Which of my Guns is the Easiest to Shoot

[sandsunsurf]

The Glocks, especially if one is a Gen 5.

I have to add my $0.02 and say DO NOT get the S&W EZ. I hate that pistol, I see many old guys and most women have problems with the grip safety. It’s a crappy idea to market a pistol to people with grip issues and then include a grip safety. I’m back at the range 5 days a week teaching and RSO-ing and I see this pistol give people trouble weekly. We carry one as regular stock in the gun store for people that ask for it, but we don’t push it at all.

[Ron3]

My wife can't rack the slide of most auto's.

A few she can, like a mid-full size Glock. But then she doesn't have the mass in her wrists to keep it from limp-wrist malfunctions.

Therefore she prefers a revolver with an excellent DA trigger.

Just the other day we stopped by a store for me to pick up a gun I'd ordered. There is a range there and a pretty petite young woman was shooting with her guy obviously trying out guns. She had a decent grip from what I could tell. I looked at the gun in front of them and said, "I'll bet she won't like any of those."

A steel, heavy 1911? Obviously too heavy to even hold long, let one the recoil. Didn't finish the magazine.

A couple others, the guy had to work the action after she tried.

Then the Glock. She loaded it, got a couple rounds in, then limp wristed it.

My wife said to me as we watched her struggle, "Yup! Been there done all that! She needs a revolver with mild ammo and a good trigger or the most reliable .22 and ammo they can find."

[Ron3]

I have a female friend/co-worker who has been shooting with me. She is pretty good with a rifle and working on pistol. She can keep 8 or 9 shots out of 10 on smallish (6-8") steel plates at 25 yards with my MKII .22 lr, so I think she has the fundementals down.

The problem comes with centerfire pistols. When we move from the recoil free, light trigger MKII to my other pistols she struggles. Same issue with my wife, who prefers revolvers but is coming around. Which of these would be the best choice to concentrate on?
G19
G17
Beretta 92
CZ75B
Sig 225
Hi-Power
CZ82
1911

All but the 1911 and CZ82 are 9x19.

I would be happy if they could initially get a mag or two down per session then build on it.

Thanks

Andy

See my previous post. But to answer your question probably none of the above.

If they aren't "gun enthusiasts" they won't want to put much "work" into it and may not have the strength to handle much gun.

Let them use a gun they enjoy shooting and are confident (meaning they can control it, hit with it, manipulate, and understand it) with so you can focus more on the mindset and tactics of safety.

Let the woman choose the gun. If she doesn't like a big gun, or can't handle 9mm recoil, can't hold it long, doesn't feel like she can control it, or easily tell if its loaded or not, let her shoot / carry / what SHE likes.

You can try to steer a little, but after the second, "nah, I like this one." Forget it and focus on what she likes. As soon as you hear "I like..." your eyes should light up with happiness that she has found a gun she's into. Go with it.

[Ron3]

One of the later times I tried to find an auto she might like I was giving tips about how to rack with more success.

I advised her to make as much contact with the slide as possible because her grip strength isnt great.

We'd talked before about racking without covering the ejection port and the reasons why. Well, she forgot one of the reasons!

And after failing to rack it some palm flesh got crushed between the slide and breech! Man, did she holler!! And I had just stepped away so at first I wasn't sure what was going on. But she was panicked in level 10 pain, knowing she couldn't just rip the gun off nor could she rack it herself or on anything. Screaming with tears in her eyes I ran over and got it off of her.

Left quite a blood blister on her palm. Think she was interested in auto's after that, when she wasn't already?

More ammo? To her the answer is have another revolver nearby / at hand. That is not a wrong answer. Her gun is merely for her and family / friends survival. She is not getting into any optional gun fights.

[Todd.K]

The Glocks, especially if one is a Gen 5.

I can’t emphasize enough how much better my wife can grip a Gen5 over a Gen3. She has to cheat her grip around the Gen3 a little to get to the trigger and that makes it move in recoil.

Revolvers. She was more comfortable with the revolver operation starting out. So I got her an LCR .22Mag first. She does well with it, and every woman who has shot it loves the low recoil. The trigger is quite good for an out of the box revolver, but she doesn’t train enough to master it. That’s my big complaint, any decent striker semi is like cheating, and if you don’t train much you need the be cheating where you can.

[gaijin]

I’d say G19 of your choices.

I always used a 9mm 1911 for new, women shooters.
The all steel construction, wonderful/easy trigger and mild recoil made it an enjoyable experience for them. The thumb safety didn’t seem to be an issue after a couple magazines

[1168]

The Glocks, especially if one is a Gen 5.

I have to add my $0.02 and say DO NOT get the S&W EZ. I hate that pistol, I see many old guys and most women have problems with the grip safety. It’s a crappy idea to market a pistol to people with grip issues and then include a grip safety. I’m back at the range 5 days a week teaching and RSO-ing and I see this pistol give people trouble weekly. We carry one as regular stock in the gun store for people that ask for it, but we don’t push it at all.

This is interesting. In my sample of one, a grip sufficient to not send the gun flying when firing the first shot reliably inactivates the grip safety. Mine is an early model .380; did the change the spring in the safety at some point?

[AndyLate]

See my previous post. But to answer your question probably none of the above.

If they aren't "gun enthusiasts" they won't want to put much "work" into it and may not have the strength to handle much gun.

Let them use a gun they enjoy shooting and are confident (meaning they can control it, hit with it, manipulate, and understand it) with so you can focus more on the mindset and tactics of safety.

Let the woman choose the gun. If she doesn't like a big gun, or can't handle 9mm recoil, can't hold it long, doesn't feel like she can control it, or easily tell if its loaded or not, let her shoot / carry / what SHE likes.

You can try to steer a little, but after the second, "nah, I like this one." Forget it and focus on what she likes. As soon as you hear "I like..." your eyes should light up with happiness that she has found a gun she's into. Go with it.

Keep in mind I am not trying to steer then so much as a natural transition to a more powerful pistol. I am sure grip strength plays into it, but a reasonably healthy adult of either sex should be able to shoot a 9mm pistol without too much trauma. I'm just trying to avoid picking my favorite, because my hand size and grip strength is entirely different than either of the ladies.

There is a reason the shooting started with a .22 - get used to the mechanics of shooting a pistol, get used to the weight, learn muzzle awareness, etc. The difficulty is maintaining the basics and confidence learned on the 22 pistol when the pistol has a larger grip, heavier trigger, louder report, and more recoil.

if neither ends up comfortable with more than a .22 lr, I guess thats where we end up.

Andy

[JiminAZ]

A couple of other thoughts came to me as I read the additional responses.

If she has a small hand (or even normal female hands) grip circumference can become an issue. Big blocky grips with a longer trigger length of pull become a no-go.

If she has trouble racking, have her clamp down on the rear of the slide with her weak hand (slide captured between heel of palm and three or so fingers), and then just hold the slide still as she pushes the frame forward. Instead of doing a curl she's going to do a pushup.

Finally, consider enrolling her in a women's class that starts from ground zero with women instructors. Often the marital dynamics that come out at the range can be counterproductive and block your wife's progress. And honestly, other accomplished women as instructors inspire confidence and give confidence that the instructor understands her issues. The sisterhood is strong. (I realize the OP was talking about a female friend and not his wife but this conversation has broadened).

(Did this with my wife in a 4-day male/female class that had both male and female instructors. I kept my distance, and once or twice when I could see she was having trouble I sent one of the lady instructors to help. Worked perfect and now she is completely confident and competent)

Just got an email Friday from Walther, they now make a PDP "F" model, specifically built for women. Smaller grip, softer slide force. Might be worth a look.

[Ron3]

I’d say G19 of your choices.

I always used a 9mm 1911 for new, women shooters.
The all steel construction, wonderful/easy trigger and mild recoil made it an enjoyable experience for them. The thumb safety didn’t seem to be an issue after a couple magazines

I hadn't thought about that and it makes alot of sense.