[Doc Savage]

Well the wife and I made it out to the range yesterday with the new sigma .40 S&W. I also carried along the old .38 S&W top break to burn up some of the old ammo. Wife has shot before with her brother (ex marine) so isn't afraid of guns, but highly respectful of them. We didn't get this one until we purchased some remote land in TX and have feral pigs, javalenias, and mountain lions in the area. We wanted something mainly for critter protection that could double for home defense. That was the reasoning for the .40 after talking to several gun friends and the gun shop folks.

Well after shooting the .40, wife was OK with it, but it kicked more than she would have liked. I was suprised at the kick myself, having only shot 9mm and the .38 before. She said she would like to "play with" the .38 more as it didn't have as much kick to it. I'm wondering if a 9mm would really be better for her. I know it wouldn't be the best solution to our main issue, but if she is more confortable with it, she will be more likely to use it is my thought.

It's been years since I've shot a 9mm and was just wondering if there really is that much difference in the kick of the 9mm and the .40 or if my memory is just forgetting how much the 9mm kicked.

Thanks

Roberrt

[JDGray]

9mm has less bite than the 40, if you get an all steel 9mm(CZ75) the difference would be night and day. Plastic 40s, do recoil pretty hard:D

[UnTainted]

No the 9mm does not kick as much, at least for my hands. My wife would agree.

She loves shooting the sig 228 9mm we have, and says it's the easiest slide for her to manipulate (she says the hi-power is more difficult, as are the glocks - though she can operate them, she prefers sigs). She will shoot the 229 in .40 we have as well, but says only when the rubber grips are on the gun, not when it wears wood.

I feel that the 9mm is as soft a shooter as the 38, maybe moreso depending on the gun.

I hear the HK p30 is supposedly an extremely soft recoiling 9mm. It's on my short list!

[Rob G]

.40s in any configuration tend to have a harder kick and more muzzle flip. I find even my .45s are easier on the hands than a .40. I'd say get your wife a quality 9mm, load it with a good hollowpoint, and she'll have a gun she'll enjoy shooting that will still take down wild animals/people as well as a .40 would.

[CountGlockula]

Has she tried a .380 caliber? If she's having difficulty, I'd recommend keep going down a caliber until she feels comfortable.

[parisite]

Yes, a 45 with its firm push in recoiling doesn't have near the snap as a 40.

I'd recommend for her a nice 38 so she doesn't have to manipulate a slide.

[btg3]

For home defense, there's no need to drop to a .380 -- just don't go for the lightweight handguns which exaccerabate recoil management. I'm thinking a .357 revolver with 4" (or longer) barrel would be very smooth with .38spl ammo. Then if you wanted, you could progress to .38+P and even try .357 for kicks (pun intended!)

The full size 9mm M&P should also be fine (the compact is a bit more jumpy). And 9mm will save you money on ammo. Again, you can always move up to 9mm+P, but for home defense, I'd stay with the standard load for reasons of noise and flash.

[redneckrepairs]

The nine has less felt recoil than the .40 by far . My wife despises the .40 but carrys a .45. To her and to me also the .40 recoil is unpleasant not because it is severe but because it is " snappy " for lack of a better word . She says and i agree that the .45 is more a push than a slap . The point of this is to get with some friends , or a rental range and let her try out different calibers. If nothing else hang out at the local range for a weekend and visit with folks . Many if not most will be glad to let her try their pistols either free of charge or at most kick in a bit for the ammo shot . We " People of the gun " are generally predisposed to help eachother out and encourage firarms ownership .

[M47 Dragon]

The S&W Sigma is one of the worst recoiling .40s I've ever shot. Not a good gun to make a fair comparison with.

9mm is fine, but if you really want a smoother shooting .40, try the Sig P226. Smoove!

[rklessdriver]

I recently bought mine a Sig P225/P6 9mm and she shoots it very well with standard pressure ammo (I load it with Federal 9BP for her). It's a fairly small and light pistol, that has good sights, exelleant ergos, proven relibality, a reasonable price and a decent trigger pull (after you put a $10 main spring in it).

I have also used Glock 19's in the past to train women and every one of them have found the Glocks to be very easy to shoot and operate. Even my mother who has horrid shooting form and bad habbits (from my dad letting her shoot his Superblack Hawk all the time in the 80's as a gag and then buying her a snub .38 as "her gun") can shoot a Glock 19 and hit black every round. At one time the Glock 19's were everywhere on the used police trade in market but kinda hard to find them not new these days..

Either would be a good choice depending on how much you wanted to spend.

I agree that a .40S&W is a little stout to be "introuducing" someone to or back into shooting with. Mine does very well with her Sig 225/P6, my Glock 19 and even my Beretta 92F but is scared to death of my Glock 23. She will start flinching after 2-3 rounds.

BTW there is no such thing as an EX MARINE. We are all FORMER MARINES. :)
Will

[R&J]

Judy shoots her G19 very well, and it's the typical favorite of guests at the range!

We have found the G19 to be a near perfect machine!

Everybody Needs A G19! :D

--Ray

[mljdeckard]

Without going into all the reasons I don't have a Sigma .40 anymore, remember that that is a really heavy trigger. An HD weapon doesn't need to be compact or concealeable. I would get a full-size-anything-but a Sigma in 9 OR .45. (The smaller it is, the more recoil she will feel.)

[.357 magnum]

Hi Doc:) My wife had an old Ruger .357 magnum, that was her companion for like 20 years. So one day I said to her-- "Honey you need to join the modern world, get a Semi-auto and have some fun-:D" So I bought her a SW-MP 9mm and she Loves it! She now owns a Beretta 9mm. I buy Federal 124gr +P HST Law Enforcement Ammo for Home/Self Defense in our 9mm's. So my wife has a great practice pistol and Home/Self Defense weapon. I tried training her on one of my .45's last week, did not go so well. I really think the 9mm is the way to go. If you want a great .40 that has very controllable recoil get the SW-MP .40 full size. I own two now! Awesome gun! Low Bore-Axis for great control, accuracy and less recoil.

The Best to You and Yours!

Frank

[Doc Savage]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think what I'm going to do is contact my biggest gun nut friend. I'm pretty sure he has at least one of somethin in just about every caliber. See if he wouldn't mind going plinking with us and let the wife try different stuff. Once we find something that's she's confortable with, I'll see what I can do about taking her down to get her own (gotta finish the work on the motorcycle and get it sold before that happens though).

Personally I like the Sigma. Haven grown up with the old S&W top break DA, the trigger is just the same for me. It will probably be my gun, and have to get something different for her.

Robert

[Encoreman]

Hey Doc, I personally prefer for women and men who don't shoot regularly to use a revolver. No safety button to hit and oops why did the magazine drop to the floor? Get the picture? KISS. I tell people my wife included, it's like playing cowboys and indians, pull the trigger until it clicks. My wife and daughter both have 5 shot snub nose hammerless revolvers. Okay all you semi-auto guys, I shoot USPSA with a .40 cal Para-Ordnance, but prefer wheelguns for those who don't shoot lots. My opinion only. Have a good Easter ya'll!!

[Seven©]

My wife was a total noob to guns until a month ago.

I bought her a Ruger SR9. She loves it. And the SR9 is about as 'KISS' as it gets for an auto.

[Lobotomy Boy]

If you have mountain lions on your property, I think she'll need something a bit heavier than a .380. You might want to look into a heavier caliber with a compensated barrel. I had a Taurus 605C (steel .357 J-frame revolver with a compensated--or ported--barrel) that was much nicer to shoot than my S&W 642 (lightweight .38, non-ported), even with hot .357 rounds.

Have her try a variety of guns. Since concealability won't count for beans on your own property, maybe she'd like something along the lines of a Ruger Redhawk or a Smith 686, a full-sized, double-action .357. Maybe she'd like a nice 1911 in .45 ACP. I find the .45 ACP much more pleasant to shoot than the .40.

[Babalouie]

I shoot uspsa, mostly .40. It is a bit snappy and harsh. With the use you describe I would recommend you move to a .45. It is much less snappy but most importantly it has much more power than a 9mm. Given you are using it for possible defense against predators you must plan for the worst case scenario. Why would you go with less power? The 45 in any of the newer polymer guns...M&P, XD, PX4, Rugers, CZs etc, etc, etc. are great weapons and shoot really smoothly. I prefer the 45 to 9mm in terms of controlability and recoil. The 45 is a nice push compared to a snappy detonation. Its hard to describe and seems counter intuitive but its true.

ANY caliber you shoot needs to be shot enough so that you are comfortable with it. If your wife trains, meaning shoots it a lot, with a 45 she will be just as comfortable and confident as she will after training with a 9mm...so why go with a 9mm given your possible worst case scenario? If you found yourself being stalked by a mountain lion or a crazed coyote which would rather have in your hand?

[Doc Savage]

Yea guys, the 9mm is pretty much the lowest end I'd want to go based on what I've been told by most folks. I ended up going with the .40 as a compromise mainly because I got a lot of advice that the .45 would be too big for the wife (and factoring in ammo cost also), but the .40 was fairly close on the power. Never really expected that the "snap" would be worse. Like I say, not an issue for me, but it is for her.

I've come to the conclusion that looks like we will be getting a second gun as soon as I can afford it and I'm not getting it until she has a chance to try some different ones to find out what works for her. Hey that's what I have friends with guns for right ;)

Robert

[BlindJustice]

Has your wife ever shot a DA revolver? Perhaps a medium frame .357 Mag but loaded with .38 Special +P for a guage of recoil vs accuracy.

9MM - try to test fire at a shooting range, a semi-auto with steel
frame and slide, for recoil management. Take a look at the CZ 75B - lots
of good features and an economical price.

[DWARREN123]

If it is to be her gun then let her choose the round and platform!

[jaydubya]

DWARREN123 said: If it is to be her gun then let her choose the round and platform!

+1

Cordially, Jack

[The Lone Haranguer]

It's been years since I've shot a 9mm and was just wondering if there really is that much difference in the kick of the 9mm and the .40 or if my memory is just forgetting how much the 9mm kicked.
I've owned and shot both. The 9mm has much milder recoil than the .40, which has quite a snap and bite in small guns. Even in a little gun like the Kahr PM9, I don't find it terribly harsh or unpleasant. For that matter, the .45 Auto, to me, has milder recoil than the .40, having more of a "push" than a "snap."

[Don Carter]

DWARREN123 If it is to be her gun then let her choose the round and platform!

Agreed.....let them shoot what they feel comfortable with. My daughter prefers the feel of my glock 19.....over the 38.

[Guillermo]

Add my agreement to the thought that that you need more gun than a 9mm for animal protection.

I too have a Glock 19 and it operates flawlessly.

Still, would feel much better if she were to learn to love a 45. It is not as “snappy” as a 40. To me it is much more comfortable to shoot.

It is better to carry a 9 that she practices with a lot than a 40 that she hates to shoot.

It is excellent that she is looking for a lot of input so as to make a good decision. Smart lady.