Trying to wrap my head around something here and I'm hoping some of those more experienced than me can make some sense of this concept physics-wise.
Conventional wisdom that I have observed though my years of shooting was that longer barrel length = less recoil, faster followup shots.
Recently a couple of experiences have got me thinking:
I ran a Glock 45 in a high round count red dot class recently that is a new purchase and was surprised to find that it tracked much flatter than the G17 I typically shoot.
The majority of the best shooters in the class were also running 4-inch or so slides on their RDS equipped guns.
I borrowed a 34 slide for my 17 and found that again it tracked slower and shot less flat than my G45.
I am thinking maybe the reduced slide mass from a shorter barreled/slide gun results in less felt recoil and faster cycling time back on target.
I haven't had the chance to shoot on a timer and record the difference in my splits but I have a strong suspicion that it will be much faster with a shorter slide.
That being said, why is it that some guns with shorter slides such as the commander/officer sized 1911's have a reputation for being snappier and more recoiling than a 5 inch government gun?
It appears to me that the sweet spot in performance is somewhere around the M&P fullsize gun Glock 45 dimension with the longer grip providing more leverage and the shorter slide providing faster cycling.
Thoughts?