[circa81]

Out of both a service size and CCW, which caliber has less perceived recoil?

[CubDriver451]

Originally Posted by circa81

Out of both a service size and CCW, which caliber has less perceived recoil?

Having not done a side by side comparison, my guess is that they will be so close that it would be hard to tell the difference. I'm not sure what the max operating pressure of the .44 is off the top of my head, but I'm thinking it is very near the .45ACPs max of 19,900psi. Both cartridges shoot bullets of similar weights at similar velocity.

If loaded with the same weight bullet at the same pressure, the .45 would likely have a slight edge in velocity, but it would probably be negligible. Personally, I would be surprised if you could tell the difference in recoil.

JW

[CubDriver451]

Just did some quick research and discovered that the max pressure for the .44 special is 15,500 psi. This gives a distinct advantage to the .45ACP in performance, but will probably result in increased recoil as well. How much of an increase is hard to say.

Something to keep in mind is that the preceding opinion was based on shooting 230 grain bullets in the .45. One way to reduce recoil is to use a lighter bullet. Probably the biggest advantage of the .45 over the .44 special is the variety of bullets and loadings readily available from manufacturers. If you are a hand loader, this may not be of concern to you.

JW

[Drriley]

Preceived recoil in this comparison will be more a factor of the gun used with each cartridge.
The 45acp is used in a semi auto and the 44 special in a revolver. Preceived recoil is also a function of
the fit of the gun to the user's hand.

[CubDriver451]

What is say is not incorrect but it is incomplete. There are revolvers that shoot the .45ACP. the Smith & Wesson 625 is such an example. I'm pretty sure Taurus also has one or two models chambered in .45ACP. Fr the top of my head, I'm not aware of any Rugers, other than the Blackhawk and Vaquero convertibles, that use the .45 ACP but these are not typically thought of as service revolvers.

JW

[CubDriver451]

Originally Posted by Drriley

Preceived recoil in this comparison will be more a factor of the gun used with each cartridge.
The 45acp is used in a semi auto and the 44 special in a revolver. Preceived recoil is also a function of
the fit of the gun to the user's hand.

That's not completely accurate. There are a variety or revolvers chambered in .45ACP. S&W, Colt, Ruger and Taurus have all made revolvers chambered in .45ACP.

It is true that perceived recoil will be different from revolver to auto and even from one revolver model to another. It's pretty hard to do an apples to apples comparison unless using two identical guns that differ only in the cartridge they shoot. Even then, there could be a weight difference that could affect felt recoil. This weight difference would be pretty minimal when comparing .44 and .45 though. Not sure you could feel the difference

JW

[JTJ]

The Charter Arms Bulldog SS 2.5" 44spl 5 shot weighs 21oz. The typical light weight officers model 3" bbl weighs about 25oz. Both loaded with 200 grn will be very close in velocity but the 45acp will weigh about 6oz more loaded. Felt recoil will increase as rounds are fired and the weight diminishes.
Keep in mind while the revolver has a shorter barrel the cartridge is in the cylinder. The 3" 45acp barrel contains the cartridge and in effect has only a 2" barrel. There is some gas lost at the cylinder gap which probably equals them out.
My Glock 36 weighs 27 oz loaded and 20.11oz empty. It also has a longer barrel so it will out perform both of the above firearms. Recoil gets noticeably heavier on the last couple of rounds.