Shot bunch of handguns... first time 9mm shooting. Loud and lots of recoil.

[Mystery]

I shot 6 guns today.
Until today, I only had shot 22lr so it was new experience.
Recoil is pretty strong compared to 22lr.
I didn't even feel 22lr pushing me but 9mm just slaps the palm.
It was much louder in comparison to 22lr.
I only had foam plugs with 22lr before and it wasn't as loud as 9mm with double protection, Howard Leight Impact sport and foam ear plugs.
It worked great though, it was loud but no ringing.

I also felt much pressure that was non existent with 22lr.
BTW, loading the magazine was hard for the thumbs.
They all were very stiff except for the Sig and Walther.

I've attached today's 9mm shootout and my first ever 22lr targets, both at 7 yards.
You can see 22lr was spot on but 9mm is terrible. I'm shooting all lower left.
Specially, after the Glock 19, my aim was terrible as it blistered my thumb knuckle and anticipation of the recoil.

1. M&P 2.0 Compact 4": Top left on the target
   - It feels great in hand except the texture feels like sand paper.
   
2. Glock 19: Top right on the target
   - It feels good but blocky. However, it has a lot of recoil compared to M&P. The glock's recoil pushed the back on my thumb knuckle and blistered it in just few shots.
   It probably is my hand position but still, none of the others did that.
3. M&P 2.0 Shield: Down left on the target
   - Feels okay, just little thin.
   If I get it, I definitely need to add a rubber grip to increase the width.
   My palm is boney so need thicker grip to fill the gap.
4. Sig P365: Middle on the target
   - This was small gun but felt pretty good in the hands.
   I don't think I can shoot a box with this (or any subcompact) though.
   The recoil was manageable for few magazines but hand becomes sloppy afterwards.
5. HK VP9: Down right on the target
   - This one felt the best in my hands. This means I really like wide and long grip guns.
6. Walther CCP: Top middle empty area on the target
   - This single stack felt much better than shield. I think I can live with this one. Hmm...

I wanted to try a CZ and compact Sig but they were all rented out.
However, M&P and VP9 are top two in double stack and Walther CCP and Shield are top two in single stack from today's session.



In comparison, below is my M&P 22lr target, from my very first short in my life.
I shot great when I shot the very first time and it went downhill from there.


Maybe I should stick with 22lr .

[TGS]

Cool to see you're continuing in this journey, @Mystery.

The low-left is fairly typical for new, untrained shooters. Don't get discouraged about it....you're anticipating the shot, which is a fairly easy issue to fix with minimal tutelage. If you were in the area and I had a half hour with you, I could have you hitting the bullseye every shot. Also, don't try to draw any hard conclusions about which gun is a better match for you. When you're at this stage, you kinda "don't know what you don't know".....ya know?

Instead, you need some quality marksmanship training from a good instructor. Unfortunately most instructors are not that.....I would go so far to say that anyone using their claim of being NRA certified as a selling point is probably someone to avoid from here on out. Okay for starting people out and teaching gun safety, but most are pretty terrible with actual competency beyond that.

[idahojess]

If you're having trouble loading magazines, don't fret. It can be difficult if you've got any hand issues, even a little arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc.

I've got one injured hand, and my "good" hand has some arthritis starting, so I hate loading mags without a tool. With a tool, no sweat.

The Glock double stack loader tool, which comes with Glocks (and can be purchased separately) works for Glocks and Smith and Wesson magazines. It may work for HK's (I don't know) but if it doesn't, there are lots of cheap tools that make loading a breeze.

https://www.amazon.com/Glock-Magazin...gateway&sr=8-5

[Dog Guy]

For magazine loading, also consider the UPLULA. I have one bad hand, and loading mags without one is goofy. With one, no problem. http://www.maglula.com/product/uplula-9mm-to-45acp/ is the manufacturer's site. They are available through Amazon as well, but I don't know how to link it such that PF gets credit. And the maker warns of counterfeits sold online.

[Mystery]

My hands are fine, no pain, no arthritis, no issue.
I think I pushed on the tip of shells instead of middle.
22lr had slide button that made it easy.
It should be fine after some practice.
If not, will get a loader.

[Mystery]

Cool to see you're continuing in this journey, @Mystery.

The low-left is fairly typical for new, untrained shooters. Don't get discouraged about it....you're anticipating the shot, which is a fairly easy issue to fix with minimal tutelage. If you were in the area and I had a half hour with you, I could have you hitting the bullseye every shot. Also, don't try to draw any hard conclusions about which gun is a better match for you. When you're at this stage, you kinda "don't know what you don't know".....ya know?

Instead, you need some quality marksmanship training from a good instructor. Unfortunately most instructors are not that.....I would go so far to say that anyone using their claim of being NRA certified as a selling point is probably someone to avoid from here on out. Okay for starting people out and teaching gun safety, but most are pretty terrible with actual competency beyond that.

Thanks TGS.
I'll sign up for class/es but no idea how good the range instructors are.

[Rangers13]

You think the Glock has recoil. Where you shooting the same rounds in the 9mm’s. I have 3 Glocks, 9mm, 40 cal and 45 cal and they have the least recoil of all my guns. I have Kimber’s, FN’s and a Wilson Combat in various sizes and my Glocks are the easiest to control. They are not a pretty gun but they work great. I carry my Kimber’s when I want pretty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[0ddl0t]

I shot great when I shot the very first time and it went downhill from there.

Yep, me too. It is a frustrating and fascinating phenomenon known as a U-shaped development curve. Keep learning and you'll bottom out and start getting better...

My guess is that when you started out, all you knew was to hold the sights on target as you worked the trigger - because that's all there really is to this sport. As your body gained physical experience, it began to anticipate the noise/flash/recoil and betray your mind's simple instructions to "keep the sights on target as you work the trigger." That's what happened to me anyway...

Alone, you will probably learn ways to compensate which will make you shoot better - like closing one eye and having a laser focus on the front sight (you are less likely to flinch, but it is not the ideal technique). Then you'll reach a point where you need to keep both eyes open and you'll start shooting worse for a while until you master that. And then maybe you'll learn that a laser focus isn't necessary at close range and slows you down, so you start picking away at a new skill and then another, and another. 2 steps forward, 1 back...

TGS is right about quality instruction. Your progression will go a whole lot faster if you have someone there to keep you from learning bad habits that you'll just have to unlearn later.

[Bigghoss]

UPLULA is great for loading sutbborn mags.

9mm is a pretty big jump up from .22LR. So don't be discouraged. We were all there at some point.

[einherjarvalk]

Thanks TGS.
I'll sign up for class/es but no idea how good the range instructors are.

Where are you located? Knowing that will make it easier to guide you towards an instructor who's best able to meet your current needs.

I would hesitate to say to just sign up for instruction unless you know exactly what you're getting - the sort of instruction that's most worth your time and money will teach you how to train on your own, rather than try to just train you "completely" in a single day or two. Not every instructor is capable of doing that, and quite a few will try to do the latter because it inflates people's egos, gets them good reviews, and keeps business rolling in.