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.
A gun for the wife
- Thread starter fragtagninja
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fragtagninja
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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.
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
New member
Okay just to update anyone that is interested, the solution pax offered has fixed the issue.
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Dave Chuppa
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Wife Gun
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.
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
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^ my brain just 'sploded.
fragtagninja
New member
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.
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.
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.
fragtagninja
New member
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.
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
New member
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
New member
Too bad - I bought a 432 for 330 when SW discontinued them and dumped them cheap.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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