Pocket Autos - Needs to be Unlimpwristable

[NMGonzo]

Or a Soviet military pistol.

The 300 dollar answer to the million dollar question.

 

[Highcaliber]

My Wife had a similar problem and she owns several firearms for various purposes.

For this particular problem she found the Sig P239 to be the cure, but it's NOT as small as the newer breed of pocket pistols.

It seems most of the small polymer pistols fail to cycle the slide when limp-wristed, and the all metal frame seemed to help with this issue. Your mileage may vary.

She still has her eye on the one of the smaller HK models but has had limp wristing issues with the larger framed HK platforms so I guess the jury is still out on this one.

 

[ohwell]

If you can't settle for a small revolver I think the LCP is your best bet. Make sure you get the mag finger extensions they make a huge difference in the guns controllability.

 

[WardenWolf]

I will tell you what gun not to buy: the Bersa .380. The double action trigger pull is the worst I've ever seen and it's a challenge even for most men. Some people like the Bersa, but in my opinion those who do simply lack experience with anything else. The trigger pull is horrible, very heavy and extremely long, and it's overly bulky for its weight. The guy who had it paid easily $100 more than what I paid for my P-64, and handloaded for it to reduce ammo expenses.

Now, the P-64 doesn't have a great trigger. It's heavy, and may be a problem for many women even after respringing, but the Bersa was absolutely worse due to its pull length which robs you of leverage as you get near the end of it. I do think most women would have no trouble with a Makarov trigger, though. I actually consider its trigger pull quite pleasant. It's a bit bulky and heavy, though. As a compromise you might consider a PA-63. Its physical dimensions are identical to the Makarov and has a similar trigger, but it has an alloy frame to lighten it up. It's also one of the nicest looking pistols I've seen.

 

[Houser52]

I have a new Kel Tec P32 with over 300 rounds through it without one malfunction. I have tried to make it jam by limpwristing. Shot it one handed, weak hand and holding it just enough to be safe. Goes bang everytime and still ejects the brass 8-10 feet. Recoil is not bad at all and
It may jam today but so far it's been 100%.

 

[shockwave]

A CCW handgun is all about compromises. Size, weight, caliber, firepower - number of rounds - and type of operation. Different people assess the variables and come up with the solution that satisfies the areas in which they are willing to make those compromises. You can't have everything.

If the area of no-compromise here is the absolute certainty of no FTEs, then we're looking at revolvers.

 

[GLOOB]

Unless my understanding of physics is all wrong (which is quite possible...), I'd think a locked breech .380 would be far superior to a blowback design as far as limp-wristing goes.

I agree with WardenWolf. A Browning locked-breech pistol is more prone to limpwrist.

The recoil is initially all put into the barrel + slide. The bullet has already left the barrel at this point. There's a little gas left, but most of the momentum has been transferred at this point.

Next, the barrel slams into the locking block. If there's nothing holding the gun, the entire frame will be knocked backwards by the barrel.

In a blowback pistol, there's no locking block. Only the spring transfers energy to the frame. The barrel being fixed to the frame adds its mass TO the frame, rather than working against it.

But I disagree on the P-64. IMHO, it has an inherently unreliable design. This is a great gun for a collector or a plinker, but not for carry. Out of maybe 50 rounds to date, I've already had a very curious light strike. Examination of the round showed a very light mark, perfectly centered on the primer. The gun has the strong stock main spring and a crazy 27 lb trigger pull, so this is just ***?? I've also broken 2 trigger return springs which puts the gun completely out of commission; albeit, one was a homemade replacement. If you look at the P64 forums, there are more than a few posted issues, including multiple modes of failure to fire. Some of these issues have no satisfactory resolution. Zero parts availability is a compounding factor. And then there's this:

The trigger pull is horrible, very heavy and extremely long,

which sums up the P64 trigger pretty well. I'd also add that it has a generous helping of over-travel and the reset is fairly horrendous.