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helicopterpilotdoug wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:The Sig P238 is very light, but has very, very mild recoil.

+1 on the Sig P-238. I bought one for my wife. She's sitting right here next to me right now, and I asked her how she would rate the recoil. She said very light. She's shot my 45's and a 357 snub nose loaded with 38 special.

Sidro wrote:My wife owns and shoots everything from .22 to .45 caliber which is her edc. Her latest acquisition is the Ruger SR9C, bought for practice due to ammo cost of the .45 cal. She opines that there is very little recoil from this pistol and you can change the backstrap grip around and also mag plate bottoms for your own liking. With short 10rd mag and 17rd fullsize mag you also have a short or long grip choice. For the price of these guns they are hard to beat.

Both of these, from my expedience with people who are "recoil shy" after trying a few different guns we where able to get a friends girlfriend to shoot and enjoy both my p238 and his dads SR9C,

but one thing I always mention when talking about gun choices, a big part of it is going to be how it feels in her hand

zero4o3 wrote:[but one thing I always mention when talking about gun choices, a big part of it is going to be how it feels in her hand

Yes that's for sure. My wife has very small hands, and the P-238 fits her very well.

+1 on the Sig P238 - it's a nice little gun.

But to be honest, I think my Kahr E9 9mm (not being made anymore, but their PM9 has similar recoil control) beats the P238 for recoil management. As does my S&W M&P 9mm.

I'm also rather recoil sensitive. Best advice is to find someone or ones who have these guns (and other recommended), or a range that rents them, and let your wife try them out. I tend to believe that it isn't just the amount of recoil, but also where on my hand the recoil hits that makes difference in how much I can tolerate.

Another thought that I only just thought of, and may try myself - would it be possible to find some sort of shooting gloves that might distribute the recoil a little more and help her be less bothered by it?

LST

Thanks for all the suggestion, and the info! I do agree that she needs to find something comfortable in her hands. I just need a list of things to suggest she try or rent first. She'll be reintroduced on the .22 for sure, but will need something larger for the chl class and beyond.

Then I found a girl only gun class, not chl.

I had this same thought... looked into them a couple years ago and several mentioned a variety of loaner guns to try in the class. I believe there was a class in Austin. (we are in Temple/Belton area)

I will try to arrange this before borrowing anyone else's guns... but thanks very much for the offers!!

LikesShinyThings wrote: As does my S&W M&P 9mm.

LST

I agree about the M&P. I have a full size Pro 9mm and the recoil is very soft. Not harsh like most steel framed pistols.

Somethig else for you to consider, the 380 ACP, 9mm, 357 mag, 40 S&W, and 357 Sig are all high pressure rounds. The 45 ACP, 44 Special, 38 Special, and 22 are low pressure rounds. You might be suprized after your wife gets comfortable with the 22 on the 1911 frame, let her try some 45 Ball. Of all the different pistols that I have, my wife likes shooting a 1911 45 best of all. The recoil is not a jolt like a high pressure round, it is more of a push.

But most important, let her make the decision.

beretta 92fs

Pawpaw wrote:The Sig P238 is very light, but has very, very mild recoil.

The MUCH better half is sub 5' and recoil averse. She doesn't mind shooting her P238 at all. Likes shooting it as much as the .22 Ruger. Also try the PK 380. It's fairly soft shooting as well. But the P238 is pretty good for tiny hands.

Many long years ago my wife resisted shooting, claiming problems with recoil, although just between the two of us I suspect the problem was apprehension instead, rather than recoil. Given that you are looking for a handgun not intended for concealed carrying, you might consider what I did facing this same situation.

I graduated her from a .22 to my .38/.357 revolver (S&W mod. 19 -- still going strong) shooting .38 Colt shorts, a very mild (and relatively quiet) breed of ammo. She soon learned that the handgun would not hurt her, regardless of what her built-in human instincts were. We marched up the scale to .38 police specials and .357 magnums with the same weapon, with which she was by then very familiar and comfortable, thence to my "real" Colt m1911. She didn't "enjoy" shooting the m1911 with her little hands, but she was not scared of it, although loading a magazine was beyond her strengrh. (In those days, BTW, we would have been ashamed to hold a handgun with two hands, so you will I suspect have an advantage I did not have).

She became so comfortable with the "bigger" guns, that when we went brownie hunting, or just hiking, in Alaska, she open-carried the trusty old m19 loaded with .357, along with a .44 magnum Ruger semiautomatic carbine, not for taking a brownie (she left that to me), but for self-protection.

Given the wide choice of ammo available for the .38/.357 revolver, I thought it was hard to beat for training the wife. As I said above, I think her initial concerns were more mental than physical, but it doesn't really matter.

Best of luck. Be patient, move the target up close so she can get a feeling of accomplishment, and you are on your way.

PS Before being rightfully taken to task by wheel gunners, I see nothing inherently against concealed carry of a revolver. My SP-101 is one of my favorites.

Elmo

My Mom is very recoil sensitive but she is most comfortable shooting a full/mid sized revolver. We started her on a semi-auto .22 and she became very accurate and comfortable shooting it but did not like the all the buttons, levers, and switches on most of the semi-auto. She would get the mag release, safety/decocker, and slide release all confused and activate the wrong one at the wrong time. I offered to simplify it by handing her a Glock and she did not like the trigger or lack of thumb safety. So I handed her a CZ75 and she did not like the sights or grip girth. So I handed her a S&W 686 and she said THIS IS IT.

She ended up finding a great deal on a stainless Ruger Speed Six in .357 and she LOVES it. She even carries full power .357 hollow points in it without hesitation. So I think a .38/.357 wheel gun is a great fear tamer for new shooters.

I know you'll get a lot of response but my wife loves my Beretta PX4 9mm. The rotary barrel and slide action sucks up a lot of recoil and is very easy to rack back when loading or clearing jams. It's a full size polymer gun with 17+1 capacity and has interchangable backstraps to fit most hands. just my $.02

My wife went shooting with me and my family for a little while. I asked her which one she thought would be best for someone concerned about recoil. Her answer suprised me. I thought it would have been the Bersa Thunder, but she said "the Taurus". Dad used to have a Pro 24/7 in 9mm. So given her responce, i would have to agree with those that said a full size hand gun would be better, even if it is a larger caliber.

flechero wrote:
I had this same thought... looked into them a couple years ago and several mentioned a variety of loaner guns to try in the class. I believe there was a class in Austin. (we are in Temple/Belton area)

I will try to arrange this before borrowing anyone else's guns... but thanks very much for the offers!!

You're in my town, so if you'd like to borrow any of mine at the range we could meet up. I have a Marlin .357 that is downright mild with .38s in it and a Ruger .22 if you ever want to go to the range.

I bought the wife a P-238 recently and she loves it. She has shot and carried .38 revolvers for lots of years and is not recoil shy.
But my daughter, daughter in law, and oldest granddaughter are recoil shy. They like shooting the SIG or my old Colt Mustang much better than the multitude of pistols our family carries to the range. Let her try on.

Bear67 wrote:I bought the wife a P-238 recently and she loves it. She has shot and carried .38 revolvers for lots of years and is not recoil shy.
But my daughter, daughter in law, and oldest granddaughter are recoil shy. They like shooting the SIG or my old Colt Mustang much better than the multitude of pistols our family carries to the range. Let her try on.

+1 for the Colt Mustang. That's a SWEET!!!! little gun. It and its "big" brother Colt Govt 380 (I think the Gvt holds one more round than the Mustang).

+1 on the M&P 9mm series pistols. They have the replacable back straps.

I have the compact and full size with the small back strap installed and they are very comfortable for small hands.

Recoil on M&P 9mm vs the p238 ( have shot both) take the M&P 9mm.