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Start her off slow with a .22lr. Ruger, Browning, S&W... many good ones out there. Once she is more comfortable, you can move her up in caliber.

If she's done fine with the 642, then just keep her on that. No sense in buying a .22 unless you want one. A revolver is a good platform to learn on.

Do you have a range that rents guns so she could try from one shot to as many as she chooses from a variety of firearms?

Kind of the same situation with my wife, I took her to the range with me and let her shoot a 1911 and a Sig 9mm but she couldn't rack the slide on either even with the hammer pulled back so I got her a .357 magnum so she can shoot .38s through it and I can shoot the magnum rounds with it. Also with a revolver I don't have to worry about her having FTE or FTF

my wife shoots and purse carry (i hate it) a ruger lcr .357 loaded with low recoil hornady .38spl. with the extra weight of the 357 lcr, recoil of the 38 is very manageable.

Patterson (and Tim)

Most women have a difficult time 'racking a slide' on a semi-auto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8ZRlkdWVc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Skip to 4:45 in the video "One more Time" where she demonstrates how to HOLD the slide with your weak hand, and PUSH the frame forward with your strong hand.
Then when the slide is all the way back, let it go.
(If a man had made this video, it would have been :20 seconds long. )

ANY WOMAN can do this. I taught my 69 yr old MIL how to rack the slide on her SIG P239 this way.

It becomes even easier than she demonstrates if the pistol is held (presuming a right handed shooter) pointing toward 9 o'clock so the grip hand is pushing the frame toward 9 o'clock while the support hand is pushing the slide toward 3 o'clock.

Her method uses one hand for holding only so only the muscles of one arm do all the work. This method divides the work between the muscles of both arms. On a hammer fired gun the hammer can be pulled back as well, further reducing the effort if need be.

timtheteacher wrote:Thanks for the input so far. She had to really overcome her fears to use the 642 so I thought a smaller caliber would be better to start with. I belong to the Frisco Gun Range so renting a firearm is feasible. I don't know if they have a .22 but I will ask tomorrow. She is a wonderful wife and is she very brave to try something so foreign to her. I will let you guys know how it evolves.

My wife's first gun was a 642 I gave her for valentines some years ago. She struggled to master it because the trigger pull weight was so stiff and stacks up so hard toward the end of the stroke. But then she got onto a Glock 19 and 17 at a basic handgun class she took from Crossfire Training and she loved them. She rented a G19 to qualify with during her CHL class, and she liked it so much she went out and got one for herself the very next day. But she found the G19 a little big for her carry arrangement, and so she ended up getting a Kahr CW9, which has been her EDC for about 3 years now. The main thing she likes about it, besides its light weight and compact size, is the nice smooth trigger pull, which is long, but fairly light.

I'd suggest you get her to an outdoor range, if that's possible. You can concentrate on the basics,
without the noise distraction. That seems to be a problem with some new shooters. No harm in
starting with a small caliber revolver, 4-6 inch barrel, and decent sights. Builds confidence.

If the smoke and noise causes her concern. Get a Ruger Mark III or similar. Let her shoot it until she is comfortable. Remember the smaller the firearm most of the time the more recoil. So a Ruger .380 would not be ideal in my opinion. The Ruger LCP is a small caliber, but is too small of firearm to start out on. After she is "enjoying" shooting the .22 I would do what TAM suggested above and get a Glock 19.

If you go to fast and to quick you will turn her off to shooting period. (I know this from personal experience with my wife 30 years ago when I handed her my Colt 45.) I do not know where you live, but our Moderator Crossfire is an EXCELLENT instructor.

Mrs. Oldgringo's CCW is a 638 S&W. Should she ever HAVE TO use it, it's just point and shoot. No, it's not fun to shoot but it doesn't require any thought process to shoot....just do it.

For fun/target/practice shooting, she'll shoot one of my Ruger Mark III's.

Good luck with your endeavors.

EDIT:

FWIW, Mrs. Oldgringo, no spring chicken, qualified for her CHL renewal a couple years ago with my Springfield Compact 1911, which is my EDC.

The Marshal wrote:Patterson (and Tim)

Most women have a difficult time 'racking a slide' on a semi-auto

where she demonstrates how to HOLD the slide with your weak hand, and PUSH the frame forward with your strong hand.
Then when the slide is all the way back, let it go.

didnt watch the video but went ahead and practiced on my 9 and 1911, much easier on the 9, 1911 was easy if the hammer was back, when down was harder, going to keep practicing it because my strong side (right) is also the weakest right now with my ALS,,, pushing was a lot easier than trying to pulling the slide... thanks for the suggestion

I’m a 56 year old woman. I think what your wife will like depends on what she will be using it for. I have a Springfield XD-S, a Sig Sauer p938 and a S&W Bodyguard .380. If you are thinking of a gun simply for the range, I suggest the Springfield XD-S. It is the smoothest of all my guns and of any gun I have tried. I can rack it without a problem, the recoil is minor, no smoke and “scary factor” for me. I use my p938 as my EDC and I enjoy it at the range. It is a close second to the Springfield in terms of being the smoothest to shoot. It is the easiest to rack of all my guns and I’ve heard that is a feature women like in the Sig. The size and safety features make it my carry weapon. I love my little Bodyguard .380, but I don’t suggest it for your wife given what you said in your post. It is a bit smoky, has a fair amount of recoil and hurts my hand after a few rounds. For some reason though, I just love shooting that little thing. Also, when deep concealment is important, I tuck it in a belly band and it disappears. Finally, I agree with the other poster that shooting on an outdoor range would be preferable to shooting indoors until she gets used to the smoke, sound and the idea of spent casings flying out of the weapon. Hope this helps.