just dawned on me that my wife it too tiny (not strong enough) to work my Sigsauer!
 

DAMN! i was just giving her a quick refresher. i store a pistol, P226 loaded, but unchambered. she is not strong enough to jack back the slide. if i leave the slide locked back, she cannot slide down the release with her piddly thumb. she can, pull back the slide to let it release itself to chamber a round, but reliability is an issue. i can either find a stronger wife, or go gun shopping. any (tiny)girl friendly pistols out there?

maybe i will take her to the range with my current piece for some practice...but her wrestling with a loaded gun just doenst feel safe. i know most of her weakness stems from an unfamiliar awkwardness to the pistol, but damn. it is like watching someone work chopsticks with the non-dominant hand.

There is a technique to chamber a round where you hold the pistol as if to shoot it in your strong hand, near your chest, muzzle facing downrange, and thrust outward with the weapon, while at the same time using your weak hand (on the slide) to pull back at the same time. This isometric maneuver doubles one's strength, and should allow for easy chambering of the pistol with some practice. (My 60 year old mom can chamber her deceased 2nd husband's .40cal Star auto using this technique)

Diminutive US Army females use the M11 (P228) Sig Sauer, and with proper training any female should have little problem operating one.

If that doesn't get the job done just get her a revolver. A .357 mag med frame should definitely fit the bill(small frames are smaller, but the kick is downright viscous in those little buggers)

Avoid small pocket type semi-autos as they often do not allow for a proper grip on the weapon, and usually kick harder than larger guns as well as being very prone to limp-wristing malfunctions.

Why don't you keep a round chambered in your Sig?

:D



How about a small .38 revolver?

Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow. Oh yeah, +1 more.

Pow.

Just leave a round chambered.

I was told by my wife, if I did not leave one in the chamber just don't bother, I would get her killed.

With +p ammo those little .38s kick like mules, and i wouldn't bother with a .38 to begin with without +p ammo.

+1

i have an older .38 back home in texas...i havent shot it for years. i seem to remember a very heavy trigger pull.

maybe i should just buy a doberman...

You could get a DA revolver with a really slick, light trigger. It's just a matter of throwing money at the gun. Hogue monogrips are really nice too.

Why don't you just keep a round chambered in the Sig?

A good wheelgun sounds like the best solution to me..

1911 cocked and locked.

Why shop anywhere else?

Like Peppy and Sniper said, keep a round in the chamber.

Right, the method that Sniper described is the one that I've always heard as recommended for women with less upper body strength. Basically, you can imagine it as don't pull back on the slide, push forward on the gun.

You want to pull back on the slide and push forward on the gun. It does work, a small woman should easily be able to charge the slide of a Sig with proper technique. My 5' 2" 60 year old mom can on a .40.

That being said, the gun i bought for my mom back in about 1990 is a 5 shot Ruger SP101 .357 magnum with a 3" barrel and a Hogue monogrip. I gave my sister a six shot 2 1/2" Ruger Police Service Six .357 magnum revolver that was my dad's old narcotics gun once upon a time, it also has a Hogue monogrip. Both are stainless steel, and require no maintenance whatsoever. They can be parked in a drawer for years and be counted on to be 100% reliable.

For a woman this can be a very good solution. First round is birdshot, then the rest hollow points.

Personally I prefer a .357 mag then with .38 rounds in it for ladies.

I think you should look for an inexpensive .38 revolver of some flavor. I'm sure Taurus has something that would fit the bill. I don't think I would want my wife to have to think about anything if she was afraid. Just pull the trigger and it goes bang.

For the record, my 226 is my primary home defense gun, and I leave it with a round chambered, hammer down. Because I have a child, its kept in a small safe high off the floor in my closet. I don't really see what you are gaining by leaving the gun open or the chamber empty. If your concern is children....well if the kid can even get to the gun and touch it, you've already lost that battle.

Just my 2 cents.

The correct answer is clearly for vash to buy another gun. Because . . . he'd get to buy another gun.

I had a similar situation. My wife is left handed, and has a hard time with most of my guns. I keep a pump shotgun loaded in the bedroom, and bought her a .357/.38 revolver that she can work safely.

my girl just bought a s&w 38 revolver, 5 shot I figure she'll get the bad guy and at least 2 pets before she's clicking! seriously she couldn't work a slide, pull the hammer and I didn't want her to even think about a safety, for a small woman that hasn't shot all her life I think thats the best buy. I got a 38cal derringer for pit bulls at the beach!

Those little .38s are hard to aim and shoot well for a novice, especially with good high powered defensive ammunition. I reiterate- NOT the best choice around (for a novice).

Take her to the range and make sure she can hit what she's aiming at, and put a full sized rubber grip with finger grooves like a Hogue monogrip on it. This will greatly reduce perceived recoil and make the weapon far easier to shoot well.

I thought this thread was about something else!;)

Perhaps you should lay off the ExtenZe.:D