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You raise an important point. There is a difference in the "quality" of the recoil between smaller calibers such as 9mm and .380 (9mm kurz) and the .45 ACP.

That is a very good point. And probably more to do with the locking design (blowback vs. link, etc.), the weight, and maybe the burn rate of the powder in the cartridge, than the caliber. I also have a sexy PPK/S in .380 that I just love, but after putting 50 rounds through it, and bleeding from the webbing between thumb and forefinger, I'm looking to go do something else! (But I still won't give it up. Just wish it was a little more reliable.) Peace.

I've never shot a 9mm much at all, I've shot my little PPK/S a good deal but never bloodied up my hand . . . for THAT I had to resort to a friend's S&W (pre sell-out) .44 Mag. I had probably put 10-20 rounds through it when I noticed my hand was bleeding. Turned out the recoil had shaken the cylinder release loose, and the stupid thing turned around and gouged a big triangular chunk out of my thumb.

Recoil was so great I didn't notice when it happened. Like somebody on this thread said, all magnums are good for is shooting engine blocks, and folks in the next county. And gouging thumbs. :-D

There are so many variables in scoring performance that I'm not sure that caliber is the only consideration. I shot for awhile with a .38 Super - built on a 1911A1 frame, with a Bar-Sto barrel. The ballistics are hotter than a standard 9mm, it's a flat-shooting little rascal. (When I used the competition loads I could only load 'em once because the primer pockets melted. I needed the Bar-Sto barrel because the standard barrel has a cutaway on the side, and the brass bulged so bad through the cutaway that it wouldn't always eject. :-0 ) I used it for metallic silhouette because the .45 ACP falls off way too fast. But I NEVER shot as well with the .38 Super as I did with the .45. I've shot a lot of .38 S&W in the old Enfield and .38 Special in both Colt & S&W. Again, even with wad-cutters I never scored like I did with the 1911A1.

Probably just an extreme case of believing in the weapon one has trained with . . . sort of like the (possibly apocryphal) Polish lancers up against the Panzers . . . :-)