Mama's got a Brand New Gun!

Howdy Folks!
My wife is relatively new to firearms ownership. Considering she works at a local county jail (which tends to attract people who aren't the most savory folks to begin with) and she travels through the jail frequently and sometimes works directly with inmates, I feel it is something she should have done years ago. After all, if one of those exemplary citizens spotted her on the street, she might need the means to defend herself.

So back in April, I bought her a S&W 642 revolver that only held 5 rounds. I didn't like the low capacity and the airweight frame really beat her hand up badly when she fired the weapon. But when it came to automatic handguns, she had trouble managing the slide on most models so a revolver looked like the only option.

Not long after, I found a Walther PK 380 that she could manage just fine. It holds 8 in the mag and 1 in the tube. That very quickly became her weapon of choice because she didn't suffer from the recoil so much as with the .38 Smith and Wesson J-Frame.

To make a long story longer still, I got rid of the J-Frame when I took her gun shopping on Friday and discovered to my great surprise that she could easily pull the slide on a Beretta Px4 Storm (model F) chambered for 9mm. I like that it has higher capacity (13 + 1), was sub compact, light weight and managable for the wife. We bought that weapon and will be taking her to the range today to fire her new gun. While it is larger than her Walther PK 380, and that gun is just fine and dandy, I wanted her to have a handgun with a bit more "punch" and ability to carry more rounds.

So, mama is happy with her brand new gun, and once we get back from the range, I'm pretty confident she'll be happier still. It looks like a terrific gun and I expect she'll shoot just fine! In fact, she might prove to be a better shot than me!

Blessings,
M-Taliesin

Yeah, I've heard a lot of good things about the Beretta Storms.
I was thinking about getting a CX4 Storm after I pick up an AR.

RandallFlagg said:

Yeah, I've heard a lot of good things about the Beretta Storms.
I was thinking about getting a CX4 Storm after I pick up an AR.

Click to expand...

Howdy Pard!
I was surprised when she pulled on the slide and actually got it open. She doesn't have lots of hand strength, and we've tried a bunch of different autos, but she couldn't pull the slide on any of them, except her Walther PK 380. (a handsome handgun, BTW)

When she pulled that slide and actually opened the action, I nearly fell out of my shoes. The decision to buy that pistol was a done deal at that point, and I was happy because I wanted her to have a weapon with a bit better "punch".

We went to the range, and she did pretty good firing the thing for the first time. Plenty of room for improvement though. Can't fault her on that one because she just had surgery to remove caterachs from both eyes. Considering she was firing a brand new pistol for the first time, coupled with just having her eyeballs rotated, she did real good.

Blessings,
M-Taliesin

I'm starting to wonder about these springs in the slides of these newer pistols.
I've had a Beretta 92FS for almost 20 years, and the slide was always pretty easy to rack back. And that was my only pistol for all that time.
Then just 2 weeks ago, I got a new XDM .45 bitone. MAN! That was pretty hard to pull back on.
I'm wondering if the spring in my old 92 is weakening now. It might be just me, but I'm still going to take her to the shop and have them do some maintenance on it. Just to be safe.
I doubt it's the caliber difference because about 4 weeks ago I tried out a Walther PPK. THAT .380 spring was pretty tight as well.

I'm wondering if the spring tension makes a difference in accuracy. The XDM shoots straight as an arrow, but the 92 is kind of off a bit.

Howdy Again!
I also have an XDm in .40 cal. Love that pistol.
When I took the wife to the range, I brought my Ruger P94 .40, and I was shooting real tidy patters to the bullseye at 5 and 7 yards. I'd have run the target out farther, but ran out of bullets! Ain't it a shame?

But that XDm is a really nice weapon. Mine was never rough to rack, but it seems easier to pull now that I've used it awhile. I think the springs are pretty stiff when new, and they loosen up some after some range work. Field stripping the XDm is a breeze, and that proves true for the Beretta Px4 Storm my wife just got. Easy to field strip, easy to reassemble, and overall a nice gun. It is the pistol I open carry around town as I go about my business.

One big difference between the PK 380 and the PX4 Storm, the Walther is a thinner gun and better suited to conceal carry. But the Storm would do quite nicely as well.

Thanks for the discussion!
Much obliged!
Blessings,
M-Taliesin