@Professor Awesome info, thank you. I will search online what you’re referring to and use it. I’d actually like my wife to be able to use this pistol as it was her dads. Right now, I don’t think she would even be able to operate the slide....it’s pretty tight.
With autoloading pistols its either tight or reliable, seldom both.
With a blowback operated pistol the slide doesn't have to be tight for good accuracy. It never really locks up in battery.
A small amount of side play is okay in older pistols, so long as there's no visible rotational shifting between barrel and slide in operation, that would throw off the sight line.
If carried in a purse the gun should be loose as a goose to insure operation. I've cleaned up old purse guns that had candy wrappers stuck to them and make up migrated into the moving parts. not to mention a half inch of lint packed in the muzzle.
If you want her to carry the pistol look for a suitable sheath for it. I used to make these from thick soft split leather. Not a holster as such since it won't be worn on a belt, just a simple form fitting cover to protect the metal with grip area exposed.
Even revolvers can accumulate debris in the chamber mouths, just cleaned up a nice snubnose that spent decades in a sock drawer. The chamber mouths and muzzle were packed with lint.
A sock makes a fairly good pistol sheath. A nylon sock is best due to less lint.
You can cut it down to leave the grip exposed or telescope the sock to shorten it as needed.
The toe of the sheath may be secured to the inside of the purse with a latch pin so she can draw the pistol smoothly out of the sheath without fumbling.
