Hello!!

My wife wants to get a handgun but she has some problems with the ones I have.

1) She can't rack the slide of my guns (1911 & Glock 27)

2) She has small hands, so some guns (like my 1911) seem big to her.

Now I also have a Beretta Jetfire 950 (.25acp) which she likes and can handle but she wants another.. Something that is "hers" and a larger caliber.

Also, recoil is an issue too!

What do you have and why did you choose that???

I would like to guide her in some direction.

take her to a gun show (i assume you can still do that in CA) and let her handle all the guns. ask the proper questions about caliber and comfort level (don't TELL her what to get), then buy what she wants.

yeah, but she's got to find a way to SHOOT the thing so she can see if she likes it.

first, how does she rack the slide?  if she hasn't tried this method, see if it helps any.

Step 1:  hold firearm in strong hand as she would if getting ready to fire.  
Step 2:  grasp top of slide with weak hand so that the thumb points towards the muzzle and the fingers point towards her.  (it may be easier to turn the firearm 90 degrees in the direction of the weak hand).
Step 3:  have her grip the slide well with weak hand, and hold it steady.  then PUSH the frame forward with the strong hand, keeping the slide in place.  so she's pushing the frame against the slide, understand? instead of pulling the slide against the frame.

this helps alleviate having to do all the work with the weak hand, as is generally the problem (as i have experienced it) with women who have trouble racking the slide.

is this for CONCEALED carry or just home defense?  

it doesn't seem like there is a whole lot of options left to her.  how does she (you) feel about a revolver?  a .38, while not the best defense round, is good enough to get the job done, and a revolver can be concealed fairly easily (though the 2" bbl that eases concealment also has recoil/muzzle flip issues).

fear of recoil is something that is overcome with practice and patience.  i suggest that she shoot a lot to get used to the recoil.  i have found that a lot of women think any recoil is a lot of recoil.  they want a gun that hardly moves.  since we know this is unrealistic (unless she wants to carry a .22), she's going to have to get used to recoil at some level.

assuming she will be able to rack the slide under the new method, i would suggest the G26 or G27, or the size up if not concerned about concealability.  taurus makes some good revolvers, especially the ultra lite models.  (i've had bad experience with their semi auto pistols though, use at own risk.)  i've heard the beretta 92's are pretty good.  no experience with them myself though.  but it's another option.

As a relatively new shooter, and the wife of a gun enthusiast, I had a hard time choosing my first gun too.  Everything seemed too big, or loud, or painful.  My husband started me out on things that were not realistic for first time shooters, and it kind of turned me off.  We finally settled on a .22 as my beginner gun.  Once I get used to this, and comfortable with the whole idea, we will probably move on.  Just be patient, and don't push on something she is not comfortable with.  I finally enjoy using a gun!

Another tip for racking the slide is to have her cock the hammer before she does it.  That way she's only working against the recoil spring and not also the hammer spring.  If she still can't, you can teach her the emergency method of resting the front of the slide on the top of a table edge, so the barrel will clear, and pushing down with both hands on the grip.  Even a small child can rack the slide of a 1911 that way.  Not exactly the "proper" way to do it, but it does work.

It won't help with the Glock obviously, but it sure helps with the 1911 and any other auto with a conventional hammer.

The Colt .380 Government model is a good one.  It has the Browning locked breech desing, so the spring isn't as heavy as most .380s.  Most .380s are blowback, so they require a heavy recoil spring to be safe.  The Colt is just a scaled down version of what you have, and the recoil seems less with it than blowback .380s as well.  Not as violent at least.  

Another choice is the Browning Hi-Power, which seems to fit many small hands despite the staggered mag.  Steel frame helps out on recoil as well.  Maybe one of the S&W single stack 9mm would work.  

Ross

my first hand gun was a smith and wesson airwieght 38.  I bought it before i shot one and once i shot my own....i hated it . it is small and light weight but boy dose it kick back.  the web of my hand and the first metacarpal joint(of the thumb) got bruised really bad.  I sold it a week later.  

I now have a Sig 229 with an interchangeable barrel (357 and 40)that way i get the best of both worlds in one gun and a HK 9mm compact.  

I tend to like the automatics over the revolvers.  

Go to a gun store and shoot several before you purchase one.  she really needs to like how it feels in her hand, how it shoots and the degree of kick back.    

Stole the computer from my husband to answer this question...

Our Ruger Mark II (.22) with the 3 inch Bull Barrel is now MY Mark II because it is that much fun to fire, no recoil, very to chamber a round.  Get a speed loader and lots of extra mags!  

As for racking the slide, give it a good "push and pull"...pistol forward, slide back...that is the best trick.  It works well with my Glock Model 19.

You guys know, if your wife enjoys shooting WITH you, she should let you buy cool firearms for her, like my brand-new Thompson 1927 A1 Carbine...still looking for the drum though. (My husband says it shoots real well, I'll find out eventually.)

Mrs. arcticbear

Hi folks, Im a female who shoots, however unlike you luck people in the States im limited to Rifle thanks to our Governments Handgun ban a number of years back (Im from the UK).  Seem to remember (cry) the Glock 19 was pleasing to the small hand or the CZ75, I have shot, with my little hands many different guns including a Desert Eagle, what I would say is that its not so much the size of hand as being confident with the gun that is in it...if you see what I mean.  My advise is to go for it, I still take on the big stuff as well as the smaller cals .22 upto 7.62 and enjoy them all.  I just wish I still had the choice to shoot handguns :(

My wife is 5'0" tall 100 lbs.  She loves the SIG 229.  She is able to fuction it and shoot it very well.  I do have a bunch of weapons that I have bought for over the years that she does not like.  Smaller is not better.  (It has been a great way to build a collection though).  Try to find a range that rent weapons and have her shoot a bunch of them.  It is well worth the investment.

My wife had trouble with the slide on the Glock until a friend's wife showed us her technique (for the sake of clarity, I will explain it as though the shooter is right-handed):

- Lock both elbows (arms fully extended)
- Grasp the pistol (as though ready to fire - minus trigger finger, of course) in the right hand
- With the left hand, grasp the slide with the left thumb facing forward (toward the end of the barrel) on the right side of the slide, and the rest of the fingers gripping the left side of the slide.
- Using the SHOULDERS, abruptly rotate the left shoulder backward and the right shoulder forward.  Keep the elbows locked.
- Once the slide is all the way back, release the weak hand to allow the slide to go forward.

This method uses the upper-body strength instead of arm strength.

Using this method, my wife has no problem and  my 15-yr old daughter can rack my Glock 23, my wife's Glock 26, and my friend's Ruger .45 (P95, I think) without cocking the hammer.

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