Before purchasing a handgun, you should be sure that you can physically handle both:
Serious consideration should be to your upper body strength, wrist strength, and any physical conditions - such as arthritis or other joint pain/tenderness.
Recoil, also known as kick, is the force a handgun exerts back upon its user when it is fired. Because recoil flips the barrel of a handgun upward (a phenomenon called “muzzle flip”), this moves the handgun up away from the target. The greater the recoil, the greater the time needed to reacquire the target in your sights. That’s why a “lighter” recoil makes it easier to direct rapid fire.
Far too many people incorrectly associate recoil with a particular caliber. In reality, the recoil energy a handgun produces primarily relates to four factors:
New handgun owners typically incorrectly assume that a small (e.g., a compact or subcompact) or light-weight handgun (e.g., made from composite material or aluminum vs. steel) will be easier for them to handle. In reality, the opposite is usually the case. The goal should be to find the right balance between handgun weight, cartridge, and the resulting recoil for you to handle comfortably WITH the proper handgun grip. The below video is Pro Shooter Jerry Miculek (64 years old at the time of the video) training you as to how to grip your pistol to control recoil.
(Alternate Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kWc_kvaPZI)
The chart below lists several common cartridges with various pistols (e.g., Glock, Staccato (C DPO & C2), Smith & Wesson M&P® Bodyguard® (a popular CCW handgun), Springfield Armory HELLCAT® 3″ Micro-Compact (a popular CCW handgun), Beretta M9 (Standard Issue for the US Military from 1985-2017), Sig Sauer P320-M17 & P320-M18 (Standard Issue for the US Military from 2017-Present), and Rock Island Armory (Armscor)) sorted by the resulting recoil energy.
If you would like to calculate the recoil of a specific handgun and cartridge, you can use the free, online Recoil Calculator.
| Cartridge | Bullet Wt. (gr.) | Bullet Velocity (fps) | Propellant Wt. (gr.) | Handgun Weight (lbs.) | Handgun Referenced | Recoil Energy (ft Lbs.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .22LR | 40 | 1240 | 2.5 | 0.915 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 44 | 1.34 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 2.7 (Unloaded) | Rock Island TAC Ultra FS HC - 9mm (1911A2 style) | 3.05 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 2.49 (Unloaded) | Rock Ultra FS - 9mm (1911A1 style) | 3.30 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 2.47 (Unloaded) | Rock Island GI Standard FS - 9mm (1911A1 style) | 3.33 |
| .380 ACP | 90 | 930 | 3.7 | 0.86 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 42 | 3.85 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 2.08 (Unloaded) | Beretta M9 | 3.96 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.85 | Sig Sauer P320-M17 | 4.21 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 2.08 (Unloaded) | Beretta M9 | 4.26 |
| .380 ACP | 90 | 930 | 3.7 | 0.769 (W/Laser) | Smith & Wesson M&P® Bodyguard® | 4.31 |
| .380 ACP | 90 | 930 | 3.7 | 0.75 (W/O Laser) | Smith & Wesson M&P® Bodyguard® | 4.42 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.756 | Sig Sauer P320-M18 | 4.69 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.85 | Sig Sauer P320-M17 | 4.79 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 2.08 (Unloaded) | Beretta M9 | 4.83 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.66 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C DPO | 4.96 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.756 | Sig Sauer P320-M18 | 5.04 |
| .45 ACP | 185 | 925 | 8 | 2.70 (Unloaded) | Rock Island TAC Ultra FS HC 1911A2 | 5.24 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.554 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 17 | 5.29 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.66 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C DPO | 5.34 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.85 | Sig Sauer P320-M17 | 5.43 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.477 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 19 | 5.57 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 2.82 (Unloaded) | Rock Island TAC Ultra FS 1911A1 | 5.57 |
| .45 ACP | 185 | 925 | 8 | 2.49 (Unloaded) | Rock Island Ultra FS 1911A1 & Rock Standard FS - 45ACP | 5.68 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.554 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 17 | 5.70 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.756 | Sig Sauer P320-M18 | 5.72 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 2.70 (Unloaded) | Rock Island TAC Ultra FS HC 1911A2 | 5.82 |
| .45 ACP | 185 | 925 | 8 | 2.40 | Remington 1911 R1 “Carry” | 5.89 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.477 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 19 | 6.0 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.66 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C DPO | 6.05 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.345 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 26 | 6.12 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.56 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C2 (2021) | 6.27 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 2.49 (Unloaded) | Rock Island Ultra FS 1911A1 & Rock Standard FS - 45ACP | 6.31 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.2875 (W/Empty Mag) | M&P® 9 SHIELD | 6.39 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.56 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C2 (2021) | 6.44 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.554 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 17 | 6.46 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 2.40 | Remington 1911 R1 “Carry” | 6.54 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.345 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 26 | 6.58 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.56 (Empty W/ No Mag.) | Staccato C2 (2021) | 6.68 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.477 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 19 | 6.8 |
| 9mm | 124 | 1061 | 5.9 | 1.16 (W/Extended Mag) | Springfield Armory HELLCAT® 3″ Micro-Compact | 7.09 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 1.81 (Unloaded) | HK 45 | 7.27 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.345 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 26 | 7.46 |
| 9mm | 115 | 1127 | 7.5 | 1.16 (W/Extended Mag) | Springfield Armory HELLCAT® 3″ Micro-Compact | 7.63 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 1.87 (Unloaded) | M&P®45 M2.0™ with TRUGLO® TFX™ SIGHTS 10+1 (4.6" barrel) | 8.4 |
| 10mm | 165 | 1275 | 9.7 | 2.50 (Unloaded) | Rock Ultra FS HC - 10mm (1911A2 style) | 8.50 |
| 10mm | 165 | 1275 | 9.7 | 2.49 (Unloaded) | Rock Island TAC Ultra - 10mm (1911A1 style) | 8.54 |
| 9mm | 147 | 996 | 6.3 | 1.16 (W/Extended Mag) | Springfield Armory HELLCAT® 3″ Micro-Compact | 8.65 |
| .45 ACP | 230 | 848 | 5.5 | 1.87 (Unloaded) | M&P®45 M2.0™ 10+1 (5" with Threaded barrel) | 9.94 |
| 10mm | 165 | 1275 | 9.7 | 1.92 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 20 (Gen 4) | 11.07 |
| 10mm | 165 | 1275 | 9.7 | 1.67 (W/Empty Mag) | Glock 29 (Gen 4) | 12.73 |
<note>All of the 9mm cartridges above (115 gr., 124 gr. & 147 gr.) were commercial 9mm Luger (Parabellum) cartridges. To understand how these are different from other 9mm cartridges, read: “The Many Names of 9mm Ammunition”.</note>
While on many pistols, you can “tune” your recoil by changing the weight of your recoil spring, you should “know what you're doing” before you start experimenting.
Tuning Your Pistol with Recoil Springs (1911s)
How to Tune Your Recoil Spring - On a Glock (or any pistol)