Full size all steel .40

HistoryJunky said:
I really like the looks and weight of the 4006. The trigger reach looks a bit much.
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I can state from personal experience that all double-stack metal-frame S&W pistols have too-long trigger reaches for folks with small hands.

3rd-gen pistols like the M4006 are better than the earlier generations due to the recontoured plastic grip, but they're still categorically on the large side.

S&W has never made a single-stack standard-production .40 S&W metal-frame pistol other than the M4013 non-TSW*, M4014, M4053 non-TSW*, and M4054, all of which have alloy frames. [EDIT TO ADD: Also the rare scandium-alloy frame M4040.]

*The TSW-suffix variants of these 2 models were changed to a double-stack frame to accommodate 1 more round in the magazine (9 vs. 8).
 
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I also have smaller hands and will throw my vote to seriously check out the CZ75, Magnum Research Baby Eagle, or IWI Jericho (the latter two being based directly off of the frame and action of the first). These three all have very slim grips for full/mid-size pistols and fit my hands extremely well compared to even a standard 1911, not to even mention most double stack anything.

Also, if recoil is a significant factor and you already reload, I would think getting a 9mm would be good advice. One of the great positives of reloading besides reduced cost is being able to easily make and keep many different calibers.

If your wife doesn't mind the recoil of the 40 much and just wants a slim grip, full weight .40, I definitely suggest the three above.

An honorable mention goes to the Ruger SR40 as well for grips that are decent for small hands (at least mine). I find the three above a little more ergonomic and will have more weight, but the Ruger will be both less money and easier to find at a local store.
 
CZ-75, especially the SP-01, would be the obvious choice for full size steel .40. However, if it's me, I'd just get it in 9mm. The entire 75/01 platform was designed around the 9mm, so that's what I think is best for them. It will also make learning to shoot even easier for your wife.
 
The CZ75 (and SP-01 variant) have a long reach to the trigger when decocked. I have average size hands - not particularly big or small - and I can't get quite as much of the pad of my trigger finger on the trigger as I'd like. It's do-able, but just a bit long for me. If the trigger was set back even 1/8", it would be fine. That's the only negative I can find on the CZ for my uses.

Fortunately, CZ Custom Shop makes a reach reduction kit. Unfortunately, it's spendy to buy one and have it installed.

Just for comparison purposes, I can stick a ruler in the web between my thumb and index finger, and the length to the tip of my index finger is about 5.25" if I press the ruler down about the same pressure as if I was gripping a pistol.
 
Moonglum said:
The original .40 S&W [S&W M4006]
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Actually, Glock famously beat S&W to the punch with the G22, albeit only by a matter of weeks. :)

There's a good deal of hearsay and conjecture mixed into the story of how this happened, considering that S&W helped development the round. That said, the most common version of the story is that the M4003/4006 encountered developmental difficulties due to a lack of durability in a few critical areas, so the round was announced and shown to the public months before the pistols were ready for production. In the interim, Gaston Glock reportedly stuffed his suit pockets with sample ammunition at the Winchester booth at the SHOT Show(!!), took them back to Austria, had his technical staff reverse-engineer the cartridge, and rushed the G22 into production, much to the chagrin of S&W! :eek:
 
carguychris said:
Actually, Glock famously beat S&W to the punch with the G22, albeit only by a matter of weeks. :)

There's a good deal of hearsay and conjecture mixed into the story of how this happened, considering that S&W helped development the round. That said, the most common version of the story is that the M4003/4006 encountered developmental difficulties due to a lack of durability in a few critical areas, so the round was announced and shown to the public months before the pistols were ready for production. In the interim, Gaston Glock reportedly stuffed his suit pockets with sample ammunition at the Winchester booth at the SHOT Show(!!), took them back to Austria, had his technical staff reverse-engineer the cartridge, and rushed the G22 into production, much to the chagrin of S&W! :eek:
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Yep.....Glock made a great deal of noise with that move.....mostly KABOOMS....

[emoji1]
 
Kahr T40. I have the k40 and T40. They both handle the 40 s&w round very well. If I could keep one it would be the k40 for its compact size. But the T40 is a more pleasant gun to shoot!!
 
These threads always sound to me as if the husband is forcing a certain gun on the wife. It also seems to me if the wife was truly interested, she'd be the one on here asking the question for herself.

Go here: http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/
It's a good resource and scroll down and read the "Choosing Firearms" section. If time permits, read everything else too.

Also, I work for a larger agency where the handgun has been mandated for every LEO to use. We used to issue and mandate the Glock 22 gen3. We didn't offer the G23, but did offer the G27gen3 for those who needed/wanted it for plain-clothes/undercover work. It didn't matter if male or female, how tall, or what size hands a person had. We had sub-five foot folks to those over six feet using the same models. We used 180gr Winchester Ranger RA40T ammo.

We've since gone to 9mm and the G17gen4, which has a bit more variability with grip sizing (3 sizes).

Just thinking out loud. An all-steel gun is not necessarily good or bad. There are also the in-between guns with aluminum alloy frames (not steel or polymer) to consider too. For some folks, a semiauto may not even be what's best for them. A revolver will be what they prefer, which means only a very few .40 revolvers on the market and perhaps less than I'd even consider/recommend, if any.

And, being in California, another agency "CHP" has issued the same gun as Post 26's S&W 4006 even after it was generally discontinued from S&W's catalog.
 
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L-2 said:
These threads always sound to me as if the husband is forcing a certain gun on the wife. It also seems to me if the wife was truly interested, she'd be the one on here asking the question for herself.

Go here: http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/
It's a good resource and scroll down and read the "Choosing Firearms" section. If time permits, read everything else too.

Also, I work for a larger agency where the handgun has been mandated for every LEO to use. We used to issue and mandate the Glock 22 gen3. We didn't offer the G23, but did offer the G27gen3 for those who needed/wanted it for plain-clothes/undercover work. It didn't matter if male or female, how tall, or what size hands a person had. We had sub-five foot folks to those over six feet using the same models. We used 180gr Winchester Ranger RA40T ammo.

We've since gone to 9mm and the G17gen4, which has a bit more variability with grip sizing (3 sizes).

Just thinking out loud. An all-steel gun is not necessarily good or bad. There are also the in-between guns with aluminum alloy frames (not steel or polymer) to consider too. For some folks, a semiauto may not even be what's best for them. A revolver will be what they prefer, which means only a very few .40 revolvers on the market and perhaps less than I'd even consider/recommend, if any.
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I have read the cornered cat website pretty extensively. It has a lot of useful information.

I'm not trying to pick a gun for my wife, I just don't want her picking a crap gun because she likes how it looks.

We are going to the range together on Sunday and she is going to try my M&P .40. If she likes it then we will stick to .40 cal.

If not, we can go with whatever else she wants.

As per your comment about everyone of any stature using the same style of gun, I don't think that's a good idea.

If you can't get a proper and comfortable grip on a certain handgun, you probably won't shoot it well. I can shoot my M&P well but I can't shoot Glocks worth a hoot due to grip differences.
 
You have a few good things going. One is you're a reloader and can dial in bullet weights and loadings for various guns and perhaps comfort levels.

Another is you have a gun with interchangeable back straps which hopefully will help either of you to get a better grip.

And yet another is you've read the http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/ website.

I tend to agree on one gun for every LEO in the agency as not the best of ideas. I'd think a larger agency would have even more abilities to offer more variety of handgun options, but management converted from its LEOs choosing his/her own weapon in '98/'99 and has stayed with Glock since then. Prior to that, the issued gun was an S&W 686 with the option of a personally-owned weapon.

Let us know what she chooses!
 
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