Need help from you Gals.

[Will Carry]

My wife is in her sixties and is not in good health. She can't rack the slide on any of my semi-autos and can't pull any of my revolvers in double action. She can't handle the recoil of my Glock 19. My GP-100 is too heavy. She also can't handle my 380 pocket pistol. She can't rack my Ruger Mark III. She doesn't want to shoot a revolver single action because she's afraid she would forget in an emergency.

Should I get her a Beretta 32 0r 22 with the tip up barrel? Any suggestions?

[bigwakes]

My wife ha sa Ruger LCR. It's light weight and has a great trigger. You can load it with very light .38 rounds to take the recoil down a bit. It would hit harder than a .32 or .22, but with light loads could be pretty comfortable.

[jgradyc]

My sister is similar age and similar health situation. She cannot pull the trigger on a double action revolver and can't handle the recoil on the Taurus 85Ti I gave her, even loaded with the lightest round I could find... wadcutters. Her hand was literally black and blue the next day. I'm going to test her on the Walther PK380 and Bersa Thunder 380 next. The Walther is the easiest auto to rack I've ever held, so hopefully she can handle it.

[ted]

sig p238 my 83 year old mother likes hers

[PackinMama]

Springfield EMP in 9mm and she can have it cocked and locked. I suppose the Sig 238 would work this way as well and it should have less recoil......although the 9mm EMP has a super mild recoil for a 9mm.

Sounds like you definitely need a 1911 style pistol that you can rack and she can keep cocked and locked. Then all she has to do is disengage the safety and shoot SA.

[Will Carry]

Today her wrist is sore from shooting the Glock 19. She shoot about 30 rounds through it. She had two FTEs from lip wrists. The only time that pistol ever failed. I'm trying to think out of the box. Like an FN 5.7. I have never shot one but I here the recoil is mild. Or maybe the Kel-Tec PMR-30, although I here they are prone to jam.

OR start from the beginning, with a light weight 22 target pistol like the Browning Buckmark series and letter her work up to something bigger. I also am thinking about getting her some private instruction. I got really mad at her at the range Monday because she lowered my 380 with her finger still on the trigger. Then she did it again mith my Volquartsen Mark III and ended up breaking the front sight. Maybe some private instruction would be better, she never listens to me.

[Jonnin]

I will second the sig 238. Try before you buy, but with the hammer back (and it always should be, think 1911) its very easy to rack and with a locked breech it soaks the recoil pretty well. It still has some recoil, but less than a pocket 25 or fixed barrel blowback 380. However if she cannot rack the slide on a 22, even the sig may be too difficult. In that case its going to be a revolver with a smooth, light DA pull. These exist, or most models can be smoothed out by a gunsmith, dropping down to 4-5 pound pulls --- can she manage that? Them are the options though -- find something she can rack and operate, and forget what caliber it is, anything > nothing. The PMR is not going to be easier to use than a buckmark, as the slide must travel farther when racked and the spring is going to be heavier. Is it her grip, or her power that fail? What I am asking is are her arms weak, or her hands... it sounds like hands, so she cannot grasp the slide to pull it back, but probably could pull it if she could hold it. In which case maybe get a gunsmith to install some sort of "handle" on the slide of something?? I cannot find one, but once I saw a one armed man shooting and he had a hollow tube installed on the front of his gun, he could rack it by pushing the front of the gun into the floor or a wall etc. That was many, many years ago and I couldnt find it on the web.

[Will Carry]

Thanks for the help. Her wrist and hands are too weak to control any of my pistols. I will keep you posted. I have a really sweet S&W Model 36 3" nickle revolver. If I could get the trigger lightened up by a gunsmith it would be perfect. I am also considering a rifle for her. If we didn't have three dogs already I'd get her a German Shepard.

[Jonnin]

Even a 10-22 with 25 round mags is to be feared -- just get some quality ammo as the biggest problem with a .22 is the misfires from cheap ammo. If you are willing to use a rifle, that opens up a whole world of things. That means you were not looking for a tiny carry gun as I first thought from your posts. Look for someone who does cowboy action competetive shooting. The revolvers those guys have had worked over are amazing, should not be terribly hard to find a half decent smith who can do that kind of work. They use single actions but the work should be similar enough.

[c.a.willard]

I know i may regret recomending this on a gun forum, but if you truely can not find a firearm that she can not safely or comfortably handle you may consider a different route and try any number of different electronic control devices. the Taser C2 for example is fairly small, light and comfortable. Any weapon in a self defense situation is better than none.

[PackinMama]

If it's just for home defense, what about a very short and easy to handle tactical hi-cap .22 like the GSG.....or HK makes one too I believe. The Sig 522 that's for sale on the board here might work as well.....or one like it.

[JC57]

For self defense purposes, it shouldn't be that important that she can rack the slide, just load it ahead of time for her.

You might want to consider one of the full-sized .380 pistols - Bersa Thunder 380 (I have one of these) or Thunder Plus (15+1), Walther PPK/S, Sig P232, Beretta Cheetah 84/85, or CZ 83.

The .380 recoil is mild in the larger guns, and out of the longer barrel (compared to the pocket guns) you can get better performance from the round. Also, fairly high magazine capacity in some of those can make up for the weaker caliber.

There is still the issue of being able to rack the slide, but unless I'm going to the range or cleaning my autos, I never need to rack the slide on them. Pre-load it for her and you're good to go.

[Jonnin]

For self defense purposes, it shouldn't be that important that she can rack the slide, just load it ahead of time for her.You might want to consider one of the full-sized .380 pistols - Bersa Thunder 380 (I have one of these) or Thunder Plus (15+1), Walther PPK/S, Sig P232, Beretta Cheetah 84/85, or CZ 83.The .380 recoil is mild in the larger guns, and out of the longer barrel (compared to the pocket guns) you can get better performance from the round. Also, fairly high magazine capacity in some of those can make up for the weaker caliber.There is still the issue of being able to rack the slide, but unless I'm going to the range or cleaning my autos, I never need to rack the slide on them. Pre-load it for her and you're good to go.

I would disagree about loading ahead of time. If she gets a jam or dud or whatever, she will be helpless. And a jam is often harder to rack out than just a chambering. It would really be best is she finds one that she can operate. If reloading is an option, a light spring and light loads could solve the problem. An external hammer auto is a good place to start, a 1911 or DA where you pull the hammer back first really takes up a lot of the slide resistence. Combine that, get a 9mm 1911 and reduce the spring and loadout to a 380, it would have next to zero recoil and a big, easy to grasp and easy to move slide.... and solve the trigger pull at the same time, as would something like a CZ that is DA but cocked & locked. Edited November 23, 2011 by Jonnin

[JC57]

Jonnin, I agree that being able to rack the slide is important in clearing malfunctions. However the lady's limitations seem somewhat significant in being able to operate ANY gun. When presented with a challenging set of restrictions, then some solution is better than no solution.

My real preference in her case would be a decent revolver but it seems the DA trigger pull is an issue. J-frame Smiths have miserable trigger pulls, so I'd suggest a decent K-frame with a quality trigger job by a good gunsmith to lighten it up as much as possible. But she didn't seem to like the weight and size of the OPs Ruger GP100 so the K-frame Smith might not be perceived as much better.

He mentioned the tip-up barrel Berettas. I have one of those in .25 ACP and while it is a decent little close-range shooter, the slide still takes some effort to rack by hand, and the recoil with full SD rounds (Hornady XTPs) is surprisingly sharp. The .32 ACP version would be preferable there, but again, probably even snappier recoil and still the same issues with racking the slide if she needs to clear a jam.

Edited November 24, 2011 by JC57
Typo

[True Grit]

My wife can not even pull the trigger of my LCR but she has no problem racking the slide of the P238 HD. She also keeps a Beretta 21A bobcat 22lr in her coat pocket. She does not like the recoil for the 38sp even single action but no problem with the P238 HD which is a 20 oz version.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

I have somewhat sore hands from time to time and I get where I cant really rack it or even load a mag,so I know how that can feel.. I think its important for her to be able to rack it. clear it and do everything she needs to do in case it jams or you have a FTE...

Knowing how to rack the slide makes it a lot easier also.. Racking the gun into the slide instead of racking the slide while gun itself is stationary.. makes it easier for a lot of people.

I carry a Kel tec pf9 and its not too bad.. I think it gets a lot easier once its worn in..

I would really consider a different self defense method if she is not able to handle all the aspects of a gun.. I hope you guys find something she can handle..Good luck and let us know what you find.. I might need to go down that route soon myself..

I shot and handled Ohshoot`s XD`s a bit on the range.. I think they are super easy to rack and operate..maybe look into those?

[Trekbike]

I'm going to test her on the Walther PK380.....The Walther is the easiest auto to rack I've ever held, so hopefully she can handle it.

I would agree. I was amazed how easy it was to rack. Handled one while we were looking a guns for my daughter.

Will Carry - have you had her try all the normal procedures that are helpful for some women to use for racking the slide? (Sometimes technique trumps strength.) If so, have you had her try switching hands? My Dad found that using his weak hand to hold the grip and racking with his strong hand helped. Not the best option but would work in an emergency.