Looking for a good soft shooting 9mm

[Saltwater60]

Wife decided she wanted to shoot pistols for safety reason. I have only compact carry 9mm and she thought the Springfield 3” 9mm manageable. Her biggest complaint is the noise. I said write your congressmen and tell them to legalize silencers.
So I’m looking for a soft shooting 9mm thats carriable. So I was going between the sig 365 and the sig365 xl. Wondering if anyone has shot the 365xl?

 

[Darth]

For soft shooting look for some sort of metal framed, larger 9mm.

Beretta M92fs?

 

[Jaywmustang]

Make sure she can rack the slide on whatever she gets. I bought my wife her first pistol years ago and found out after we got it home, she couldn’t pull the slide back far enough to pick up a round. It was a s&w mp9c. She liked everything about it but racking it. Something to think about

 

[Calculon]

Make sure she can rack the slide on whatever she gets. I bought my wife her first pistol years ago and found out after we got it home, she couldn’t pull the slide back far enough to pick up a round. It was a s&w mp9c. She liked everything about it but racking it. Something to think about

This. Let her pick up a couple and see how they feel.If racking is an issue M&P 9 EZ and Walther PK380 designed to be easy to manipulate slide.

 

[Jaywmustang]

This. Let her pick up a couple and see how they feel.If racking is an issue M&P 9 EZ and Walther PK380 designed to be easy to manipulate slide.

She went with a glock after the mp9c

 

[BDinPutnam]

SIG P226
CZ 75

 

[Calculon]

Which one? My wife chose the G42 after I made the mistake of buying several I thought she would like.

 

[Xae289]

I like the Glock 48. A couple of friends of mine had never shot a gun before and wanted to try handguns, so I took them to a range out of state and rented the G48. A longer barrel is slightly less loud and the longer sight radius will help a beginner achieve better accuracy and build confidence. The grip is slimmer than a doublestack Glock, which is good for smaller hands, yet it's long enough to get a good, firm grip without the pinky hanging off, which is terrible for a beginner to have to deal with. Overall, it's like a skinny Glock 19, so it's carriable, though not as much as a subcompact like a Sig P365. My first-time-shooter friend shot decently well with it, and his wife who'd also never shot a gun before shot excellently.I

That said, I'd say the best bet is to go to a range in PA or CT, have her fondle the rentals to see which feels right and then shoot it to see if she can shoot well with it. Then try a slightly larger one that still feels good to her and see if she shoots any better with that.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Which one? My wife chose the G42 after I made the mistake of buying several I thought she would like.

She went with the g43. We have 4 (43,43x,17 and 40) glocks in the house and she can rack them all with ease

 

[Marine Cpl]

Carriable and a soft shooting 9mm for a woman is a difficult thing to find. In general, anything carriable in 9mm will have more recoil than anything not carriable.

I went through this with my wife. Glock 26 was soft shooting but too heavy. XDS 9mm which is the same size as a Sig P365 was almost carriable (still printed to all hell since she wears tight clothing) and had recoil. Glock 42 .380 was very soft shooting but still printed to all hell.

Finally settled on a Ruger LCP 2 in .380. It is very carriable, weighs nothing, doesn’t print at all, but it’s still shootable. Not soft shooting but not a behemoth either. It was the perfect compromise to keep her armed at all times. She never leaves the house without it since it isn’t invasive or a chore to conceal. She just stuffs it down her pants in a Remora holster before she leaves. She shoots it well enough to make hits on a man sized target at 7 yds. Not shooting right groups but they are all in there.

With ball ammo on a human chest, a .380 will have full penetration on both sides just like any 9mm will with full penetration on both sides.

 

[spat]

My wife can shoot my G26 very well, but her hands are too small to manipulate the magazine release without compromising her grip.

She is stuck with single stacks for that reason.

We have discussed trying some aftermarket mag releases, but haven't gotten there yet.

 

[FLA45fan]

Wife decided she wanted to shoot pistols for safety reason. I have only compact carry 9mm and she thought the Springfield 3” 9mm manageable. Her biggest complaint is the noise. I said write your congressmen and tell them to legalize silencers.
So I’m looking for a soft shooting 9mm thats carriable. So I was going between the sig 365 and the sig365 xl. Wondering if anyone has shot the 365xl?

Low recoil ammo for self defense is available, Hornady FTX Critical Carry Lite (pink accents on the box and a pink tip bullet), the Sig 365 hollowpoints, and Federal 135 gr low recoil ammo would be a good start. Only the Sig 365 has FMJ range ammo that correspond to the self defense stuff. There may be other low recoil range ammo but you'll have to really look. I have used all of the SD ammo I have recommended in my 365 and they are softer shooting.
As for the two 365s the slightly heavier XL is "slightly" softer shooting and the trigger on the XL is a nice upgrade, but not a hugh advantage for many. I do like the XLs ability to add a mini red dot sight, like the Sig Romeo Zero, or the new Holosight mini, among a couple of others. The heavier the gun, the softer the re oil, in general.
Silencers . . . C'mon down, the water's fine . . . (Legal in Florida).

 

[Saltwater60]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

It's all subjective different people experience and feel things differently than others.

I think Glocks tend to have a different recoil impulse due to the grip angle and low bore axis to me it pushes backward more that it flips up.

One gun that pleasantly surprised me, I shot my friends Walther CCP and I think he said it was a piston cycled gun and it had a softer recoil impulse than I was expecting and it's a compact designed to be carried. I thought it was neat and would definitely spend more time shooting it in the future.

I like shoot a cz 75 compact that was also another very easy to control compact pistol

 

[Jaywmustang]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

Do you have a indoor range that rents pistols?

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

Do you have a indoor range that rents pistols?

Wolcott in cheektowaga does

 

[Marine Cpl]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

Be careful with light recoiling hollow point ammo that doesn’t penetrate enough.

 

[Jem45472]

My wife can shoot my G26 very well, but her hands are too small to manipulate the magazine release without compromising her grip.

She is stuck with single stacks for that reason.

We have discussed trying some aftermarket mag releases, but haven't gotten there yet.

I haven't found a gun yet that I can reach controls on, except the ar. I have medium sized hands, but I guess my thumbs must be freakishly small lol.

 

[Marine Cpl]

That light recoiling ammo penetrates less than a .380 hollow point. Utter garbage.

 

[Saltwater60]

For the light recoil ammo I was thinking this ammo. I’ve heard it’s much lighter recoil because it’s projectile weight is lower.
anyone familiar with this ammo or can confirm it?

Preferred Defense | Advanced Personal Defense Ammunition

 

[Steal2B]

For the light recoil ammo I was thinking this ammo. I’ve heard it’s much lighter recoil because it’s projectile weight is lower.
anyone familiar with this ammo or can confirm it?

Preferred Defense | Advanced Personal Defense Ammunition

We have used this ARX bullet in the Polycase branded Interceptor, Ruger, and NovX. The NovX is the nicest and most expensive but they are all reliable, accurate, fine rounds. I would guess we have gone through a case of each. (Yes, a case not box).





It carries noticeably lighter in 9mm, especially in free state double stacks. (In 45ACP the weight difference feels huge with these rounds.)

It seems to recoil lighter but I don't find any of our 9mm guns to be snappy. I would not consider the recoil difference between these and common 9mm ammo to be huge. My wife said she noticed more of a recoil difference with these rounds in a P938 as opposed to any of the longer barreled heavier guns we often shoot. (She is not all that recoil sensitive and the only thing she dislikes shooting high round counts is smaller revolvers with hot 357 magnums.) (Again ... The perceived recoil reduction is more noticeable in 45acp)

There are downsides to ARX rounds.

These are expensive rounds, they are priced as premium defensive rounds and cost quite it bit more than good target ammo.

Although they are touted as being less suscepible to over penetrating hard barriers beyond the target ... while still providing good penetration through clothes, bone, and flesh, (they shoot at higher velocities than most but the bullet decipates its energy deforming on hard surfaces) ... they would have a corresponding vulnerability to NOT be an effective defensive round after passing through hard barriers or for that matter destroying frying pans (for our old used to be known as @willjr75.)

If I am carrying an ARX round, it is for weight (in pocket or ankle) and the spare mag would not be ARX loaded rounds.

Even though it is introducing another caliber, and it is a single action .... the Sig P238 may be an option for a very carriable, concealable, light shooting option.

 

[spat]

It's all subjective different people experience and feel things differently than others.

I think Glocks tend to have a different recoil impulse due to the grip angle and low bore axis to me it pushes backward more that it flips up.

One gun that pleasantly surprised me, I shot my friends Walther CCP and I think he said it was a piston cycled gun and it had a softer recoil impulse than I was expecting and it's a compact designed to be carried. I thought it was neat and would definitely spend more time shooting it in the future.

I like shoot a cz 75 compact that was also another very easy to control compact pistol

Just grip shape alone affects felt recoil a lot.

My wife likes my G26, but a G43 is snappy enough that she doesn't like it.

I think the width of the grip is a bigger factor than the weight difference there. The narrower grip will *feel* sharper.

 

[GOPerfect]

My wife loves to shoot my Ruger SR9c

 

[FLA45fan]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

The lighter recoiling ammo is a good place to start especially for beginners. If someone is recoil sensitive then may not develop good shooting habits, especially with lighter guns. They can work their way up to the full power stuff in time. Low recoil SD ammo, while not having the full punch, is still way better than range FMJ.

 

[Paxal]

Wife decided she wanted to shoot pistols for safety reason. I have only compact carry 9mm and she thought the Springfield 3” 9mm manageable. Her biggest complaint is the noise. I said write your congressmen and tell them to legalize silencers.
So I’m looking for a soft shooting 9mm thats carriable. So I was going between the sig 365 and the sig365 xl. Wondering if anyone has shot the 365xl?

Beretta PX4 Storm. Shoots great. Great feel in your hand.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Thanks guys.
never thought of lighter recoil ammo. I’ve heard the polymer and copper ammo is light recoil. Maybe I’ll try that. She said the Springfield is acceptable.
She had a really hard time racking the slide. She could get it but really struggled. The ez rack MP might be something to look at.
I do like the CZ 75 and thought about a 1911 9mm but not sure on the slide and the safety. She will forget the safety because she won’t practice repetitive enough.
She did say she wants to shoot again to get used to the noise and recoil slowly. I can respect that.
I won’t do anything immediate but lots of food recommendations here.

Look at the CZ 75 BD then. I have one and love it; open carry at home just about all day every day. Bear in mind it is a duty sized pistol, I do not try to CCW it. But footprint wise it feels a lot smaller to me than a P226 which I'd argue is probably a direct competitor to same.

It is the decocker version of the 75.

I know you said 9mm but the SIG P238 (380) is a charm to shoot well for just about anyone I've seen handle it. Con: 1911-ish design with a manual safety.

 

[Saltwater60]

Look at the CZ 75 BD then. I have one and love it; open carry at home just about all day every day. Bear in mind it is a duty sized pistol, I do not try to CCW it. But footprint wise it feels a lot smaller to me than a P226 which I'd argue is probably a direct competitor to same.

It is the decocker version of the 75.

I know you said 9mm but the SIG P238 (380) is a charm to shoot well for just about anyone I've seen handle it. Con: 1911-ish design with a manual safety.

I almost bought the 238 a while back. Great gun it’s been a few years so I don’t remember how easy or hard it is to rack the slide but this could fit the pink pistol she’s referenced wanting. I know they make them in a bunch of colors and designs. I’d just have to see how much she wants to train on disengaging the safety. Probably not a ton honestly. She said she’s willing to shoot again though so that’s progress.

 

[BDinPutnam]

I almost bought the 238 a while back. Great gun it’s been a few years so I don’t remember how easy or hard it is to rack the slide but this could fit the pink pistol she’s referenced wanting. I know they make them in a bunch of colors and designs. I’d just have to see how much she wants to train on disengaging the safety. Probably not a ton honestly. She said she’s willing to shoot again though so that’s progress.

You could also look at the CZ P01, forgot that one. It's basically a scaled down 75, with a rail in front, and a decocker.

An almost exact scaled down model of the 75 BD (with no rail) is the CZ PCR but good luck finding one (ask me how I know... )

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

You could also look at the CZ P01, forgot that one. It's basically a scaled down 75, with a rail in front, and a decocker.

An almost exact scaled down model of the 75 BD (with no rail) is the CZ PCR but good luck finding one (ask me how I know... )

Ok That's what I shot a PO1 I liked it. Ok knew it was just a version of the 75 but forgot exactly which one

 

[Saltwater60]

It will be a bit before I make a decision. She needs permission first and I’ll see how things go and how she feels Sunday after a little more practice. We’re home tonight together so I’ll have her fondle a few I have and see what she likes and doesn’t like.