9mm subcompact felt recoil

C

chetc

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i recently purchased a new Springfield hellcat, the felt recoil is harsh, i traded in a Ruger LC9S and was much easier on my hand, so now that the ruger is gone, i am looking for another subcompact 9mm, i hear the p365 is a bit less harsh, but i am serious about the glock 43x, has anyone shot these 3 guns and maybe someone pass on some info i am looking for.

chet
 
I found the Ruger LC9S to actually be about the same recoil and felt recoil, both kind of snappy. FYI here are some comparisons of different models in recoil.

Diamondback-DB9---9.28
Keltec PF-9------------9.79
Kimber Micro9--------8.02
Kahr CM9---------------7.7
*Ruger LC9S------------7.24
*Sig 365------------------6.99
Sig 938--------------------6.99
Glock 43X------------------6.93
MP Shield-----------------6.8
Springfield Hellcat------6.78
Beretta APX Carry/Nano--6.18
Glock 26-------------------5.98
Ruger Security9 ----------5.92
Honor Defense-----------5.79
Mossberg MC1------------5.89
 
Carl, how are those recoil numbers calculated? By weight of the pistol?
Is ergonomics taken into the calculations, i.e. bore axis, grip width, etc?

For example, I have much better control with a Kahr PM9 than a glock 26, mainly because I have medium hands and can hold the Kahr tighter with the smaller grip than the fat glock.
I know that is subjective, so are the numbers just force related to pistol weight?
 
Sorry meant to put the link in. And of course I think there are other factors to consider. Recoil springs, etc. And of course Felt Recoil will vary among individuals. However, I have shot most of the guns in the list and feel they give a good indication of Felt recoil. (at least for me.)
I have a size large hand and shoot he Kahr better than a Glock 43x. For myself, I find the Nano the mildest shooting gun I have shot and feel the recoil is milder than the Newer APX Carry and much less than my Kahr. Yet, some say they feel the grip of the new APX has less recoil. I shot the 365 and the Sig 938 and felt the Sig 938 was a better shooter but yet both rated the same.
So I am sure opinions of felt recoil can go all over the board.

https://www.genitron.com/Articles/post/how-handgun-rankings-are-calculated
 
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As someone that has a few of the listed pistols, the list might be a bit skewed. I can shoot a pm9 all day. The lc9s hurts almost as bad as the pf9. Curious to see where the pps m2 lands on the scale. I find it really pleasant.
 
I had a Glock 43X. It's a little poppy. I didn't mind it at first. But I developed an issue with sympathetic nervous system sensitization, my hands started getting sensitive to recoil and I'd get tremors. Had to sell the 43X. I've shot a family member's P365 a handful of times and from what I remember, if has a smoother recoil impulse than the 43X. I found the 43X was not super comfortable in recoil because of the thin grip profile
 
Carl the Floor Walker said:
Sorry meant to put the link in. And of course I think there are other factors to consider. Recoil springs, etc. And of course Felt Recoil will vary among individuals. However, I have shot most of the guns in the list and feel they give a good indication of Felt recoil. (at least for me.)
I have a size large hand and shoot he Kahr better than a Glock 43x. For myself, I find the Nano the mildest shooting gun I have shot and feel the recoil is milder than the Newer APX Carry and much less than my Kahr. Yet, some say they feel the grip of the new APX has less recoil. I shot the 365 and the Sig 938 and felt the Sig 938 was a better shooter but yet both rated the same.
So I am sure opinions of felt recoil can go all over the board.

https://www.genitron.com/Articles/post/how-handgun-rankings-are-calculated
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Not sure how you got those numbers. When I plug in some of the gun weights I'm getting different relative values.

115 gr bullet at 1150 fps, powder weight 5 gr.

DB9, 13.4 oz = 7.52 ft lb recoil
Glock 43x, 18.7 oz = 5.39 ft lb recoil
Mossberg MC1, 19.0 oz = 5.30 ft lb recoil
 
I have the Hellcat, PM9, Walther pps m2, Springfield 911 and the Shield Plus. I have large hands and in my opinion, the Walther has the least felt recoil with the Shield next and the Hellcat 3rd. I sold my P365 because the grip was so small I could not shoot it well and was very snappy. Felt recoil is very subjective and varies widely. Folks with medium to small hands may have a completely different opinion.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Interesting list. I've shot quite a few of those guns listed, and I found the Beretta Nano to be lightest recoiling, was surprised it was so high in the list.
 
I've shot almost none of the guns that Carl the Floor Walker listed. With that said, I would describe my hands as "on the smallish side of medium." At one time, I shot an XDS, a Glock 43 and a Shield pretty close in time. (Two were side by side, and one about a week later.) I wound up buying the Shield, and I've always been impressed with how it handles recoil in my hands. The XDS was a surprisingly soft shooter (in both 9 mm and .45 acp), but I didn't care for the 43 at all. The Shield, though? I can happily shoot it all day long. In large part, I attribute that (rightly or wrongly) to how well it fits my hand.
 
new Springfield hellcat, the felt recoil is harsh
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Apparently, Springfield agrees with you. They have a new model out (I don't think it is available yet) with a compensator.

Hellcat RDP

HC9389BTOSPWASP-1024x770.png
 
My wife has an LC9s and weak wrists from carpal tunnel surgery. She shoots it just fine. I've shot it and it doesn't seem snappy at all.
 
We have three on that list, the 26, 43 and Shield.

Neither my daughter with "piano" hands, nor myself with meat slabs, notice any difference.

I think it comes down to how an individual grips the weapon, not what numbers predict. Extremes excluded.

We do drills where we put all our 9mm's out on the bench and grab one, load, and shoot at random.
 
The DB9 is the smallest 9mm on the market. It has the harshest recoil. I have owned 5 total. So I would say those numbers are wrong.
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Actually Wildcat, the numbers agree with you. DB9 on the list has the highest "free recoil" number. The number was based on forces applied by the 9mm and weight of the pistol, not comfort in the hand. *edit, I see that in post #2, PF9 recoil is listed as greater than DB9*

It's still an oversimplification because they can't factor in the contour, width of grip, how many fingers (2 or 3) on the grip. And once you add in individual hand size / shape that would all change from person to person too.
 
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It's lower than the PF-9 which I have also owned and agree that one sucks.

But an LC9 is a direct copy of the PF-9 has has significantly less recoil than a PF-9?

Also owned a P938 and a P365. No way are they they same.

These numbers are junk.
 
Sorry, the Keltec PF 9 IS NOT the same. Unless the LC9 went on a diet and lost about 5oz The PF9 only weighs 12oz the Ruger 17oz. I do not see where the numbers "Suck". The are from a standard Recoil calculation. Again, I have shot the 938 and about a 1,000 rds through the 365. I found them about equal. But again that could just be my personal "felt Recoil" although the numbers do match. If your felt recoil was different that is fine. Besides what difference does it make? Should be close enough. Just choose the one that you shoot better.
Here is the formula of Standard free recoil calculation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_recoil



I have compared a few models to my Personal favorite. I took 200 rds of range ammo and that 50 rds of Plus P defense ammo and ran side by side. 50 rds through one gun and then 50 rds through the other.
At the end one would actually give me pain to shoot, The other the one I could have gone on shooting all day.
 
I've had a P938 for about four years, have read/seen a lot of reviews, some describing the recoil as "thought the gun would jump from my hand", but I'd describe it as closer to docile.
I think "feel" is going to be different for different people, even if the recoil energy is the same.
 
I think it is all subjective based on load, grip, technique and how full your coffee/energy tank is at the moment. :)

I do not like the G26 recoil impulse. I don't mind the Kahr PM9 recoil impulse at all. The PF9 is stout for a little guy...but then it is the smallest and lightest, and I still shoot it well.

When I teach a class to new shooters and lay out several guns, the 9mm folks prefer to shoot with standard 124 target loads is the Taurus 905, the G43 and the Kahr PM9 in that general order. Most just set the PF9 down after a few rounds.
 
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