SA capable .380 for Mrs.Marcus?

M

Marcus

New member
My wife was shooting with me at the range today. She wanted to get a little more familliar with our home defense guns (I was so proud when *she* asked *me* if we could go shooting!!!). I started her off with my Buckmark Micro to get her reaclimated with the controls and range safety than moved her on to my CZ-75B which serves as out primary HD gun. Here we ran into a problem,the trigger reach in DA was just too long for her tiny hands. The pull was too heavy for her as well. Hmmm, I switched her to SA and things got much better. Now she could work the trigger but the gun was still too big and sat rotated to the right in her hand in order for her to reach the trigger well. No good. Despite the problems she put more rounds than not on a paper plate at 15yds. So I`ve been thinking (dangerous ;) )...she needs something scaled down to fit her little hands and something with a trigger pull she can manage. Her hands are pretty weak so I figure a 5lb. trigger should be as safe as a 10lb. trigger would be for most men, AD wise. She`s already very good about sweeping the safety off automatically so I`ve been thinking a .380 with SA capability and preferably a locked breech (lighter recoil) might be the way to go. A Colt Gov`t .380 might fit the bill,or maybe a CZ-83 or a Beretta 84? I`d appreciate any feedback or opinions on guns of this nature. I`ve considered some of the small 9mms etc. but I feel recoil would be a problem for her in a gun small enough for her to handle well. Marcus
 
The Colt Mustang Plus II .380 is a good choice. It is slightly smaller than the Gov't Model. I've had one for years with good accuracy and not malfunctions.
 
I think the 83 would do nicely ! The recoil isnt really bad, thinking the weight has its effect on it. The gun itself is smaller, including trigger length and its got a wonderful trigger. She may even like
d/a on it, who knows? The recoil spring isnt a monster so racking the slide shouldnt be a problem. I would try it....she might like it!
Its accurate, dependable and it fits the bill you are looking for.
Shoot well
 
Hello. I fully agree with what Mr. Larson said. In my experience, the CZ83 is utterly reliable with a wide range of ammunition, has a longer bbl (relative to some .380 pistols) to squeeze every bit of velocity out of this round and the fixed sights are normally dialed in pretty close out of the box. Price ain't bad, either. Plus, CZ-USA has a very, very good support team.

Best.
 
Colt Government 380. Very reliable, very controlable, very concealable. The Plus II has the same grip as the government model, the barrel lenght is shorter. The price of these fine guns has increased recently, but these are great guns. IMHO get the Colt.
 
You might also want to take a look at the Sig P232, although recoil is a tad snappy in that (it's a very light gun).
 
It would be tough to beat the CZ83 at a street price well under $300 (www.cz-usa.com). The SIG P232 is very nice, smaller and lighter and much more expensive. I had a Beretta 84, nice pistol but not small or light as .380's go. I never had anyone bothered by the recoil. I think just about all the .380's on the market are blowback but they don't intrinsically have more recoil. If budget is important, a Makarov might fill the bill - Western 9x18 is available.
 
She has to make the choice. It has to suit HER, and she must feel involved in the process.

That said, I second the recommendation to show her the Colt Gov't .380. I have the "full size" version and prefer it to the Mustang or Plus II. Mostly because it has space for sufficient conventional recoil spring and a shallower lockup angle. A few years ago, when they were in production, there was a women's training program, with woman instructor, that selected them for basic training. The idea was that they were small enough for a woman to handle, but big enough for proper grip and control, and powerful enough for self defense. Also because they were "real guns" with enough noise and recoil to let the ladies know they were dealing with serious weapons, but without overpowering them.

Something else for her to look at would be the Kahr K9. Recoil is mild for a small 9mm because of its all-steel construction for a 25 oz weight, and a very well shaped grip. Trigger reach is short - almost too short for many men - and it has a light, smooth DAO trigger pull. Use standard 9mm JHP with no +P and do not get confused with the hard-kicking K40, the short-handled MK9, or the lightweight P9.

The Beretta 86 has the tip-up barrel for loading without racking the slide, a single column magazine for a smaller grip, and a thumb safety. Older Beretta 85s have conventional barrel and slide but with the same magazine and safety. Later Berettas do not have cocked & locked safeties, the lever in the same place is a decocker. Beretta 84s have double column magazines and are thick-waisted guns.

The Sig-Sauer P232 is a good quality gun, but is "traditional double action" with a heavy DA first shot, SA followups. Walthers are worse.

I haven't worked with a CZ83. They have a good reputation, the only possible problem would be the size of the grip over their double column mag.
 
If she has problems reaching the trigger with a CZ75 she will have the same issue with the CZ83. I like the CZs tremendously, but, given the small hands issue I would have her try one out first. They are great guns.

I have a Colt Mustang and a Beretta 86 - both .380s and they are fairly good guns.

I would prefer the Government Model .380 but all I could find at the time was the Mustang stainless. Colt is rumored to be bringing these back in the near future.

As for the Beretta 86, try it out first before plunking down the cash. Mine shot 6 inches high with everything. The tip up barrel is a great feature and the trigger is great on these, but try before you buy. I would probably opt for the 84 since you can still locate high cap mags for it. Unfortunately, it is not a tip up barrel design.
 
Makarov in .380 or better yet 9x18. The CZ-83 is also excellent. I would feel well protected with either.
 
Good input guys. Anything DA is out though, her finger strength is probably 1/3 of mine. Basically her shooting a Mak would be like most guys having to master a 42lb. (say 14lbs.x3) trigger pull! She can barely trip the trigger on my Keltec (long but only 8.5lbs.) so cocked and locked I think is a must. The Colts sound like they may be her best option but those little buggers are pricey. I want her to have something reliable but it`s a shame to spend big bucks on a gun I`m never gonna shoot and she`ll only shoot a few times a year. I hesitate to say this but the Llama Micro-max .380 looks like it could work (assuming it works at all). It`s basically a Colt Gov`t .380 clone. I`m not sure if they`re locked breech or not,I`m guessing not. Anyone have any experience with em? I don`t want her to have junk but I have a pretty strict budget also. Marcus
 
Hello. The Firestars were reliable, decent little nines and the weight might be of benefit in controlling recoil for the lady. The only problem is that with Star being out of business, spare parts are getting harder and harder to find. I have no experience with the other pistol you mentioned so I cannot comment.

Best.
 
Have a look at the feg-smc380, price range of
150-170, accurate and small. I have one with
approx. 1000 rounds through it and no problems.
 
Hey had to jump in here again. The Llama is a tiny gun and may work well for her, the micro max of newer production are supposed to be good guns. Plus you get all wanna be 1911 controls.

The 83 is the same size as the 230/232, Beretta and Browning.
Or slightly smaller than them...depending on which one. But
the trigger is what will make or break it...its good.

The FEG line is also very good, BUT the d/a trigger isnt what you
want for her...most s/a triggers are fairly clean. Just a note

The tiny Colts are also good if you want to spend 500$+ to try one out....they have become collectors items and are priced as such.....

Shoot well
 
marcus, after going through the small semi-auto handgun search with my wife, she found that the sig p232 suited her perfectly. it's a great size, it's "user-friendly" and it quite accurate in both DA and SA mode. so, i'm putting in my "second" for the sig p232 that was suggested.


good luck, and remember, let her find the one she's most comfortable with...either that or you're just looking for an excuse to buy yourself another gun :)



Adept
 
Marcus,
You mentioned the Astra in 9mm and I have a friend with one. I have shot it and it is a reliable little gun. It does/did have an extremely tight chamber and would jam up after about 100 rounds.

As mentioned previously, you really need to let her try the trigger pull on anything before you buy. If she has problems with a Keltec she will have problems with a FEG and CZ.
 
Thanks guys for all the good suggestions. We`re going shopping around this weekend to let her get the feel of some different models. I`ll let you know how it turns out. Marcus
 
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