Reloading for less recoil

[ah141nj]

Anybody willing to explain the concept of how to load for less felt recoil?
Less powder, more/less OAL, heavier bullet, fps... etc?
How important is a chrono to achieve this?
Looking to lighten the recoil in my 19 & my XD 45 for my wife and newbie shooters.

[rwilson452]

Your major concern will be does the lighter load function in your firearm.

Lighter bullets give lighter recoil. a lighter powder charge will give you less recoil. it's all about action/reaction. simple high school physics. Well it was simple high school physics when I was in high school. If you drive the lighter bullet fast enough you can match the recoil of the heavier bullet. If you drive the lighter bullet at the same velocity as the heavier bullet there will be less recoil. It will take a lighter powder charge to drive a lighter bullet at the same velocity as the heavier bullet. I seem to recall reading somewhere that originally JMB designed the 1911 to use a 200 gr bullet but the army wanted a heavier bullet. A favorite bullet for the 45 is a 185 gr SWC. Sadly My XD 45 doesn't like SWC bullets. YMMV

Anybody willing to explain the concept of how to load for less felt recoil?
Less powder, more/less OAL, heavier bullet, fps... etc?
How important is a chrono to achieve this?
Looking to lighten the recoil in my 19 & my XD 45 for my wife and newbie shooters.

[knight0334]

Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal opposite reaction.

You either have to use a lighter bullet, or propel the heavier bullet even slower. A faster light bullet can recoil more than a slower heavier one.

The thing that most people have discomfort with is the acceleration of recoil, not so much the amount of recoil thrust. A slow burning powder will cause the bullet to accelerate at slower rate, but achieve the same velocity as the faster burning powder by the time it reaches the muzzle - the rearward thrust would also have a similar effect.

If you need to tone down the recoil thrust, you will have to slow the bullet or use lighter bullets, or a combination of the two.