That has been my experience with the .40 cal. I have only shot 2 pistols in .40 cal in all fairness, but both of them had much more of a "whiplash" in the recoil that took me off target. The .45's have shot do have a fair bit of recoil, but to me it feels more like a "push" rather than a sharp snap back. I have shot several .45's - Ruger, 1911 style and Smith and Wesson. All of them were very controllable for me and easy to stay on target.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I will look more into Beretta's - I have heard a lot of good things about the 92F and the Px4.