Wanted: Semi-auto handgun recommendations

My wife has severe arthritis she carried several small .380s before changing to an LC9 (which isn't a horrible pistol). After a year with the LC9 she tried my Glock 19 and fell in love.

She had real problems racking the slide on other guns but she found a 19 at our LGS with grip tape on the slide serrations and she can manipulate it just fine.

I think it was easier for her to close her hand around the bigger grip than it was with the single stack guns.

I'd take a look at a Glock 26/ 19 or a first generation M&P 9 C

 

I dunno - getting stabbed 30 times by an ice pick sounds pretty effective to me

 

The original Ruger LC9 has a long hard trigger pull. The LC9s is the new and improved version. I have had both. I have carried the LC9s every day for the last two years. Light, small and easy to conceal. If the 9mm is a little too snappy there is the LC380.

 

My girls (4) all have Ruger LC9's. I also have a one as a backup in my vehicle.

 

I have used a pmr30 they can be finicky, but it is a keltec.
Expect it to need to have some rounds put through it if it's brand new and to give it some minor adjustment.

 

If I was looking for a smith I might look at the old school lady smith 3913 9mm I've carried them as a CW and had no complaints... one of my sisters carries this as her CW weapon of choice...



S&W Lady smith .357 mag 60-14 good verity of ammo good trigger / single and double action not double action only... can load with .38, .38+p, and .357... with a 2 inch barrel I would consider wad cutters in stead of hollow points... for the following reasons:
1. if used you can limit some legal issues vs hollow point "Man Killers"
2. with a 2 inch barrel a wad cutter will give a better wound track than a non expanded hollow point
3. wide selection of ammo...



My personal choice in .380 is a star .. cost around $250.000 used... based on the browning design ( .380 in a colt style frame ) wife loves the accuracy of this one... Para Ordinance slim hawg in .45.. and A "j frame" 5 shot .38/357 , a Star "Firestar plus model 43 in 9mm...

All of these weapons can be purchased used at a reasonable price... some of the star's are heavier than more modern weapons but they also have less recoil and a faster return to target time.. (my opinion)



Your Mileage may vary....

 

Get ya one of the old tried and true trusty 38 revolvers , or the 357.

 

Get a puppy, you'll enjoy it more. Then go to a good store with a range and try a selection to see what you like. MM, firearms are like dresses and shoes, you can't tell someone what they want or need.

 

Look at the sr9 or the 24/7 both are reliable

 

What he said ^^^^^^^^. Try the 42 or 43. My 100# 4 foot eleven wife can rack them as well.

 

You may also want to look a sar arms the one I had I loved it and so did my brother so I gave it to him

 

Been lookin at the sig compacts for awhile now... may get one in 9mm... nice compact and not bad in the ammo department...

7 to 9 rounds... on most...

you can even choose a color scheme

SIG Sauer® P238 Centerfire Pistols : Cabela's

SIG Sauer® P938 Centerfire Pistols : Cabela's

SIG Sauer® P290™ Pistol : Cabela's

 

My vote is for the new Springfield Armory .45.

But you specified a 9mm so even though I have not had a hands on yet you might want to look at this. Hands-On With Springfield Armory's New XD-E 9mm Hammer-Fired Pistol - The Truth About Guns

This designs reduces the slide cocking tension and is a single stack with decocker.

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=springfield+xde

 

You might want to check out a Glock 42 (380). Bought my wife one for her birthday and put a TacRack on it to help with racking the slide. Very small light pistol that you hardly realize you're carrying. Main complaint about 380 is the lack of penetration and wound cavity. Found some ammo that I like for it and did penetration tests with water filled milk jugs, 6 inches each.

TacRack
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AB4Q5CG/?tag=survivalmonke-20

380 ACP +P 65 Grain Xtreme Defender 3 jug penetration

380 ACP 90 Grain Xtreme Penetrator 5 jug penetration

 

ballstics by the inch web sight has a pretty good set of tests for the main players in the ammo industry, and is a good place to check potential loads for carry duty. I have found that .380 auto (9 MM Kurtz) has really benefited lately, and the Remington Golden Saber ammo is some of the best performing in all calibers tested. Only down side, .380 is expensive and hard to find good ammo for. 9 MM luger is still the standard minimum, but with the new .380, I would't feel under gunned. Best performing is .45 across the board, no news there, but it's neato to see how it stacks up and others to stack up to it! 10 MM auto is still nuclear performance in an auto pistol, and if any thing, care must be taken to avoide the dreaded 9 MM problem of old, OVER PENETRATION!!!

 

A friend told me to get a Glock so I will be trying one. Love them or hate them, the Glock always seems to come up in conversation.

I checked out the Ruger and it comes in all sorts of colors. Ruger® LC9s® * Centerfire Pistol Models Yes, I like the colored guns. Like @Seacowboys said, firearms are like shoes and I once owned my favorite pair of shoes in 6 different colors.

I appreciate all the names and models. I have been writing down and looking them up. Some names I have not seen are Hi-point, Walther and Browning, Colt or Kimber.

@Witch Doctor 01 that Para Slim Hawg runs $800-900. ouch!

 

The wife bought it for me gently used $400.00... If you look around you can find a deal it doesn't have to be new to be a great gun... I have a few guns that I bought in the 21st century but seem to prefer the old school models...

 

There have been a lot of very good recommendations in this thread. The only thing I can add is to spend the time you need choosing and then once you have picked your poison become a master of that particular tool. Practice drawing and holstering as you intend to wear it.

If you have a safety, then work changing between fire and safe as you draw and holster so it becomes automatic. I mentioned earlier that our pistols all have frame safeties mostly because this was my wife's requirement, and I require they all function the same. As I draw, as soon as the muzzle has cleared my feet and legs the safety comes off, so it's off before the 2/3 point from holster to target. As I holster, the safety goes to "safe" as soon as I begin to bring the muzzle down, so it is always engaged before that same point as it comes back to the holster. I practice after triple checking to ensure the pistol is unloaded.



Final advice is to locate ranges that will rent you the pistols you are interested in so you can compare firing them side by side. Pay a lot of attention to felt recoil and how quickly you can get back on target. How do the ergonimics work for you in actual usage?

Also keep in mind that if you ever have to use this pistol in self defense whether you fire it or not it will likely be held as evidence where it will be treated like shit and come back to you with scratches and dings (oopsie!), so you carry gun needs to be one you can easily replace and won't cry over dings. I suggest you buy a pair and alternate between them as if one gets held for investigation your NICS report may not allow you to purchase a replacement.

To keep prices down you may consider a used pistol through a firearms forum or through a discount retailer like Bud's who frequently sells used law enforcement guns: Police Trade-Ins For Sale at BudsGunShop

Currently just M&P 40's, but have seen a lot of Glocks go through there. Even though many politicians think these will ship directly to your house they still go to a local FFL so you can get your BGC. I do still prefer to support local brick and mortar shops where possible.

 

I own Walthers, Colts, and Kimbers, they are all very nice firearms but it is easy to find equal quality without paying the premium for the name. I would not recommend them to a person on a budget looking for a quality firearm simply because of that. Take Kimbers for example, the frames and slides are made by IMI and imported, the exact frames and slides as Dan Wesson 1911s. The fit and finish is done here in the States and their name stamped on them but I certainly wouldn't recommend to a friend that they pay an additional $800.00 for a name on a gun that any competent gunsmith could turn into an equal or superior arm for a couple of bills. Taurus PT1911 is by far my favorite out of the box 1911 It compares with my Colt Gold Cup for fit and accuracy at less than a third the price. Quality isn't about names so much. I collect Colts mostly for their inflated value due to their history, not necessarily their quality. My match guns, I build myself, the most recent on a Les Baer Frame but I would have built as nice a piece on a Double Star except that I found the Les Baer at a gun show for a really good price.