Background: My wife is tiny. Sub 5' tall, small hands, and 100 lbs. Despite being a fully competent shooter(very safe, exceptionally accurate) she still doesn't feel comfortable shooting the various Glock 19s we have. She refuses to shoot the Gen3 guns and will tolerate the Gen4 guns but still doesn't like the excessive trigger reach.
Recently we went to an indoor range and rented a Glock 42. She actually liked the gun quite a bit. The small grip felt great in her hands and despite being snappier than a Gen4 Glock 19 she handled the recoil better. She loved how light weight the gun was as well.
I was all prepared to go out and buy one today when I started second guessing myself. Do I really want to get my wife a 6+1 .380? Not only is .380 a marginal caliber but its also absurdly expensive which may at some point limit practice.
The S&W Shield is the other obvious choice in this price and size range. I'd love to get her to try one but can't find one for rent at any of the indoor ranges around here. I haven't shot one either so I have no idea what the recoil and handling is like.
My main question is this: For anyone who has shot both a Glock 42 and Shield, how do they compare in terms of felt recoil and trigger reach?