For my wife.

My wife and I went to Cabela's and were looking at guns that fit in her hand okay. She found a couple that she really liked, but she couldn't get the slide back on the semi-autos. She could move them, but not get them all the way back. Is this something that could be adjusted, such as a spring replacement, or will it loosen up over time? She started looking at some revolvers, but she didn't like the hammer sticking out for fear of snagging when she needed access to it. All the sleek hammer revolvers we looked at were too heavy for her to want to carry. Any suggestions? Sorry, I'm brand new to this stuff.

Depends on the useage. Is this to be a range gun, home protection gun, or CCW? Also, slides can loosen a bit with time as they get broken in, or at least that is my experience.

From what you're saying, I'm guessing CCW. In that case, what sort of caliber are you looking at? From her issues with pulling back the slide I'm thinking .380 or 9mm myself, as such, perhaps something like the Ruger LCP?

You're right. It's CCW. We were thinking 9mm or .380. Thanks for the input. I'll be looking into it.

Check out the advice Kathy Jackson gives, about racking a slide with weak hands, arms, or upper body.
She presents a simple method of slide-racking that any woman can accomplish easily.
Click on: http://www.corneredcat.com/

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Originally Posted by ruining

You're right. It's CCW. We were thinking 9mm or .380. Thanks for the input. I'll be looking into it.

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Last thing to add then, is ensure that she attends a gun safety class, gets some training in basic CCW, and ensure that she has had plenty of training.

My girlfriend had the same problem when we were looking, and she didn't like any revolvers. She still has a problem racking the slide on my XD and my Glock. The problem was solved when she found the Stoeger Cougar. Basically, she can rack the slide on this pistol because it has an ambidextrous manual safety. She's able to grab on to something in order to rack the slide. Just an idea.

-Jeff-

Take a look at a Smith & Wesson model 642. It is a revolver so no slide to rack, it has a concealed hammer so no worries about catching on anything, and it is very light for carry. The only drawback is that it is not much of a range gun and shooting stuff like +P rounds (most modern .38 Special defense rounds are +P, which means they are loaded a bit hotter than "normal" loads).

For what it's worth, my wife has no problem with our FN FNP-9. She also likes the grips and its recoil. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Check out the advice Kathy Jackson gives, about racking a slide with weak hands, arms, or upper body.
She presents a simple method of slide-racking that any woman can accomplish easily.
Click on: http://www.corneredcat.com/

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Great link! Thanks a lot for the tip! My wife was really excited to bookmark that page to read it in great detail.

We'll be checking out the FNP-9 as well. She really has her heart set on a semi-auto and not a revolver.

I notice a lot of people from Washington State here. I'm from Hoquiam, just west of Olympia. Anyone nearby?

I have the Browning like the FNP. I have got to really like that gun.

I teach a class for women on self defense for the S.O. here and the link posted by Steve is an excellent resource. As my fellow instructor points out avoid teaching the shoot at your off elbow method of racking the slide. The method shown has worked very well for all my students and I have printed the info for all to read in addition to the required "Stayin' Alive, Armed and Female in an unsafe world" by Paxton Quigley and published by Merril Press. The S&W M&P 40 with the smallest grip insert has been the favorite of all my students over the past year. The M&P 9 is a close second. After that they tend to like my FNP 40 DASA with the smaller backstrap. The next choice is the Sig 2340 with the smooth grip option first. The Smith & Wesson 908S is a favorite with the narrow grip single stack magazine, but is a bit pricey for most. The first choice in revolvers is the S&W M&P 340 as the range has one with Crimson Trace Laser grips for rent and the ladies sure like the laser, especially the intimidation factor at night. I encourage you to take your wife to the range and let her shoot a wide variety of handguns and to have her take a course like the basic NRA course. Inquire at your local range as to class availablity. I have found that women do much better in a predominately female class environment. They are generally more comfortable than with a coed group or being a lone woman in an all male class.

great! Thanks for the great info! We'll be checking out those options.