Glock caliber choice

Question
Hi Bob: I'd like to get a Glock pistol but I want one with low recoil so my option
is either 357 or 40sw. 380 is for law enforcement only. From a recoil page I
found 357 cal in small bullet weight seems acceptable. What would you suggest
as my choice ? Thank you.... Glenn (NRA member) paying on life member status.

Answer
Hello Glenn.

If you truly want a low recoil pistol then you probably want one in .22 LR, .25, .32, or .380. These are all at the lower end of the power and weight scale thus they will have less overall recoil when compared to the higher powered cartridges such as the 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, etc.

In my experience none of the common pistol cartridges truly have enough recoil to be a problem for the average shooter. As long as the pistol is properly sized and matched to the hand of the shooter, and the shooter is properly trained and practices often enough to maintain their skills, then even a younger child, small adult, or a frail elderly person can safely and accurately fire a full power pistol such as a .357 Magnum with ease. In fact I have seen a few 10 year old kids shoot my 2" ported .357 Magnum Taurus Total Titanium revolver with .38 special loads in my basic pistol class and they did better than the adult students.

The real issue with recoil is generally the loud noise, sound pressure shockwave, and/or bright muzzle blast. These things cause your nervous system to invoke automatic reflex reactions which include flinching, blinking, squeezing the grips too hard, holding your breath, shaking, sweating, etc. To overcome this you can take steps to minimize the impact (better hearing protection, sound-dampened firing ranges, low power target loads, shaded eye protection, etc.) You can also practice often enough that your body gets used to the impact and you learn to shoot better (proper breathing, grip, stance, trigger pull, etc.)

Once you have been trained and developed proper shooting skills then you should be able to handle virtually any pistol / cartridge combination so you have to focus on which is the best combination for your specific needs. Glock makes a fine pistol and I have a few but I prefer other models for most of my practical needs. If you want a smaller caliber then checkout the Kel Tec P-32 in .32 or the Sig Sauer P232 in .380. If you have already settled on a Glock then you might check out their G17 / G19 / G26 in 9mm. Most local gun dealers should stock or be able to get these for you.

You can also purchase a conversion kit to fire .22 LR ammunition from most Glock models. Here is a link to one of the available kits, although be advised that numerous companies make similar kits and some might function better than others:

http://www.advantagearms.com/conversion_kit.html

Personally I would just purchase a separate pistol in a lower caliber to train with, then step up to the Glock or similar pistol in a larger caliber once your skills are sharp. The conversion kits cost almost as much as a separate gun any way and some of them have issues with jamming, fouling, or excessive wear.

Hope this helps. Take care and shoot safe!

Bob