Handguns are great in tight spaces. Other than that, they’re pretty much inferior in every way. They’re harder to control, not only less accurate but more difficult to shoot accurately, and are nowhere near as expandable as shoulder mounted arms.
Worse, with a heavy caliber like .44 Remington Magnum or 10mm Auto, recoil can be a real bear.
Fortunately, there are things you can do about that. Here are some of our best suggestions for reducing recoil in your handgun, without the need to make any serious modifications or changes.
Hold It Properly
The single most important thing you can do to control recoil in your handgun, no matter what the chambering is, no matter how heavy the handgun is, regardless of whether it’s a semi auto or a revolver, is hold the gun properly.
The idea here is to maximize your surface area contact between both hands and the frame of the gun. Hold it high and tight, too, as high up on the frame as you can without getting clipped by the slide, as in the image above.
Fully wrap your support hand around your shooting hand and grip tight. You don’t want a death grip on the gun but you also definitely don’t want to limp-wrist it, as this will make recoil worse and, in the case of semi-autos, can cause jams.
Lastly, lean forward slightly into the shot, at the hips. This will help you better absorb recoil and control muzzle flip for more confident handling, less fatigue, and faster, more accurate follow-up shots.
Install a Ported Barrel/Slide or Compensator
In addition to holding the gun properly, one other quick tip we can offer for very effective recoil reduction is either to swap the slide and barrel for a ported combo, or to install a compensator.
Both of these offer the same basic effect. They redirect gasses at the muzzle, porting them (usually) upwards, which redirects the force of felt recoil, helping to push down on the muzzle rather than directing all the force backwards into you.
A good compensator will not just reduce recoil; it can do so by as much as 50%, without affecting shot power or accuracy at all. An added bonus of a compensator (or ported barrel and slide) is that it will reduce muzzle jump, too, enabling faster follow-up shots.
Shoot Lighter Ammo
Here’s a quick and easy tip for reducing recoil with your handgun that might just be the easiest of all. Go get a box of the ammo that you typically shoot at the range and look at the weight of the bullet in grains as well as the muzzle velocity.
Lower either or both of these numbers and muzzle energy will come down. The lower the muzzle energy, the lower the recoil, holding all else equal.
Can’t find the velocity or bullet weight? Just look at muzzle energy, measured in either ft-lbs or Joules (J). The lower the number, the lower the felt recoil will be.
Shoot lighter ammo and your gun will automatically kick less.
Replace the Guide Rod
Some guns, like Glocks, are made with polymer guide rods. They are cheap, lightweight, and low maintenance. The problem is that they are light.
This makes it easier and less fatiguing to carry the gun but when it comes time to shoot, it makes the muzzle end of the gun too light and too whippy.
One quick way to reduce recoil is simply to add a heavier guide rod. There are steel and tungsten guide rods out there, both of which will add more mass near the muzzle, which will stabilize the gun, absorb recoil, and help mitigate muzzle flip.
The Overhaul: A Micro Conversion Kit
All of the suggestions mentioned so far impact either how you shoot, what you shoot, or handgun parts. This next suggestion is a pointed departure from those suggestions, although it will not require any modifications to the gun and it will significantly reduce recoil.
Get yourself a CAA MCK, otherwise known as a micro conversion kit, that’s compatible with your handgun.
A micro conversion kit is like a chassis that will convert your handgun into something more like a carbine, hence the name.
An MCK, since it can be fired from the shoulder, will significantly reduce recoil, effectively eliminating it for all but the heaviest, most powerful handgun cartridges. Because of this, they can improve your accuracy at close and intermediate ranges, even past 100 yards.
These platforms are also extremely expandable and are compatible with a wide range of MCK accessories.
Since they don’t require modifications to the handgun, they are some of the best upgrades you can make to reduce recoil.
Explore Gun Parts and MCK Platforms Here
Whichever of these upgrades you’re considering, we have handgun parts, micro conversion kits and MCK accessories here. Check out our collection and if you have any questions get in touch with us at Sales@MCSGearup.com.