Light recoil in a small gun for small hands?

[OlongJohnson]

Late-model Buck Marks have the "ears" at the back of the slide that makes them much easier to rack than the older ones with just the serrations.

[sickeness]

Shield EZ in 380 is an absolute joy for most women or elderly to shoot and was pretty much made for this exact reason.
G42 in my experience has been very well liked by women shooters.

I would recommend against the .22LR because it doesn't provide the same feedback that you get with centerfire pistols and is not a good transition should they decide to move up to 9mm.

[Totem Polar]

There was a brief period of time when, as a result of word of mouth circulating around me being the trustworthy socially liberal gun expert, I ended up with a number of women looking for help with their first defensive handguns. I am responsible for selling at least 4 G42s off of the range sessions where each individual got to try a few things from the then-extensive safe collection at chez Totem.

The G42 can be handled by damn near anyone with a good coaching session under their belts, and it can grow into a “expert’s” deep conceal rig. Aside from sourcing .380 ammo, it’s the easy button for this application. Doesn’t mean that other suggestions aren’t good, but that 42 is a winner, in my experience. The extra size that all the LCP and Kahr P380 guys bitch about is a colossal advantage for recoil-adverse/new shooters.

JMO.

[Duelist]

Start with a .22. 938 w/the .22 kit, and G44, if she is interested in trying semiautos. LCR, some K22 variant, bearcat, Single Six, if it’s revolvers.

G42 is where the females in my life who have small hands have settled in the centerfire world.

[Paul D]

I taught my kids how to shoot semi autos with a Glock 42. The handle was thin enough for them to grab it strong enough to hammer something. The recoil impulse was soft enough not to overwhelm them but strong enough to teach grip control. The slide manipulation was not too stiff for them to manipulate. The Glock trigger made it simpler to teach about trigger control. They were about 11-12 years old.

[farscott]

I have small hands and short fingers, so I am sensitive to the issue. I also taught my daughter to shoot starting with rimfire pistols at age nine and working up to service pistols and revolvers. Her faves now are a Colt Detective Special and a Ruger LCP. What differs for me versus my daughter is that I have above-average hand strength. Manipulations that are easy for me were challenging for her when she was younger. The following are great pistols for people with small hands and short fingers.

1) 1911 in 9x19. Very light recoil combined with a short trigger reach. Cocking the hammer first will make slide manipulation easier for new shooters.

2) CZ 75 single-action. While the regular DA/SA reach is long, the SA-only version is great for small hands. With a Kadet II kit, no recoil. With standard velocity or subsonic ammo, little muzzle blast. Very easy to swap uppers and move from .22 LR to 9x19. No high velocity ammo for a new shooter

3) Ruger Standard/Mark I-IV. No recoil and easy to shoot for people with small hands. Cycling the bolt if the hammer is down is much more challenging than cycling the bolt with the hammer cocked. For that reason, suggest a Mark II or later due to the last round hold open feature. A new shooter is not going to be able to count shots, which makes it easy to drop the hammer on an empty chamber with a Standard or Mark I. A bolt racker or bolt with a pinball handle is a huge plus for a shooter with weaker strength.

4) S&W K-22 Masterpiece (M17). Great for teaching revolver basics but the DA trigger is a challenge for short fingers without good hand strength. My daughter struggled in DA with the 1948 K-22 she used. SA was much easier for her until she was older.

Best of luck with the class.

[wmu12071]

I don't have a ton of experience with this stuff but the experience I do have has lead to bringing as large a variety as possible to these types of events and starting on full size 22s then slowly working up. You also never know what will work for a person. I have seen people that didn't mind recoil with small 9s but didn't have the hand strength to pull the trigger on a S&W 43c.

One thing I learned a long time ago is to one load one bullet in the mag for each caliber change. I have seen one too many semi educated person try to turn more then 90 degrees after the first shot on 9mm after an hour of shooting 22.

[Bergeron]

Shield EZ in 380 is an absolute joy for most women or elderly to shoot and was pretty much made for this exact reason.
G42 in my experience has been very well liked by women shooters.

A close female friend has had a positive experience with a .380 EZ, even though it’s probably nothing easy for the small-statures person. I’m curious to see where a G42 fits in, as well as a .22 slide on a 938.

[Hambo]

I've been considering a Ruger LCR in .327 Federal Magnum loaded with .32 S&W Long for my daughter who has small hands.

In my Single Seven, .32 S&W Long feels like .22. I'd consider an SP101.

[JCN]

That Taurus .380 revolver of yours?

So I suspect the 19 would fit her hands OK.
The report of the 9mm is oftentimes very off-putting.

the 938 with 22 slide might work great.
The LCR22 is also a good option

G42
S&W Shield EZ .380
If you’re shooting 9mm, lighter loads like the Syntech 150 are nice to have.
Plugs & muffs — less noise means less perceived recoil.

Absolutely stay with 22s to start.

I would keep it simple with the rimfires.
Conceivably, the G42, and you might stretch it to a 19 if the enthusiasm is there.

With a .22 LR slide on it, it might be perfect for your friend. The trigger was certainly decent.
I would say bring the LCR22 as another thing for her to experience if she wants to try it. Don't necessarily assume she won't be able to handle that DA

If she wants to step it up to .380, the Kimber is probably an easier choice due to its SA trigger and similarity to the P938. Glock triggers can take some learning and that might be frustrating for her.

She can handle her G42 but loading it is challenging and it's definitely not a shoot all day kind of gun.

G42 in my experience has been very well liked by women shooters.

The G42 can be handled by damn near anyone.

Start with a .22. 938 w/the .22 kit.

I taught my kids how to shoot semi autos with a Glock 42.

CZ 75 single-action. While the regular DA/SA reach is long, the SA-only version is great for small hands. With a Kadet II kit, no recoil. With standard velocity or subsonic ammo, little muzzle blast. Very easy to swap uppers and move from .22 LR to 9x19. No high velocity ammo for a new shooter.

One thing I learned a long time ago is to one load one bullet in the mag for each caliber change. I have seen one too many semi educated person try to turn more then 90 degrees after the first shot on 9mm after an hour of shooting 22.

A close female friend has had a positive experience with a .380 EZ, even though it’s probably nothing easy for the small-statures person. I’m curious to see where a G42 fits in, as well as a .22 slide on a 938.

Thanks for all the input. I listened and will change my plan to use 380s. Great to know about the G42. I even have an Airsoft G42…

Here’s what I think I’ll use incorporating the advice I got here.



Taurus 380 DA revolver. I have it modified to an 8 pound trigger and the recoil is pretty mild. It’s a gun someone would consider as an alternative to a J frame.

Maxim 9 suppressed 9mm with co-witnessed irons and dot. Striker fired. Quiet and fixed barrel with muzzle weight, very mild. I figured that might be the full size striker gun that we shoot.

P365XL with a red dot. Will use Syntech 150 for mildness. In case they want a real carry 9mm striker perspective.

Kimber Micro 380 and G42 as two small 380 choices. My wife liked the M380 better than the G42 with regard to recoil, they are both excellent choices I think.

LCR22 in case someone wants a 22 revolver. Super mild but dang that DA trigger is heavy.

938 with 22 slide. Fixed barrel, mild recoil. Real night sights. Could conceivably be a carry option for someone.

CZ75B in 9mm with red dot. I put the thin grips on for smaller hands. They’d probably shoot SA after charging anyway. Not that I expect it, but I have 357Sig and 40SW barrels for it in case anyone wants spicier.