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What does snappy really mean?

youngolddude

youngolddude

Professional
I see this term frequently with articles I read, usually while reading about smaller handguns. Is it about muzzle flip, sharp recoil or what? Sometimes an author will talk about recoil saying that if you grip the gun correctly, that it isn't bad. Sometimes they'll say it isn't for use as a range gun or something similar. Sometimes they are discussing a lightweight revolver saying it is great for women or self defense. I don't find them pleasant to shoot (read painful) and question whether women really do like them. Muzzle flip doesn't concern me as much as recoil and how comfortable a gun is to shoot. I've shot a handful of micro compacts and comfortably shoot them through several hundred rounds so I wonder what the heck they're talking about. Clues?
 
youngolddude said:
I see this term frequently with articles I read, usually while reading about smaller handguns. Is it about muzzle flip, sharp recoil or what? Sometimes an author will talk about recoil saying that if you grip the gun correctly, that it isn't bad. Sometimes they'll say it isn't for use as a range gun or something similar. Sometimes they are discussing a lightweight revolver saying it is great for women or self defense. I don't find them pleasant to shoot (read painful) and question whether women really do like them. Muzzle flip doesn't concern me as much as recoil and how comfortable a gun is to shoot. I've shot a handful of micro compacts and comfortably shoot them through several hundred rounds so I wonder what the heck they're talking about. Clues?
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i still do not know the true meaning of "snappy" either.

but i liken it more to muzzle flip myself.

for instance, i can shoot a 9mm just fine, and any of my revolvers just as fine.

but my any .45 ACP gun, be it a non 1911 or so, there really isn't much (if any) muzzle flip.

so that' to me, my best guess....muzzle flip.

i had 1 lite weight 2.5" revolver, a Taurus 856 i think, and that dang thing only shot 38 special, but God almighty, the muzzle flip was horrendous.

i have a Ruger GP 100 2.5" all steel 357/38 special, and even shoothin 57 mags, there isn't (to me) muzzle flip, but that lite weight Taurus, got the heave-ho, rather quickly.

yeah, shooting that lite weight Taurus 38 special WAS painful to me as well

they should compare lite weight metal guns to same, heavy metal guns to same...
 
Snap generally describes a “fast” recoil impulse.

For example, shooting a gov’t model 1911 in .45, the recoil is often described as a slow, firm push; OTOH, in a Airweight magnum, it’s a rapid, violent jump. That’s “snappy”, at least in my shooting lexicon.

In my experience, it’s most prevalent in lightweight firearms shooting high-velocity and/or heavy weight bullets.

.40 gets described as “snappy” a lot, mainly because it’s being (consciously or unconsciously) against a 9mm in the sane gun (vz, Glock 23 v Glock 19)…which, of course, it IS going to have a more powerful recoil impulse; .40 has more energy going out, which means it’s gonna create more recoil (Newton said so).
 
HansGruber said:
Snap generally describes a “fast” recoil impulse.

For example, shooting a gov’t model 1911 in .45, the recoil is often described as a slow, firm push; OTOH, in a Airweight magnum, it’s a rapid, violent jump. That’s “snappy”, at least in my shooting lexicon.

In my experience, it’s most prevalent in lightweight firearms shooting high-velocity and/or heavy weight bullets.

.40 gets described as “snappy” a lot, mainly because it’s being (consciously or unconsciously) against a 9mm in the sane gun (vz, Glock 23 v Glock 19)…which, of course, it IS going to have a more powerful recoil impulse; .40 has more energy going out, which means it’s gonna create more recoil (Newton said so).
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Well said. Pretty much my thoughts.
 
HansGruber said:
Snap generally describes a “fast” recoil impulse.

For example, shooting a gov’t model 1911 in .45, the recoil is often described as a slow, firm push; OTOH, in a Airweight magnum, it’s a rapid, violent jump. That’s “snappy”, at least in my shooting lexicon.

In my experience, it’s most prevalent in lightweight firearms shooting high-velocity and/or heavy weight bullets.

.40 gets described as “snappy” a lot, mainly because it’s being (consciously or unconsciously) against a 9mm in the sane gun (vz, Glock 23 v Glock 19)…which, of course, it IS going to have a more powerful recoil impulse; .40 has more energy going out, which means it’s gonna create more recoil (Newton said so).
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Pretty much says it. When I was probably 9 I think I shot my first two handguns. The first was a 45 Colt Commander and the second a steel framed .38 Smith snubnose, unsure what model.

I immediately figured out that that .45 was much nicer to shoot than the .38 for my not large hand. It shoved as described where the little .38 sharply whacked the web of my hand. I held a grudge against those little revolvers for a few years until I was older, stronger and learned to control them better.
 
Though not a regular shooter with years of trials and limited experience, I defined “snappy” as it relates to smaller firearms (-3” bbl) and the grips, whether it’s the texture, composition, fit/feel or combo of all that transmits the percussion of the particular round.

The only time I tried my .38 snub with wood grips it was not particularly enjoyable and that was without +P. For some with bigger well-padded paws, there might not be any ’snap’ felt, but my large long fingered mitt has a minimum of this sort of natural padding.
I have a 3.5” SW 669 w/Pachmayers and used +P’s, it‘s night & day compared to the 38 snubbie. Muzzle rise happens regardless. So I can question… is 50 rounds of 38 thru a snub painful or annoyingly uncomfortable? Hmmmm. Snappy as a rubber band smack or just discomforting?

“Snappy” can be relative.
Some very smart folks still ponder relative definitions whether it’s ‘what is a woman’, we now understand that one has to be a biologist. So it depends, to answer ‘what is snappy’… one may need to be a herpetologist.
1CA54060-EC16-44F8-9FC5-06B011DA6B8B.jpeg
 
Area52 said:
Though not a regular shooter with years of trials and limited experience, I defined “snappy” as it relates to smaller firearms (-3” bbl) and the grips, whether it’s the texture, composition, fit/feel or combo of all that transmits the percussion of the particular round.

The only time I tried my .38 snub with wood grips it was not particularly enjoyable and that was without +P. For some with bigger well-padded paws, there might not be any ’snap’ felt, but my large long fingered mitt has a minimum of this sort of natural padding.
I have a 3.5” SW 669 w/Pachmayers and used +P’s, it‘s night & day compared to the 38 snubbie. Muzzle rise happens regardless. So I can question… is 50 rounds of 38 thru a snub painful or annoyingly uncomfortable? Hmmmm. Snappy as a rubber band smack or just discomforting?

“Snappy” can be relative.
Some very smart folks still ponder relative definitions whether it’s ‘what is a woman’, we now understand that one has to be a biologist. So it depends, to answer ‘what is snappy’… one may need to be a herpetologist.
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My Lab had an unfortunate encounter with one of those...
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Snappy = P365.

The P365 has a pretty sizable recoil impulse and the muzzle will jump quite a bit. The gun can be dialed in with a decent spring set.

I’ve had two P365s, the first of which was a SAS and had a ported barrel that was supposed to mitigate some of the muzzle flip, but the flame coming out of the port seemed to jack the excitement level back up!
 
I guess I define it as muzzle rise but there’s more too it than that. If the pistol has poor ergonomics it enhances that rise into something a little more intense.
.380 out of my SA 911, smooth as butter. But that same round out of my LCP (man, why do I still have that thing) is horrifying. The trigger guard destroys my middle and index fingers and my wedding band destroys everything touching it. God forbid you try to run a string of shots.
I should turn that thing into one of the buy backs, sing a ditty 🎶 when it’s destroyed, and then buy more ammo for the 911. 😂
 
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