Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Glock Recoil?

Looking to buy a glock to wear while doing farm chores and like the glock cause it appears to be durable. I have owned a number of pistols and revolvers and never could shoot them well enough to make much use of them. the glock 17 I am presently borrowing is easy for me to shoot and pretty accurate. my kids shot it this weekend and handled it pretty weill, recoil was not a problem. I like the idea of a 40 s&w cal but I am afraid it would be too much recoil for the kids. anyone here have experience with these two cartridges and recoil?

handguns I have owned and sold include...

several vaqueros in 45 lc
black hawk in 45 lc
s&w 44 mag, full lug 6"
s&w 41 mag, full lug 6"
s&w m60 357 mag (this one was stolen with my truck)!
springfield enhanced in 45 acp
beretta 380
s&w airweight in 38 spcl (still own it)

sold most to fund rifle projects. the big guns were too heay to wear on a belt while doing chores. the 45 acp was too nice. the 38 AW is too inaccurat to be worth much.

The glock 17 I shot was nice, I could hit the 12" gong at 30 + yards (good for me). The critters I am most likely to encounter at the farm in the off season are wild dogs, typically not too friendly. don't like to ever be unarmed while out and about the place.

Much thanks!

Glock's shoot easy for me also and I ain't much of a pistol shooter. I have the Glock 22 in 40 and it certainly recoils more than the 9mm, but I don't have a problem with it. I'd run with the 9mm if it were me.

Or get both...

257Bob - In my experience, .40 S&W seems, subjectively, "softer" shooting than 9mm in the same platform. Others may disagree. That said, I usually carry a revolver (.41 or .44 mag) out and about on the farm. If I carry an auto its my Glock 20, 10mm. For what it's worth, I'd keep the kids on .22's until recoil is not an issue.

I have had a 22 in .40 since they were introduced and don't find its recoil objectionable. That being said, if the pistol is to be used by your kids, I would go with the 9, as it will cost less to feed.

Chris

257Bob:

I like Glocks myself, but this looks like a job for a .357 magnum revolver with a 4-6" barrel. The kids can shoot it with .38 special loads. If they can hold a Glock, they should be able to hold that.

- TJM

If you get a Glock in .40, 9mm and and 357 Sig are only a barrel-swap away.

Well, you need a 9mm magazine for the 9mm swap-out.

I started off shooting mostly Magnum revolvers much like it appears you have been shooting. Anything Glock makes will seem to be a soft shooter compared to the other revolvers you listed.
To me, hand gun recoil seems to be in 3 levels. In .38, 9mm, .40, .45, and even 10mm I have a hard time telling the difference. I notice a bigger difference in recoil depending on the individual guns and loads than in the calibers. When I step up to .357 mag or larger I can tell a difference. Also when shooting anything less powerful than a .38 it is noticeable.

That's a duh on my part. I was just looking at a 357 Sig barrel...

Note: If you swap in a 357 Sig barrel, any Glock or aftermarket barrel is GTG. If you swap out a 9mm barrel in a .40, you need to go with a slightly larger diameter aftermarket barrel designed for that. The factory 9mm barrel is .570" outside diameter, 40 barrel is .590" outside diameter, on my examples.

Lone Wolf sells the 9mm barrels for the swap:

http://www.lonewolfdist.com/products.asp?prod=4&curRecIdx=141

I resisted Glocks till a few months ago. I'm not easily impressed by handguns but the Glock has impressed me.

Might need to pick up a 10mm also, maybe.

I loaded up on 'em back whe Bill Clinton was doing the AWB around '92. I picked up a 17, 20, 21, and 22.

I traded away the 20, with frequent regrets.

I like them. Simple, accurate, reliable. All I've done is installed tritium sights, and Hogue grip sleeves.

Glock 20-C Rules

The Glock 20 is an excellent hunting sidearm and my personal choice and I've owned quite a FEW handguns.

If you're serious about letting the kids use it a Glock 19 might be a better choice than a G20 or even a G17. It's smaller and lighter than a G17 and the grip is smaller making it more user friendly for smaller hands.

I DO agree that if kids can't handle the recoil of a 9mm then they should stick with 22's until they're ready. Also if they're going to be allowed to shoot a 9mm (unsupervised) then gun safety should be second nature to them and intensely drilled into them. It's a might big temptation to "rock and roll" with a semi-auto pistol and before you know it bullets are flying EVERYWHERE!!!

Recoil impulse is a lot less with a Glock than with most other handguns and that's because of the polymer frame and superior design.

They're incredibly reliable and almost completely maintenance free.

$bob$

Thanks to all for the feedback. Although I agree that a stainless 357 revolver is just about ideal, I really like the glock and I have found that I can shoot it better than the typical revolver. my kids see lots of "stuff" on tv with bad guys making fantastic shots with pistols so I wanted to give them a dose of reality and let them shoot the glock. it was an eye opener for them and they had lots of fun with it (under my direct supervision). also, I believe I have a responsibilty to teach them to shoot and become familiar with a pistol in the event the come across one when I am not around (they should understand the complexity of a semi-auto and danger).

although they have been around guns all of their life, and taken a good number of deer, they have never previouisly shot a handgun so I wanted them go get over the curiosity of them.

anyway, it seems the glock in a 9mm is the way to go for recoil and cheap ammo. I have a loaner now but will eventually buy one.

257Bob:

Well, there you are. I've always believed that the best choice in a handgun is the handgun you can hit best with. Hitting - bullet placement - being the most important consideration.

- TJM

257Bob;

The G20 is f'kin' impressive. Easily controllable, a powerhouse of magazine capacity and round power. And, I can hit with mine (factory tritium sights) at 75 yards without trying hard.

Owning a G20 is like owning a .300WM; it might be more than needed in a lot of situations, but I doubt you'll ever be left wanting for more power until pachyderms enter the equation.

I've never understood why someone could shoot well with a 357 and not a 10mm, or a 41, or a 44, or a 45, or even a 500.

If your sights on your handgun are good and well suited to you and you can handle the recoil then why couldn't you shoot just as well with any of them?

Unless you have a medical condition mild recoil is that which is generated by the gun that is less powerful than the one you just recently shot.

It's all a matter of perception, fear, and what you're conditioned to. I've seen women and children shooting full house loads in 44mags and LOVING it!!! It's what they're used to and unless you shoot thousands and thousands of rounds with heavy recoiling guns, you're not likely to damage yourself with recoil.

Muzzle blast, however, is a another whole matter. One shot without hearing protection and you just did permanent irreversable damage to your hearing and each succeeding shot compounds that damage.

Wear hearing protection with ANY handgun and wear it ALL THE TIME...

$bob$

257 Bob,

If you want me to drag out my Glocks and let you and your family try them out then just let me know... We're almost neighbors.

$bob$

Then, sir, you've been firing wimpy 10mm loads. My reloads, or loads from DoubleTap will change your mind. Not dangerous, just what a 10mm should be.

XD40 baby!!!

had a glock 26 9mm and a glock 23 .40. loved the 9mm, hated the 40. look at the XD40 see what you think!