Handgun with the simplest manual of arms?

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GuidoTorpedo

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(Hopefully I'm using that term correct, when I refer to Manual of Arms, I mean operation (load, unload, shoot, etc...). Basically I'm looking to find the easiest to operate handgun)

I currently own a Browning HiPower MK.III and use it for paper punching but it also serves as a bed side gun. I would like to train my wife on it, but she's just not that comfortable with it. Not sure if it's because it SA only, whether it's an autoloader, or whether it's the size, or even if its just to heavy/snappy for her. My conclusion/assumption after talking to her is that it's just to complicated.

I would like to replace my BHP for something more simple to use, but will suffice as a bedside gun. The requirements are basically below:

Easy to understand the operation.
Easy to load
Easy to unload
Easy to decock
Comfortable to shoot
Easy to aquire sights (typical fixed sight revolvers are too difficult to aquire)
In a capable caliber
Inexpensive
Reliable
Readily available ammo (make that inexpensive also)
Concealability is a bonus (i.e. not required)

My first thoughts are to lead to something similar to what my wife was somewhat comfortable to shoot in the past. Those were #1, an old S&W M15 (stupidly sold), and #2 a Sig P225 (also stupidly sold). Knowing this, I am kind of leaning towards something like an S&W M67 or some .357 in a 3-4" but might consider a DA/SA or DAO autoloader if something fits the bill.

Just wanted to get y'all opinions also. Thanks!
 
glock in any flavor,,,chamber and your done....point and shoot

same goes for
S&W M&P
Springfield XD
S&W Sigma
the New S&W Home Defense pistols
Ruger SR9
 
I'd suggest a Glock in 9 mm., assuming she can handle it comfortably. There's no more straightforward or reliable pistol made, and the 9 mm. variants are easy to shoot accurately. I've got a Glock 26, which is reasonably compact.
 
Glock 9mm

Cock it and shoot. No safety to worry about. Accurate as hell. Not fussy on ammo. $500 and comes with 2 mags...enough to get started for sure. Super easy to take down and clean.
 
I sold most of my 9mm handguns. The one I kept was also ugliest and roughest finished one. It a Star 30M (Starfire). It is one that has operated at 100%a reliability with any ammo, accurate and very simple and very effective controls. DA/SA so it can be safely carried or kept with a round in the chamber, 15 in the mag and all you need to do is point and shoot. A handgun with comparable controls is the German P38.
 
Sig P250, cannot get any simpler, breaks down for cleaning easier than a Glock and IMO has the best DAP trigger on the market. Comes standard with night sights for under $500.00
 
MrBorland nailed it to the wall. The answer is a DAO revolver.

  • No magazine that could ever unseat, ever, ever, ever.
  • No ammo will ever not feed.
  • Completely stovepipe-proof.
  • Never have to cock to shoot, never ever, ever, ever.
  • Never have to worry if a round is chambered or not.
  • Never have to 'chamber' a round.
  • Easy to de-cock? How 'bout ALWAYS de-cocked.
  • Never requires loading a magazine.
  • Never requires racking a slide.
 
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I currently own a Browning HiPower MK.III and use it for paper punching but it also serves as a bed side gun. I would like to train my wife on it, but she's just not that comfortable with it. Not sure if it's because it SA only, whether it's an autoloader, or whether it's the size, or even if its just to heavy/snappy for her. My conclusion/assumption after talking to her is that it's just to complicated.
Click to expand...
Assuming that your wife is not mentally handicapped, the BHP not too complicated for her.

Everyday in this nation, the U.S. military teaches 18 year old girls to how to properly operate and use rifles, pistols, grenades, machine-guns, anti-tank weapons, chemical alarms, etc....
Surely, if an 18 year old girl can learn all of that in 8 weeks of Basic Training, then your wife can learn to operate a BHP in just a few days.

A semi-automatic pistol is NOT a complicated piece of equipment.
Heck, if she can load CD's in to a multi CD player, or operate a Kitchen-Aid mixer, or use a "smart phone", or use a hot glue gun, then she can operate a BHP.

We need to stop treating females as if they are somehow too stupid to understand something as simple as a semi-automatic pistol.


But maybe she really doesn't want to learn?
 
While many will point you to some semi-auto, the revolver is the simplest to load and operate. Granted it may take longer to reload than the semi-auto, but that can be handled with the use of speedloaders or speed strips. There are many revolvers out there that fit the bill. You can find good used 38 Specials or 357 Magnums for about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a new semi-auto or less. While I carry a Beretta 92FS on the job (Dept. of the Army Civilian Police Officer) I carry a revolver most of the time when off duty (usually a 4" Colt Python). There are advantages to the semi-auto that you may like. One is that most carry more than 6 shots. The key is no matter which gun you choose you should get as much training and proper practice as you can to increase and/or maintain your skill.
 
Either a DA or DAO revolver. If she want to spend time learning to shoot on the range, DA. If only enough to acclimate to the recoil, DAO. They don't come any simpler than that. Open cylinder, insert cartridges, close cylinder, pull trigger. Repeat as necessary
 
But maybe she really doesn't want to learn?
Click to expand...

I think she's less comfortable with the autoloaders because a) they are more complex and b) are intimedating (to her).

The M15 she was able to pick up, and shoot, the Sig225, took a lot more coercing to get her comfortable with it. I think I'll lean towards another .38/.357. That or a Coach Gun. :D
 
Like pikid89 said, any glock will do. very simple, no unnecessary switches or buttons or anything. Probably 9mm for maximum ease of control.
 
Just load the chambers of a DA revolver instead of a magazine, and then just close the cylinder, now you are done, and ready to go. You do not even need to rack any slide. Another vote for DA revolver.
 
MrBorland nailed it to the wall. The answer is a DAO revolver.

* No magazine that could ever unseat, ever, ever, ever.
* No ammo will ever not feed.
* Completely stovepipe-proof.
* Never have to cock to shoot, never ever, ever, ever.
* Never have to worry if a round is chambered or not.
* Never have to 'chamber' a round.
* Easy to de-cock? How 'bout ALWAYS de-cocked.
* Never requires loading a magazine.
* Never requires racking a slide.
Click to expand...

We have a winner!

Second choice would be a Glock. But with any semi-auto, there's the issue of "Do I have a round chambered?" With the revolver, you just swing out the cylinder to see your load status. No "drop mag, rack slide, replace round" drill. No possible of user-error, like racking the slide before dropping the mag, etc.

I know semi-autos aren't exactly rocket science, but it really doesn't get any simpler than a DAO revolver. They're more "accessible." Get one with a bobbed hammer: even safer.
 
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A DAO revolver sounds like a good choice, just make sure she can pull the trigger, some of them have stiff triggers that are impossible for weak[er] fingers to operate.

A close second choice would be a Glock 26
 
(DAO) Revolver...

A monkey can figure out how to load and shoot a revolver in 5 minutes.

As much as I like Glocks, unless you're willing to put some time into practicing and figuring out how it works, I think a revolver is a better choice.

While a Glock has a similarly simple user interface, you still need to know what to do if you accidentally engage the slide lock and lock the slide back, or press the magazine release, or limp wrist it, or drag the slide against a doorframe while shooting, or anything else that might cause a stoppage.

Easy to do in a high-stress situation if you don't know how the gun works.

Secondly, on a revolver you can see what happens when you start to squeeze the trigger. You can understand the basics of how a revolver works just by looking at it.

In an autoloader it's all hidden from you. You squeeze the trigger and it goes bang and reloads itself. It appears to be more complex.

That doesn't mean that it is, just that it's a bit easier to understand a revolver. And with the understanding comes confidence.
 
My vote is for a revolver for all the good reasons mentioned above and one that I did not see mentioned yet...

There are no complicated failure for fire drills for a revolver...if a round does not go off, you pull the trigger again... simple
 
posted by GuidoTorpedo
Easy to understand the operation.
Easy to load
Easy to unload
Easy to decock
Comfortable to shoot
Easy to aquire sights (typical fixed sight revolvers are too difficult to aquire)
In a capable caliber
Inexpensive
Reliable
Readily available ammo (make that inexpensive also)
Concealability is a bonus (i.e. not required)
Click to expand...

i have to concur that a revolver might well be the optimal choice. i would personally leave a J&R LE trade-in in DAO for home defense...i reminds me of a time a sister-in-law called from across the country asking how to safely de-cock her revolver. she heard a noise while her husband was out of town, cocked the gun (she had only been taught to shoot it in SA), it turned out to be nothing serious and she was left with a cocked pistol.

i think the safest pistol on the market that fits your description are the LE trade-in H&K P-7s. they are completely uncocked until you squeeze the cocking lever and un-cock when you release it without the striker ever being unblocked. they are SAO, very accurate and reliable...plus they are very affordable as trade-ins
 
I have seen some women have trouble with racking a slide on an auto. This shouldn't be an issue with a young woman, but older women sometimes don't have the hand strength. Something to find out before you spend money on a gun.

You can't get much simpler than a DAO revolver. Something like a Ruger SP101 or GP100 will give you a lot of quality and reliability for the buck.
 
but older women sometimes don't have the hand strength.
Click to expand...

I think the triceps have more to do with it. My g/f had trouble racking my 1911's until we started focusing on her triceps. This was a complete accident, she just wanted her arms to appear firm for summer. Once they were firmed up, we noticed she racked my 1911's more easily. You certainly need the hand strength to grasp the slide, but it feels to me like you are using your triceps and biceps for the rearward movement.

See this post also, it forces your shoulder into the mix:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=4958048&postcount=15

YMMV.

As far as the OP is concerned, when in doubt...use a DAO or DA revolver in that situation.
 
FLip up barreled Beretta .22 or .25. Model 21, I think.

Press the lever and the back of the barrel flips up. Can easily see the entire chamber and if it's loaded or not, and load or unload it. Double / single action. No need to ever retract the slide.
 
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