The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

So,
used to have a walther .32 ppk compared it to a friends .38 snubby that he had his own blend of handload- the .38 not that bad. So how does a .38 snubby recoil compare to the P64?

Depends on the wieght and type of bulette, the amount and type of powder in the load and the guns grips. Wood/plastic and steal grips can be a hand-full with some loads where rubber calms things right down. Slower heavier is usually a little more comfortable than lighter faster, not quite so much snap in todays light weight revolvers. If you are comparing range ammo to range ammo the unaltered P64 is probably the winner for brute force. But if you throw a 22 lb. recoil spring into the P64 it is the steal and wood/plastic framed .38 sp. that will cause you more distress.
If your not recoil shy it doesn't make a difference.
This is just my opinion, yours may very.
G.R.

Agreed, it depends on the particular snubby. My wife's stainless S&W J-frame is snappy, maybe a little less recoil than the P64 with Silver Bear but I have the .38 loaded very light so she can manage it. I'm running 95 or 100 gr .38 Spl (not +P), if I ran 125 gr or +P I think the snubby would probably be more harsh than the P64. There's just such a wide range of loads for the .38, even if you stick to factory loads.

So much depends on the grip of the snubby. I own a S&W 64, 2 inch, with an Uncle Mikes grip. I believe it is an old NYPD revolver. Even with the hottest stuff, it is comfortable to shoot. It is a k frame, so not a real small snubby. I find it more comfortable than the P-64.

When I bought my P64 I was prepared for the worst in terms of recoil. I was pleasently surprised by how managable the gun was with all ammo I fired through it. My Glock 33 on the otherhand...

In my opnion my unmodified p64 kicks much harder than my taurus 856.