My mom wants to get her own 9mm to carry in her bag but wants a soft shooter due to her wrist problems. I offered my G19 or CZ 75B but she hated my Glock and found my CZ too heavy. What do the professionals recommend?
Edit: Forgot to mention an imperative detail. My mother is left handed so ambi is a must.
What did she hate about the 19?
She just stated that it was very uncomfortable followed by a, “This tool is not for me.”
Huh… there’s not going to be alot out there with a comparable size and weight that will shoot as soft as a Glock. Have you tried any others like XDs and M&Ps?
Beretta 92
It is just as heavy as a CZ though.
M&P 9. Compact.
The “softest” shooting service caliber pistol I have ever shot is the full size S&W M&P9.
There are multiple threads on handguns from a female’s perspective:
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=57367&highlight=female
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=52826&highlight=female
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=46788&highlight=female
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=43446&highlight=female
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=40644&highlight=female
No need to reinvent the wheel.
B_C
I’m going to confirm this. I am very recoil sensitive. The M&P 9 is one of the few pistols I like shooting. And hence I brought one. My mom, who has low upper body strength and has trouble racking slides, likes it a lot (and she shot a perfect score on her CCW qual having never fired it before)
The CZ 75 is a poor poor choice. Less slide gripping area, heavier trigger, some concerns about durability and reliability. To me, despite being heavier than a Browning Hi Power (one of the other pistols I really like shooting), it had more recoil. CZ’s quality decline and price increase do not impress me, either.
Springfield Loaded 1911 in 9mm. I know 1911’s are not popular around here, especially in 9mm, but a lot of the ladies I have let try it really enjoy shooting it.
See if you can find an older Colt 9mm Commander for her to try.
Now you didn’t specify Glock like reliability, only soft shooting.
To me the softest shooting 9 I’ve shot is the Beretta PX4.
Chris
I would recommend the S&W M&P 9. IMO it is one of the softest shooting 9mm on the market. I have been extremely impressed with mine and highly recommend it. I also really like the BHP but it is not the best choice for a new shooter due to cost and training requirements. Before buying the M&P, I also looked at the FN FNP and was very impressed with that pistol as well. As the OP mentioned the CZ-75 is heavy and although the Beretta 92 is a soft shooting pistol it is also large.
I would also look at some of the older SIG designs P225/P226/P228/229. I particular, I have always liked the P225 as a thin, relatively compact CCW. Yes it is single stack but for some reason I have always liked that pistol.
A 9mm 1911 shoots quite softly, but I wouldn’t recommend one for the casual user. My Beretta Elite with the heavy Brigadier slide shoots like a .22, but the grip frame is big and fat and probably won’t work for a smaller shooter.
In the end, you may have to go down in caliber. A .380 that she can handle is better than a 9mm she can’t.
I know it is a bit costly, but the HK P30 series are very ergonomic, completely ambi (mag and slide, safety if applicable in variant), and recoil is very soft. Even my P2000SK, the subcompact version of the P2000, is very soft recoiling. Just a thought.
Longer slide and heavier weight.
5" Glocks/M&Ps are about the softest shooting polys I’ve ever fired, 9mm 1911s are even softer.
Another vote for the M&P full size…
The softiest one I ever shoot was HK USP full size, but this can be little too bulky 
BTW Softness, is rather personal feeling than feature of gun. However with several people that I introduced to shooting here, most preceive polymer, strong recoil spring and higher muzze rise pistols (like HKs) as softer shooting with same ammo as less “flippy” ones (Glock, M&P, P99, CZ75/85/SP-01, etc.).
HK P2000SK in 9mm with dual recoil spring system should feel soft and it’s not bulky. Fully ambidexious (I’m lefthanded myself). For femine hands extended magazine plates will provide comfortable grip with no “pinky under grip”.
Has your mom had formal firearms training, from an instructor specifically trained or experienced in the instruction of the lady shooter? If not, is it available to her?
Another vote for the HK P2000SK 9mm, my wife shot the rental at a local range the other day and she loved it. Now that I got my P30L this might be our next pistol.
For whatever reason, I’ve always felt like the Ruger P-89ish pistols shot very soft.
I don’t own one, or even like the gun for all the usual reasons, but the one thing I can say is they shoot soft.