Glock 17 vs Beretta PX4 9mm recoil

[Jerry X]

I'm looking for a gun for the wife. I nailed it down to two. Glock 17 or Beretta PX4 9mm. Which gun has more recoil?

[Jason.lee740]

Have her shoot both at a range and then have her tell you which has more recoil.

Because everyone percieves recoil differently, what we tell you isn't going to worth much.

By the way, in my opinion, PX4 kicks abit more than the 17.

[9mmepiphany]

very true, perception is very personal

I feel the G17 kick more, because of the rotary lockup of the PX4...but the PX4 does have a twist to it

[Greg-Dawg]

Recoil is always subjective, have your wife rent them and decide from there.

[Dan_K]

Recoil is always subjective, have your wife rent them and decide from there.

[Jerry X]

thanks guys!

[gun toting monkeyboy]

You might also have her try a Glock 19. Some women prefer the smaller sized pistol. Truthfully, unless you have some sort of specific deal lined up on those 2 models, take her to the range and have her shoot as many different handguns as you can. That way she can see exactly what works for her and what doesn't. My wife has small hands, and she likes her little Bersa .380. I hate the little thing, and never would have picked it for her because it hurts my hand when I shoot it. She has no such problems, and would rather use that than any of my full-sized handguns any day of the week.

[ronson]

As it happens I shot these two exact guns back-to-back today... My PX4 9mm and a friend's G17. To me, the recoil of the G17 feels more sharp and noticeable; the PX4 more gradual and to my perception, a touch less. Honestly, it could just be down to the shape of the back of the grip (Beretta more rounded and contoured, Glock more square and blocky), that's how minimal the difference is.

PX4's are impossible to find for rent (at least around here) so I understand wanting help with this question. But how did you end up with these two guns? The manual of arms couldn't be more different. Constant-action no-external-safety striker-fired, vs DA/SA slide-mount-safety and traditional hammer. Usage concerns trump tiny differences in recoil in a big way. Is she going to be professionally trained with this? HD weapon, or range/fun/plinker gun?

I got the PX4 because I loved the way it fit my hand and honestly, because of something about the looks... But I used it at a 4-day HD training session and had multiple FTFs and double-feed malfunctions (eventually traced to magazines after much frustration). Several times on timed drills I accidentally left the safety on and had a dead trigger. DA/SA operation was a MAJOR disadvantage in the timed double-tap drills that made up this course (with this gun unlike an HK or 1911, you cannot have the hammer cocked and safety on, so I was shooting DA then SA every single time I fired).

The DA pull is also ridiculously long and heavy, which some might consider a good safety feature. I put in a lighter hammer spring and modified the safety to be decock-only (like a SIG, or Type-G in Beretta-speak), and still I wouldn't use it again for the class I took. Thus comparing back-to-back to my friend's Glock...

YMMV.