Wife with RA...recommendations?

[strider67]

My wife has recently browsed some gun counters with me and asked if I could take her shooting sometime. An emphatic yes, of course. Wanting her to eventually own and carry her own handgun, I prefer she have something in at least 9mm, as she often travels alone with our young daughter.

My challenge is finding one she can handle and feel comfortable with as she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a couple of years ago and has lost a fair amount of grip/wrist strength. So far, the Taurus Millenium 9mm is leading the race at the counter. She is able to manipulate the slide and the larger "controls" allow her perform all of their functions.

She says she does not like revolvers, so that adds a little more difficulty to the search. I do not want to force anything on her she does not feel comfortable with right now.

Was just wondering if y'all could make some recommendations for us to investigate.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[gigag04]

M&P 9 of any size or flavor. My wife loves hers.

[mrvmax]

My brother has RA also and carries a Glock. It seems like the larger guns are easier to rack and handle. He sold me his Kahr since it was more difficult to carry and use.

[RPB]

Tactical sight such as Advantage Tactical Sights allow one-handed operation to rack slide on belt/shoe etc

[Charles L. Cotton]

If at all possible, she should get a 9mm. However, you may want to start looking for a Beretta Model 86. They are great for people who can't ( or can't consistently) manipulate the slide. The Model 86 is a .380 with a "tip up" barrel meaning she can insert a loaded mag, then tip up the barrel to load it, and push it down and lock it. It also has a relatively fat grip (with factory wood grips) that most people with arthritis find more comfortable.

Unfortunately, they apparently haven't been imported to the U.S. in many years and they are scarce! I've wanted one to use as a demo for women with weak hands/wrists, but I've pretty much given up. Why demo a gun for them when they won't be able to find one?

So sorry to hear of your wife's diagnosis. We will pray for her.

Chas.

[Sputz]

My wife has recently browsed some gun counters with me and asked if I could take her shooting sometime. An emphatic yes, of course. Wanting her to eventually own and carry her own handgun, I prefer she have something in at least 9mm, as she often travels alone with our young daughter.

My challenge is finding one she can handle and feel comfortable with as she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a couple of years ago and has lost a fair amount of grip/wrist strength. So far, the Taurus Millenium 9mm is leading the race at the counter. She is able to manipulate the slide and the larger "controls" allow her perform all of their functions.

She says she does not like revolvers, so that adds a little more difficulty to the search. I do not want to force anything on her she does not feel comfortable with right now.

Was just wondering if y'all could make some recommendations for us to investigate.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Ive been dealing with arthritis since I was in high school although mine is not as connective tissue degenerative as ra its still painful. I can tell you from my perspective its not really the recoil or the slide that's the problem but the trigger pulls for me. Here's what I would recommend.

Xdm 9 its a little top heavy but the trigger is better than the xd not as spongy and crisp break. Good ergonomics, slide hard at first but after break in its fine. I have the xd9 and enjoy it even with the spongy trigger.

Any Kahr in 9mm their trigger systems are just as smooth as a revolver and easy on my finger. The recoil isn't as rough as you would expect from a compact, slide can be stiff. The cw series is cheaper so it might be worth a shot less then 400 shipped from buds.

I have glock 23/27 with the 4.5 trigger bar and I can tell after a while my finger starts to hurt when I shoot alot. I am going to start working on those triggers soon to see how much I can get it to improve since I prefer glocks overall. Some people don't like their ergonomics but for me they work well.

Although I have been over my 1911 phase now for 5 years I would consider one in this case due to how customizable they can be. With different springs and guide rods you can get the recoil under control, customize the trigger pull and can be chambered in 9mm. Only down fall is the price.

Good luck.

Sputz

[gwashorn]

If at all possible, she should get a 9mm. However, you may want to start looking for a Beretta Model 86. They are great for people who can't ( or can't consistently) manipulate the slide. The Model 86 is a .380 with a "tip up" barrel meaning she can insert a loaded mag, then tip up the barrel to load it, and push it down and lock it. It also has a relatively fat grip (with factory wood grips) that most people with arthritis find more comfortable.

Unfortunately, they apparently haven't been imported to the U.S. in many years and they are scarce! I've wanted one to use as a demo for women with weak hands/wrists, but I've pretty much given up. Why demo a gun for them when they won't be able to find one?

So sorry to hear of your wife's diagnosis. We will pray for her.

Chas.

I agree with Charles and my wife has really bad arthritis in both thumbs. very have to rack pistols. I had the Beretta 3032 which is like what Charles said but in 32. For 380 my wife went with a Sig P238. Racks very easy and nice to shoot. So there is another option if you can't make a 9mm work. If carry size is not too much of a problem, my wife also loves her S&W 3913 which racks very nicely too in 9mm. she loves that gun as well.

[mossytxn]

My wife (31 yo) also has RA. If your wife's hands are on the small side look at a Kahr MK9. It's light, small, doesn't kick near as much as the P9. My wife loves hers and it really slicks up after about 200 rounds of break in. My P9 on the other hand is not so fun to shoot as it kicks like a 3 legged ninja. Both fit the bill for carry and concealability though.

As for the RA diagnosis...my wife has been steady for a few years. I hope you have a good rheumatologist. It hurts to watch them in pain. I can only imagine what she goes through and still acts like a trooper.

Check into Remicade if your insurance will cover it. Has been a game changer in our house.

[dadoo]

I know your wife does not like wheelguns, but my wife who has had RA for more than 15 years had trouble with slides of semi's and also just loading the mags were hard for her. But that Rossi .38-spl J-frame I got for her is easy to manipulate, easy to load, and she can eat the center out of a target with no problems. Just a thought

[RPBrown]

My wife has RA and carries an XD9 sub compact. The recoil doesnt seem to bother her and the slide is fairly easy for her to use.

[The Annoyed Man]

Any Kahr in 9mm their trigger systems are just as smooth as a revolver and easy on my finger. The recoil isn't as rough as you would expect from a compact, slide can be stiff. The cw series is cheaper so it might be worth a shot less then 400 shipped from buds.

I have a PM9, and my wife has a CW9. Recoil spring on the PM/CM9s seems to be quite a bit stiffer than on the CW9s—which aren't that bad at all. And both have a pretty nice and smooth trigger.

[strider67]

Thanks to all for the wonderful feedback. We now have a very reliable list of options to aid in our search.

She has never asked "why me", even in the tough times, and by the Grace of God, rarely has flare-ups now. I cringe with the approaching cold weather, however, as she tells me the it "makes her bones hurt". I have been self-employed for a number of years, and the Good Lord has blessed us with a lot of work, since she is not yet able to hold down a full-time position.

She is a wonderful, amazing, strong Mother and wife and I think the RA has really taught us how to truly keep things in perspective and pay attention to the little things in life. Sorry, I'm starting to drift off into a Disney movie screenplay...

I'm excited about our search now, equipped with a lot of good info and input...

[Liberty]

Thanks to all for the wonderful feedback. We now have a very reliable list of options to aid in our search.

She has never asked "why me", even in the tough times, and by the Grace of God, rarely has flare-ups now. I cringe with the approaching cold weather, however, as she tells me the it "makes her bones hurt". I have been self-employed for a number of years, and the Good Lord has blessed us with a lot of work, since she is not yet able to hold down a full-time position.

She is a wonderful, amazing, strong Mother and wife and I think the RA has really taught us how to truly keep things in perspective and pay attention to the little things in life. Sorry, I'm starting to drift off into a Disney movie screenplay...

I'm excited about our search now, equipped with a lot of good info and input...

Lots of good advice here, but I thought I'd add a a couple of comments
Have her check out the Cornered Cat The lady has some good tips and tutorials on how how ladies can pull back the slides. There are a lot of people who have had trouble charging their weapons that have found her technic useful.

You don't say whether she wants the gun for fun at the range or protection. Having the ability to rack the slide isn't all that important with a larger capacity magazine. A handgun is most happy when it is full of ammo and properly charged. If she keeps it charged, with a spare mag she will be covered pretty well.

How is her dexterity?

I don't have a lot of experience with lots of different guns, but the Beretta P92 and Storm series seem to be among the easiest of easiest of the 9mm to rack the slide. I just don't know easy or difficult the other controls would be. Particularly the mag release. although these shouldn't be difficult to overcome using two hands. Berettas have a nice light single action trigger after the first round or after pulling the hammer back. The good thing is she can explore a lot of these issues herself at the counter.

[Rocstar]

My SO, 5'4" after coming off the rack and 110 lbs after a hearty desert, has been looking for something with an easily rackable slide. She can, and has, racked the slide of a Glock 26 out on the range, but really wasn't that comfortable with it. She borrowed a friend's Beretta Storm and really liked it at the range but is a little concerned about being able to conceal it with her small frame. So, she did a little research and is now interested in the Sig P238. She has had her hands on one at a gun show, but hasn't shot on yet. However, she was impressed with the ease at which she could rack the slide on the P238 and wants to give it a shot, so to speak. She has done her research and the P238 seems to be a quality weapon.

YMMV

_____

BTW...

When I got my CM9 recently, it was a struggle for the SO to rack the slide until the gun got broken in a little. After I manually racked the slide 500+ times, cleaned the gun up and we put almost 250 rounds through it at the range, the SO has little problem with the slide.

I mention that because some guns may loosen up a bit for her after having been broken in a bit, which may help in her decision making process.

[wgoforth]

Check out the FN 5.7. The recoil vitually non-existant, in case that hurts her hands. I also concur the Sig p238 racks very easily, as my wife and I both carry it for the reason this is one she can easily manipulate. Get the exended grip mag for it and will make it easier to hold (plus add another round).