A good pistol for my little wife?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

busdriver72

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
153
Location
Texas
There's been a couple of times my wife has gone to the range with me. She's about 5ft tall, weighs just over 100lbs. Small build, small hands.
I shoot a 1911. I can put one in the chamber, put it on safety, hand it to her, she clicks the safety off, and she can aim and shoot fairly well with it.
However, she cannot operate the slide manually. Bless her heart, she can't even pull back the slide to chamber the 1st round of a new mag, and she can't hardly use the slide release either.
Is there an semi-auto pistol out there that is fairly easy to work the slide on? She doesn't have strong hands.
 
Check out the .380 Beretta Cheetah with the tip up barrel. She wont even have to cock the slide to load it. Also its a beautiful well balanced gun that would be great for carry.
 
Is there an semi-auto pistol out there that is fairly easy to work the slide on?
Click to expand...

Why chase that at all?

My wife loves her Lady Smith revolver loaded with .38 +P's.

Don't try to force a round peg into a square hole. Find the right tool for the job, disregard the "cool" factor.

Revolvers are a good fit for this situation.
 
When you said "little wife" I thought you were speaking metaphorically.

Maybe a Bersa Thunder .380?

Also, get her some handgrips and small hand weights so that she can build up some strength. It would be good for her all around anyway.

I have a young guitar student (5th grade) who had a problem installing a capo on her guitar one handed. She did some excersizes and now can handle it.
 
Is there an semi-auto pistol out there that is fairly easy to work the slide on? She doesn't have strong hands.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's called a J-frame revolver.

Think ergonomics, and don't try to push the envelope.

1) Primary use: defense.

2) Must be small and easy to operate with small hands.

3) Must work reliably every time, even if operated in a hurry.

For a semi-auto, you're gonna have problems with a slide.
 
In case you doubt what is posted at the cornered cat website, I have seen sub 100 pound 12 year old girls (and boys) rack the slide on semi-autos. If you can't brute force it (and why would you want to), use proper technique.

You've also been given great advice on letting your wife choose her own gun. She will likely shoot it more and be happier if it is something she picked out and can think of as her own.

Also, what is she planning on using it for? Is this just for fun at the range, or for defense? Although a snubby J frame is a pretty good concealable gun with small grips, I have a hard time hitting much at any distance with them (yes, I know this is more the shooter than the gun and people who are good with snubbys don't have this problem, etc.). If it is a range gun, try to get something with a longer sight plane, because hitting stuff makes shooting way more fun than missing stuff.
 
That Colt Mustang , is 380 the only cal. it comes in . I just looked on Gun Broker and I like it for my wife .
 
Thanks guys. I really want to gently encourage her to shoot. She's sort of passive about it right now, but I think if she had her own gun and got good with it that would change.
The first time she had ever held my 1911 was when I was shooting steel plates at about 20 yards. She said she wanted to try it. We went up to about 15 yards. I readied it, handed it to her. I showed her how to properly grip it....there was about a 5 second pause.....bang....clang!. She pegged it on her first shot. I was impressed....not bad for a non-shooter.
 
My wife loves her Lady Smith revolver loaded with .38 +P's.

I love my wife's ladysmith, too. In fact EVERYONE who has ever shot that gun remembers that a smooth and crisp wheel gun is a fine thing.


You'll love the thing, too--I'll bet you on it--I no longer keep my 1911a1 'at ready' in the bedroom---what for???


My wife is a similar type--5ft, 110lbs, small hands. The .45 is too much to hold onto and in a crisis would be un-comfortable and hard to function. A revolver is a 'one-handed' gun suited to fast targeting.
 
I have helped my wife, daughter and several other females (my daughters college roomates ) to learn to handle a pistol. 75% copuld be classified as having small hands. To start I used a Hi Standard .22 pistol. The one I have is a supermatic it has a good grip size and of course an easily operated slide. Because I wanted them to be familure with a revolver the next step was a S&W mod 10 and the step after that a CZ75b in 9mm. There are a couple of ways to rack a slide on a larger pistol. Here's one example.

PT111grip-thumb.jpg



PT111rack-thumb.jpg



Instead of being held out at arms length, the gun is held close to the chest so more muscle can be used.

Both hands apply force at the same time. While the hand gripping the frame pushes the gun away, the hand holding the slide pulls. You basically try to move your hands closer together.

Photos are from: http://www.hellinahandbasket.net/2006/11/a_firm_grip.htm#more


There are some sites on the web for women shooters, ck'em out.

BTW I appreciate her problem, because arthritis has made my hands much weaker.
 
I love my wife's ladysmith, too. In fact EVERYONE who has ever shot that gun remembers that a smooth and crisp wheel gun is a fine thing.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't know, she only let me shoot it once :evil:
 
The Ladysmith shooting .38 Specials is a great

option. Another is the Ruger SP-101. The problem with the J-frames is that they kick even with light loads, and your wife likely won't like that a lot. The SP-101 and Ladysmith have more mass, and while still quite controllable by a small person, they don't kick as much as a J-frame.
 
My .02 on "little tiny people" and guns

Our youngest daughter is 95 pounds - soaking wet, with stuff in her pockets.

She has a problem working the slides on all my Semi-Autos, from the Kel Tec P32 to the 1911, including my "Baby 1911", the Colt Government Pocketlite. The little .380 single action version of the Mustang.

After trying all kinds of techniques with her, we finally decided that a double action, lightweight .38 special revolver was the best and most practical choice for her, in terms of HD and general shooting.

The girl is in Med School and has to work crappy hours and walk to her car late at night in parking lots where the Methadone clinic shares space, I wanted something that she could use, with out trying to remember any special technique that might go out the window "in extremis".

I picked up a nice, older used Charter Arms Undercover snubbie in .38 spl, cleaned it up, smoothed up the trigger a bit, ran a few hundred rounds through it, added some nice compact Pachmayer grips, and she's good to go with it.

A few hundred rounds later by her and no problem handling the double action on the revolver.

For target shooting she still likes the Browning Buckmark with the little red dot best, but Dad still has to work the slide ... every once in a while.
 
Ergonomics, ergonomics, ergonomics.

And it helps with accuracy too. I have to aim a J-frame. I can just point a 1911, at any kind of reasonable handgun defense range. Try a few, and don't discount the revolvers.
 
...

I chose a Sig P232 SL 380 for my wife's first gun. It will allow her to first handle a gun and not get spooked by recoil, as it is very docile in that area.

Once she has overcome the "unknown" grey area of handling and firing her first time/gun, then I will let her move up to my Sig P229R CT 9mm and that will be her HD/SD pistol, while the P232 will be a Bug for either of us.


LS
 
gotta go with a smith wesson jframe on this one imo. my moms size is close to your wifes and she carried (it was stolen) a sw 638. she had no trouble.
 
Clarify your goal: what is this gun FOR?

----quote---------
I really want to gently encourage her to shoot. She's sort of passive about it right now, but I think if she had her own gun and got good with it that would change.
-------------------

If the goal is to encourage her shooting, get her having fun, and help her develop skills, then there is really only one caliber to consider:.22LR

.22 semiautos are very easy to operate the slide because the recoil springs are so soft. .22 revolvers are nice, too.

Most any shooter will improve their marksmanship and get better groups shooting a .22 than the commonly used defense calibers.

Again, if the goal is fun and learning, I disagree with the suggestion of small revolvers, or small semiautos for that matter. Small handguns are convenient for carry, but they are usually not as pleasant to shoot and harder to shoot good groups.

My wife has a small carry-size S&W revolver for when she is carrying, but she will only shoot 5 or 10 shots at the range because the recoil is harsh. For range time, she takes her 6" S&W 686 - a bigger heavier gun soaks up the recoil better, and probably due to the lower recoil and longer sight radius, she shoots a lot better groups with it.

Once you get her shooting and enjoying it, she will be in a position to make her own choice for a defense pistol.
 
Check out the .380 Beretta Cheetah with the tip up barrel. She wont even have to cock the slide to load it. Also its a beautiful well balanced gun that would be great for carry.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, these (Beretta 86) are discontinued and have been for a few years. And, if ya have a jam, it still might be necessary to work the slide.

My mom is 68 and is training for her CHL now. This is a problem - and no amount of techniques in how to push/pull worked for most guns. We elimianted my P99, SW99 and the Glock 34 I prev had. She couldn't work most of the rental semi autos - Sig, XD, other Glocks.

She can however work a fullsize or compact USP in 9mm very easily. She also bought my Bersa 380 from me. She can work that, although the USPc is a bit easier.

I'd recommend a USP compact.
 
Boys, a piece of advice.

Quit pushing the five shot J-frame revolvers on us, we're just as capable of handling a semi-auto as you men are.
 
I have to agree with becca. My wife took her first gun class two days ago it was Introduction to Handguns. They got to shoot about 30 rounds using range guns. I happen to be there waiting to pick my wife up and she asked if she could use my SW1911SC so I gave it to her. She had no problems.

J
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
The wife finally gets it. II
Replies
3
Views
662
Sam Adams
S
Orion8472
  • Locked
My mom insists on keeping a gun she can't operate.
2 3
Replies
60
Views
3K
Orion8472
Orion8472
Good Ol' Boy
  • Locked
Vigilance
Replies
7
Views
825
hdwhit
H
NickEllis
  • Locked
Need advice for my wife as a new shooter
2
Replies
28
Views
948
pax
P
Hazwaste
  • Locked
Proud of My Wife
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
EHL
E
Back
Top