A gun for the wife

[pax]

Have her get her hands on the smaller M&Ps too.

Kathy

[Tomac]

Wife developed kidney cancer (now in full remission, thank God) which weakened her to the point of not being able to work the slide of her S&W M&P9c.
Looking for an alternative, there are no current 9mm's that fit her strength/recoil tolerance parameters so we had to step down to a .380.
Two best choices we found were the Sig P238 and the Kahr P380. The Sig's slide is much easier for her to work and the perceived recoil's just a tad less but we eventually ended up w/the Kahr for the simple reason that it doesn't have an external safety for her to remember/manipulate under stress.
She prefers the Kahr over the Sig now but, as posted earlier, it should be her choice regardless of caliber or action type.
Tomac

[chrisr6]

I bought a S&W M&P22 for my wife. She loved it at the range. After putting about 50 rounds through it she asked if she could shoot 1 shot with my HK USP45. I was slightly worried at first since this was her first time ever shooting but she fired it and turned around with a huge grin on her face.

[4V50 Gary]

Tomac - try a Glock. They have the flat type recoil spring which are easier for older women or weaker individuals.

[K4THRYN]

I'm going to recommend my own HD/range gun, a Glock 34 gen3

I got it because it's super reliable, super accurate, and super easy to use (plus I like the ergonomics), and 9mm is very respectable stopping power (especially out of a 5.35" barrel), yet in a full sized handgun it's very tame to shoot.

Basically there is nothing even remotely 'macho' about shooting a glock 34, you don't need strength or training to do well with it. But you can shoot it very fast and very accurately.

I don't know if it's worth mentioning that I am a girl, because I stand half a head taller than Brienne of Tarth, so strength is really a non-issue for me. But seriously, a glock 34 gen3 has some advantages:

1) trigger pull is very manageable, it's just 3.5lbs (target versions of guns are always a dream to shoot)
2) the recoil spring is pretty easy to overcome (for racking the slide). It's a flat spring, once broken in, it's about as gentle a slide resistance as you'll get in an automatic.
3) the slide release and magazine release controls are slightly beefed up vs. a regular glock 17 (easier to use these with weak or short fingers).
4) the longer sight radius makes it easier to shoot very accurately
5) the recoil is so mild it's almost disheartening, but quick follow up shots are a breeze.
6) less muzzle flash/blast than a shorter barrel would have

I STRONGLY recommend you get 3 modifications to the stock glock 34 though. - First, get some good novak style sights.
- Second, for a gen3, get a 3.5oz brass weight plug which fits securely inside the backstrap of the gun (this tames recoil down to nill, and adds enough weight to the polymer frame to make it much harder to "limp wrist").
- optional 3rd mod: A $10 pachmayr grip sleeve (I did mention NILL recoil right?)

my final weight unloaded is like 28oz, which is just enough to make 9mm as tame as a kitten with it's eyes barely open, while not really being heavy enough to cause arm fatigue with prolonged shooting (good for very weak people, or very prolonged shooting for normal people).

Now, I didn't get mine to be a gentle pussycat of a gun. But the things that make a competition race gun 'good' are many of the same things that make a gun easier to use for a weaker, less trained person.


oh, parting thought... but I get the impression that if your wife fired a gun indoors without hearing protection, she might drop it on the first shot. In a hallway or something, gunfire is truly devastatingly loud. For someone who doesn't train with guns much, there can be a pretty strong reflex to just want to get away from the painful jolt of sound. I mean, it will be doing permanent hearing damage. That in itself is almost an argument to go class 3 and get a silencer for HD.

[Erikbal]

I would have her put her hands on a Ruger SR9c. The glock grips are a little big for my hands, but the SR9c fits my hands just right. The trigger is really nice and they're a great bang for the buck in my opinion, plus they have a manual thumb safety which would probably make her more comfortable than not having one at all.

[taztown]

The Sig P238 fits nicely in the hand and the slide is smooth and easy to operate. Recoil is manageable and the sights make it easy to hit the target. These are awesome little shooters. I love my P238 Equinox!

[allenomics]

How about Ruger's LC9?

[imthegrumpyone]

Let choose her own gun, when she fines one she likes, than you buy it for her. Remember, it's her gun.

[Tomac]

4V50 Gary, thx for the suggestion but the wife has already found "her" pistols: A Kahr P380 for CCW (she can barely rack the slide) and a SIG P250sc .380 (her range/nightstand gun, very easy for her to manipulate and very pleasant to shoot).
Tomac

[rmbrad]

Having instructed many ladies to shoot over the years as both an NRA instructor and NRA/USAS coach, I have picked up some things. First off they don't have the upper body strength, they have a different center of gravity, and their hands are smaller than guys. These things all play into how they shoot. There is a technique that will help with slide operation. It is best to practice this with an unloaded firearm. The very first thing I teach is trigger finger off the trigger and along side the frame. Stand with the muzzle facing down range. grip the firearm with the shooting hand, and bring the off hand over the top of the firearm and grip the slide. bring the firearm up to chest level and push with both hands shooting hand is pushing the grip frame forward, and off hand is pushing the slide back. My Wife had problems shooting my 1911 until she learned this method. The big thing about "which gun" is how much will they handle this firearm? Will they be able to put it into action in the middle of the night when someone kicks in the door? The actions to operate an automatic must be natural and instant. Do they have to look at the firearm to remember which is the safety, and which the slide lock? Revolvers don't have these things so may be the better choice. I would stay away from the very short barreled revolvers, and the ultra lite models. The recoil and muzzle blast can be intimidating in even .38 cal. Some shooters that have had a gun store guy sell them on one of these guns have had trouble shooting them. I let them shoot my 3" all steel J frame, or my SP-101 and they have no problems. I would tell you to find a shooting range with a good instructor that lets you shoot various guns. Take your wife to the class. When she is done with the class, she will know what she likes and what she can shoot well.

[SgtLumpy]

I'll have to disagree with those who suggest that les femms have trouble with pistols due to lack of upper body strength. I've never met a woman, teenager or child who couldn't hold a couple of pounds in firing position or rack the slide, pull the trigger, manipulate safeties, cyl releases etc. It simply doesn't take a lot of strength.

I believe that disabusable belief on our part comes from us (men) trying to impart our particular way of stance/grip etc to the girls.

My 109 lb girlfriend doesn't look like a lot of men when she shoots. But she kills the target with the best of the men. She didn't always. Her ex-husband, who was almost three times her body weight and had arms about the size of her waist, tried to get her to hold and aim "his way". That frustrated the heck out of her. When I suggested "hold it however you want and make the bullet go into the target" she relaxed and shot great.

** Note the lack of the article "the" when referring to my girlfriend..


Sgt Lumpy