A gun for the wife

[mordis]

I was thinking, is she a small female? My wife is about 150lbs and she had a hard time with my glock 17. She was able to retract it but after much consternation. She was blessed with longer fingers so reaching the slide release was not hard.

Hmm did you have her try what pax suggested? She needs to put her whole body into the motion. Get the mass of her body behind it.

[fragtagninja]

Not yet I have to keep my gun at my parents house at the moment. I don't have my CPL yet and I have reason to believe it might grow legs and walk off if I were to leave it at home while I'm not here. (Long story.) Anyway We will probably be going to my parents house sometime this weekend or maybe next week. But I think what pax said will work. I'm by no means an expert on firearms, but I do understand body positioning pretty well in terms of maximizing force and leverage as does my wife. I think it will work. And yes she is a petite framed person though we are both carrying some extra weight these days. I have very large palms and long skinny fingers. She has very small palms and short fingers. And the G17 is a fine weapon Sir.

[mordis]

Frag, are you a martial artist?? The way you are talking, suggests so. If so, try to apply what you know about body rotation and generation of force. She will be pulling the slide with one hand, and pushing the grip with the other.(If I read pax correctly) Have her treat that push like a punch. Every martial artist knows a good strong punch does not start with the arms, but the feet. Body rotation is key, get her mass in to it.

Just curious, which style do you practice??

[SgtLumpy]

I know large men who have a problem racking a slide. It's not a strength issue. It's a leverage issue. Anyone is "strong enough" to move the relatively light weight the short distance to cycle the thing. But like typing, sweeping, using a torque wrench, any physical activity, you have to figure out exactly what needs to happen and decide you want to make that happen.

Very similar stories come up all the time with music. People think their fingers are too small, too large, too sensitive, not sensitive enough to play the guitar, piano, bagpipes, anything. Then we hear about some lady lifting a car off of her baby who was trapped underneath.


Sgt Lumpy

[mordis]

How can large men have problems racking the slide? 10 years ago, I had no experience at all with autoloaders and I had no trouble pulling the slide back.

Can you give me a example of what your talking about.

[SgtLumpy]

Well, no, I can't give an example. I didn't film it. Some people just aren't intuitive to the leverage needed. Then sometimes you'll see an 9 year old kid working a 1911 at the range with no problem at all. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get the task done.

People who have trouble with it always seem to want to go extremely slow, and/or hold the gun out at arm's length in shooting position.

I don't think that it helps that we (men) promulgate the idea that "the wife" (I just hate that "the") needs a "girly gun" because she's not strong enough to work the "manley man" slide or handle the recoil that us big, tough, macho men can handle. Women can give birth. A few pounds of slide rack is nothing compared to that.


Sgt Lumpy

[Bluestarlizzard]

SgtLumpy is right.

There is a major diffrence between using brute force and calculating the leverge.

Woman tend to be a little more adapt at it since we come into such issues much more often (ever wonder how single women open the pickle jar?) Where there is the will there is almost always a way.

The trick with firearms is it's almost always about leverge. In all my years fiddling with guns I've only found one thing that requires me to use brute force and it's not anything to do with slides.

Being timid is usually the fail move in a lot of activities, and with guns as well. Trying to move a semi auto into battery slowly just doesn't work. The action requires the full force of that slide going forward. Trying to move it slowly will make you more likely to ride it a second as you let go. It's not a physical action that requires a lot of strength, but it does require decisiveness.
It's stupid easy and if you try to make it less stupid easy, you screw it up. Overthink it, and you'll never get it to work.

fragtagninja, another thing for both you and the wife to keep in mind is don't push it to the point she becomes frustrated with it.
Try the diffrent things suggested here and if they don't work after a few goes at it, just let it sit for awhile. Do something else, relax and have some fun. You mention your dad has some other guns? See if she can't shoot those for a bit and just set the Sig aside for awhile.
Come back to it later, when she's relaxed and in a more confident state of mind.

Or, if she wants to push it and gets in that PO'd "I'm gonna freakin' do this already" mood, just leave her alone and let her figure it out.

The above are my two main go to moves when I can't get something to work, and in the end I ALWAYS get it to work.

[LelloBeetle]

I'm female. I have the M&P 22 mentioned. I find it workable, but the frame is pretty much full size. I also own a Bersa BP9CC 9mm compact carry. I guarantee she will like the feel of that pistol.

[bitaviny]

Try the lady smith airlight 22 9 shot most women love them! a lil pricy but great.

[Bluestarlizzard]

.22's? Really? And a .380?


Where's the barf smilie?


I clearly am not "most" woman... Or the "little woman" syndrome is going rampent?

Methinks the later.

My personal recomendation, should your wife go pistol shopping is an XD, compact or subcompact.

The weight offsets the other issues with recoil in a smaller pistol, and neither are really all that small. I've got the subcompact in .40 s&w and it shoots like a little dream and fits my small hands and short fingers wonderfully.
The only downside is the slide is heavy until it breaks in. If she does go that direction, perhaps she could try for a used one.
The M&P (my personal issues aside) compact line seems to be comprable.
I'd pass on all Glocks, as the subcompacts are a little smaller and all of them bit more sensitive to how a person handles recoil. Limp wrists are bad, but the frustration factor of pitting limp wrist against a Glock is worse (been there, done that, years later I can pick on up and go to town)

Never discount a full size 1911A1 as an option. The .45 recoil is heavier, but it doesn't snap. The slender single stack frame makes getting a grip easier for smaller hands, which also can offset the felt recoil.

I'm sure someone else can come by with more steel frame options and a run down. All of the above can be had at very reasonable prices. No spending $400+ on a .22

Save the mouse guns for later.

[mordis]

I think you may be correct bluestar. I was thinking back to my wife trying to rack the slide. She would grab it ever so lightly and slowly move it back. Getting her to get a full grip and just blast that thing back was a challenge. She was afraid of the slide cutting her hand.

[fragtagninja]

Yes mordis I am. I have spent time in several styles here and there. Jujitsu, Hapkido, Kendo, some stuff I don't remember the name of anymore ha ha. Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Tae Kwon Do long enough to earn 1st Dan and I think that is it. My wife made it to about a purple belt level if I remember right. I think getting her to think of it the same way will help a lot. Have you studied?

Sounds like good suggestions folks. I might even know a place we could get a used XD. I'll have to see if they have any left.

[fragtagninja]

Okay just to update anyone that is interested, the solution pax offered has fixed the issue.

[pax]

Fragtagninja,

Glad to hear it worked. My best to you and your wife.

pax

[Dave Chuppa]

MY Wife can't work a Slide on a Semi a Auto. Since I like Revolvers better anyway, we picked the Revolver for her. The Lightweight 5 shot Snubs were too much recoil, a all steal 5 shot didn't do it for her either. I regrouped and had her learn on and practice with a 7 shot 4" 357 all steal gun using standard 38 Special Ammo. She loved shooting it and shot it well. After that I gave her a all steal 2" 7 shot 357 with 38 Special Ammo. It worked out well. I snuck in some +P Ammo and she didn't have a clue. She passed her CCW Class with it. She is going to practice carrying it when we go camping. When she finds out it's too heavy on her belt I'll give her the Lightweight Gun back. If TSHTF she will never feel the recoil. She shot it fine she just didn't like the recoil.

[Bluestarlizzard]

^ my brain just 'sploded.

[fragtagninja]

Thank you much pax. I feel kinda dumb for not realizing this on my own. However in my defense I have learned a great deal more about how the semi auto mechanism functions in handguns.

[pax]

Glad it helped. And don't feel dumb -- else I'd have to, too. How do you think I recognized the problem? It was a blast straight from my own past!

pax

[TRex99]

My wife carries a P238. She picked it out because it felt good in her hand and once she fired it, it was hers...she said, "I LOVE this gun!" Of course I was beaming with pride...

On the other hand, I wish she wouldn't have picked a SAO pistol, but she's gotten quite proficient handling it and she rarely carries cocked and locked. That's my job.

[Boncrayon]

Ruger LC9 with Hornady Critical Defense rounds.

[fragtagninja]

Update:

We tried out some guns the other day.

Ruger LC9, she it likes because it comes in pink and purple. Does not like the fact she cannot get all her fingers on it, but can operate it just fine. I was impressed with this pistol. Feels well made.

Smith and Wesson M&P9 full size, She likes this gun and can pretty easily operate it. This thing really impressed me. If I had been able to find one of these in .40 or .45 when shopping for my gun I would not have a sig as it is very comfortable and much cheaper. I also don't see the trigger issues people complain about. It was very crisp with a short travel and a short reset.

Smith and Wesson SD9VE so far fits her hand the best and is the easiest for her to operate. However she did not try the M&P with the smallest grip piece either. This has also been the easiest for her to operate with the M&P being in 2nd place and the LC9 in third. It does not feel very solid to me though and I have some reservations about this gun for that reason. Trusting your life to a budget item seems risky to me. Anyone have experience wit these? She also liked the trigger the best on this one. I thought it was gritty and horrible, but go figure.

[Cosmodragoon]

If I can't find a reasonably priced 432PD by the end of the year, I'll break down and buy either a 442 Moonclip or the Ruger LCR in .38+.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Too bad - I bought a 432 for 330 when SW discontinued them and dumped them cheap.

[pete2]

My first suggestion id a revolver, model 10 or 15 maybe, If it has to be an auto, then she does need to go to a gun store with a large selection and find one she can manipulate. A lot of us older folk find it hard to pull back the slide on autos. Some models are harder than others. Honestly for concealed carry you can load it for her and she in business but she reall needs to be able to unload it. The glock guns are pretty easy ot rack the slide on but they done have a safety and the trigger has a pretty light pull, not too safe for a beginner unless carried with empty chamber. ( I know a lot who'll disagree with me on this but it's true). Maybe try a Ruger SR9, the S&W Shield has a safety, try the slide on it.
My wife can operate the Ruger LC9 and hit at self defense distance with it but it's really not a beginner's gun. The mid size revolver is hard to beat--- for any one. It's just too large for a pocket. If men carried purses mine would have a 1911 or a 686 revolver in it.

[pete2]

On another note, the air weight J-frame S&W revolvers are for experts not little old ladies. They look like lady's guns but they're not, not many men handle them well.