I have a Glock 22 that I only shoot occasionally because of its high recoil level.  E.g., after 3-5 mags, my hand is sore.  Any recommendations/accessories?  I have considered getting the ported barrel, but was unsure as to how much this would help.

Any thoughts/experience greatly appreciated.

If it bothers you that much, I'd suggest buying a 9mm conversion barrel and a Glock 17 magazine(s).  Maybe 9mm would be more agreable.  I've fired Glock 17's and 22's side by side and the G17 is certainly less tiring.

My recommendation would be to go with 9mm.  I have a Glock 22 and have no problems at all with the recoil.  However, I am looking to switch to a 9mm in the future.

Before you spend a bunch of cash practice with the thing a whole bunch.  There's more accessories $$$ for a glock than I want to think about.  My first pistol was a Glock 22.  It took a little getting used to.  Now ten years later it really doesn't kick that hard.

The Glock 22 in .40 is very soft shooting. You may just be recoil sensitive.

You could try a different grip, swich to a softer ammo like winchester white box 165 grain. Really I think your probably using a crossed thumbs weaver grip, and a little on the recoil sensitive side. Switch to a thumbs forward grip and more trigger time.

Ask your husband if he has a .22 you can try.





J/K  Welcome aboard.

www.advantagearms.com/

Let me define what I mean by "hand is sore":  there's a blister at the base of my thumb after maybe 5 mags.  I have tried lighter (155 gr.) loads, but that didn't help that much.  Also tried shooting gloves, which helped a little.  I've been told that I have small hands for my size (6'2", 230 lb.), which may affect the way I grip the gun.

My thought was that the ported barrel might cut down on the "whip", which is what seems to be driving the back of the gun into my hand.

I already have a 9mm Baretta, and I bought the Glock 22 because I wanted something with a little larger bullet.

Quoted: If it bothers you that much, I'd suggest buying a 9mm conversion barrel and a Glock 17 magazine(s).  Maybe 9mm would be more agreable.  I've fired Glock 17's and 22's side by side and the G17 is certainly less tiring.

You can't just swap the barrel, merrill!  The breechface is completely different!

Quoted: Let me define what I mean by "hand is sore":  there's a blister at the base of my thumb after maybe 5 mags.  ...........................................................................  I've been told that I have small hands for my size ............... which may affect the way I grip the gun. .......................................................................... I already have a 9mm Baretta, and I bought the Glock 22 because I wanted something with a little larger bullet.

WWJMBD?............Ditch the Glock and go to a 1911, problem solved

markm - Lots of people have good luck using 9mm conversion barrels with the 357SIG and .40 Glocks.  You are correct, the breechfaces are different, thus this should be relegated to range use only (not self defense).  I've been told that good reliability can be had performing this conversion.

I stand by my recommendation, ShadowMonkey.

OK I think I have some insight to your problems now. It is mst likely your grip. First I think your gripping the gun really tight, like a crush grip. Try the thumbs forward grip. It is good for smaller hands, and the angle of the suport hand really helps control muzzle flip.

Ported and compensated guns don't reduce recoil. It just changes it. Instead of the gun flipping up, it comes more strait back at you. Also you really need to reload your own ammo. Factory ammo uses fast burning powder, you need slow burining powder so there is still gass to power the ports/comp.{/b]


Modern isosceles grip used in IPSC/USPSA competition. It really helps control muzzle flip when rapid firing, but generally helps control felt recoil.


Get a good high grip on the gun. With your web of your hand all the way up. Hold your thumb away so you can place your support hand.

"Tuck and roll". Tuck your support hand under the trigger guard and roll it into your strong hand.

With your support hand get a good high grip with as much palm as possible on the grip.

A word about grip pressure. Your strong hand does not use very much pressure at all. I describe it as a soft handshake. Just enough pressure so you don't weird someone out with a limp wussy handshake. Not a manly firm handshake grip pressure. Your support hand is actually used to grip the gun. You can see in the pic I don't even need to use my strong hand to retain the gun. With your support hand, use a firm grip.

Lastly point both thumbs forward. Thumb of support hand goes on the frame; the strong hand thumb goes on the web of your support hand, or also on the frame.

When you shoot feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, bent slightly at the waist, lean forward, gun held directly out in front of you in an isosceles stance/grip. The "modern" version has you with both elbows slightly bent. Bring the gun in a little, whatever feels comfortable. You don't need a crush grip, or to push pull with your hands (like in a weaver grip). Just imagine the gun floating in front of you, no stress to hold or point the gun. Focus on front sight, and squeeze.

For drills I recommend that you hold the gun one handed at the low ready, finger off the trigger. The go into your two handed modern isco grip while bringing the gun up and double tap. Work with a target at point blank range, slowly it out to 10-15 yards when you can keep everything no larger than fist sized groups.

Another aspect of shooting well is learning the trigger reset. This is the point the trigger has to travel forward before you can fire the next shot. You do not have to release the trigger the full lenght. Learning to shoot from the reset will let you shoot more accurately (less trigger movement), shoot faster, or both. To learn the trigger reset do your standard dry fire practice, but at the end hold the trigger back without releasing it. Then rack the slide with trigger held back. Slowly release the trigger just to the point it resets, or clicks. Then dry fire again. Repeat it until you develop the muscle memory of where the trigger resets. Try to aniticpate just how far you have to release when your practice. Once you get this down you'll immediately see it's benifits.

I realize that a ported barrel won't change the total recall (at least not much), but driving it into the palm of my hand is EXACTLY what I had in mind--that would take the wear & tear off the base of my thumb.

On this note, let me ask a question.  Does anybody here have a ported Glock?  If so, can the tell much of a difference?

Thanks for all of your pics.  I'll have to try the stance you've suggested when I'm at the range.  Getting my "weak" hand more involved might be the simplest way to reduce the barrel whip.

I've shot several ported and compensated glocks. The factory ported glocks, or the ones with just a extended barrel with ports cut do nothing in my opinion. Watching my front sight there still is a lot of muzzle flip.

The KKM barrel with compensator is a step in the right direction, but the comp is not big enough. Tom Novak makes a huge 4 port comp that works pretty well.

The big thing to remember is it's not just the comp or porting. You need to reload your own ammo with slow burning powder. Your results with factory ammo will be very limited.

If your planning on using the gun for work or self defense, stay away from the ported barrels.  When you shoot from the close combat position, you have to be very carefull to avoid getting powder in your eyes.  I've seen people have the powder come up underneath their shooting glasses.  Also, if your going to shoot at night, why would you want to have direct all of the flash right in front of your face??  I used to use the Glock 22, but after a day of shooting, I also found my hands were getting tired.  If your hands are big enough, try a Glock 21.  I actually found the recoil of the .45 with the larger frame easier to handle.  I can shoot all day and not get tired.  If all your doing is plinking, the Glock 17 is the way to go.

I have a Glock 22c and a barrel/slide for a regular 22.

The 22c is a bit longer and is more barrel heavy, in addition to being ported. The combination of all three does indeed reduce muzzle flip.

I shoot one-handed. Since I've shot Bullseye since forever, that's what feels natural and gets me on target the fastest. I use those sandpaper grip decals for a real positive grip. I like the Glock grips- they fit my hand good, and I get a good natural point without fooling around.

If the grips don't fit you, and you want to stay with your Glock- don't be afraid to sand the grips to fit your hand. Find the part that offends, and sand off a tiny bit. Go shooting. Repeat.

Work on refining the "natural point" for yourself. That is, when you take your grip, close your eyes, and point at a target with your eyes closed... you should be all lined up when you open your eyes to see.

It doesn't take much, so go slow.

Or, you could just find something that fits your hand better. I have sanded almost all of my pistol grips. Once you figure it out, you can't believe how much it helps.

Pete