In this article, shooters and ammo enthusiasts will find a useful pistol recoil chart. We used a variety of data points and a recoil calculator to create a guide for pistol recoil. We also provide an analysis of the results, giving a useful perspective on the hard data.
Recoil directly affects your shooting performance.
In pistol shooting, as well as rifle and shotgun shooting, excessive recoil can make the hobby difficult, frustrating; even painful. While there are ways to manage and reduce felt recoil, one of the most important factors is cartridge selection.
The 9mm Luger, for example, owes much of its success to balanced, manageable recoil. It’s powerful enough for self-defense, yet has a soft kick that allows nearly every shooter, with practice, to handle it confidently.
Everyone experiences it differently, but there is a way to scientifically measure recoil. There is recoil energy, which is the overall power of recoil. And there is recoil velocity, which is the speed at which the pistol moves backward. These stats are important to the overall shooting experience, and both can be calculated if you have the right information.
With our pistol recoil chart, you’ll have a reliable way to compare and contrast the most popular handgun cartridges in America. Whether you’re choosing a new pistol or selecting a training round for a new shooter, our recoil chart is a valuable resource at any point in your journey.
Ultimately, felt recoil is what matters to shooters, but this chart provides mathematically calculated stats on recoil. (See below the chart for an in-depth explanation of our process.)
Pistol Recoil Chart
| Pistol Cartridge | Recoil Energy (ft-lbs) | Recoil Velocity (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| .22 Long Rifle 36-grain Copper-Plated HP Federal Champion Training 1,200 fps, 2 grains powder | 0.65 | 5.27 |
| .25 ACP 50-grain FMJ Remington UMC 760 fps, 2 grains powder | 0.49 | 4.57 |
| 5.7x28mm FN 40-Grain, Polymer Tip Fiocchi Hyperformance 1755 fps, 5.1 grains powder | 1.94 | 9.11 |
| 9mm Luger 124-Grain FMJ Winchester Target & Practice 1,140 fps, 5 grains powder | 5.85 | 15.84 |
| 9mm Makarov 95-grain FMJ Sellier & Bellot Handgun 1,017 fps, 3.4 grains power | 2.73 | 10.82 |
| .32 Auto 60-grain HP Speer Gold Dot 960 fps, 2.5 grains powder | 1.04 | 6.68 |
| 10mm ACP 180-grain Jacketed HP Blazer Brass HP 1,175 fps, 6 grains powder | 12.33 | 23 |
| .357 Magnum 140-grain XPB Barnes VOR-TX 1,265 fps, 8 grains powder | 9.97 | 20.68 |
| .357 SIG 125-grain HST JHP Federal Personal Defense 1,360 fps, 9 grains powder | 9.77 | 20.48 |
| .38 Special 130-grain FMJ Remington UMC 800 fps, 4 grains powder | 3.25 | 11.81 |
| .380 Auto 95-grain Bonded JHP Winchester Defender 1,000 fps, 4 grains powder | 2.8 | 10.95 |
| .40 S&W 180-grain JHP Magtech Handgun 990 fps, 6 grains powder | 9.17 | 19.83 |
| .45 ACP 185-grain JHP Black Hills New Pistol 1,000 fps, 6 grains powder | 9.77 | 20.48 |
| .45 Colt 210-grain JHP Federal Hydra-Shok 913 fps, 8 grains powder | 11.35 | 22.07 |
| .44 Remington Magnum 180-grain JHP PMC Bronze 1,750 fps, 24 grains powder | 38.37 | 40.57 |
| .50 AE 300-grain Bonded JHP Underwood Hunting Ammo 1,580 fps, 31 grains powder | 83.65 | 59.9 |
Calculations and Data: Pistol Recoil Chart
Recoil calculations are tricky, as numerous variables must be considered. Despite the challenges, we were able to create a reliable chart that, while perhaps imperfect, will provide a useful guide when selecting cartridges and analyzing recoil performance.
In this chart, you’ll find both recoil energy and recoil velocity. Essentially, recoil energy provides an understanding of power. It creates insight into how much force is driven into the hands of the shooter, and can be useful when understanding how much strength it will take to get the gun back on target. Recoil velocity is simply the speed of the gun. Recoil velocity, arguably, is more important, as a fast recoil will often be more painful. (A fast recoil is often described as “snappy.”)
How to Calculate Recoil
To calculate pistol recoil, you need four specific data points: 1) bullet weight (grains), 2) muzzle velocity (fps), 3) powder weight (grains), and 4) pistol weight (pounds). Some of these stats are easy to gather; others are difficult.
1) Bullet Weight: This information is provided by the manufacturer on all boxes and website product descriptions. It’s perhaps the easiest data point to acquire.
2) Muzzle Velocity: Also easy to acquire, muzzle velocity is expressed in feet per second (fps) on nearly every ammo box or online ammo profile.
3) Powder Weight: This is where recoil calculations get tricky. Manufacturers do not publish the weight of the powder used in their cartridges. In fact, they tend to treat this information like a classified secret, so it’s virtually impossible to find without taking a cartridge apart and personally measuring the powder weights. So we turned to research. We found the typical range of powder weights for the cartridge, then used the middle or most common weight. For instance, we found that the typical 9mm Luger round has somewhere between 4 and 6 grains; we used 5 in our calculation.
4) Firearm Weight: The weight of the firearm has a direct impact on overall recoil feel and performance. But handguns come in a variety of weights and sizes. And firearm weight changes whether it’s fully loaded or down to the last round. We could have selected a different weight for each cartridge (arguably, this would have been more accurate), but we chose to use 1.5 pounds, a common firearm weight, for all cartridges. This created a more consistent comparison between the various calibers.
After gathering all the necessary information, we plugged the data into the recoil calculator at ShootersCalculator.com. Again, calculating and understanding recoil is tough, but with our simplified process, we were able to create a useful comparison among the top cartridges in America.
Thoughts on the Pistol Recoil Chart
While the chart can be seen as a mere table of numbers, there are a few takeaways for firearms enthusiasts and ballistic aficionados.
One of the most obvious is that as bullet diameter increases, so too does recoil. While this is not a perfect trend, generally speaking the larger the caliber, the more recoil you will have. The .44 Magnum, obviously, has far more recoil than 9mm Luger, which has more recoil than a .22 LR. Again, it’s not a perfect trend, as other factors, especially case size and powder charge, impact recoil.
Recoil is a trade-off. Essentially, if you want low recoil, you’re going to sacrifice ballistic performance. If you want high ballistic performance and stopping power, you’re going to deal with higher recoil. The .40 S&W, for example, is an extremely effective defense cartridge, and while it’s not the hardest-kicking round on our list, it has more thump than popular self-defense options like the 9mm Luger or .380 Auto.
Choosing the ideal handgun cartridge for target shooting, hunting, and personal defense is complex. Recoil is one factor, among many, that you must consider. However, by understanding recoil, you’ll have a foundation for choosing a comfortable, effective cartridge.
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