Consider a S&W Shield EZ, 9mm or maybe even in .380. Softer shooting than any Glock.

 

I agree that if you're looking for less recoil, you're not going to like the .40. The suggestions of getting a full size all steel 1911 in 9mm are good, they're heavy and don't recoil much using 9mm.

 

Interesting attempt to find out how comfortable (“felt-recoil” wise) it is to shoot certain ammo from different handguns depending on the overall weight of each gun. That being said, for the proposed “Pleasant Factor” to be a useful index of “Shooting Comfort” (based primarily on “felt-recoil” and the gun’s weight), both the conceptual definition and the operationalization of “Pleasant Factor” need to be reconfigured….

I have no background in engineering and it’s been so long since I took my old high school physics class. So, my questions and suggestions may be totally off or wrong. If that’s the case, I apologize beforehand, and let those with stronger background in engineering review and make suggestions.

First off, for the proposed index to be called “Pleasant Factor,” I think it would intuitively make more sense if greater values indicate greater “pleasantness” to shoot and vice versa, rather than the current version where smaller values indicate greater “pleasantness” to shoot….

Secondly, I think the notion of “felt-recoil” implied in the “Pleasant Factor,” which is basically the flip-side of the same coin, should be reviewed and more appropriately incorporated. For instance, the “Pleasant Factor” is based on a simple ratio where the numerator is the “weight of the gun when fully loaded” and the denominator is the “muzzle energy”. However, don’t you think it would make more sense to use the “muzzle energy” as the numerator and the “gun’s weight” as the denominator, so that the quotient would serve as a crude index of “Felt-Recoil” (i.e., “FR” Index) when shooting the particular ammo from the gun…? That is:

FR = (Muzzle Energy)/(Gun’s Weight)

That way, the heavier the gun becomes, the smaller the quotient will become, and vice versa (for the same ammo), which will better reflect the empirical reality that the increased weight of the gun helps reduce the “felt-recoil” given the same muzzle energy when shooting the same ammo.

Then subtract the quotient (i.e., “FR” index value) from 1 to generate the “Comfortable to Shoot” Index (i.e., “CTS” Index) value, where a higher CTS value indicates greater “Comfort To Shoot” the gun for less “felt-recoil” given the same ammo, and vice versa….. That is:

CTS = [1-(Muzzle Energy)/(Weight of the Gun)]

Thirdly, because the gun’s weight systematically decreases as you shoot each round, the crude “FR” Index mentioned above and thus the “CTS” index must also incorporate this systematic decrease of the gun’s weight (and the systematic increase of the “felt-recoil” firing the same ammo) for each gun based on its capacity as it is configured to be carried (e.g., “1+8” capacity with the +2 baseplate on the G43).

Specifically, to take into account this systematic increase of “felt-recoil” (due to the systematic decrease of the gun’ weight) from the first round (i.e., when the gun is the heaviest) to the last round (i.e., when the gun is the lightest), the aforementioned FR index value must be generated for each round from the first round in the chamber (when the gun is the heaviest) to the last round in the magazine (when the gun is the lightest) for each pistol tested. Then, the “CTS” Index value should also be generated for each round fired from the gun from the first round in the chamber to the last round in the magazine…

Lastly, this systematically decreasing CTS Index values for each gun (as you shoot more rounds that are already in the gun) need to be combined somehow to generate the “Overall CTS Index” (i.e., “OCTS” Index) value for each gun, given its capacity as configured and given each ammo…. To do this, I think you can simply take the mean score based on the sum of all CTS Index values for a given gun divided by the capacity of the test gun or generate a more elaborated OCTS Index value for a given gun via a more elaborated mathematical procedure….

Hope I am not far off and making some sense.

 

Hope I am not far off and making some sense.

I don't have enough upstairs to know if you're making sense or not but I do have enough, there, to know after attempting to read your post, it would be easier to just reload the mag after the first shot and only shoot the gun with a full mag.

 

My 23 is way snappier than my 19

 

Buy the 23, shoot it and the 19 will seem tame. 🤓

 

Get a 23 and put in a 9mm conversion barrel.

 

Another thought I have bulging discs in my neck. When this happens I switch to beretta 84 fs in 380 there is minimal recoil and the weapon is accurate as hell. When the discs flare up It works for me.
Now not sure if they're importatedat this ti eberetta still produces them at times and has importated them heynworks for me

 

Oh yeah berettta makes both ten and thirteen rd mags to

 

Haven't read all the posts but here's my thoughts:

Have you tried putting on a grip sleeve? Hogues are great and Pachmyrs are ok but have been less effective for me. Pretty cheap to try.

I hate to mention this but Walther CCP's have a lighter recoil due to their blowback design (fixed barrel). I say 'hate to mention' because it is very picky on ammo. Some ammo shoots fine, some ammo will only shoot without jamming if you download the mag, some ammo jams no matter what. Even after over 200 rounds, he's had problems. Plus, it has some delicate parts that you have to handle with care when you field strip to clean or they will break very easily (especially the firing pin retainer) and disable the gun. It might be fine for a range gun, but I'd not recommend for self defense.

 

I’m not very good at math so I won’t even try to argue your formulas and ciphering.

But I carried a G22 and G23 on duty for a number of years and had a G27 as a backup too. Around 2011 I went all 9mm; a G19/3, then a G17/5, and finally a G45. These were all department issued. I have a personal G19/5, 19X, and a G45.

I realize it is only perception, but in no way do I feel that the 40 caliber Glock has less felt recoil than a 9mm Glock.

I know of no one that has fired both who thinks that 40 kicks less than the 9.

In addition, quite a few shooters I know even think that the 40 kicks more than the 45. I am one of them. At the very least, the impulse is sharper if not heavier.

It ultimately up to you though. If you feel that the G23 has less felt recoil than the G19 then that answers your question.

Good luck with your quest

 

I’m not very good at math so I won’t even try to argue your formulas and ciphering.

You don't have to be good at math. You just have to know what math to do. A 'power factor' of 50ish is on the very low end of anything with recoil. You get that from a 40 gr .22lr bullet at 1235 fps.

mass x velocity = power factor
40 (bullet mass) x 1235 (velocity in feet per second) = 49400 or a power factor of 49 (drop the last 3 digits to get PF...22LR, BTW).
115 grain x 1150 fps = 132250 or a PF of 132 (this is 9mm).
180 grain x 990 fps = 178200 or a PF of 178 (.40 S&W)

Where PF is key is when you are shooting guns that are virtually the same size and weight. A G17 doesn't have the recoil of a G22 'cause the G22 is nearly identical to the G17 in size and weight but the G22 ammo is stronger. The numbers above prove it. Where PF may not tell a lot is shooting 40 cal out of a gun the size and weight of a Desert Eagle compared to a G26 shooting +P 9mm. When comparing guns that are the same size and weight, PF WILL tell you which one is going to recoil more.

 

Get some low recoil 9mm ammo. Federal makes it. Possibly others.

If 9mm is giving you problems, then .40 will only give you even more grief.

Might also be time to switch to .380 or a .32.

 

Try the Kel-Tec P17 with the 16 round magazine in .22 LC! I'm a Life Long Glock Guy but I recently purchased this gun because of the high price of 9mm ammo and I shoot every week at my LGR. My very first .22 gun ever and I'm 77 years old and I said to myself, "What the Hell took me so Long"! Try one if you can find one and you will not regret it because you will save much money and have a lot of fun at the range!

 

Here you go...

Guy shoots the Gen 5 G23 and Gen 5 G19 and measures muzzle flip.

Skip to 8:00 to avoid the blah, blah internet expert crap...

 

Man up. You are not yet dead.

Toil. Learn. Adapt. Improvise.

 

Man up. You are not yet dead.

Toil. Learn. Adapt. Improvise.

You do realize that you are addressing a suburban mom, right?