quote:

I would recommend a S&W M&P 380 Shield EZ.

I would also suggest this pistol. Very easy to operate the slide for small or under strength persons.

She approached me with the interest of shooting.

Thanks for all the responses. Here’s what I have available from my personal inventory:
Three Sig P226’s
One P228
One P220 Sport
One P365
One GSR-1911
One G19
One G23C
One 4” browning Buckmark, suppressed with a Burriss fast fire
One Ruger MKII Target
One Ruger SR22
One Ruger Bearcat
One S&W 39-2
One mid length 16” AR with optic or carry handle
One Remington 870 with hydraulic recoil buffer and light recoil buckshot
One Ruger 10/22

No PDW’s

I’m thinking the 22’s and the P228 and the G17 for the first range trip.

Tony.

She would be better off with a revolver if she doesn't have the handstrenght to rack the slide of a semi auto. My wife is 4'11 and about 96 lbs. She can't rack the slide of my Ruger LC9s Pro.

quote:

Originally posted by dan03833:
My wife is 4'11 and about 96 lbs. She can't rack the slide of my Ruger LC9s Pro.

As to be expected with something like the LC9. Subcompact pistols have stouter recoil springs. This makes them harder to rack. One of a number of reasons why subcompact pistols are poor choices for petite newer shooters.

Larger guns are generally easier to rack. And there are guns like the Shield EZ and Walther CCP that are specifically designed to allow them to be easy to rack.

Going with a revolver certainly solves that specific issue, but introduces others, like heavier triggers, lower capacity, slower reloads, and typically (though not always) poorer sights. Whereas finding an easier to rack semiauto solves the issue without introducing these other problems.

ALWAYS OVERLOOKED .32 revolver
it shoots .32 short, on par with a 22 for recoil
then .32 long, just shy of a 9mm for recoil
then .32 H&R Magnum for almost 9mm+P velocity

easy to practice with the identical gun, revolver so double action trigger, reduces accidental discharge and no safety to speak of to screw up in the middle of the night

look up
RUGER SP101 SP-101 32 H&R MAGNUM

very good read here. tons of data to digest.

bottom line -- the answer may surprise you.

https://www.americanrifleman.o...dies-pistol-project/

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My wife is small and had a debilitating illness for several months recently, lost 25# and a significant amount of strength that she's just beginning to regain.

She tried out a S&W EZ9 PC which had some lightening cuts and liked it even more than her 3" S&W model 60. (We went with the model 60 because her P365 was too hard for her to work the slide).

Then I found a couple S&W model 64-3 that were cut down to 3", slab-sided, trigger work done, which though a little heavier are by far her choice now.

For handguns I like the centerfire Berettas with tip-up barrels and S&W .38 Specials loaded with light loads (I handload .38 Short Colts).
If you can find a .32 S&W Long revolver, that would be nice too.

The problem with the rimfire tip-up Beretta 21A is there's no extractor and misfires are more common with rimfire ammo.
The problem with .22 LR revolvers like the S&W 317 is the heavy trigger pull. If you go with a .38 Special you can decrease the trigger weight without sacrificing reliability.

For shotguns, I like 20 gauge semi-autos or double barrels. Pump actions can be tricky for smaller shooters.

For carbines, I like locked breach 9mms. Lighter bolts than blowback carbines.

My wife is small. She learned to shoot with a model 10 in the class we took in college. She loves my buck mark. The glock 19 is like an extension of her body. It’s almost scary. Aside from weight and grip size being an issue I found that reinforcing that she not limp wrist the handgun the best path.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by crue-dell:
Something like a CZ Scorpion, a pistol cartridge carbine. Plenty of rounds, extremely low recoil.

The CZ Scorpion, while definitely fun to shoot and by no means a thumper, does have a bit more felt recoil than some other carbine options, due to it being a small and lightweight gun operating through direct blowback with a rather chunky reciprocating bolt mass.

I have a Scorpion Micro and my wife has shot it and liked it a lot, until she got a hold of my HK SP5. She couldn't believe the difference in felt recoil

Why does everyone think that someone who doesn't have the hand strength to manipulate the slide on an auto will have the finger strength to manage a long, heavy DA trigger stroke on a revolver??

That thinking perplexes me to no end: "What that lil lady needs is a DA revolver!"

If she's that small, her fingers might be so short that just reaching the trigger face in DA is difficult while maintaining dominant hand grip.

Forget the DA revolver--which may well lead to horrible accuracy and recoil control because of insufficient hand size/strength--and just teach her how to use mechanical advantage.

Blade your body to keep the muzzle down range, hold the slide over the top (not covering the ejection port) and PUSH with the dominant hand. No one ever said you have to pull a slide. You're stronger pushing than pulling anyway.

I have had a bunch of basic peace officer cadets in that size range. There is no reason someone in that size range can't shoot a 9mm striker fired pistol.

These days most of our small females pick a vp9 off our list

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
Why does everyone think that someone who doesn't have the hand strength to manipulate the slide on an auto will have the finger strength to manage a long, heavy DA trigger stroke on a revolver??

The reason why my wife did not like shooting a revolver. She tried a Ruger SP101 Spurless snubnose (DAO) and had no physical problem with pulling the trigger, but had a hard time with keeping her shots in an acceptable grouping. With an old S&W Model 10 she borrowed, she could shoot it fine in SA, but not DA. Thus, the .380 Shield EZ came into play and solved her problems.

Our CCW instructor recommended that my wife also qualify with my P220 since we were at the range and my wife had qualified with a revolver. My wife expressed her problems with semiautomatic and the female instructor walked her through how to operate the semiauto and she qualified. She also recommended my wife get a S&W Shield EZ. My wife found one and spend a morning learning about it and taking it apart. Both of us were impressed with how easy it was to rack and how easy it was to load the magazines. Off to the range we go and my wife loves it.

If someone has the hand size to reach the trigger well, the difference in a factory 13# trigger pull on a DA revolver vs. the same gun that's had action tuning and comes in at 8# is a thing.

That and the individual involved hopefully has some say in the matter & gets a chance to test drive her options. Not to mention her own personal preference.

Many good recommendations. For a rifle, the FN PS90 is hard to beat (other than expense). Consider a Trijicon MRO on a Design Machine mount.

Good suggestions on .380 autos. I'd add the Browning 1911-380 to that list, light, very manageable recoil.

The .32 revolvers are a great option. I particularly like the Ruger LCRx and SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum. .32 S&W Long wadcutters make nice, visible holes in the target and have no real recoil. Start there and move up as familiarity increases.

Last year, I took a nephew and his first shooter girlfriend to the range. She loved the .32 Rugers. After my nephew tried the S&W500, she had to try that as well (lightest load available, but still a handful).

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
Why does everyone think that someone who doesn't have the hand strength to manipulate the slide on an auto will have the finger strength to manage a long, heavy DA trigger stroke on a revolver??

That thinking perplexes me to no end: "What that lil lady needs is a DA revolver!"

S&W Shield EZ seems perfect for a new shooter

I grew up, plinking as a child, once or twice a year, just shooting whatever my Dad had at the time. Mostly revolver, "cowboy" guns. I have no idea what they were as my Dad traded guns fairly often.

After growing up & moving into "town", at over 40yrs old, I decided to get my Concealed Carry Permit. A client of my husband's has quite a few guns & offered to take me to the range. I really liked his Sig P238. So I went home & researched. My 1st gun was a Ruger revolver, .32 H&R, but it was purely because I loved the look of that gun. Bird's head grip, reminded me of Dad's guns. It is a fun gun to shoot & I will never get rid of it.

Then I purchased a Sig P938. It is my EDC & I carry it everywhere I go, except when at work & when going in water. Even at home, it is on me & it is on my nightstand when I sleep. I am very accurate with it & it is easy to conceal. I am 5'2" & 115lbs. I have had multiple surgeries on my right hand & pretty sure arthritis is setting in both. Loading the mags are not the easiest for me, but the uplula is the BEST!!! So much easier & I don't get upset now cos I'd always break a nail or chip the polish when loading mags. Yes, we wanna look good & shoot.

Then I wanted a shotgun. Got a Remmington 860, 12 gauge, took it to a gun smith & he measured me & cut the stock down to fit me. I have only shot it twice as I don't have anyone into guns to teach me. I do not want to learn bad habits. The only range around me does not allow shotguns so until I move, I prob won't shoot it much. I bring it with me when I visit my family cos my brother has his own outdoor range & he won't let me learn bad habits. But in an emergency, I have it & could "figure it out". I am trying to budget money into hiring an instructor for some lessons.

So far, I am very happy with my choices. I have only been to 1 steel plate shoot, but I used my Sig P938 & the guy that I went with said most people don't use that gun for steel plate shoots. I did anyway & was the 3rd best in the group, out of about a dozen guys so I was happy.

M1 Carbine

Was the first firearm I thought of after reading your post. My girlfriend was very hesitant about shooting anything. She really enjoyed the M1 Carbine, it has very little recoil. Easy to load magazines, easy to operate the slide. It is also compact in size maybe just the right size for your friend.

There was this guy Murphy who really liked it, especially for house to house work. He was 5'5" tall.


Edit: 8/20
In lieu of an M1 Carbine, a Ruger Mini 14 or Mini 30

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SOTAR,