Trying to get the wife to a larger caliber.

[blo0dyhatchet]

Ok. I bought my wife a .22 beretta. She loves the gun, and I am glad that she has something at least in the car with her. Crime continues to rise in my area, and I am trying to get her into a larger caliber. She is somewhat picky as far as looks, but she said she would carry something like my Ruger p97dc if it was smaller and lighter. Im thinking of at least a 380 if not a 9mm. What would you guys suggest that has a similar look but weighs a good bit less? She has bad wrists which makes the weight a factor. Recoil doesnt effect to much, especially since (hopefully) she will never need to use it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[maximus2161]

if she has bad wrists then you may have to try a few options. I would recommend seeing if you could rent some guns at a local range for her to try out. A S&W 638 +P Airweight perhaps? Its light to carry. However with her wrists it just my be trial and error. Good luck!

 

[GotGlock]

Kahr pm9, i bought it for myself but my g/f seems to have adopted it.

 

[blo0dyhatchet]

Tried to get her onto a Taurus .38 I had at one point, but she hated it. It usually sits in her center console, so it can have a little weight to it. It would have to be an auto loader though, she doesnt like revolvers.

 

[maximus2161]

GotGlock made a good recommendation. There is the G26 or the M&Pc.

 

[blo0dyhatchet]

Ah, good one, she likes the M&P compact, hated the glock, lol. I think I will take her to a range like suggested as well to let her try a few, but keep the suggestions coming. Thanks!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Taurus makes light and compact pistols, they are their Millennium Pro line. If a 9mm isn't too much for her try the PT-111 Pro. It holds 12 rounds of 9mm and weighs only 18.7 oz. You have to see and hold this pistol to understand how really small it is. http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=24&category=Pistol

If the 9mm is too much for her they also have a Millennium Pro in .380 Auto and even in .32 Auto. The .380 Auto also holds 12 rounds and is the same weight as the 9mm. http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=34&category=Pistol The .32 Auto holds 10 rounds and is slightly smaller than the other two pistols I mentioned. Of course the line includes .40 S&W and .45 ACP pistols too and in both two-tone or black. http://www.taurususa.com/products/gunselector-results.cfm?series=MP1

My son has a 9mm Mill Pro and likes the way it shoots and carries, and at just over $300 how can you go wrong?

 

[sm]

She is going to have to make the decision on going up in caliber and what gun.

What I suggest, is:

1. If she hangs with some other ladies, and goes shooting, mention to them the Tip up Beretta in .380.
This gun is a Good looking/ Pretty/ Cute gun.
It works quite well for physically limited folks [such as bad wrists] works like the .22 Beretta she has now [guessing it is a 21A] , and very very accurate, with very little felt recoil.

Still she with these ladies can assist her on choosing a gun, and letting her shoot a variety of guns.
She may not like the Beretta in .380, just my experiences suggest this is one gun that needs to be among the choices for her to at least try.

2. Find someone that has one of these Tip up Beretta's in .380.
A range, individual, and while she is at the range, as I shared above, let her handle and shoot and see for herself.

Go with her, but back off, it would be great if another lady joined you, still back off, let her make her decisions.
Oh, if a lady range person, or lady gun store employee, ...step aside, let the ladies chat.

Just my take...

 

[ugaarguy]

In addition to the tip-up Beretta .380s take a look at the Beretta 85. It handles much like 3/4 size Beretta 92; plus the combination of firing .380 from a mid-sized, locked breech gun produces minimal felt recoil.

If she's comfortable with 9mm then the Glock 26, S&W M&P compact, Springfield XD-9 Sub Compact, and Walther P99c are great guns - pick the one that fits her hand best.

Although pricey, the HK P2000 is a very nice handling gun, and the LEM trigger has a truly great feel. Co-workers who've fired them report excellent accuarcy and mild recoil in 9mm. Again, it is very expensive which is what keeps me away from HK products.

Last, I'd stay away from plastic framed Taurus autos. Many folks here have had great experiences with them, but I work in a gun shop, and I see far too many get returned to Taurus for service.

 

[coylh]

If she has bad wrists, you want a heavy gun to diminish recoil, or a weak caliber which won't produce much recoil.

I can't guess what she will like, but the Kahr P9 is a decent balance of size, weight, caliber, and capacity.

Whatever the result, she's more likely to practice with something if it isn't painful to shoot, and practice is important.

 

[CajunBass]

My wife carried a 22 Bersa for a couple of years until SHE decided she wanted something bigger.

She went with a Glock 19.

(My wife has had carpel tunnel surgery in both wrists.)

 

[KINGMAX]

no airweight, especially w/ plus P's.

 

[phantom45]

I just recently purchased my M&P9c and absolutely love it. Certainly one of if not the best polymer guns I've ever shot. Recoil is minimal and the thing is surprisingly accurate. Just a solid shooter, and great ergonomics. I'd highly recommend trying it out. Don't forget it does have 3 backstraps for different sized hands, if one doesn't fit well for her try the others! Also I think the Walther is a fine suggestion as well.

 

[Piedmont Plinker]

Bersa Thunder. Cheap, and supposed to be great guns.

 

[budney]

She has bad wrists...

That limits your options.

Most girls gravitate toward lower calibers from simple timidity. The few girls I've taken shooting, I always advise them not to fight the recoil--take a proper grip, let the gun do what it's going to do, and bring it back on target to follow through. That seems to work well. It's the idea that they are obligated to "control" or "fight" the recoil that makes it scary.

There's a chance that this may be helpful for your wife; fighting the gun will only bother her wrists more. But if shooting hurts, she won't practice. And if she won't practice, she shouldn't be using that gun.

--Len.

 

[blo0dyhatchet]

Its not the recoil that bothers her. I have taken her shooting a good number of times, and she has shot my ruger 45, a few glocks etc. Its just holding the weight hat bothers her. Im going to gun broker right now to look at the newest sugestions... The gun she has now is a beretta 950bs, yes with the tip up.

 

[Yardstick]

I'll second the Mil Pro PT-111. If she doesn't have a problem with recoil it sounds like it would suit her well. They are (or at least ours is) incredibly accurate for having such a short barrel. My wife thinks it's a bit too snappy and doesn't like the long, double-action trigger, but she can shoot it pretty well. She's a big fan of our Buckmark target pistol with a big ol' red dot and SA trigger. She says now she'd like something like a .40 or .45 that shoots like that .22. Does that mean I need to find a nice ported/compensated race gun?

 

[cpirtle]

My take:

Ease her into a larger caliber and do it with a platform she already knows. Get her a Beretta Tomcat in .32acp.

She can practice a lot with her .22 and finish off a practice session with as many .32's as she feels comfortable with. Then she can carry the 32 for personal safety.

There's a lot to be said for being familiar with one type of action, especially in a SD situation.

I'll agree in advance that a .32 is no man stopper but it's better than a .22, and if you have to "convince" her to get something bigger it probably won't hold up long term and she may be back to the .22.

I have a Tomcat 32 and a 21a and they have both been flawless. I carry my Tomcat when I'm riding the motorcycle or wearing really light clothes.

 

[envonge]

She would probably like a 10mm recoil is not bad.

 

[flashman70]

If I understand this is to be a car gun, not a carry piece? And she's discriminating about it's looks? I'd show her a Kahr P9, a H&K P2000 (maybe sk) and a Springfield EMP - all in 9mm.

 

[Tigerseye]

Try a 3" J-frame 5-shot .38 spl from Taurus. They are small enough to carry concealed and big enough to control.

 

[kirkcdl]

Get her a Makarov.Since appearance is a factor,buy a nice East German Mak.A Mak is what turned my GF into a gunny.She wasn't anti,but was not a shooter.I first got her a Bulgy Mak,and now she shoots IPSC with a Glock 21...

And still shoots the Mak from time to time...

 

[slow944]

Bersa makes a great little carry gun call the 9mm CC it is very flat and light weight. You might have her look at those while your at it.

 

[GRIZ22]

She has bad wrists which makes the weight a factor. Recoil doesnt effect to much, especially since (hopefully) she will never need to use it.


This may be some other factor than her wrists (psychological?). Heavier guns absorb nore recoil than light ones.

 

[tinygnat219]

Take her to the range and ask her to try one-two shots in every caliber handgun you own. You will be surprised by what she likes.