Another 'please forgive the ignorant Yurpan' question. What differentiates a 'fun' gun from a 'not fun' one?
I'm guessing feel and weight, for one...
A fun gun has minimal felt recoil and muzzle flash - for whatever caliber it's in - is well balanced, and doesn't cause pain every time you fire it. Something that's, well, 'fun' to shoot for sport or recreation.
There are a great many defensive firearms that are *not* fun to shoot. But they're effective, so we use them anyway.
As far as the recoil issue, remember that the .40 S&W was developed for LEOs who couldn't qualify on the 10mm auto. There was a lot of decision put into not just going to the .45ACP. That said, magazine capacity WAS part of the decision, which is something less interesting for home use.
There was also other issues involved; not least of which was that the full-house 10mm rounds were wearing out and breaking guns like no tomorrow.
Steve is correct, this is why I hate polymer-frame 9mm handguns. The recoil isn't very strong but it is very sharp. It feels like the gun is wanting to snap out of my grip; it's more of a rotational force than a linear one. The Colt 1911 has a stronger but longer recoil impulse, so I feel it more in my arm and shoulder and less in my wrist and hand.
Think about Newtonian physics and how it applies to polymer frame pistols. With a polymer frame and metal slide a greater proportion of the pistol's total weight is cycling with each shot. As you burn through ammo the frame gets lighter and lighter so the balance changes dramatically from the first shot to the last. Now, take a steel frame pistol like the Beretta or 1911; the pistol is heavier but better balanced, there is less change in weight proportion during firing and a lower percentage of total weight is in movement. More proportional mass in the frame means more inertia and that changes your recoil properties.
On the other hand, a polymer frame can also cushion the recoil impulse because it flexes instead of transmitting all the force to your hand.
The Glocks and many of the poly guns have two "issues" that make some people dislike their recoil characteristics; their grip angle and action placement.
Almost all the poly pistols have a more slanted grip, with a pivot point further forward so when they go bang, they have a longer lever arm to torque on. The XD has a more "conventional" grip angle like the Browning High Power and a little more like the 1911.
The Glock 30 is one of the softest-recoiling .45's I'd ever fired. They moved the chamber towards the rear compared to where it is on the 21, and the grip is short enough that you can get a better angle on it. The double recoil springs (introduced with that gun) help a lot, too.
The XD also has a "rear" biased chamber location as well. The .45 XD is pleasant to shoot, at least for me.
I think those are all great points, but what about in terms of carrying the weapon?
Revolvers of any size can be difficult to conceal, as the cylinder is often wider than an entire automatic pistol. Also, revolvers tend to be a bulbous package as opposed to a "flat" semiauto, and are therefore harder to conceal in that respect. Finally, revolvers are *heavy*, and concealing a decent sized one all day is a PITA.
A S&W Model 29 carries less rounds, is heavier, longer and wider than my Browning High Power, and if you fire .38 Specials in it, has no power advantage. Therefore, I'd say get an automatic.
