Quote:
Originally Posted by Brokinarrow
the 380 round is about the same size as a 9mm, but with less power. This (to my understanding, if someone knows better please correct me) gives the gun less recoil but still will have plenty of killing potential for a home defense weapon...
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There are more factors to recoil than just bullet size. Barrel length, gun weight and grip have more of an influence to recoil than the bullet does. Here is just one example. I have a Glock 34 with a 5.32" barrel that shoots 9mm and a Ruger LCP with a 2.7 " barrel that shoots .380. The Glock has little recoil, but that little Ruger kicks like an angry mule. The gas has much more time to dissipate pressure in the Glock due to the longer barrel and the gun is heavier so it does not fly up as fast.
My mother wanted help choosing a carry gun. She is disabled and asked to shoot my various guns. When she saw all of them that I brought, she immediately was drawn to the Ruger LCP and Beretta Tomcat (.32). Once she shot them each one time, she put them down and said NO WAY. Same with a S&W 642 Airweight. In the end she decided the Glock 19 in 9mm was the best bet. It was large enough to hold recoil down, but small enough to fit in her purse.
With all this said, a simple rule for any .32 cartridge or larger is the smaller the gun, the smaller the kick. The larger the gun, the smaller the kick.