Help me provide 1st gun options for wife? (long)

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dschwartz69

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Hello all - been lurking for some time, searched the forums for this topic and I know the answer is have her hold some, etc. but my questions may be 'slightly' different.

A little background:

I Purchased a spankin' new :) Beretta 92FS upon leaving Navy in 1994. Put a couple thousand rounds through it first couple years of ownership. Got married and busy and didn't shoot for a number of years. I've just started getting back into it this year and have a thousand rounds or so in the past couple months. That is the extent of my handgun experience. I'm extremely safety conscious, especially with wife and two kids in house (gun safe in nightstand).

I took my wife of 8+ years shooting for the first time last month :)eek: I know, I know! Should have been MUCH sooner). She was extremely nervous at first and the noise from the other shooters at the indoor range was making her jump. After she settled down a bit I went through motions of giving her a single round in the magazine and having her load, chamber, aim, disengage safety, shoot, engage safety, remove magazine, put down, etc. many times.

Long story short, she had a great time and was an oustanding shot at 5-10 yards. The only problem was that she has small hands/short fingers and the reach for her trigger finger was uncomfortable, causing her to shift her grip a bit, etc. When shooting single action with the much short trigger pull, she had litle or no problem - the grip size was not the issue, just the max. distance of the DA trigger. (plus the DA trigger weight was a little too much as well, but that she could have probably adjusted to over time.)

Based on research, reviews, postings of experiences by others on this board, etc. I've come up with a list of semi-autos in 9mm that might be better suited for smaller hands, shorter trigger fingers, etc. Plan is to have her hold and shoot (as rental from our local gun club/range) the ones we narrow our list to.

Keep in mind, I'm not only purchasing a first gun for my wife to learn to shoot, but I'm also purchasing the gun that she will keep loaded in her nightstand that might need to save her life one day. For that reason, I tended to stick to names that 'I' am familiar with - hence the need for this posting. Please review and, if possible, describe why any of these would NOT be a good choice for her to try and also suggest OTHERS that she should try as well.

Here we go:
H&K P2000SK
H&K USP Compact
Sig P226
Sig P229
Beretta 9000S

I'd love to be able to line all these (as well as any of your other suggestions) up on the counter for her to handle and compare as well as rent each that felt good in her hands to shoot - then determine what is best suited.

Again, I'm not trying to 'pick' a gun for my wife, but to assemble an assortment of well-recommended handguns for her to choose from.

Thanks for your help!
 
I would recomend adding a .22 to your list. My wife really enjoys the feel of my Ruger Mk II it is cheap to shoot but still makes enough noise that she has fun.
 
I had thought about smaller calibers in order to get her more comfortable with shooting in general, but then figured it might make more sense to find a gun that will serve as a highly-effective defensive weapon as well as something she can hone her skills at while plinking as a hobby. I'm not familar enought with .22 to know if that would/could/should serve as a primary defensive weapon?

Plus, by having a smilar caliber to my defensive weapon (that I also hobby-shoot with) we have only one type of ammunition to purchase.

Thanks,

David.
 
Tha't kind of the entire point of my post/questions. My handgun experience is limited to my Beretta 92FS and her's is 0.

She is still quite overwhelmed by handguns in general and I don't expect her to walk up to a gun case (in what to her is an intimidating gun shop) and select something from 50-75+ options they have for sale.

I was hoping some of those who have been in a similar position could help by letting me know what guns their wives 'chose' or which they might recommend she 'consider'.
 
+1. The .22 is a good way to go. I know it's not a worthy SD round, but building confidence, safety procedures, accuracy, all at a low price is not a bad idea. Good-to-go with getting your wife to function the gun with one round, that is precisely what I did with my wife and she caught on real quick. Women are very safety minded when it involves things unfamiliar, and they don't have a problem with being instructed either. My wife cut her teeth on a Walther P22 which was $240 brand new, it's a great little pistol. Bullets are $10 for 500. She later picked out a Walther PPK which she returned an hour later after less than 50 rounds because it was a brutal little gun. I shot it first and the rear sight fell off before the first magazine was empty. It had alot of snap to it even though it was a .380. She is now very happy with a Taurus 85 lite. Only holds 5 rounds but she is astonishing with it. 38 sp. is cheep to shoot as well, but now she wants another gun! @#$% honey! Another one!
Oh yea
 
My g/f was a relatively inexperienced(with handguns) shooter when we met,my(now hers)Makarov turned her into a gun nut.She now shoots IPSC with a Glock 21 and a Glock 23,as well as a Ruger P89.She still carries her Mak CCW.Start her with a Mak or PA63,that way your initial cash outlay will be less,and she can work her way up in caliber as she sees fit...:D
 
I defintely see the rational for starting with .22 (smaller gun, cheaper ammo, minimal recoil, etc.)

On her outing with my Beretta 92, she did not mind the size of the gun (grip) or the recoil and her accuracy was very good (6" groups at 10 yards or so).

Given the above AND the fact the gun we purchase will serve as defensive weapon, would you still recommend .22 over 9mm?
 
If your looking to keep things simple by getting her a 9mm so you can both shoot the same ammo, Kahr arms has lots of nice guns from small to large. My mother carries a Taurus PT111 9mm, the trigger pull is a little hefty but shes happy. A friend of mine has a Springfield XD9 with a 3" barrel that shoots great and is reliable as well. My wife likes the baby Glock in 9mm, not sure what the model # is. Before I buy any gun I go to www.handgunreview.com; you get the skinny on the pros and cons on many different types of pistols.
 
ctone, thanks for the info on handgunreview.com - I had not been there before. I had not heard of Kahr before, I will check them out.
 
I do not recommend buying a .22 for a defensive weapon. I have on occasion carried the P22 due to its small size. I know I'm deadly with it but it is not a SD weapon, my firm opinion. If she has no problems shooting the Beretta than she should have no problems finding something that suits her needs. Thats a relatively large pistol.
 
How about the Taurus 24/7 in 9mm or one of the smaller S&W 9mm single-stack models? Also, don't forget the old standby .38 service revolver - they have much smaller grips because they don't have to store cartridges.
 
Given the conditions stated in your original post - Beretta 92 DA trigger pull a little long, grip size ok, 9mm ok caliber - I was going to suggest trying out a Browning Highpower.

That still may be a good idea, but I think the first step is for your wife to read Pax's page at http://www.corneredcat.com - for some tips on choosing a pistol for herself.

Just my 2¢ worth.

EDIT: Again, I type too slow! This is getting old.
 
If small hands and short fingers is the problem, she may not have much luck with the double-stack 9mm's - pistols where the magazine is about twice as wide as the cartridge to allow greater capacity. Single-stack are those pistols where the magazine is just as wide as a single cartridge. You give up some magazine capacity, but you generally wind up with a much smaller/slimmer pistol - often better suited for a shooter with small hands.

Since you mentioned SIG's, I have to mention a couple of great SIG single stack 9mm's: the 225 and the 239. The 239 has a stainless steel slide and is slightly heavier - this has the effect of dampening the recoil somewhat. Also, SIGArms can install a factory "short trigger" that moves the trigger backwards and decreases the trigger reach for a shooter with small hands. A 239 9mm with the short trigger could be a great option for a shooter with small hands and short fingers.

That said, she's still going to have to hold/try a bunch of different pistols to get an idea what she likes. You never know, sometimes a person may have small hands and you'd think such-and-such big gun wouldn't work for them, but somehow it just happens to fit them right and they love it.
 
Plan is to have her hold and shoot (as rental from our local gun club/range) the ones we narrow our list to.
Click to expand...

There are 2 questions here.

The first really is, "How do I help my wife to become comfortable shooting?". The answer often is let her shoot a mild caliber before getting into the "defensive" calibers. If that means 9mm, great, but it usually means a .22. Don't get hung up on the defensive handgun issue if you want a new shooter to enjoy and support shooting.

The second question is, "What's the best gun for someone?". It doesn't matter that it's your wife, son, daughter, or friend. The best gun is the gun that fits their hand and points naturally for them. Anything else is just throwing road blocks to progress in their way. If your wife points the 92 well then look for a smaller version. Also, let her pick up and point as many guns as possible. What you are looking for is the natural pointing of the weapon based on grip angle and reach. If it points naturally and she can reach the trigger comfortably then that's the gun for her.

A buddy of mine points a 1911 naturally. Her BJJ martial artist husband points a CZ-75 naturally. No point if both of them getting the same guns as beginners. Once each is comfortable shooting what they shoot naturally they can learn the different weapons.
 
I am VERY biased toward Sig Sauer pistols. I own several and carry my P245 daily.

That said, I would not initially recommend either the 226 or 229 for your wife if she has small hands and short fingers, as they're both full-size pistols. Find a place that rents 225's, 228's and the HK USP Compact, and see if any of them work for her.

Also, how much is she likely to practice in the future? If she doesn't get bitten by the shooting bug and will only practice once or twice a year a good .357 revolver may be a better overall choice. It has fewer controls than the semi-autos you listed, and she can practice with .38's to prevent her from starting to flinch. Sig's and HK's are nice, good-quality firearms, but you have to put a lot of rounds downrange to get the "muscle memory" required to handle them safely in a self-defense scenario.
 
A good friend of mine had a Beretta 9000, neither of us liked it at all. NOT the same trigger as a 92.

I always tell everyone, if they only have one gun, it should be a Glock. The full-size ones actually shoot at least as easily as the compact/subcompact ones.

Look at a j-frame, a lady smith revolver, etc. 1911s actually fit pretty universally.

If you want a .22, look into getting a coversion kit for your Beretta. I had one for my Glock, I have one for my 1911, and it makes practicing a lot less expensive. (Or intimidating, in her case.)
 
glock19 or 26- my wife is dead on at 10 yards. while it has no external safties niether do revolvers so it is point and shoot. if she ever has to retrieve it from the night stand it is one less step for her to try and remember.

kahr- makes a nice 9mm - cw9 much smaller grip than glock.

if you are not set on semi a 3-4" .357 or .38 would do good
 
Don't forget the CZ75!

As far as ergonomics go, the CZ75 and Browning Hi-Power are at the top. (I hear Sigs are nice too, but they just don't get along with me; dunno why.)

XDs are nice too, from what I hear.
 
Do stop by my site, and while you're there look at the article titled, "Trying on a gun" which discusses how to tell if a handgun really fits.

As far as specific firearms to check out, add the Kahr 9mm line to your list of possibilities. Kahr firearms are ideal for small-handed shooters.

My personal favorite firearm is a Glock 26. Works well for me, with medium-sized female hands. I learned to shoot on this gun and have never really regretted it.

Along those same lines, a subcompact XD9 may be suitable as well. It's got a different grip angle from the Glock (more 1911ish), and has a grip safety, but is otherwise very similar.

I'm going to get flamed for this, but although Sigs are great guns, even the ones advertised as being good for small hands aren't as good for small handed shooters as they should be. By all means, have her check some out, but don't put all your eggs in that basket. Additionally (and this is really a personal choice she will have to make), learning to shoot well across the DA-to-SA transition can be a pretty steep learning curve. It can be done, but I wouldn't personally choose a DA/SA for a first gun. If she chooses a DA/SA anyway, make sure she is aware that she has to learn how to fire that gun accurately in DA. She will not always have the luxury of enough time to cock the pistol by hand, and if you're a responsible citizen, you cannot just accept a wild shot which may kill someone you did not intend to shoot at all. So if she goes the DA/SA route, make sure she's aware that she'll have to master that DA pull as well as the easier SA one.

HTH~

pax
 
You could buy her two pistols. A Ruger 22/45 for practice, and a proper 1911 for SD. The 1911 is really rather mild shooting, especially if you shoot a fullsized one. She can deck it out to her heart's content too. The Ruger has the same basic set of controls and same grip angle so she can practice cheaply.

BTW, my husband & I both shoot & carry 1911's as our primary CHL pistols. My backup carry is a Taurus 605 wheelgun in .357.
 
-----quote--------
I'm going to get flamed for this, but although Sigs are great guns, even the ones advertised as being good for small hands aren't as good for small handed shooters as they should be. By all means, have her check some out, but don't put all your eggs in that basket. Additionally (and this is really a personal choice she will have to make), learning to shoot well across the DA-to-SA transition can be a pretty steep learning curve. It can be done, but I wouldn't personally choose a DA/SA for a first gun. If she chooses a DA/SA anyway, make sure she is aware that she has to learn how to fire that gun accurately in DA.
-------------------

No flame, but I disagree that SIGs present a uniquely difficult learning curve for new shooters. Nobody would say "don't get a revolver for your first gun, because you'll have to learn to shoot DA." All the firearm operating systems have their + and -, and they all have "issues" that you HAVE to learn to deal with.

I do agree that for SIG's, you have to drill decocking so it becomes an automatic gesture before you holster the gun, and you have to practice shooting DA first shots and the DA SA transition.

Really, though, any time a new shooter is going to buy a gun and get to a level of defense capable proficiency and gun handling safety, they're going to need a lot of practice and acquire correct habits. I'd say it's more about acquiring good habits and practicing the heck out of them, than it is about what kind of gun you get.

That's maybe one more tip for Dschwartz - consider getting professional instruction for both you and your wife. It would help you shake the rust off and help her get started with good habits. Also, sometimes learning something from one's spouse or boy/girl friend can put extra pressure on the situation. Getting an outside neutral third party to do the teaching can be very helpful.
 
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