I want to comment that you weren't mentioning any failures with all the ammo you were using. That's a good thing- it's reliable.
I love mine but agree it's not something I usually shoot 100 rounds through at a time.
I carry either Speer GD's or Hornady Critical Defense. I think for what it is they pack plenty of punch.
I did some reading about heavier recoil springs taming some of the snappiness and picked up a set of Wolff's 13lb'ers. Alas I have not yet had a chance to try them out but they feel a lot better in manual operation- the stock 9lb'ers are soft in comparison.
They are inexpensive- maybe worth a try to see if they improve the feel for you.
http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%...1/mID52/dID422