Something that isn't always clear, even to experienced shooters, is that the caliber of a pistol is only part of the entire recoil equation. It also depends on the weight of the pistol itself (to which Pam alluded), the balance (is it barrel-heavy or barrel-light?), the self-loading mechanism if it's a semi-auto (is it just recoil or gas-operated?), how tight the slide return spring is, how the pistol fits into your hand, et cetera. Me, I can fire a .44 Magnum revolver if I'm careful, but I've also fired 9mm semi-autos which jumped all over the place. It just depends, although I'd certainly listen to the advice of a US Army Master Sergeant. He surely knows more about it than I do.
