Easiest pistol to operate/strip/clean for women

If small is what you want, doesn't get much smaller than a little pocket .25

bdev said:

I would suggest the Kel-Tec P-3AT.
It's a 6 shot double action only, concealed hammer auto in .380.

This would be a good choice for a woman. The .380 is more forgiving when it comes to recoil which leads to more practice and ACCURACY.

Accuracy is the key. I know many will say the .380 is anemic when it comes to stopping power but how many of us would want to get hit with one?

I know I wouldn't.

It will conceal better in a purse because of its lightweight and slim profile.
An additional magazine ups the power to 12 rounds.
Cost is around $300.00

Here's the link..........
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/p-3at/

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Blue Raccoon said:

have you ever actually shot a P-3AT? I own one. The recoil is anything but mild and if you can keep your shots on a small paper plate at 10 feet you are doing very good. the slide is very heavy to operate and doesn't lock open after the last round is fired so you don't only have to drop the mag and insert another you also have to manually work the slide.

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+1

Unless she needs a gun that small then go with something a bit bigger than the Kel-Tec P-3AT. I have not personally fired the Kel-Tec, but I have fired the Ruger LCP and own a Taurus TCP which are pretty much modeled after it. They do both lock back but the combo of light weight and minimal grip make them hard to hang on to. My wife says she much prefers firing my Glock 17 over the TCP. The OP said he was concerned with "problems due to hand size/strength" then I would steer clear of "pocket" .380s.

I can't find any other criteria such as what she wants to use it for. If it's just to learn how to shoot, and to use in a range or for plinking, something like a Ruger 22/45 would work well. It's a .22 Ruger with a 1911 style grip instead of the European slanted grip they normally have.

There's one takedown lever in the back of the handle. that's it. Easy to clean, and easy to use. Recoil is light, and it's accuracy is very good.

Smith & Wesson made a .357 Ladysmith - 6 shot. It was basically a fancy Model 64. You can use both .38 and .357 ammo in it, what ever your preference. It is a handy little revolver.

a j-frame Smith shooting 357's is also and handful. you might want to look at a Sig p290 a sub 9mm or the Sig p232 a sub 380.

My Wife is very happy with her 38 Special S&W.

Aku Aku said:

Walther PPK and PPK/S are ideal for women as well. Simple field break-down in a few seconds. Small enough for a good fit in most women's hands. Also size is great for CWC.

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I agree with your choice . I have a PP in .32cal. great carry gun.

Thanks dbl-haul. I would also like to add that the older Interarms version is preferable to the current S&W product. Not only is it better manufactured, the tang is substantially smaller and better fits a woman's hand.

I humbly and respectfully disagree with small snub nose j-frames for women. I think the trigger pull is tough, they take a great deal of training to be accurate and effective, and can be pretty tough with full house loads. I like the more compact plastic pistols for women. Personally, I love the size of the compact M&P, but I do not care for the disassembly (a bit awkward). I would be inclined to look at the g19 or the new xdm compacts. I think these are great carry guns for women. Plus, they are super easy to clean as well.

So far, I have not seen one comment from a woman. I guess we are all projecting what we think the "little lady" wants or needs in a firearm.

Ladysmith?

stobes21 said:

I actually think that pistols are defined as a subset of handguns distinct from revolvers, single shots, derringers, etc. Therefore a semi auto is a pistol but a revolver is not. They are both handguns however.

And I will agree that generally speaking a revolver is easier to operate and clean. Cleaning one doesn't even require taking off the cylinder, just opening it like you would to load. Occasionally you might want to remove the grips to clean as well, but that's a pretty simple exercise too. Even very simple semi-auto designs are more complicated to take apart for cleaning.

Of semi-auto designs I have personally taken apart (a pretty limited group) I think the Sig 226 DA/SA was the simplest. Unload, lock the slide back, rotate the disassembly lever and remove the slide. From there just take the guide rod/spring off and pull out the barrel. Pretty simple. Glocks aren't too much more complicated. 1911s are a fair bit harder (still easy once you know what you are doing).

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I agree - but Glocks are very easy to take apart and clean.

Some time ago there were a number of women taking lessons at a gun range. After the lessons they went to the range to shoot with a few handguns. Much to my surprise they did not seem to like revolvers as much as semi-auto pistols. They complained that the snubbies had too much of a kick and that the 9 mm pistols were easier on their hands!

Why a .38? Why not a 357? The .357 can still fire .38, with only an ounce or two weight penalty, if the .357 recoil turns out to be a problem. But really, I would recommend a .44 special if one could be found to try out first. I agree that a revolver would be a lot less headache for a woman who simply won't go through the hassle of cleaning a semi. Another advantage of a revolver (hammerless or shrouded) is it can be fired and fired again, from inside the purse or jacket pocket. A semiauto is going to more than likely malfuction after the first shot when fired from the purse or pocket. I do favor the semiauto but in those two regards the revolver has a huge advantage.

My ex wife stands well under 5' tall and used to love shooting my old Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum SA revolver, (she was fairly good with it, too) and wasn't a bit scared of my 44 magnum DA except she did have a hard time wrapping her little mitts around the big DA grips. Heavy recoil doesn't necessarily have to intimidate the fairer sex. I would try her out with a 44 special or a 357 before buying something smaller just because "she's a GIRL". The .357 should be one-hand shootable for most women.

FWIW, my wife enjoyed shooting my Glock 19. She liked it a lot more than the Glock 26, though she shot both of them fine.

ackvil said:

Some time ago there were a number of women taking lessons at a gun range. After the lessons they went to the range to shoot with a few handguns. Much to my surprise they did not seem to like revolvers as much as semi-auto pistols. They complained that the snubbies had too much of a kick and that the 9 mm pistols were easier on their hands!

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.45's are even better. My wife says it's more of a "thump."

azmark said:

.45's are even better. My wife says it's more of a "thump."

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Yup. The wife and I just took my son and a lady freind out shooting a couple days ago. His friend had only shot 22s once in the past. After some warm up we had her getting comfy with my Beretta 9mm when I asked if she wanted to try the 45. She tried it and said she actually liked it better than the 9mm because it was a "push" and didn't flip like the 9mm. But I have to say she got the biggest kick out of the AK we brought out. She shot about 5 rounds the first time and then tried it later and ended up dumping about 3 mags through it!

Jay

73mountaineer said:

A revolver is a handgun, and a pistol is a handgun, but whether they should both be called pistols is often hotly debated. It's kinda' off topic so it doesn't belong here, but it is not nearly as black and white as you stated it.

For the OP's purposes, if he is shopping for a handgun for a lady, he will find that manufacturers classify their handguns as either pistols or revolvers, so it is an important detail. Pistols in this context being a semi-automatic, magazine-fed handgun in which the chamber is integrated into the barrel.

Richard, if you go looking for revolvers under the 'pistols' section of a manufacturer's web site, you won't find a single one, so be sure to check both ('pistols' and 'revolvers') for something suitable.

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I always like when someone knows what they are discussing, correct information is always better than being misinformed...

Agree.

Thanks,
Mike

stobes21 said:

I actually think that pistols are defined as a subset of handguns distinct from revolvers, single shots, derringers, etc. Therefore a semi auto is a pistol but a revolver is not. They are both handguns however...

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bamafan64 said:

Snub nosed revolver. Easy to hide in their purse, simple to operate, minimum cleaning and maintenance.

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1st response pretty much nails it.

You don't have to worry about immediate action drills, remedial action drills, etc. The fix for malfunctions, in a fighting situation at least, is basically "Pull the trigger again" no matter what.

IMHO, the revolver is more difficult to reload, however, this is only a significant issue if she's going to carry more ammunition than what's in the gun. If she wouldn't carry a spare magazine for a semi-auto to reload that, she's not going to carry a speed loader for the revolver, so forget about it.

As far as semi-autos go, my favorite would have to be a 9mm Glock, but only if it would be carried in a hard sided holster, as it is not designed or intended for carry in any other manner. The Glock-17 and Glock-19 have mild, controllable recoil, and field stripping is accomplished in just a few seconds that breaks the pistol down into 4 parts, plus the magazine. They're damn near indestructible too, but using one effectively and safely requires a little time and effort be put into training.

My experience with women who want to carry a pistol for self defense is that far too many (Like my neighbor, for example) are simply unwilling to put any effort into learning about the firearm they will carry, the details of its operation and maintenance, or to spend any time practicing with it...

Obviously, thats less than ideal, but if I HAD to give a pistol to somebody knowing that if they ever have to use it their life is going to depend on it, and the training they will receive is going to be limited to me simply telling them to point it at center mass and pull the trigger between 2 to 5 times...It'd be a .38 Special.

ackvil said:

They complained that the snubbies had too much of a kick and that the 9 mm pistols were easier on their hands!

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A good point, however, if they get enough range time so that they're sure they can hold onto the snubby through a few shots, I would suggest that the recoil is a non event.

Given the choice between sore hands and bodily harm, I think they'd all take the sore hands.

probesport said:

Hammerless .38 revolver, can't go wrong there.

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+1 on the hammerless.