Looking to buy a small auto pistol for my wife; .380 or 9mm.
I want one that she can rack the slide and start shooting, or have one in the chamber, pull back the hammer and start shooting.
Here is the problem; she has a very hard time pulling the trigger if they are only double action.
Do any of these new small autos operate like my full size Ruger 95 9mm auto? Rack the first round or have one in the chamber and cock the hammer then start firing, then after the first shot is fired, the second, third, fourth, etc., are fired by just touching the trigger.
Is this action is called DA/SA? (Double Action?Single Action)
Looking at some of these small autos, they seem to be only double action.

In suggestions will help.

MauserK98

Walther's pp series pistols are that way.

the little sig 238is single action as is the sig 230 at least the older models, the colt mustang - now back on the market, the star firestars are all single action. go to a site like davidsons house of guns and look through, just look for single actions

Can your wife handle 5 lbs. of trigger pull? If so, you might want to look at the striker fired Diamondback DB9 pistol. I picked one up a little over a month ago and the longer I have it, the more I'm impressed with the pistol. It's accurate and so far has shot everything that I've fed it.

My Beretta 84 can be cocked for the first shot, as well as fired double action, it could also be carried cocked and locked like a 1911, however there is no grip safety, and I don't recommend it.

Look at Kahr. No hammer, similar to a glock. Most women can get thier hands around it. I find alot of women struggle with pulling the slides on Glock, M&P, and springfield xd. The Kahr seems to work a little better. Plus the weapon is very small.

I would highly reccommend the Kahr line. Their double action pull is the best I have ever felt. I normally carry a MK9. However I don't find the slide what I would call easy to retract. It has a very strong recoil spring. You only have to rack the slide to load the initial round though. And is perfectly safe to carry with a chambered round. I also have a PPK Walther and it's double action pull is nowhere near as nice as the Kahr. I also carry a TPH sometimes and it's easy to chamber and the double action pull is not to bad. You might also consider a H&K P7 as it has a nice trigger pull and the grip is not too bad to squeeze to cock the firing pin. While it's flat it's not too small and it is kinda expensive. I like mine very much.

I just can't do the Kahr trigger. It is worse than any Glock I have. I would go with the CZ Rami, if it was my wife. Great triggers.

Most small autos, sa or da, require lots of grip strength to rack the slide. The Sig's, once loaded, are carried hammer down and can be fired either da or hammer cocked and fired sa. I believe most training frowns upon going sa with a da capable pistol. Not sure why this is as the 1911's are sa only and they don't have problems with that. Sa trigger pulls tend to be pretty light and under stress an accidental discharge is a real possibility. Lots and lots of training is the only way to work around any of this.
C.G.B.

My wife is starting to get arthritis in her hands, so we had to take that into account when shopping for a new cc for her. It was the Sig P238 that she could load and shoot easily. It's turned out to be a very accurate little gun.

Glock 26

Glocks and Springfield DXs are too big. I have small hands. I have to twist my wrist to get my finger on the trigger. Very uncomfortable to shoot.
Haven't shot a Kahr, though. But, I'm intrigued and I'm going to look at them.
Walther is my favorite.

I've said it before so I'll say it again, I think the best little pistol is the CZ83 (or CZ 82 depending on the caliber). Mine is in 32 ACP but look around and you can find similar in 9mm Makarov (the best small pistol caliber) and maybe even 380 ACP. You can carry cocked and locked or one round in the chamber with the hammer down for DA/SA.






One of the most accurate pistols out of the box I've ever owned. I added the wood grips, the stock grips are plastic.

aimsurplus.com has the Czech CZ-82 9x18 Pistol on sale now for $219.95

Mauser K98:

Most of the smaller autos are difficult for women to operate. The slide spring is very strong; not enough leverage to pull back the slide, etc. Also, they kick hard and if you relax your grip or wrist when firing, they will jam easily. I carry a DB9 and the felt recoil in my hand is worse than my 454. Keep in mind you want your wife to safely (and with confidence) load, accurately engage a target and clear the weapon.

My wife is a small woman and she shoots and hunts often so she understand firearms more than most. We have tried every small auto on the market and she does not feel confident with any of them for the above stated reasons. She prefers a J frame S&W or a full size auto.

Before you waste money on something she can't or won't use, go to a good gunshop (rare these days) and let her handle an assortment of handguns. Any decent gunshop will let her dry fire them as well. If possible, borrow examples that she likes from a buddy so that she can shoot them or find a range that rents guns. Remember, if she doesn't like it for whatever reason, she will not use it.

quote:

Originally posted by RVL III:
aimsurplus.com has the Czech CZ-82 9x18 Pistol on sale now for $219.95

And for $10 additional you get one of the "hand-picked" models. People, these are great little guns. For $230 you can't go wrong. My daughters have shot my CZ83 in .32 ACP and never had a problem with limp wristing or working the slide. But this pistol is a little heavier than the other minis (all steel) and the grip is bigger than most. Shoot it first, then decide.

Whatever you purchase let your wife make the decision.

Just a few suggestions.

Some shooting ranges have several handguns available for rent. If it were me, I'd invite her to do a little shooting with various handguns they might have at the range.

Your views of what is comfortable to shoot,and functional will probably NOT match her views's. That has been my experience. I made the mistake of buying a LadySmith 3913 thinking she would love it. The slide release was to hard for her manicured fingers to manipulate. Not a problem for me though. Nice pistol.

If you don't have a shooting range visit the gunshop before the 4 o clock crowd rushes in if possible. This will give you a more relaxed, and laid back session of touchy-feely with the handguns.

Also, have your women check out all the female shooters on Youtube. That might be of some help.

A couple of women I know cannot pull the slide back on a semi auto pistols without struggle, They also have difficulty when operating the slide release. This was an observation made in a relaxed setting.

Massad Ayoob has a lot of books that you might find interesting, and with that just typing his name in the google search will land you some of this trappings. I think he gives sound advice In my opinion.

Don't dismiss the Smith J frame revolver. Let her do that if she so chooses.

Just another thought. Just because it feels good at the gunshop, doesn't mean it will feel good while she is shooting it. Recoil is real.Be prepared to go through a couple of different guns {at least lol} before she's happy with "the one".

quote:

Originally posted by COOL:
Whatever you purchase let your wife make the decision.

True.

If it was my money, I'd make sure she got a look at a Walther PP (Pistole Polezei (SP?) before deciding.

They were made in .32 ACP and .380 before, during, and after WWII. They are extremely flat, thin, and easy to load, cock, and operate. They are very accurate. They are SA/DA, have a decocking lever, are "hammer" guns, and are not very expensive (At least mine weren't). The .380 versions are up to $100 more than the .32s. Recoil of the .32 versions is light enough that most folks seem to just ignore it and they fit even the smallest hands just beautifully.

There are scads of them floating around in this country as used European ex-police department guns which flooded in during the 1980s.

Some folks will warn you against buying ones marked Manurhin, saying they are inferior to the "German" Walther-marked ones.

That isn't correct. The Germans were forbidden to make guns at all for years after WWII, so Walther contracted to have them made in France and supplied drawings, gauges, oversight, etc., for their manufacture.

After WWII for at least 10 years all Walther PPs were made in northern France by Manurhin...many of them were sold to Walther in Germany, which finished (blued) them, marked them "Made in Germany" and then sold them world-wide. They are identical quality whether marked Walther or marked Manurhin.

I bought my wife a Star Firestar with the Starvel finish in a 9m/m but I think it has to much recoil flip for her, so I may trade it in on a smith and wesson .38 special with a bobbed hammer.


Cal30

I bought my wife a Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP which can be double action or carried cocked and locked. My wife had trouble pulling some of the slides back on most autos and this one solves that problem by having a tip up barrel. It allows her to load one in the barrel on a full mag and also can unload it quickly.

The PP trigger is essentially impossible for a woman to use in double action. Perhaps a well built woman with strong hands but as a rule, I find that women struggle with triggers over 10-12 pounds and fatigue easily when trying, leading to poor shooting, frustration and abandonment of training.

Kahrs are good but difficult to shoot well. Most any small gun is going to be a lot more difficult to use than a large weapon, and require more dedication.

No one has mentioned the Bersa. What do you guys think about them?

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
I just can't do the Kahr trigger. It is worse than any Glock I have. I would go with the CZ Rami, if it was my wife. Great triggers.

I'll second that....my Rami is a fine pistol but might be a bit larger than she would like to carry around.

A 7.65mm is really nice. Mostly in older pistols, but packs a wallop.

I saw one of the new Colt "mustang" .380's the other day. It was so cute it almost followed me home.