IT LIVES!! (Meaning resurrected thread.
)
Still a perennial topic among many shooters, though.
I've seen some guys & gals slowed and affected by the felt recoil impulse of the .40, no matter how slowly or rapidly they were shooting
under average range training/qual stress.
The more I trained using my issued or personally-owned .40's, the better I did with them and the less I noticed the muzzle whip/snap ...
and the less it was reflected in my down-range accuracy of hits.
It eventually reached a point where I could run similarly sized 9's and .40's during the same range session, at speed for demanding drills, and not notice any difference in perceived recoil, controllability or accuracy.
Well, periodic training and recurrent practice can help in that regard.
Now, for the average/occasional range shooter, especially shooting slowly for target practice? The occasional weekend range/leisure shooter?
He/she would understandably be paying more attention to anticipating the recoil impulse and having more time to "feel" and experience the effects of it.
Of course, the specific make/model of the pistol chosen can also contribute to the experience. Some folks like the way a heavier (all-steel, larger, etc) pistol helps "absorb" and mitigate the felt recoil effects ... and yet another shooter might feel the extra weight/mass of the same pistol transmits "more" felt recoil, because the heavier pistol starts pushing back in their hand.
There's always the shooter-involved perspective to consider.
Now, accelerating a heavier bullet to a similar velocity of a lighter bullet does tend to produce more equal & opposite effect, so there's that to consider, too.
Then, there's the dwell time of the recoil impulse and effect against the shooter's hand/wrist to consider, and how any particular shooter might experience
that ...
We can measure produced recoil force with a gauge, but that doesn't necessarily mean every shooter will interpret their experience according to the lbs/force registered by the gauge.
The .40 does tend to produce a bit more muzzle rise/whip than the 9mm. Whether and how that may affect any particular shooter needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Most range sessions I couldn't tell you whether I was shooting standard pressure 9mm, +P or +P+, even when mixed into the same mag load.
Some days while shooting my G26/27, or my 3913/4040PD, I can't tell the difference between them as far as "felt recoil", especially when focusing on running rapid and accurate shot strings, identifying multiple threat v. non-threat targets, moving, using cover barricades, going from standing to kneeling, etc. Too much else going on to stop and take notice of any subtle differences. The trick, however, is to have developed the skills needed to make sure the accuracy remains the same, regardless of the caliber and loads involved.
Training and recurrent practice can help. Years of trigger time.
