predecessor
New member
For me, it was the Beretta Tomcat in .32 ACP -- was expecting it to be far less snappy than it was.
"Kicked" Like It Wasn't Supposed To??
- Thread starter Brian Pfleuger
- Start date
Ooh, thanks Old Grump for reminding me!
In the early 1970's a friend showed me his funky, plastic stocked, bolt action pistol. Remington XP-100 he said it was. We took it out to the back forty and set an old half-gallon milk carton full of water on a bucket. He handed me the XP, loaded and said to fire it.
Now, I'd looked it over, saw the .22 caliber hole at the muzzle and presumed it was either a .22LR or chambered for .22 Hornet like the S&W he owned.
Surprise! That .221 Fireball is nothing more than a shortened .223 Remington round and out of the 10" barrel there is a considerable powder burn. I thought the gun exploded at first. My friend was holding his sides laughing. T'was a good thing for him it's a single shot pistol too.
Turned out to be a hellva varmint gun though. One of the first rounds I learned to reload with a Lee reloading setup. He did manage to hit a crow at about 70 yards with it. Easy to tell a solid hit - looks like a black feather pillow explosion.
I'd entirely forgotten about that XP-100 until Old Grump mentioned it.
That was one of those boy-howdy! moments.
In the early 1970's a friend showed me his funky, plastic stocked, bolt action pistol. Remington XP-100 he said it was. We took it out to the back forty and set an old half-gallon milk carton full of water on a bucket. He handed me the XP, loaded and said to fire it.
Now, I'd looked it over, saw the .22 caliber hole at the muzzle and presumed it was either a .22LR or chambered for .22 Hornet like the S&W he owned.
Surprise! That .221 Fireball is nothing more than a shortened .223 Remington round and out of the 10" barrel there is a considerable powder burn. I thought the gun exploded at first. My friend was holding his sides laughing. T'was a good thing for him it's a single shot pistol too.
Turned out to be a hellva varmint gun though. One of the first rounds I learned to reload with a Lee reloading setup. He did manage to hit a crow at about 70 yards with it. Easy to tell a solid hit - looks like a black feather pillow explosion.
I'd entirely forgotten about that XP-100 until Old Grump mentioned it.
That was one of those boy-howdy! moments.Gary L. Griffiths
New member
Back in the day, when they first came out, I got a S&W Model 39. Now, I had quite a bit of experience shooting a WWII P-38, which I loved, but the 39 kicked like a mule! 
I guess it had something to do with the grip shape, which didn't seem to fit my hand very well.
Then, of course, there was the Kel-Tec P-40 conversion. Kicked worse than my 2.5" .357 Combat Magnum! Little bugger actually wore skin off of the back knuckle of my thumb! 'Course, it didn't wear too much off -- I never got it to feed a full magazine.
I guess it had something to do with the grip shape, which didn't seem to fit my hand very well.Then, of course, there was the Kel-Tec P-40 conversion. Kicked worse than my 2.5" .357 Combat Magnum! Little bugger actually wore skin off of the back knuckle of my thumb! 'Course, it didn't wear too much off -- I never got it to feed a full magazine.
Back in my youth the first time I shot a 357 mag. S&W 19 with a 6 in barrel..
I think the 3rd and 4th rounds went over the back stop from flinching.
The other was a Walther PPKs. Not the recoil but after firing 5 or 6 mags the web of my shooting hand was bleeding from where the hammer bit it.
I think the 3rd and 4th rounds went over the back stop from flinching.
The other was a Walther PPKs. Not the recoil but after firing 5 or 6 mags the web of my shooting hand was bleeding from where the hammer bit it.
Fullthrottle
New member
Two times come to mind with that question.
ONE: The first and only time I fired a S&W500 Magnum. I knew it kicked, but I did not realize the size of that frame. I have wide hands but short fingers. I had a hard time raching the trigger after getting a comfotable grip, so I had to pill the hammer back to get to it comfortably.
TWO: The first time I shot my Sears(savage) 12ga. bolt action shotgun. That darn thing is light as can be, and with only a butt plate you know it when you pull the trigger.
ONE: The first and only time I fired a S&W500 Magnum. I knew it kicked, but I did not realize the size of that frame. I have wide hands but short fingers. I had a hard time raching the trigger after getting a comfotable grip, so I had to pill the hammer back to get to it comfortably.
TWO: The first time I shot my Sears(savage) 12ga. bolt action shotgun. That darn thing is light as can be, and with only a butt plate you know it when you pull the trigger.
"...Nuff said?..." Your buddy is a rectal orifice.
The stock Luger I shot, long ago, had more felt recoil than I expected. Not ugly though. The original Trapdoor Cabine I carefully loaded 70 grains of BP with an unlubed(young and no Internet then) 405 grain cast bullet gave me some reason to think.
The stock Luger I shot, long ago, had more felt recoil than I expected. Not ugly though. The original Trapdoor Cabine I carefully loaded 70 grains of BP with an unlubed(young and no Internet then) 405 grain cast bullet gave me some reason to think.
A couple of "What the hecks?" come to my mind.
When I was a wee tad of about 10, a friend of my step fathers turned me loose with a .22mag. It wa'nt the recoil that shocked me- but a matter of how loud the little revolver was.
The next one, was a few years ago and a buddy asked me to replace and fit a firing pin in an Astra Cub chambered for .22 Short. Again, it didn't seem at all possible that the little booger could be that loud!
And the last one, a few months later, I brought home a Ruger SP101 in 9mm Para. I was impressed with how much felt recoil that thing had considering it's relatively heavily built.
When I was a wee tad of about 10, a friend of my step fathers turned me loose with a .22mag. It wa'nt the recoil that shocked me- but a matter of how loud the little revolver was.
The next one, was a few years ago and a buddy asked me to replace and fit a firing pin in an Astra Cub chambered for .22 Short. Again, it didn't seem at all possible that the little booger could be that loud!
And the last one, a few months later, I brought home a Ruger SP101 in 9mm Para. I was impressed with how much felt recoil that thing had considering it's relatively heavily built.
m.p.driver
New member
Have to agree with Lahey,Polish P64 is a punishing little gun.Smith M28 no problem,M29 a walk in the park.But this little SOB has such a wicked kick that after 12 rounds your hand is stinging and your wrist is feeling it.My wife is a cop and a firearms instructor and after 7 rounds she had had enough of it.Its still my ccw when wearing light clothes.Want a laugh?Youtube .600 Nitro ,rotund redneck shooting a Contender that had be rebarreled,rips out of his hands,whips up over his head and heads south.
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So far, only one gun has "surprised" me
And that was a T/C Contender, .44 Mag, 10" octagon barrel. I had no idea it was going to jump that much! Shooting a 14" .45-70 barrel, one expects recoil. Shooting the light .44, I was amazed! Took me by surprise, and I actuall said a bad word on the range! Once.
And no, I didn't get hit by it, just surprised!
And that was a T/C Contender, .44 Mag, 10" octagon barrel. I had no idea it was going to jump that much! Shooting a 14" .45-70 barrel, one expects recoil. Shooting the light .44, I was amazed! Took me by surprise, and I actuall said a bad word on the range! Once.
And no, I didn't get hit by it, just surprised!
Crankylove
New member
It was funny, and I did tell him about the loads before I handed him my GP-100. And it wasn't 1,800 fps...........it was only 1,600
The shockwave was enough to make you want to vomit......but still didn't show any major pressure signs.N.H. Yankee
New member
My friends Keltec P40 with 180 gr Gold dots, kind of left a stinging sensation for a few minutes. Those small polymer guns don't soak up recoil real well, they leave that to your hand and wrist.