half of your statement.
Heavier gun and lighter bullet.
Joe

 

[ny32182]

Not unless you download the lighter bullet.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I think this is tough to answer, because recoil is subjective and I feel many guns have different personalities and traits when it comes to recoil.

For example, my 1911s and Ruger P90 were relatively soft, but their slow heavy slides seem to make follow up shots more difficult.

But my XD45 is more snappy, but it's brutal recoil spring keeps everything in check (like, the recoil and the forward snap of the slide on loading is balanced and equal). So I can shoot super fast and accurate.

At least for me. I feel "older" heavier designs are more like slow artillery (a nice shove) and newer fancy guns are more like a jab (snappy but balanced).

Basically, I can't answer unless you have some specific gun comparisons

 

[MarshallDodge]

Ed Brown Executive Elite is the smoothest 45 I have ever shot.

If you want soft, get a 9mm 1911 and shoot 147 grain ammo in it.

 

[I6turbo]

Recoil wise, I notice very little difference between my CZ 97 B and my full size 9-mm guns (75 B and 85 Combat, BHP, and Beretta 92). The 97 B really soaks up the 45 recoil and is a very sweet shooter, more so than the Kimber 1911 I had up until recently. It's not just little bit of extra weight of the 97 B, but also how the gun fits your hand with the contoured grip.

 

[bannockburn]

IMTHDUKE

I found a Browning BDA (a.ka. SIG P220), to be one the softest shooting .45 ACP semi-autos around. The first time I took my younger sister shooting (she was 18 at the time, very slender build, and maybe weighed about 100 pounds), she went from a Ruger Mk.II to a Star Model B 9mm. to a BDA .45 all in one range session. She had no problem keeping them in or around the bullseye at 30 feet.

If I want a softer shooting 1911, like with a Commander or Officers Model, I usually go with 185 or 200 grain ammo. In a JHP both guns do very well, in terms of reliability and accuracy, with the old Winchester 185 grain Silvertips.

 

[Winkman822]

For me, I'd have to give it to my Wilson Combat CQB Compact. It's an all steel gun with a 4" bull barrel and a 22 lb. recoil spring. It's an absolute breeze to shoot, but folks with bigger hands may not like the short grip (it's essentially a Colt CCO, except with a 4" barrel rather than a 4.25" barrel).

 

[CNobbe]

I'd have to say either Sig P220 or H&K USP 45. I've owned those two, perhaps the HK 45 and P227 are just as soft. Both of those guns were softer shooting than my Glock 21 Gen 4.

 

[Pilot]

CZ-97B for sure. I have 1911's and shot a friends Glock 21, EAA Witness, Sig P220, and nothing compares to the CZ.

 

[LeonCarr]

IME a CZ-97B is very soft shooting even with 230 FMJ.

A close second for me would be any of the monolith type long dust cover 1911s.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[gotboostvr]

I don't own one, but if I had to guess I'd say either a CZ 97, or a HK MK23 which is probably a little bigger than the 97.

My 75B SA feels like a pellet gun in 9mm

 

[Acera]

A new firing pin stop helped tame my Kimber ProCarry down more than I expected.

Getting it back to what JMB had in mind, before others changed it for everyone else, helps.



.

 

[csa77]

Heavy gun with heaviest bullet should give the softest feel.

 

[DeepSouth]

To be honest I can't tell much difference in any of the 45 autos I have shot. Some are a little lower recoiling than others but none I have shot are noticeably different. I will say I've never shot a KAHR TP45 but my PM45 is surprisingly mild for its size so I've always imagined the TP45 being softer than average.

I will add While not an auto, my 25-2 is very soft shooting.

 

[ATLDave]

Heavy gun with a bullet loaded to about 750 fps over a small charge of fast powder.

 

[sota]

Freedom Munitions sells 200gr .45ACP. give that a try in your favorite blaster.
seriously though, the lighter bullet makes a big difference in felt recoil.

 

[Tirod]

It's not just weight and what cartridge, it's also how the barrel unlocks, if polymer, does it absorb some of the recoil, and how high a bore it has.

Kahrs get good marks for being softer shooting, S&W third generation reviews I've read over the last few weeks never seem to mention it unless compared to other guns in the test. That absence indicates it wasn't notable or out of the shooters experience. What most were concerned about in comparison was the bore line height as muzzle flip slowed down their times for a double.

Lots of stuff to consider, you just have to go out and shoot what you can to find out.

 

[huntsman]

My all steel S&W4566 is easy for me to shoot, something I appreciated when I did a class and shot 200+ rounds in a day.

What most were concerned about in comparison was the bore line height as muzzle flip slowed down their times for a double.

yeah I can believe that, a friend shot my 4566 and he declared it "snappy" compared to his little aluminum framed 1911. When we laid the guns next to each other it was easy to see, barrels were the same size but the grip was longer and his hands are significantly smaller than mine.

 

[ATLDave]

...heavier bullets will lead to the softest recoil, all else equal.

If one of the things you are holding equal is power factor (momentum of the fired projectile), then yes. If you are not holding that equal, then no. Obviously a 185 grain bullet launched at 750 fps is going to have less recoil than a 230 grain bullet launched at 750 fps (assuming a similar powder is used, same gun, etc.). But if you're going to keep the power factor/momentum the same, then you'll have to throw the lighter bullet at more than 900 fps. You'll have to use a greater volume of powder, and you'll get more blast and flash (which greatly contribute to the subjective feeling of recoil), and a relatively small amount of true free recoil increase.

 

[Deanimator]

Not unless you download the lighter bullet.

I find 200gr. bullets more pleasant to shoot, even Speer Gold Dots out of a 3 1/2" Citadel.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

My HK45 is pretty soft shooting.

 

[springer99]

Refer to Post#3 for the correct answer.

 

[JDGray]

My old Ruger P345 shot very soft for a lightweight gun.