Quote Originally Posted by vossman View Post
Im still looking for something for the spouse. The Shield .40 and 9mm were both too much recoil and too hard to work the slide. Neither of us has shot a .380 so we're hoping the recoil is much tamer.
Most gun makers make smaller cartridge guns smaller and lighter. In doing this I would bet the 380 in its smaller size feels the same as the shield in 9mm in recoil.
The shorter the barrel the snappier the gun. The M&P Compact instead of Shield has significantly less felt recoil and easier to operate slide. A standard size M&P can be shot by very small stature people. If recoil is an issue 40S&W in any compact handguns is always snappy.

Try going to a physically larger frame size gun in the same caliber instead of a smaller cartridge to make handling easier.