While it is widely accepted that all steel pistols are always a better choice for those sensitive to recoil, I have not found that to be true. For some the additional weight is more of an issue than any perceived difference in felt recoil. There are many polymer pistols that I will take every time in a self-defense situation over any all steel options. I know this is sacrilege to some. I like all steel handguns a lot in many situations, but for self-defense against any two legged predator I will always choose a double stack, polymer 9mm.
Suggestions for 9mm w/ safety and lightest possible recoil
- Thread starter Malcolm Reynolds
- Start date
Arizona Fusilier
New member
S&W Shield
Beretta 84
Beretta 84
Cornhusker77
New member
Bersa Thunder 380
Dependable and soft shooting for the recoil sensitive.
Dependable and soft shooting for the recoil sensitive.
Pond James Pond
New member
I think if racking the slide is a concern, a gun like the Jericho (or indeed any CZ clone) may not offer the best amount of grip on the slide.
Don't get me wrong: I came within a gnat's whisker of buying a Jericho in steel, myself. I really like them as I do my SP-01, but the narrow slide is my only gripe with an otherwise great design.
Perhaps not the best for someone for whom racking may be a bit of a challenge.
Don't get me wrong: I came within a gnat's whisker of buying a Jericho in steel, myself. I really like them as I do my SP-01, but the narrow slide is my only gripe with an otherwise great design.
Perhaps not the best for someone for whom racking may be a bit of a challenge.
Limnophile
New member
An EAA Pavona chambered in .380 Auto:
http://www.genitron.com/Handgun/Eur...ess-Pavona-Polymer-Compact/380-Auto/Variant-1.
The free recoil energy is only 2.49 ft·lb, vs that for the Browning Hi-Power of 4.05 ft·lb, which is very soft for a 9 Luger. The Pavona was designed for women, so will be easy to rack and should be ergonomic for small hands. With careful cartridge shopping, you can find premium JHPs in .380 that will expand reliably while penetrating adequately. It has a generous 13+1 capacity, and a thumb safety lock.
I know she's not interested in carry, but the Pavona, being of compact size, is quite carriable and concealable. And, it comes in a variety of girly colors, or black (albeit with sparkles).
Unlike a lot of compact .380s, the Pavona is not a blowback design. Thus, the traditional Browning short recoil action, with its tilting barrel, absorbs some of the recoil energy.
The Pavona is available also in 9 Luger, the ammo for which is more common, less expensive, and more effective. But, the free recoil energy doubles.
http://www.genitron.com/Handgun/Eur...ess-Pavona-Polymer-Compact/380-Auto/Variant-1.
The free recoil energy is only 2.49 ft·lb, vs that for the Browning Hi-Power of 4.05 ft·lb, which is very soft for a 9 Luger. The Pavona was designed for women, so will be easy to rack and should be ergonomic for small hands. With careful cartridge shopping, you can find premium JHPs in .380 that will expand reliably while penetrating adequately. It has a generous 13+1 capacity, and a thumb safety lock.
I know she's not interested in carry, but the Pavona, being of compact size, is quite carriable and concealable. And, it comes in a variety of girly colors, or black (albeit with sparkles).
Unlike a lot of compact .380s, the Pavona is not a blowback design. Thus, the traditional Browning short recoil action, with its tilting barrel, absorbs some of the recoil energy.
The Pavona is available also in 9 Luger, the ammo for which is more common, less expensive, and more effective. But, the free recoil energy doubles.
Many may think I'm trollin' hard, here, but I'm actually not;
R51. Seriously. Recoil similar to if not better than my P35 Hi Power, and about 1/2 as wide at the grip (grip is kinda long, being about 45acp-sized inside the magwell, but narrow) and just as ergonomic as far as no sharp corners digging into your palms. Unlike the Hi Power, it is far, far easier to operate the slide (not true for all R51's due to Remington incompetence). The backstrap safety is as 'manual' as a P7's squeeze cocker, but easier to operate when desired & much easier to actuate than a thumb lever, and more positive than a trigger dingus. Sights aren't half bad, either, and whoever was making Remington's barrels actually put out a very accurate product. Very good overall design should she decide to carry it one day, also.
And at least in my case, after some tweaking that should have never been required, the gun is quite reliable in non-freezing temperatures (I grease-lube it, and this stuff is more sensitive to temperature than oils or probably better gun greases). Even before the tweaking, it was fairly reliable (5% failure to feed from the crummy magazines, or so) but now it is similar to the Hi Power (maybe 1%, usually from a dud primer in the cheap practice ammo; apart from specific profiles that won't feed well, it's been very reliable with defense ammo like Golden Sabers)
I wouldn't go out and find one of the few R51's that might be for sale, since they were terribly made products. But supposedly Remington has 'hired the best brains in the business' to work over the R51 for reintroduction this year and promised it's 'gonna be beautiful,' so if this actually comes to pass as stated, would be a highly desirable firearm.
TCB
R51. Seriously. Recoil similar to if not better than my P35 Hi Power, and about 1/2 as wide at the grip (grip is kinda long, being about 45acp-sized inside the magwell, but narrow) and just as ergonomic as far as no sharp corners digging into your palms. Unlike the Hi Power, it is far, far easier to operate the slide (not true for all R51's due to Remington incompetence). The backstrap safety is as 'manual' as a P7's squeeze cocker, but easier to operate when desired & much easier to actuate than a thumb lever, and more positive than a trigger dingus. Sights aren't half bad, either, and whoever was making Remington's barrels actually put out a very accurate product. Very good overall design should she decide to carry it one day, also.
And at least in my case, after some tweaking that should have never been required, the gun is quite reliable in non-freezing temperatures (I grease-lube it, and this stuff is more sensitive to temperature than oils or probably better gun greases). Even before the tweaking, it was fairly reliable (5% failure to feed from the crummy magazines, or so) but now it is similar to the Hi Power (maybe 1%, usually from a dud primer in the cheap practice ammo; apart from specific profiles that won't feed well, it's been very reliable with defense ammo like Golden Sabers)
I wouldn't go out and find one of the few R51's that might be for sale, since they were terribly made products. But supposedly Remington has 'hired the best brains in the business' to work over the R51 for reintroduction this year and promised it's 'gonna be beautiful,' so if this actually comes to pass as stated, would be a highly desirable firearm.
TCB
"I think if racking the slide is a concern, a gun like the Jericho (or indeed any CZ clone) may not offer the best amount of grip on the slide."
More generally, I would strongly advise against any gun with a safety lever on the slide if there is the slightest trouble operating it due to spring weight. Not simply because of the very real possibility of tripping the safety or decocker if done carelessly, but because the levers often make the gripping itself quite painful. My folks have a PX4 whose levers are nearly sharp on the corners, and makes a slingshot rack not only difficult but painful to do more than a few times (i.e. practice) whether by 'pinch' or overhand methods; letting the slide fly through your hand simply hurts.
Put it this way; my CZ52 with "18.5lb" Wolff spring (more like 25lb when I measured it
) is easier for me, my father, and mother to actuate. Plain slide with striations (and a spring that quite frankly isn't much heavier than the Beretta's which is quite stout) make the exercise easier and more enjoyable to practice.
TCB
More generally, I would strongly advise against any gun with a safety lever on the slide if there is the slightest trouble operating it due to spring weight. Not simply because of the very real possibility of tripping the safety or decocker if done carelessly, but because the levers often make the gripping itself quite painful. My folks have a PX4 whose levers are nearly sharp on the corners, and makes a slingshot rack not only difficult but painful to do more than a few times (i.e. practice) whether by 'pinch' or overhand methods; letting the slide fly through your hand simply hurts.
Put it this way; my CZ52 with "18.5lb" Wolff spring (more like 25lb when I measured it
) is easier for me, my father, and mother to actuate. Plain slide with striations (and a spring that quite frankly isn't much heavier than the Beretta's which is quite stout) make the exercise easier and more enjoyable to practice.TCB
For those of us older folks who learned to shoot with revolvers, it's a shame that revolvers seem to get rejected out of hand for new shooters these days. You don't need to rack the slide on a revolver, they tend to point better for most people, SA trigger pull is a joy, and everything I ever needed to learn about trigger control I learned from shooting a wheel-gun in DA.
And for those of us who love revolvers, you know you can certainly hit a target with one! A nice 4" bbl. K frame S&W Model 15 or 19 would work great, I have a Hogue rubber grip on my 15, it fits everybody's hand and controls what little .38 spl. recoil you do feel. But decent ones are scarce so it would be good to find & get one now.
And for those of us who love revolvers, you know you can certainly hit a target with one! A nice 4" bbl. K frame S&W Model 15 or 19 would work great, I have a Hogue rubber grip on my 15, it fits everybody's hand and controls what little .38 spl. recoil you do feel. But decent ones are scarce so it would be good to find & get one now.
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Pond James Pond
New member
Had also been one of my thoughts initially, so no flaming from me.
I didn't raise it as it's still not in production, is it?
cougar gt-e
New member
Is cost a concern?
EAA witness LIMITED. Heavy all steel, single action, easy to reach trigger, light pull (3#) and a mechanical safety lever.
Put in a 8 or 9 # recoil spring and it's easy to rack. Will be super accurate and soft shooting.
EAA witness LIMITED. Heavy all steel, single action, easy to reach trigger, light pull (3#) and a mechanical safety lever.
Put in a 8 or 9 # recoil spring and it's easy to rack. Will be super accurate and soft shooting.
Why the absolute requirement for a manual safety? Especially for a home defense gun. Once you up the level of stress, a lot of manual safeties are forgotten to be disengaged.
Also, I would not overlook all of the various polymer framed guns out there. Recoil mitigation has a lot to do with grip, and the design / bore axis of the slide to frame. You may want to let her think about trying any of the various Glocks, M&Ps, XD, VP9s, Walther PPQs, etc. before you rule them out altogether.
If the manual safety is an absolute must, then I'd look at S&W 59xx series of guns, the Beretta 92, and other handguns with that type of safety design. A light rail would be a big plus - again especially for a dedicated home defense gun. I'm not sure I would go w/ a single action gun (High Power, 1911s etc.) for the application you are looking for.
My .02 federal reserve notes. Good luck in your search.
Also, I would not overlook all of the various polymer framed guns out there. Recoil mitigation has a lot to do with grip, and the design / bore axis of the slide to frame. You may want to let her think about trying any of the various Glocks, M&Ps, XD, VP9s, Walther PPQs, etc. before you rule them out altogether.
If the manual safety is an absolute must, then I'd look at S&W 59xx series of guns, the Beretta 92, and other handguns with that type of safety design. A light rail would be a big plus - again especially for a dedicated home defense gun. I'm not sure I would go w/ a single action gun (High Power, 1911s etc.) for the application you are looking for.
My .02 federal reserve notes. Good luck in your search.
wnycollector
New member
+1 on this.
I taught my wife to shoot 25 years ago. I started her out on a 4" S&W model 10. After a quarter century of shooting she feels most comfortable with a revolver. In her words they are "idiot proof". The only change she has made is to switch to a 2 3/4" Ruger Security Six.
Lastly, any of the third gen 590X and 690S S&W 9mm pistols would work well for your wife.
To beat a dead horse, she should ba able to handle any 9mm. Getting "aggressive" on the gun, IE holding it tight, leaning into it vs away/backwards, good thumbs forward grip will help to mitigate recoil. Granted you have to get her somewhat comfortable with some recoil to help instill confidence. Chicken or the egg kind of ordeal.
Given all that Id go with a S&W in her size choice. Simple manual of arm, witha safety. Reasonably affordable.
One more thing I would like to add, keep it in her head that if she doesn't like what she picks after a while get something else! I only say this because Ive seen a lot of ladies buy a pistol they dont like, they dont want to sell that one for something else, they just kind of give up.
Anyway, good luck to you both and safe shooting.
Given all that Id go with a S&W in her size choice. Simple manual of arm, witha safety. Reasonably affordable.
One more thing I would like to add, keep it in her head that if she doesn't like what she picks after a while get something else! I only say this because Ive seen a lot of ladies buy a pistol they dont like, they dont want to sell that one for something else, they just kind of give up.
Anyway, good luck to you both and safe shooting.
Smathersfish
Inactive
Have her try a CZ75 with CZ wood grips. They are very slim. Just make sure she can reach the trigger in double action. Cajun Gun Works makes a trigger reach reduction kit if needed. CZSP-01 has railed dust cover for a light and even less recoil. Good luck.