Lowest felt recoil - across all divisions (trying a comeback)

[Qstick]

A quick background - I was a regular participant in every match I could shoot until 2006. I had the first of 3 shoulder surgeries then (and will have more) and was diagnosed with a degenerative condition that will continue to slowly get worse in my shoulders. I sold most of my gear when I decided I wouldn't be able to shoot pain free.

Recently, I have really been missing the game and want to give it one more try. My Dr. doesn't think this will accelerate the damage so it becomes a question of whether I can tolerate shooting. I'm hoping with tempered expectations and a focus on fun I can attend 1 or 2 matches a month and just have some fun.

Due to the injuries, I don't have a ton of grip strength....which doesn't help.

Obviously I am asking a pretty broad question. I feel like I have been out of the game so long I wanted to ask the folks that shoot multiple platforms already. Previously, my focus was on open but I spent a little time in Limited and Production.

I am guessing it is between Open, Production and Single Stack shooting 9mm minor?

I will most likely purchase some of the gear used until I see if it will work out or not. Probably not a great chance at this working out, but I want to give it one more try and see where that gets me.

Edit to add -

I did save my Dillon 650 just in case lol. It will have to be sent back to Dillon to be refurbished a bit since it has been stored in my garage. I'm not sure how reloading will feel on my shoulders, but it seems to be a necessary evil with the cost of ammo.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Qstick

[BeerBaron]

I would say probably limited minor with a 2011 based gun in 40cal using a 160gn or heavier pill with a light fast powder (perhaps clays?) running at around 135pf would be about the lightest/softest shooting gun for USPSA and still make minor power factor. You could run 9mm minor too with a 147gn pill but it's a bit easier to find even heavier bullets for the 40cal. either will be very soft.

The only issue is if the heavier gun will be an issue on your shoulder too?

[Smitty79]

BB is probably right. If you think you want to be more competitive, a Stock 2 in 40 minor would be a bunny fart shooter.

[kneelingatlas]

Open minor with a 95gr bullet and a case full of really slow powder?

[cnote]

Get a plastic/fantastic lightweight 9mm production gun with high cap mags, and gear to go with it,

can shoot limited minor or prod if shoulders can tolerate lots of reloads and reaching back for the 4th reload

This would be the cheapest route to go for the experiment & to see how you handle it.

Sounds like you are looking for the camaraderie and atmosphere as much as competition.

If it goes well, you can upgrade to another platform or division,

if not you have a home defense firearm

[jkrispies]

I feel for you, my friend! I had back surgery almost 3 years ago to the day, so I get what it means--personally--to make a comeback. Nowadays, I'm somewhat competitive, but frankly I shoot first and foremost for the enjoyment of it.

I have two votes for you:

1. Single stack minor (9mm or .40, you pick it). You can still be competitive with a 9mm in this division due to the increased magazine capacity over everybody else shooting Major, and the recoil will be lighter. The only hitch here is that the gun is heavier than...

2. Limited minor (again, you pick the load) with something like a Glock or M&P, if you need a lighter gun due to stress on the shoulders. Going with a larger magazine will probably be easier on the shoulders, too, due to fewer reloads.

Hope it works out for ya!

[BeerBaron]

BB is probably right. If you think you want to be more competitive, a Stock 2 in 40 minor would be a bunny fart shooter.

hmm, good option. would be competitive as a limited minor gun (just add a magwell basically) or as a production gun...

[Matt1]

It depends on what you want to shoot really. My Czechmate running minor loads for steel doesn't recoil any more than my Shadow and that's at about 135PF so I could go a bit lower.

[superdude]

For a gun without a compensator, the absolute lowest recoil will be the smallest caliber with the heaviest bullet. That translates into a 9mm with a 160 grain bullet or a 38 Super with a 180 grain bullet. The principles are 1) heavy bullets (in the same caliber) have less recoil than light bullets at the same power factor, and 2) smaller calibers are more efficient and require less gunpowder than larger calibers to drive a bullet of the same weight to the same power factor thereby producing the least recoil.

The first principle is explained here: http://www.shootingtimes.com/reloading/power-factor-recoil-bullet-weight-gives-edge/

When selecting a gunpowder you want the one that requires the smallest charge weight to reach the desired velocity. Less charge weight means less gas and less gas means less recoil. This usually means a fast gunpowder.

[BoyGlock]

Yesterday was my first time to shoot my open glock with 9 minor. It was an enjoyable experience. A light gun with a light trigger and a light load. A deep contrast to my usuals, major .40, major 9, 38 super in heavy 2011s.

[Hi-Power Jack]

Welcome back, and hope it all works - I took 12 years off, also,

because I had lost too much hearing ability = came back about

8 years ago, and glad I did.

If the Glock 9mm open doesn't work, I'd go with .22.

[coordinator]

Glad you're making a come back. I live in Winchester, so if you'd like to try a few different platforms before you make your selection let me know. I'd be glad to help you out. PM me if interested, and I look forward to hearing from you.

[atbarr]

I've had two right shoulder replacements, the last one was a total replacement. I shoot Production with a G41 with a PF of 140. Very soft.

Edited February 9, 2015 by atbarr

[Iceman2733]

I would def look into a production gun like a CZ Sp01 and a nice 160gr 9mm load. They are def super soft shooting and very very easy to shoot

Edited February 9, 2015 by Iceman2733

[Nimitz]

STI Steelmaster shooting open minor with a 9mm 125 PF load .... 115g bullets under 4.4g of N320. no recoil to speak of. Shoots like my open 22lr Steel Challenge gun ...

[Qstick]

Thanks for all the great responses. Plenty to think about for sure. I really need to decide if I can truly temper expectations.

I worry that although I am thinking it will be social now, it will quickly turn to competitive...I have that habit.

I'm leaning towards single stack (minor, with the extra rounds I am not sure how much of a disadvantage minor will be) or production at this point. I will have to give some real consideration to the reload situation. I'm really not sure how reaching back will impact me. I love the idea of limited minor, but the scoring will be such a disadvantage I am concerned I might get discouraged.

Open would be awesome. That might get a little crazy for the initial come back :-)

Thanks again!

[BritinUSA]

I think Production may be a better fit for you than Single-Stack, true you get an extra couple of rounds but any advantage those extra rounds will give you will be very dependent on the stage layout.

Production sounds a better fit and if you use some of the Ghost magazine holders they can be used bullets outward which means the mag holder takes up less space on your belt so you won't have so far to reach around.

[BeerBaron]

actually the ghost magazine holders take up exactly the same amount of space mounted bullets out as they do bullets forward. The bracket is the limiting factor as it's as wide as the mag holder.

The best pouches that actually will save you space are the DAA racers or DAA race masters. Considering the racers are not much more $ than the ghosts they are a much nicer pouch.

[UFO]

Nothing shoots softer than my 627 revolver. .38 short colts making 133 pf

[BoyGlock]

Id go for open 9 minor Glock. Aside from least recoil, it is also the least stress to play. Competitive or social the gun and he div itself have more fun. And its much cheaper than open 2011s.

[KustomHolsters]

An open Glock would definatly be a good choice. With 170mm mags on most courses of fire you wouldnt have to reload but maybe once. Used G17 and G22 are very common along with glock parts. With a really low poundage recoil spring i run 3.0 gr of TG with a 125gr bullet and it is extremely soft(not sure it would make minor though).

[Nimitz]

If you are really concerned about recoil consider Steel Challenge. no PF and everyone is scored the same. You can shoot rimfire match or centerfire match or both ....

[Nebwake]

If you want to shoot still and want no recoil what about sticking to steel challange (or club matches for fun) with sub minor 9mm loads out of a 1911 or cz? Load up 115 gn over fast powder as low as you can get the slide to run with light recoil springs. My 9mm trojan with this load has a similar recoil to my walther p22.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Nebwake

[theunloader]

If you are looking to simply enjoy something that you miss I'd think you'd want to minimize the weight of the gun and minimize recoil. Making manipulations easier is probably also a plus. I'm no expert, but i would think an open polymer gun would be the way to go. Again, if you're only looking to have fun, a limited-style GLOCK with a compensator would be a good gun for the open division. You would cut down on weight without a red dot or milling out the slide, you could run whatever holster and pouches you want, oversize the controls for easier manipulation, and add a good comp with down-loaded 9mm and light RSA to get light recoil. You may not be competitive, but you would have a fun time. If you wanted to go competitive adding a red dot may not add too much weight.

That's just my two cents. Kudos to you for getting back out there and giving it a try. I hope everything works out for you.

[t0066jh]

One more suggestion, unrelated to what gun you use. Your hands, forearms, upper arms, chest and back muscles are all shock absorbers for your shoulder joints. Make sure you are working out to build the strength and resilience of all of these muscle groups. See a physical therapist or a personal trainer to develop a program to put these "tools" in the best shape possible.

Hope this works for you, for now it's helping me postpone shoulder joint replacement. Let us know how this works out..

joe