I'm 5'2" , how little is she?
Sometimes it's technique not strength.

 

She's just a tad under 5ft, little, in her 50s.



Little lady with small hands...and a really cute grand daughter.

 

Does she suffer from arthritis or similar?
If not I recommend a Glock 19. I teach Intro to Firearms classes
for women and it's very popular. Many older women including myself
love it. Don't make the mistake of getting her a 'little, light' gun. I've seen
many women shoot less than a cylinder or magazine and lay them down.
When showing her how to rack a slide, use the over hand method, not the
thumb finger method.

 

A Glock 19...ok, thanks. And method you mean grasping the slide from the top rather than grabbing the end of it?

 

Yes. Used Glocks are really cheap right now. If it doesn't work out you will get your money out of it or even make a little when the prices go back up, and they will sooner or later.

 

I would recommend letting her try a CCO 1911. I have seen some very petite gals pick up on the technique of racking the slide and having no problems with the kick.

 

Agreed. But don't get an alloy frame. You want a gun that absorbs the recoil.

ETA: I bet she will be quick when she gets the hang of it!

 

It's hard to beat a good J frame S&W .

 

Something like this J frame S&W 640 Pro has a lot going for it. It's heavy, it's pretty and it has real sights. Night sights even, but it costs nearly twice as much as a used Glock.

 

Ok here's what I did. Your results may vary. I took the wife to the gun shop back when we still had one close. We must of spent an hour or more. I'll bet she picked up nearly every thing they had to offer. I was getting her one for her birthday. She ho hummed and hawed around until she finally choose. The one that she liked best and seemed to fit her best was the... Gosh I hate to say this.... a glock 19! That's just how I approached getting her armed.

 

Thanks for sharing that! I just did some checking....which Glock 19? There are several variations..Gen3...Gen4....I guess it matters on length and capacity?

 

I have three Gen 3 Glock 19's. I had a Gen 4 but sold it.
Most of my female friends have a couple of Gen 3's.

 

Just TODAY!! I had my sister in law on the Willow Range trying out my LCR. Her husband bought her a small 380 auto and she has
NO experience with an auto. She did NOT like it! Even I can barely rack the slide on that little auto. She was very comfortable with the revolver! Trigger pull and point it the right direction are the two main things to remember. No slides... NO safetys.... We did stance, grip. and some trigger control drills today. 50 rounds. 3 or 4 more range sessions this summer and they plan to trade the auto for an LCR.
BTW she is 5' 2" and maybe 110lbs

 

Just TODAY!! I had my sister in law on the Willow Range trying out my LCR. Her husband bought her a small 380 auto and she has
NO experience with an auto. She did NOT like it! Even I can barely rack the slide on that little auto. She was very comfortable with the revolver! Trigger pull and point it the right direction are the two main things to remember. No slides... NO safetys.... We did stance, grip. and some trigger control drills today. 50 rounds. 3 or 4 more range sessions this summer and they plan to trade the auto for an LCR.
BTW she is 5' 2" and maybe 110lbs

Well ,,... "sister" left for Phx yesterday. She left with my/HER LCR! 6-8 sessions on the Willow Range
and she could pull from her purse and or pocket and place "target" loads in an 18 " circle at 15 feet. With me firing
next to her as a distraction she could center mass (groin to grin) 90+% of her shots.
Also impressive was her ability to place 6 rounds in a 10 " circle from 30 ft shooting an older model 10 S&W
single action. Given Arizona laws I felt good about her receiving even MY inadequate training before carrying.
She now can also clean and oil her revolver and swears she will spend time this winter at the range in Glendale.
NMBUZZ

 

Good old J frame or even a K frame . Older ones have much smoother actions

 

I would have her look at a S&W 637 Airweight Snubby with a set of Crimson Trace Laser Grips or a NAA Mini Mag Pug in .22 Mag. Both are simple and easy to use and small/light enough to be carried.





Karsten

 

Thanks, guys.

 

The first one my wife picked for her very own is a browning High Power in 9mm. She loves it and is deadly accurate with it. Full size pistol, soft shooter, natural pointer.

The second is a S&W J Frame in .357 but always loaded with .38 Special. That's her nightstand gun. No slide, no safeties, point and shoot. I customized a limited edition copy of "Little Women" and it looks so very innocent on her nightstand.

 

Kind of a misleading title...
I thought you were looking for a trade.

 

?? .o:

 

About a year back, I picked up a S&W 351PD (22 Magnum) J frame. Scandium frame (very light), with no recoil.

This puppy is the consummate pocket pistol. Point and shoot, baby!

 

S&W J Frame. Have someone do trigger work if the pull is too heavy for her.

 

I beleave Saw has the right answer , as much caliber and weight as she can handle and shoot Well. A little weight will help absorb recoil .
As Saw mentioned , have her grasp the slide ,Palm on top ,thumb and index finger to the rear touching the Rear serrations. hold The slide tight and with the Non -dominate hand And in one quick motion , think like throwing a punch , With the dominate hand push the grip forward and allow the slide to slingshot . Should take care of problem with a little practice.
Remember , barrel pointed in a safe direction finger OFF the trigger

 

I beleave Saw has the right answer , as much caliber and weight as she can handle and shoot Well. A little weight will help absorb recoil .
As Saw mentioned , have her grasp the slide ,Palm on top ,thumb and index finger to the rear touching the Rear serrations. hold The slide tight and with the Non -dominate hand And in one quick motion , think like throwing a punch , With the dominate hand push the grip forward and allow the slide to slingshot . Should take care of problem with a little practice.
Remember , barrel pointed in a safe direction finger OFF the trigger

Well explained very well said.

 

Hey Countryside, From personal experience with my wife, who actually is a pretty stout woman, she still prefers my Chief's Special over any of my 1911's and Glocks. So I could get my beautiful 36 back (no dash and no friggin trigger lock obviously) I bought her a used but clean Taurus Lightweight alloy snub, which I am sure you know is an S&W copy. She loves it! She needs some range time with it and I need to install a spring kit as Taurus revolvers all seem to have gritty and heavy DA pulls. Next thing for her is of course, one of those 3rd Marine Division deployment backpacks....er I mean a nice purse with a quick draw compartment for it. Anyway....we are rarely out of each other's sight and I always carry something, so whatever she is carrying would likely be a New York reload for me. I don't think short of total societal breakdown and/or WWIII would I ever get her to wear a holster.....and I don't much care for them either.....I guess we are sort of "pocket gunners". I like how casually a J frame or Glock 43 slips into my back pocket under a long shirt and still does not print. One of our adult daughters always carries a Charter Arms Bulldog....I feel sorry for whoever tangles with her......she is dangerously skilled with it.

 

Yep, Buzz is also correct....point and shoot is the best and safest plan. And practice, practice, practice. I always go to outdoor range and while I mess around with my 1911's and M1A/M14, etc. I then do a couple of different drills with my carry gun. I do some "shoot and move" whereby I draw from pocket holster and place a couple rounds center mass and then move to the right or left a few feet and place a couple more. And along with that I try a minimum of 50 rounds from simply drawing from holster/pocket and firing a cylinder/mag. Those 640's are sweet as well and I like the bedside book idea.

 

A single stack 9mm would work well

 

Buzz , just re read ops post , he asked for advice and I simply suggested the " Israeli method " of racking the slide. It seems to work for all shapes and sizes in the IDF regardless of gender.
IMHO proper training is essential in defensive shooting , anyone using a firearm should abide by established safety methods in training. Point and shoot was part of my advanced training , not for new shooters who have not been trained to observe what lies beyond the "barn door" their trying to hit.
Suggesting a simple weapon that your partner can blast away with is unacceptable And dangerous in my mind.

 

Practice, practice, practice, Glock 19 ........She'll / you'll be glad she did

 

Three women shot the SW 640 posted above.
10 yds as fast as possible, DA only, just trying to put the shots on center mass.
One is 61 yrs old and has mild arthritis.
Heavy J frame comes back on target easily.
I took a pic for Countryside to show his wife.

 

This target is from the 1911 in my avatar.
This is the bottom of the ^^^^^^ target .
I'm sorry it got cut off and I threw it away.
Again a nice heavy gun that absorbs recoil well.
These are three inch circles.

The group on the left is mine and the right is the 61 year old with arthritis who shoots
occasionally. I cut it off but you can see she had a pretty good string going.

Countryside if there is anything I can do help convince your wife to give it a try
let me know.

 

We also shot a Ruger LCR 9mm today.
Light weight, small revolver, plastic frame, snappy and didn't run worth a damn.
It's going back to Ruger....