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To: William Tell

Your points are well taken. And, many FReepers here witnessed my being instructed in the proper way on firearm usage back on April 19, earlier this year. I’m just not accustomed to the kick from a glock and I may not get to be. And if I can’t then I won’t be able get the CCL, unless I try a Bersa 380.


237 posted on 12/12/2007 11:16:56 AM PST by Froufrou
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To: Froufrou
Froufrou said: "I’m just not accustomed to the kick from a glock and I may not get to be. And if I can’t then I won’t be able get the CCL, unless I try a Bersa 380."

At the risk of hijacking this thread, let's look at your situation.

The "kick" of a gun is the result of the reaction of the gun to the expanding gases which expel the bullet. Somewhat counter-intuitively, there will tend to be less perceived recoil when firing a heavy gun, given a particular cartridge and barrel length.

If you choose a very small, and thus very light, Glock and you fire a powerful cartridge, then you will feel a good kick. If you choose a larger gun firing a less powerful round, then the kick will be much less.

To reduce the kick the most, choose the heaviest gun possible for any given cartridge. The trade-off, of course, then becomes that the heavier, and thus larger, gun is more difficult to conceal.

I think Smith and Wesson makes a titanium revolver in .357 magnum that weighs less than a pound. That's probably going to sting a lot when fired, making practice with it unpleasant.

The opposite situation would be getting a full size steel gun in a less powerful cartridge.

I've also read that the "blow-back" designs, which I believe includes the Bersa 380, have to have heavier springs to hold the chamber closed without it being locked. This makes the slide harder to operate for someone with smaller hands and also makes the recoil feel sharper. There is a subjective element to recoil.

What sort of qualification testing are you faced with that the recoil would be of such concern? The problem I have read about is one of not being willing to practice due to unpleasant recoil. But I haven't run across that as a problem in qualifying.

239 posted on 12/12/2007 12:52:43 PM PST by William Tell (RKBA for California (rkba.members.sonic.net) - Volunteer by contacting Dave at rkba@sonic.net)
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To: Froufrou
I’m just not accustomed to the kick from a glock and I may not get to be. And if I can’t then I won’t be able get the CCL, unless I try a Bersa 380.

There's even Glock .380s, IIRC. Lots of choices in many different brands. But the Bersa is not bad. But you should be able to get used to the 9mm Glock. But for now, .22 rimfire, until you get used to pistols in general. I'm not much for really powerful handguns myself. But for my that's .44 magnum. I think I'd like even that in a Desert Eagle, but they are a bit large for concealed carry. (They also come in a .50 caliber (action express), where a single cartridge fills my palm, which isn't huge, but isn't tiny either).

243 posted on 12/12/2007 7:56:27 PM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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