How do I overcome the recoil and the loundness of a handgun?

Question

I used a .45 caliber Norinco and the recoil was very strong , I do not like it. I always anticipate the recoil and the loundness.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Actually, this is really a common problem that can be easily cured.

First, if you wear a good set of protective ear muffs (with or without ear plugs) you should overcome the loudness of your .45.

Second, the recoil can be reduced by doing either of two things ...
You can shoot wadcutters instead of full power service loads ... but the wadcutters may not feed reliably in your current pistol.
And/or, you must lock both your wrist and your elbow, which will reduce the perception of recoil.

Third, if you have the time to anticipate the shot, recoil, and loudness of the pistol, that means that you also have a heavy trigger pull, which is going to be characteristic of the Norinco (which is a Chinese clone of the Colt .45). The trigger pull can be reduced which can decrease the anticipation factor in your shooting.

Fourth, you need to practice, practice, and then practice some more!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Wear earplugs, shooting glasses, and mechanix gloves. The earplugs keep your ears protected while the gloves absorb a lot of the impact from the recoil. Also, when you shoot, don't fight the recoil by flinching, step in a little bit before you shoot so your body will help absorb some recoil, and let your body move with the recoil.

-Shooting magnum caliber revolvers for the last 5 years.

Answer 3

For recoil, switch to a lighter load. I suspect you are shooting 230 gr FMJ. Try a 200 gr. load or 185 gr. Assuming for the moment you are a right handed shooter try the following: Check your feet. That is, how are you standing? Feet should be shoulder width apart, then take about a half step forward, with your left foot. Lean slightly forward. Fully extend the right arm fully but do not to lock your elbow. Your left hand should also be supporting the right by having the left's four fingers on top the right's fingers and the left thumb along side or slightly on top of the right. You should feel balanced and comfortable with the stance. If not, shift around until you are.
This, somewhat modified, Weaver Stance puts more of your body weight behind the gun and will absorb more recoil.

For noise, wear ear plugs or ear muffs. You should not be firing guns without ear protection. This will damage your hearing. To fire some of my heavy magnums, I wear both ear plugs and muffs.

Answer 4

Anticipating recoil is called flinching, and try what I do, use a foam ear-plug along with a good quality ear-muff at the same..2 is better then 1, double your ear protection. As for that recoil, you should have thought about that before you got that 45. Swap it for a nice 40cal. and you'd be much more happy and, your groups would look allot better.

Answer 5

Hearing protection is a must. If that's your first handgun, you certainly jumped in with both feet. You'd probably do best to put it down before you develop a lasting flinch. Get a 22, reinforce good technique, and build back up to the big bores with time. Meantime, your 45 will seem like a popgun if you need it to save your life, so if you want, keep it at your bedside, but that's a very remote possibility, so be realistic.

Answer 6

Earplugs and practice, practice, practice. .45s aren't that bad for recoil. Most 9mms are close to it. You have a nice starting pistol. Once you master it, the rest will be easy. Wait 'till you try a .357 Magnum; LOUD and a 'nice' recoil. .44 Magnums aren't as bad as people think they are, either, just a little stout.

Answer 7

Dry fire every day! Spend at least 30 minutes every night dry firing your gun.

Be SURE your gun is NOT loaded. Place a small 1/2 inch mark on a wall 6 feet away at shoulder height. Draw your ****** (empty) gun, remove the safety on the way up, line up your sights, focus on your front sight, begin taking slack from your trigger until the hammer falls. Repeat this over and over again. It is important to go slooooow, do not disturb your sight alignment by jerking the trigger.

Work your way up from smaller guns. Start with a bb pistol, move to a .22, then to a 9mm.

Answer 8

If the recoil is more than you are comfortable with, switch to 9mm. For loudness, there are special earplugs that have built in valves that automatically close when the sound wave arrives, and releases afterwards, so you can hear normally.

Answer 9

Bound hit on the nose. Ear protection is a must.
If you want to overcome the bad habits practice dry firing. You can do it at home and it costs you nothing. If you go to the range with a friend have your buddy load the gun for you one round at a time. So that the gun will be loaded by your buddy who may or may not chamber a round. If it is loaded and your shot goes where you want it you did everything right. But if its unloaded and you jerk the trigger you and your buddy will see what it is your doing wrong.

Answer 10

Well, recoil you just have to master. Shoot two-handed and don't fight it. Very important, always use hearing protection especially if you're just practicing. Or, try the .9mm rather than the .45 acp. It'll still be loud, but recoil less.

Best.

H