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My wife and I are planning on getting a CHL together along with a taking a basic handgun course before we go for the CHL. I have a CZ 75 Compact 9mm that my wife likes but she has a hard time pulling the slide back, the spring is just too strong. Are there any 9mm semi-autos she would have an easier time with? We are planning on renting when she takes the basic course but I would like to narrow the choices down a little before hand to some guns she can actually try and use comfortably.

I am a semi guy myself and although I would say do a semi for the test (if you do a revolver for the t est, you can only carry a revolver, but if you do a semi, you can carry either), why doesnt she carry a snubby or something like that.

If the semi is giving her a problem, carrying a revolver may be the easy solution.

Find a local range that rents out guns and let her try out a few there...

An advantage of the revolver for anyone carrying a purse, is that you can shoot through the purse without worry that the gun won't cycle for the next shot. That's why my wife carries a revolver. Shooting through the purse makes sense in certain situations since the time it takes to draw from a purse can be much longer than drawing from a holster.

However, if at all possible, she should qualify with a semi-auto. It opens up possibilities for the future. The suggestion to try out various guns at a range with rentals is a good one.

It's not a matter of weak hands or a spring that is too strong. It's all in the technique. Read this page:

http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your wife will then certainly be able to rack the slide of any semi-auto pistol.

Welcome to the forum.

Some recoil springs are harder than others and I haven't shot the CZ you mentioned so I can't give you a good comparison. However, I have taught a lot of women how to shoot and the vast majority of time, being able to rack the slide is a matter of technique, rather than brute strength. Do you live close to the Houston area? If so, I'd be happy to meet you at the range and let her try some different guns and show her some methods that might help.

Chas.

TheArmedFarmer wrote:It's not a matter of weak hands or a spring that is too strong. It's all in the technique. Read this page:

http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your wife will then certainly be able to rack the slide of any semi-auto pistol.

Excellent article....and normally I would tend to agree with your statement. One thing to watch for when considering a CZ... is the ability of the shooter to get a good grasp on the slide.

If you look carefully at the weapon...you will notice that the slide rails are internal (inside the frame). Because of this...the slide itself offers very little room for a person to grasp. Compare the height of nearly any other semi-auto slide to that of the CZ and you will see what I mean. Additionally, most CZ's come out of the box pretty "gritty", so they are not easiest pistol to manipulate anyway.

The technique(s) in the article you cited are sound... and should be employed by everyone, but it is not a stretch to say that some people (with certain pistols) really don't "have the strength" to rack the slide.

Other than the slide dimensions....I really like CZ pistols.

Also, you should note that a compact version of a standard-sized gun is going to have stiffer springs, due to the shorter travel available to the slide. She may not have a problem with a standard-length 75B. Like posted above, technique has something to do with it, and I've read about several women who followed the instructions at the link above and had a new set of options opened up for them.

You didn't mention what kind of gun (apart from semi-auto) she is looking for. Do you want to stay within 9mm or the same gun design (for mag compatibility)? If you're comfortable with .380, the Bersa Thunder .380 seems to be very popular with the female gunnies I know. Here is a link to a review of one by one of the lady gunbloggers whose site I frequent:

http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2 ... under.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I shot one of these belonging to Venus Pax at the last Forum day, and found it to be quite easy to operate, and don't recall the DA trigger or slide requiring much strength to pull. It's quite compact (same size/shape as a Walther PPK), and the ergonomics are good. Being that it is a common gun, I imagine you could check one out for feel at just about any gun shop that will let you cycle it and try the trigger.

TheArmedFarmer wrote:It's not a matter of weak hands or a spring that is too strong. It's all in the technique. Read this page:

http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And many instructors--John Farnam and Gabe Suarez, for example--will tell you to use exclusively the method Cornered Cat labels the "Overhand" grip. Any form of pinch- or slingshot-grip to rack the slide is frowned upon.

TheArmedFarmer wrote:It's not a matter of weak hands or a spring that is too strong. It's all in the technique. Read this page:

http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your wife will then certainly be able to rack the slide of any semi-auto pistol.

Thank you for the link.
From the article I have found part of the problem is my own ignorance in racking the slide properly and being unable to show my wife how to do it properly. I am familiar with rifles and shotguns but handguns are new to me. I haven't even shot the CZ yet and have had it for 2 yrs. Thus the reason for both of us taking a handgun use/safety course and familiarize our self's with handguns before we take the CHL course. I don't want us to be a danger to ourselves or society.
My thoughts were for both of us to take the test with a semi-auto so we could use either a semi auto or revolver in the future. Since I already have a 9mm I was thinking of getting her that caliber too as I prefer to have deal only one type of ammo for now. Ideally I would prefer we both use the same gun (one for each of us). I may end up selling the CZ and buying two of a handgun of the same manufacture/model/caliber that both of us can agree on, at least for now.
As I mention in the my 1st post we we planning on renting a few at the range, I was just for input so I could possibly narrow the choices down a bit.

NcongruNt wrote:

Also, you should note that a compact version of a standard-sized gun is going to have stiffer springs, due to the shorter travel available to the slide. She may not have a problem with a standard-length 75B. Like posted above, technique has something to do with it, and I've read about several women who followed the instructions at the link above and had a new set of options opened up for them.

You didn't mention what kind of gun (apart from semi-auto) she is looking for. Do you want to stay within 9mm or the same gun design (for mag compatibility)? If you're comfortable with .380, the Bersa Thunder .380 seems to be very popular with the female gunnies I know. Here is a link to a review of one by one of the lady gunbloggers whose site I frequent:

http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2 ... under.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I shot one of these belonging to Venus Pax at the last Forum day, and found it to be quite easy to operate, and don't recall the DA trigger or slide requiring much strength to pull. It's quite compact (same size/shape as a Walther PPK), and the ergonomics are good. Being that it is a common gun, I imagine you could check one out for feel at just about any gun shop that will let you cycle it and try the trigger.

Thanks, the Bersa looks promising. I'll check it out.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:Welcome to the forum.

Some recoil springs are harder than others and I haven't shot the CZ you mentioned so I can't give you a good comparison. However, I have taught a lot of women how to shoot and the vast majority of time, being able to rack the slide is a matter of technique, rather than brute strength. Do you live close to the Houston area? If so, I'd be happy to meet you at the range and let her try some different guns and show her some methods that might help.

Chas.

Thanks for the offer Charles.
I live in Katy just west of Houston. I assume this would be at the PSC range?
Do you teach a class?

Being that I am a woman, I can honestly say that the Smith & Wesson M&P .9c is a very good gun for a woman. The slide is easy to rack, and it has interchangeable grips. It's my carry gun, and I love it. She can also get it in pink.

stvanme wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:Welcome to the forum.

Some recoil springs are harder than others and I haven't shot the CZ you mentioned so I can't give you a good comparison. However, I have taught a lot of women how to shoot and the vast majority of time, being able to rack the slide is a matter of technique, rather than brute strength. Do you live close to the Houston area? If so, I'd be happy to meet you at the range and let her try some different guns and show her some methods that might help.

Chas.

Thanks for the offer Charles.
I live in Katy just west of Houston. I assume this would be at the PSC range?
Do you teach a class?

Yes, it would be at PSC. I'll send you a PM.

Chas.