Barrel/slide length in relation to recoil characteristics

[GAP]

CCforL is @Glock26 here.

Interesting thread. I once cut a 19.2 to into a 26L and felt the recoil & muzzle lift were much more pronounced than with a standard 26. I know you’re quite fond of your 26.5L, do you think the dual recoil spring helps counter that?

That’s interesting. I have debated cutting a G19 or two down, but just kept working with the standard G26.

And @GJM does this mean you are back on #TeamG26?

[JCN]

It’d be interesting to compare a G19 with frame weight / flashlight to a G34 in terms of objective performance.
How much is it due to nose weight versus slide weight?

On regular guns it’s hard to divorce the two.
But with a rail mounted weight you might be able to.

As a similar aside, I competed in CO with a milled shadow 2 slide but went to an OR slide when the rules changed... and I prefer the heavier slide.

So I wonder how much difference between Glocks is nose weight versus barrel/slide.

[Glock26]

A shorter slide may be easier to carry, but in competition what folks care about is minutia of score. (Perhaps C Class for Life might weigh in on his experiences with the 26 versus longer pistols.) My takeaway is that feel can be misleading.

Last time I tested it, my hit factor was at least 10% better with a 34 than a 26. The 34 slide felt slow, but after a stage I didn't notice it anymore. Personally, I don't care to capture any real or perceived advantage through gear. Instead, I look for disadvantages because the challenge helps me improve. I load my rounds a little hot to make sure I meet power factor and call it a day. The way I think of it, the slide returns to battery faster than I can pull the trigger. Regardless of the gun, it's already waiting for me to shoot again. Sure, there might be some combination of slide mechanics that help it return to zero easier/better/faster, but I'm interested in what the shooter can do.

[sickeness]

Curious, Were all the versions equipped with a dot? If so were you able to track the dot better on the shorter slides than longer slides? As in all the way through recoil in the window or did the dot leave the window for a shorter amount of time perceived? Also to be clear are you referring to muzzle flip or perceived recoil? It sounds like it is muzzle flip not the recoil impulse into the hand(s) that is being noticed.

Obviously a timer will clarify but recoil to me is felt where muzzle flip/rise is seen and more clearly measured. I don't have my logbook handy but I noticed the same thing when shooting my Glock 48 and 43X back to back that the 43X recovered faster shot to shot. I was surprised and I believe the times were faster too. This may be a good comparison or not because the RSA is the same for each. I thought a longer RSA would help smooth out the impulse on the 48 but who knows.

Yes all guns were dot equipped.

[Caballoflaco]

It’d be interesting to compare a G19 with frame weight / flashlight to a G34 in terms of objective performance.
How much is it due to nose weight versus slide weight?

On regular guns it’s hard to divorce the two.
But with a rail mounted weight you might be able to.

As a similar aside, I competed in CO with a milled shadow 2 slide but went to an OR slide when the rules changed... and I prefer the heavier slide.

So I wonder how much difference between Glocks is nose weight versus barrel/slide.

Along those lines, I wonder what the performance difference would be if somebody ran a “stablilizer” on a glock 45. Put the weight further out at the same distance as the G34/35 muzzle. I have a theory that longer slide guns work in a similar manner to the long stabilizers target archers use. More weight out front resists torque and other small input vs weight close to the hand allowing for slightly sloppier technique vs a shorter gun the question is how can we quantify it.

[JCN]

Along those lines, I wonder what the performance difference would be if somebody ran a “stablilizer” on a glock 45. Put the weight further out at the same distance as the G34/35 muzzle. I have a theory that longer slide guns work in a similar manner to the long stabilizers target archers use. More weight out front resists torque and other small input vs weight close to the hand allowing for slightly sloppier technique vs a shorter gun the question is how can we quantify it.

Straight physics question for you...

If you took a flashlight / rail weight that weighed X at Y distance from the rotation point.
Versus a long slide that weighed 1/2X at 2Y distance from the rotation point....

Any difference?

From a pure shooting standpoint, I think that it's not only the longer slide but on some guns it's the dust cover mass as well (on the CZ TSO there's quite a bit of meat on the frame / dust cover out front).

Personally, I think tracking a slide ride dot is easier with slower slide speeds and that helps me. The dot going up and down in recoil might be slower / more predictable through the visible arc. Maybe? Or maybe I'm wrong?

[edison]

The recoil on my gen4 glock34 with adjustable sights feels more muted than the same glock34 with fixed tarans/vogel/sevigny sights.
Maybe the extra weight on the slide may have something to do with it.

[jd950]

Sometimes I feel like I get less muzzle rise with a P229 than P226, but that could be imaginary. Never tested it.

[sickeness]

Question for those convinced that short slides are “better” in terms of pure shooting performance — why aren’t most competitive USPSA shooters, who obsess over tiny increments, not using short slide pistols in Carry Optics?

Because they care about power factor.
The extra 1+ inch of barrel gives them a higher velocity so they can load their rounds just that much lighter.
If carry or full power ammo was the same across the board I suspect shorter slides may be more prevalent.

[Clusterfrack]

Because they care about power factor.
The extra 1+ inch of barrel gives them a higher velocity so they can load their rounds just that much lighter.
If carry or full power ammo was the same across the board I suspect shorter slides may be more prevalent.

That's not what the top shooters do. Most I've seen are running ~135+PF.