10mm vs. .357Sig, recoil? Compensated vs. non-compensated recoil?

J

jk0

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I currently live in a very gun-unfriendly state, and I'm in the fantasy stage of picking a carry gun for when I get to move out. I vacillate between a light .357 magnum revolver (simpler mechanism + no mag springs to fatigue = better reliability), and a baby Glock in 10mm, maybe with a NY trigger for lawyer-proofing. I do like 45s, but I crave bigger muzzle-energy numbers in a carry gun.

I got to shoot a heavy Ruger .357mag and a Glock 32C (.357 Sig) today. I believe the revolver was a GP-100 (4-inch stainless), and it weighed a little more than my Kimber, which would put it in the low 40-oz range. The recoil wasn't bad at all, but I'm afraid if I cut the weight in half it might start to hurt.

To bring this back on target (if you'll pardon the pun), however, the highest-power and smallest Glock I could get my hands on was a a .357 sig, compensated. Now I know why people say never to use a ported gun for defense! The cloud of flame billowing out of the top of that slab was astounding! It would be truly blinding in the dark, and forget it if you need to fire the gun close to your body (ouch). To anyone who's shot this in ported and non-ported forms, I ask you, what's the difference in percieved recoil? I know it was relatively easy to bring back on target -- I ripped out 10 shots in about 4 or 5 seconds, just to see if I could keep it all on the paper, and I WAY overcompensated, stringing my shots towards the floor! Is it much harder to bring back on target if it's not ported? How about the hand-slapping? It did have a sharp little kick, but 40 rounds through it was not enough to keep me from putting another 75 rounds through the Kimber afterwards. Is it any worse with a non-ported gun?

Finally, can anyone tell me how the felt recoil compares between full-power .357sig and 10mm loads? As I said, the .357sig was sharper than I'm used to -- if 10mm is twice as harsh, for example, it might be too much for me!

I was actually surprised that full-house .357 mag in a 42-ish ounce revolver, .45 ball in a 38oz Kimber, and .357 sig in a 21oz Glock all felt more or less on par with each other. The 45 was probably the easiest, although 230gr ball put some torque in my hand after shooting 125gr .357sig SWC and 158gr .357mag JSP! I never really noticed it before, but after shooting those light-weights, it was amazing.
 
Stout loads in 10mm have ALL the sound pressure levels and twice the wrist snap!

Make friends, shoot their guns, get a license, then try to carry 50oz of steel and lead all day for a month. Keep working your way down 5oz at a time, until you find the weight you can relax with.
 
Nothing is perfect.

You mention considering a lightweight .357 mag due to it's "reliability" but nothing is totally reliable. One common problem with lightweight magnums is that the violent recoil of the revolver has the result of "pulling" the bullets of the remaining rounds and the longer (overall length) cartridge can (and will) then jam the cylinder. It's a common occurence.

A "jammed" auto can be cleared. A "jammed" revolver is "jammed".
 
I'm no combat shooter, but I do hunt at night. And I did stay at a holiday inn express one time :D

I don't see where a standard revolver gives any flash advantage over a ported auto. In fact, depending on your loads, an auto gives a pretty big flash too. And the smoke, on a still night (probably so indoors too) can work against you on a follow-up.

To me, the argument against porting is a long way down the list, except that it probably isn't necessary on most standard semi-auto stuff for most shooters. Combat action shooters are a whole nother story, though.
 
Remember we're talking .357sig.

BTW, I was able to get a ported .357sig louder than a 10mm, but all I'd have to do is port the 10mm, and the 10mm is still the LOUDEST.
 
My sig 229sport is a 357 sig with a large comp. The recoil on it with hot, hot, and did I say hot reloads in 125 grns with aa9 is enough to bring dust from the rafters. It is like a shock to the face, but the actual recoil in the hand is like a 38 special. I also have a g20 with a 6" comped aftermarket barrel. It on the other hand puts out enough of a blast that with 180 grn jhps & blue dot you can feel the skin of your face moveing from the blast. It generally will bring the RO's to see if you have blown up. The recoil here is stout, but less then a 357mag with full 158 grn loads.

When you have a lot of slow burning powder and plenty of gas, the comps work well, but at the expense of a lot of noise.
 
Nobody knows manly guns like Peter!

Hey, Pete, I picked up the 5.2" Sport kit with solid SS comp, can I sell it to you, it's 100% with all parts, there were only 6 brought in from Germany.
 
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