We've had a couple a homes invaded very close to ours so wife told me today that she wants an easy to use, no-brainer handgun. I've tried for a few years to get her shooting a couple different 9mm but she simply cannot rack the slide. She is 100 lbs and weak upper body strength.

My initial thought was a revolver. Really thinking a snub nose since it can double as a concealed weapon. Not sure if a hammerless would be better since trigger pull is very heavy. But its a no-brainer as far as function. If I had the funds Id spring for a S&W 340pd or 360pd so could shoot 357 or 38, but might be too much of a handful for her. If We go revolver, i'd prefer to stay with S&W. Im sure Ruger, Taurus, Rossi, etc make decent enough revolvers, but not looking to experiment. Definitely going non internal lock model.

Thoughts??

I think you're right on with your thinking... Revolver sounds like a good option for a small framed woman. My daughter has trouble with the slide on my autos. We're still practicing on the revolver, but she shows considerable improvement. Simple operation under a stressful situation. I know others have different opinions on the matter, but the revolver makes perfect sense to me for the situation you describe.

Definitely can't go wrong with a S&W either.

I agree with a revolver. My mom is small framed as well and had issues with the 9mm semi she had. She switched over to a .38 SP and loves it. She's much more accurate and comfortable with the pistol. IMO I'd say stick with S&W or Ruger for sure.

What do you think of the .38 bodyguard?

Personally I like the P238 for my wife when I get her a carry gun.

i will throw this out there, If for home protection, defense style 20ga, point and shoot without worry of projectile leaving the house.

Just a thought

Thought about it but too many working parts. I showed her my Saiga 12 and that was a no go. She now has an AR15, but again alot of factors to deal with (magazine, charging handle, safety, etc.). She wants a point and shoot gun and i cant think of anything other than a revolver.

Not a fan of polymer revolvers but we may take a look at it. Seems like a lightweight polymer snubbie would be punishment at the range.

BA223/Houghtown,

Is your daughter/mom using a revolver with hammer? I know a hammered revolver is easy enough to figure out. But I worry that in the heat of things she may get confused as to whether or not she needs to [censored] it. Hammerless seems so simple. Point, pull, repeat

Lol i guess you cant kock a hammer on THF. It gets censored

I greatly prefer a shotgun for home defense.

Handgun choice - S&W 432 in 32 H&R mag. She can shoot 32 long. Now you have a dependable lightweight revolver with manageable recoil and effective stopping power.

Regardless of the weapon you settle on, she needs to spend enough time shooting to get comfortable and confident.

My wife is also 100 lbs and weak. I bought her a kahr 9 and she can manage it but, she likes the glock more when were are on the range. she really liked how easy it was to rack the slide on the sig p238 but i don't like the 380 cartridge and we are waiting for a chance to handle the 938. revolvers on small women get bulky unless they already wear loose clothes or change the way they dress. good luck with finding something for her

My wife is 101 lbs, I bought her a Walther PK380 w/ laser and has no problems with the slide. She did not like the feel of the revolvers.

My wife was exactly like yours, couldn't rack the slide on my Glock. She tried shooting a hammerless snub nose and due to the trigger pull she couldn't hit SQUAT. Kept practicing with my G19 and working on racking it, and now it is hers and she can shoot anything with it.

jeeperbryan, the DD is still in training. Shooting a snub nosed model 66 with 38's. The gun DOES have the hammer. I'm working with her to get comfortable shooting both single and double action with it. Using the hammer, the trigger on these old Smitty's is very light, so she's learning to be very careful when placing her finger into the guard. Without pulling the hammer back, the trigger is a different challenge for her. Accuracy not yet as good...while making the full pull on the trigger and trying to steady herself on her target. But, she's practicing, and making progress.

As others stated...and I'm sure you well know... Practice is the most important thing with whatever your little lady decides to go with.

My wife also had the same issue with most of my semi autos. We went to several gun stores and a range that rented in order to find what she liked to shoot.

We ended up getting her a Bersa 380. Sure .380 might not be the ideal cartridge - but she likes shooting it, she likes practicing with it, and she is actually a very good shot with it. I am working with her to get her used to the AR, so that she could confidently use a rifle if need be.

Since your wife doesn't feel confident with the AR, why don't you plan a trip and go to one of the rifle/carbine classes that are available. I've heard good things about CSAT in Nacogdoches and TacPro in Mingus (I'm sure there are plenty of good training places all over Texas). In the very least you can have her watch the MagPul Dynamics Art of the Dynamic Carbine DVDs and go over the key points with her during and after.

Seriously, I think for women, youth and the recoil sensitive the AR-15 is very hard to beat as a home defense weapon. Throw on a red dot and with a little training she would be very well protected.


Good Luck.

There's also the coach gun to consider- a Stoeger 20 ga with a buttstock cuff full of shells would do the job and has fewer moving parts than a revolver.

My girl loves her 238. No worries facking the slide and that thing is accurate.

Lots of good advice here. Simplicity of a revolver is hard to beat. I've got a hammerless S & W Airweight. Even with my non-dominant hand, I can still squeeze the trigger with my pinky finger.

Hey Janie, have you ever shot a 357 snubbie? I showed my wife a picture of a 340PD last night and she liked the looks of it. I'm a bit worried that it may be too light. Might go with a 642/442 and laser grips of some sort.

Sure have. With magnum loads she may not like the recoil or muzzle flash. My airweight is the M442 so you'd be good up to + P loads. Been very happy with this revolver. Great for cc, not much in the way of recoil. Accurate. Reliable. I picked this up at gunshow about a year ago. Brand new in the box for $329.00, so definitely not a piggy bank buster.

The AR I put together for her is a frankenAR. Meaning it has parts from various manufacturers. I got it for her just for plinking. If I would have been shopping for a self-defense AR, I would have bought quality (probably Noveske or Larue). I'm still hesitant to give her a gun that has too many dependencies. She is extremely forgetful. As in, loses her keys almost everyday. So I fear that putting a weapon with that many points of failure would be a bad idea.

"Look there's a bad guy....is the magazine in, is the magazine loaded, is there a round in the chamber, do i need to rack the slide, oh slide is locked how do i release it again, is the safety on, why is my reddot not on, are those kids playing 100 yards behind the bad guy?" whereas with revolver it's "Look there's a bad guy....point, shoot, repeat".

Same thing with a pump or semi auto shotgun. Same thing with a semi auto pistol. I fear exposing her to so many guns as I have over the years will simply confuse her in the heat of the moment.

I never understood some of the things y'all say on this topic. I too have a small woman and she handles all my pistols just fine. From loading all the way to disassembly and cleaning (which I wished she'd do sometimes since she knows how). I think u can and should train her to use any pistol. With proper training she should be able to find her way of operating a weapon. If she is so inept or adverse, excuse the strong language, then she should not be relying on a firearm to protect her. She better off with mace or taser. Of course this is within reason. I don't expect my little 110lb woman to handle a desert eagle or even some 45s. But she can easily operate my 1911, especially when I have it locked and loaded and hidden at the house. If ease of use is a factor, how is a snub nosed 357 the answer?

I'm not trying to be a butt hole but let's step back and think about the big picture. If a person, regardless of gender, doesn't want to use a weapon because they can find some way to operate a slide, then do u really want to arm them with a deadly weapon that can go off easily?

I think you're missing the point. If a person cannot operate a manual transmission because their leg is not strong enough or long enough to engage the clutch, then you dont buy them a vehicle with a manual transmission. You do the most sensible thing and get them in a vehicle they can operate.

I have been shooting with her for at least 5 years now. Over the past 2 years I've tried to get her comfortable and able to use a semi-auto pistol. She simply cannot do it. From the sounds of it, it looks like others have experienced the same. While I can appreciate that your wife can operate a loaded 1911 (meaning all she has to do is pull the trigger), she's not my wife. If it were just a matter of her being able to pull a trigger, I could just put a round in the chamber of every gun I own and train her to pick it up, point, shoot. However, I do not feel that is safe. I feel that a good solution, not to mention a LEO and FFL that I've spoken to recently, is a revolver with long trigger pull. Simple, effective, and no more dangerous than a 1911 cocked, locked, and loaded with a hair trigger. Or based on some others recommendations I may have her try out a small 380 (not really a fan) or 9mm again.

Based on your logic, I should be getting her mace, a taser???? Maybe I should try a baseball bat. Or a slingshot? Or maybe arm her with a lighter and can of hairspray?

A snub nose revovlers has high recoild, light weight, LONG trigger, heavy trigger, shitty sights, long reloads, and 5 rounds. Larger revovlers have better sights, less recoild, and 6 rounds.

Lots of people recommend them because they think women can't figure how to operate some of the simplest firearms out there, but they can opperate the easiest to understand guns. I dissagree.

95% of people who "can't" rack a slide, can do it if they are trained properly.

My vote is a SW 442 or 642 with +P .38's. Simple and effective. When her adrenalin is pumping the 7 pound trigger will feel like a 7 oz. Just my opinion.

I have been trying to get my wife to carry an auto, but she refuses and chooses a snubby every time. Now on the range, she will blast away with my 220 combat until she runs out of bullets.