How to train woman with limp wrist syndrome?

My friend's wife yesterday wanted to shoot his Beretta 9mm to practice home defense. Well it appears she has bad problem with limp wrist. Jeff and I never have had a jam with his beretta, but she jammed it several times, even a couple consecutively. He took the gun and had no problems. Does anybody Have tips or Beretta experience? She fired my sigma 40 with no jams although she didn't like the trigger pull. She has a .32 s&w (short) H&r sidekick, but can't find ammo, so also if anyone in north MS has ammo let us know.

Thanks for Advice

1. Tell her she is too thin, and needs to gain about 50 pounds.

2. Using a hotter load will help the gun cycle. You may want to try using some +P ammo, or a heavier bullet. ( I once made a batch of "nerf" reloads with barely enough powder charge to cycle the action. Worked for me, but not for my friend's wife when I let her shoot my gun with that ammo -- so much for "low recoil" loads being easier to shoot. )

3. Grip. Make sure she has a good grip with the firing hand high on the gun, firing arm locked out, and non-firing hand wrapped around the firing hand.

4. Stance. She should bend slightly at the waist and "lean in" to the recoil. The most solid way to put your feet is what a karate practitioner would call a "front stance", with the non firing leg forward with the knee bent and the firing side leg back and knee straight.

TheOtherMike wrote:
2. Using a hotter load will help the gun cycle. You may want to try using some +P ammo, or a heavier bullet. ( I once made a batch of "nerf" reloads with barely enough powder charge to cycle the action. Worked for me, but not for my friend's wife when I let her shoot my gun with that ammo -- so much for "low recoil" loads being easier to shoot. )

3. Grip. Make sure she has a good grip with the firing hand high on the gun, firing arm locked out, and non-firing hand wrapped around the firing hand.

2. don't know that i'd recommend hotter loads for someone who already has technique problems....seems like it would just be adding fuel to the fire, but thats just my opinion there. even though i know 9mm +p isn't much more, and +p+ really isn't even that much more than a standard load, but just the same.

3. hard to get a good grip on a beretta for a person with smaller hands..........i should know! i HATE shooting the B 92's! I'd rather wrap my hand around a glock than a beretta...to be so "ergonomic" and a "one size fits all" kinda gun like they were marketed to be, they sure are unforgiving of small hands..."one size fits all....as long as you have gorilla hands"

i'd suggest finding her a gun with easier ammo to find..... .32 anything is hard to find! maybe your friend should take up reloading? thats all I can think of

Since some of the problem is weak grip as well as weak wrist tension, hold the pistol with a firm grip and squeeze it until the hand shakes.. Then back off enough to stop the shaking. Also there is sometimes a problem with weak elbow. Make sure the elbow is locked with the arm extended. Back up the pistol. Buy her a S&W Model 10 .38 spl. Preferably one made in the 70'sor before.

Doug

Another thought. Have you trained the lady shooter how to clear a stovepipe jam? What does she do if the pistol double loads? How about a simple feeding jam or a failure of the pistol to go into battery. If you are selecting a handgun for self defense, you should consider these things as well.

I would NEVER recommend a semi-auto handgun for an inexperienced shooter. If you use factory ammo in a revolver, it is difficult to make one malfunction. Another problem with semi-auto pistols is the lack of lubricant on working surfaces. IN my Bullseye Pistol shooting days, the old Sargent would say, if there is no oil spots on your glasses, there is not enough oil on the semi-auto pistol. Without proper lubrication, a semi-auto pistol can and will malfunction.

Doug Bowser
NRA Pistol Instructor
NRA-USAS Certified Pistol Coach
and member of the
National Coach development Staff.

thanks for the tips, never woulda thought of that. The .32 was her dads but she says shes not afraid of the Browning auto 12 ga in the living room either!

Revolver!! is the best answer ....

What????? Doug didn't say it?????

"The only use of a pistol is to shoot your way to a shotgun" or something to that effect. Get her a .38 and a shotty!

pinetor wrote:What????? Doug didn't say it?????

"The only use of a pistol is to shoot your way to a shotgun" or something to that effect. Get her a .38 and a shotty!

This is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doug

I've experienced the same with my 92FS. When jr shoots the handgun, it experiences some malfunctions, even when it is clean and properly lubed. In my hands -- no problem. I was told the 1911's can be sensitive to the limp wrist, too. The 92 line is like gripping a brick or a sledge hammer, but I'm sure it does have its positive attributes, too. (Recently I bought a Glock, and put the 92 into semi-retirement.)

On the topic of revolvers -- I completely agree that a revolver is the best choice for an inexperienced shooter. Although I've had instructors recommend against it, I think it's a great place to start for beginners due to the simplicity of operation. It's a great tool for learning proper trigger pull and follow-through.

Just my opinions...

Two points:
1. Push with the right (shooting) hand while pulling back with the left (other) hand. That will stabilize the Beretta 92 (or any other semi-auto), reduce limp wristing and improve target acquisition.

2. For those of you who love Beretta 92s, there is a single stack version (I call it politically correct version) which fixes the fat grips issue and actually helps the limp wristing issue. With the good comes the bad - it only holds 10 rounds. But....you have a Beretta 92 - solid, reliable, and purty!

+1 on the wheel gun.

A little time with an instructor who can help her does wonders.

A handgun that fits her hand, and time with a instructor will fix most if not all the problems. Revolvers are great tools, but not an alternative to proper training and practice.

Found .32 shorts at guns and ammo southaven, and she was driving them home like nails, even with the stiff double action of an H&r sidekick. Would not want to be on the receiving end of that. The girl's a good shot!

My wife can shoot an auto but doesn't like the recoil it has but she loves her S&W m66.

If she likes her revolver, but says the recoil bothers her with the auto, its probably a grip issue or the pistol doesnt fit her hand well