fellas... how much difference in recoil is there between a g23 and a g23c? i'm not concerned about the flash/night vision or anything else - just how much difference in recoil there is between the c's and the uncompensated pistols. any help?

Depending on your grip you will notice a reduced muzzle flip in the 23C over the 23, you might find this beneficial for range practice when doing double taps or mozambique drills.
I know you mentioned you did not care for this following info...but some other new shooter might find it beneficial so....
FWIW- For CCW i however would stay away from the C model. The enhanced muzzel flash is not a great thing in the dark when you need quick target acquisition for follow up shots. Depending on what type of shooting you intend it for you will also find your front sight will get substantially dirtier faster.

thanks for the input.
actually, i am doing the research for my wife. after some hours of comparing, she decided she liked the 23 over the sig 239 and h&k. the gun will be her trainer gun (mostly range), and when she decides to completely abandon the 686 in favor of the lighter glock, her carry piece. if she's still liking the glock, then will get an uncomped model.

i just needed to know if recoil/flip was reduced enough to warrant going w/ the c-model. from your reply, it appears the c-model is the way to go for her to start (though i have yet to shoot a 40 that kicks as hard as her carry load in the 357 - she's concerned).

thank you!

I went with the 23C - After shooting it about 50 rounds the white front sight turns black - Thought it was a little annoying, so I called Glock for a non-ported 23 barrel, slipped it in and the rest is history - The ported barrel is great for "sensitive" shooter. So I have 2 barrels for my 23C Here it is with a light and some sharp friends -

My wife was initially afraid of .40cal and begged me to get a G19 9mm.  I bought the .40cal.  We were both pleasantly surprised that she absolutely loved it.  She says the recoil is not too bad.  If your wife carries the 23C, she may need to clean it more often, as the ports are another place for dirt and lint to get in the gun or barrel.