Silly Recoil Question, just because I'm curious

[Harriw]

So... I've never had the opportunity to shoot a 1911 (woe is me...), but have every intention of owning one (or 3....ish....) someday. I HAVE, however, had the pleasure of shooting .45LC rounds from an Uberti-made SAA clone belonging to my Uncle. They were just factory loads. I'm aware .45 Colt can be loaded anywhere from "did you hear something?" to "HOLY $#!^!." And while I didn't happen to see the box he was using, I'm fairly sure they were probably on the light-side, intended for Cowboy Action shooting.

How does the recoil from standard .45acp loads in a 1911 (for simplicity let's just say its a steel government model, not an alloy frame, commander size, or anything like that) compare to .45 Colt from a SAA?

For whatever it's worth... I'm a bit too young to have grown up playing "Cowboys and Indians," and my firearms "collecting" interests tend to run more towards WWII stuff than old west stuff. But that SAA was SOOOO pleasant to shoot. The recoil was simply sublime, even one-handed... No muzzle rise at all, just a nice, slow, hard push backwards. Nothing like the 9mm's I own and am used to. Prior to shooting his, I really had no interest in them at all. But MAN was that thing fun to shoot. It immediately jumped to the top of my wish list.

So... is that what a 1911 in .45acp kicks like as well? Or would 9mm be a better comparison?

Thanks!

 

[patmccoy]

No way to compare, due to the vast variation in loads and the completely different shape of the grip causing a different feel to the recoil. The 1911 will be much more similar to your 9mm (but with greater felt recoil if using230 gr ball ammo, rather than the 115gr 9mm load).

 

[Captcurt]

Patmccoy is right on. The standard factory hardball loaded 45 ACP will recoil harder than your 9 even with 9+P. It is a completely different recoil than the revolver too. The 1911 comes back while the SA revolver rolls up and to the side with hot loads. If you choose to shot a mild load in a 1911 you will have to change springs to get it to eject.

 

[jmr40]

Even if the actual recoil is exactly the same it will feel different. A single action revolver tends to roll in the hand naturally as the muzzle rises. A 1911 tends to recoil straight back. But with standard loads most people don't have any issues with either 45 ACP or 45 Colt rounds. Even the hottest 45 ACP +P loads are manageable for most people in a steel framed 1911. In a lightweight aluminum or plastic framed pistol things might be sporty.

Now 45 Colt with modern hot loads designed to only be used in certain guns will exceed 44 mag recoil and can be more than many people want to deal with.

 

[jmorris]

Lots of variables involved, gun, ammo, shooter as well as things that can be done to mitigate the effects.

They don’t have to be uncontrollable though.



If you had no muzzle rise on a single action 45 LC, that would be like 4.5 grains of 231 with a 200gn SWC in a 1911 using an 11lb recoil spring, and the spent cases will still hit your hat from time to time but you won’t have to go looking for them they will be beside your right foot.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

So... is that what a 1911 in .45acp kicks like as well? Or would 9mm be a better comparison?

Thanks!

This is a good question.

Unfortunately, it's not a simple one to answer.

Felt recoil depends on many factors, not just how powerful a given cartridge is. How a gun is designed has a lot to do with it as well. Everything from the mass of the gun to how the action works to how the grip is designed, and probably a few other factors as well.

It also matters on a personal level, because how I may subjectively experience recoil may be different than how you subjectively experience it. Maybe our hands are different, our grip strength different, our shooting experience different...whatever. You could shoot the 1911 and think the recoil is powerful and I could shoot the same one with the same ammo and think "not bad".

So you can't really directly compare how a SAA recoil feels with that of a 1911. The cartridge loadings have a lot to do with it, as well as the mass of the handguns, how the SAA grip allows the revolved to more smoothly "roll" up in the hand, how the tilting barrel design works in the 1911, etc.

The absolute BEST way to get a feel for this is to actually shoot the 1911 and see how it feels to you.

Which is cool...because shooting is fun!

 

[.308 Norma]

The absolute BEST way to get a feel for this is to actually shoot the 1911 and see how it feels to you.

"That's for sure and for certain." Quigley1990
Seriously, shoot a 45ACP 1911 Harriw. I'll bet you'll be pleasantly surprised, even though as others have said, you can't really compare its recoil to a 45 Colt SAA.

 

[Harriw]

Thanks all - was just curious. I've been at this long enough now that I'm pretty finished collecting my list of "guns for a specific purpose." Now I get to go start in on my "guns for fun" list (not that the ones I have aren't fun in addition to serving a purpose). 1911's and an SSA or two are both high on that list and I have no doubt they'll be added in the near future. But as I said I've never had an opportunity to shoot a 1911, and was wondering.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Thanks all - was just curious. I've been at this long enough now that I'm pretty finished collecting my list of "guns for a specific purpose." Now I get to go start in on my "guns for fun" list (not that the ones I have aren't fun in addition to serving a purpose). 1911's and an SSA or two are both high on that list and I have no doubt they'll be added in the near future. But as I said I've never had an opportunity to shoot a 1911, and was wondering.

Nothing compares to a single action revolver with light loads for pleasant shooting in my opinion.
I run a 200 grain target load in a 1911. It's mild. But has more of a snap combined with a twist. Unlike the smooth single action recoil.

 

[herrwalther]

I have owned and fired about a half dozen 1911s over the years. I always considered the 45ACP to be a different recoil impulse compared to 9mm. Even in an aluminum frame 1911, it feels more like a push back and up instead of a snap recoil. I shoot 230gr hardball and HP exclusively but plan on exploring other grains when supply allows.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Like others have said they are different.
Just for kicks, shoot a Glock 22 and a Glock 27. They fire the same round, have the same shape, and are very similar in size even. The Glock 22 (fullsize) has very little felt recoil. The Glock 27 (subcompact) is a snappy little gun. So even the recoil of similar guns is hard to speak to. Much less completely different guns.
I also despise a single action grip (even though I own and big game hunt with a few).

That said I have fired probably close to 100 45 colts and would say the recoil is on average stouter than a 45 1911. Even my 10mm 1911s are plenty comfortable to shoot. IMO for a grown man or for anyone with much experience, things don't get excessive in a full size gun until you get above 10mm.

 

[WC145]

Grip frame shape/geometry, the action of the slide in an auto, barrel length, caliber and projectile weights, load pressure, and other factors all serve to make it an apples to oranges to grapes comparison. I have a bunch of 1911s and I have a Ruger Vaquero in .45ACP and even with exactly the same ammunition the recoil feel and impulse are completely different in the Vaquero than in a 1911. I don't find the recoil of a .45ACP objectionable in any type of handgun and I compete with .45ACP 1911s and shoot them a lot, it's my favorite handgun design/caliber combo, but in the Vaquero it "feels" lighter, just the way the gun rolls in your hand and the recoil is absorbed, it's a very easy shooting gun.

Recoil in a particular gun and caliber is one of those things that must be experienced, as everyone feels it differently. Ask around and see if someone you know or someone at the range has a 1911 you can shoot, or maybe rent one at a range and give it a try.

 

[DustyGmt]

Well I look at it like this. While the .45 may generate more recoil than the 9mm. The 9mm, for me anyway has a more flippy, quick snappy kind of recoil. Not much, just a quick snap for lack of more distinct adjectives. The .45 in a 1911 feels like a friendly push rearward in your palm. Not as snappy and with the all steel construction more balanced. I'm also not comparing a 1911 .45 with a 1911 9mm. I'm making the comparison between a full size glock and full size Gov't model, so two totally different guns. Still, somewhat closer in comparison than a 1911 vs SAA, which there isn't really any comparing.

 

[doubleh]

I only own one SAA clone in 45 Colt. The trigger guard was very unfriendly to my middle finger until I installed Pachmayer rubber grips on it. Now it has ugly grips but is quite pleasant to shoot as my middle finger no longer swells up and turns blue. I find the1911 in 45 ACP to be just a pleasant to shoot as the SAA although, as stated before, it is a different feel between the two guns.

 

[illinoisburt]

What type of 9mm are you referencing? A full sized service pistol like a Beretta M9 has significantly less recoil than the small pocket 9s so popular today. A standard 5" 1911 isn't terribly different recoil from the M9, though grip size and shape versus you hands makes that quite subjective. The 1911 will likely seem much more shootable compared with a Shield or LC9.

 

[Hangingrock]

I've been shooting 1911 series semiautomatic handguns for 57-Yrs, starting in 1964 at MCRD Parris Island SC. What is this recoil being talked about with the 45ACP. Firing there is a gentle push and slight muzzle rise.

 

[Coop45]

I've been shooting 1911 series semiautomatic handguns for 57-Yrs, starting in 1964 at MCRD Parris Island SC. What is this recoil being talked about with the 45ACP. Firing there is a gentle push and slight muzzle rise.

A pity you missed out on the floral shirt and the sunglasses we got in San Diego. I went back several years ago and the grinder had shrunk and there was one Quonset hut as a museum. We are old.

 

[Harriw]

What type of 9mm are you referencing? A full sized service pistol like a Beretta M9 has significantly less recoil than the small pocket 9s so popular today. A standard 5" 1911 isn't terribly different recoil from the M9, though grip size and shape versus you hands makes that quite subjective. The 1911 will likely seem much more shootable compared with a Shield or LC9.

Mostly a CZ85, so similar size/weight to the Beretta. I also have a Star BM and a Sig P365 though. The star isn't a whole lot different (still lots of steel), but the Sig does jump appreciably more. I don't get as much "flip" from the Sig though - the whole gun wants to jump. It's actually similar to my FIL's S&W 642 in 38 Special.