I bought a gun I thought my wife would love, a Browning 1911 .22. She does love it and it fits her hand like I figured. But, she prefers shooting my bigger pistols, all .22s., because they have better sights. She recently had the opportunity to shoot a Kahr 9mm and a S&W M&P 9mm. She hated both. We are going to try a Glock 42 .380, which will fit her better. I'm getting a Glock 19 Gen 4 for myself...I'll see if she likes it. Finding the right gun will be a process of trial and error; there's no easy way to do it. But, you see, that's the good news; because as she experiments with assorted pistols, she will become more involved in shooting sports....win win!!
A good handgun for wife ?
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Ranger Roberts
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This is kind of a tough one. On one hand I would say stay with the Glock. It's a platform that she is now used to and in an emergency, if she grabbed your gun instead of hers, it wouldn't be foreign to her. On the other hand I usually recommend revolvers in this situation. If she pulls the trigger and nothing goes bang, she just pulls the trigger again. Unlike a semi-auto where you would have to practice the "tap and rack" drills.
coloradokevin
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As a few others have mentioned, let her handle a few guns and then pick her own.
There's no reason that virtually any woman couldn't handle a gun that virtually any man could handle. It's really an issue of personal preference. My 103 lb better half has shot some of the biggest production guns on the market without problem (including .50 BMG rifles). She had never fired a gun when I met her.
As such, get your wife behind as many pistols as you can, and listen to what SHE tells you about what she likes. My lady enjoyed my .45 GAP the most when she started shooting, and now carries a G17.
If your wife isn't looking to carry concealed, I'd recommend that you start her on a full-frame gun. She'll be more proficient sooner with such a gun, thanks to a longer sight radius, more mass to absorb recoil, and a generally better grip than most of the subcompacts (though that may not be a huge issue if she has small hands). Later, if she wants to CCW, you can consider a subcompact.
Simply put, the smaller handguns are harder to shoot well. I can go out and consistently hit my steel IPSC target at 50 yards with .3 second splits when shooting my full frame Glocks. My hit ratio goes way down when trying that same task with my subcompact.
There's no reason that virtually any woman couldn't handle a gun that virtually any man could handle. It's really an issue of personal preference. My 103 lb better half has shot some of the biggest production guns on the market without problem (including .50 BMG rifles). She had never fired a gun when I met her.
As such, get your wife behind as many pistols as you can, and listen to what SHE tells you about what she likes. My lady enjoyed my .45 GAP the most when she started shooting, and now carries a G17.
If your wife isn't looking to carry concealed, I'd recommend that you start her on a full-frame gun. She'll be more proficient sooner with such a gun, thanks to a longer sight radius, more mass to absorb recoil, and a generally better grip than most of the subcompacts (though that may not be a huge issue if she has small hands). Later, if she wants to CCW, you can consider a subcompact.
Simply put, the smaller handguns are harder to shoot well. I can go out and consistently hit my steel IPSC target at 50 yards with .3 second splits when shooting my full frame Glocks. My hit ratio goes way down when trying that same task with my subcompact.
oneounceload
member
I would put step 4 FIRST, then you both will have some knowledge about women and guns
CH47gunner
Member
My wife chose the small S&W J frame .38Spl. for her personal use.
No semi-auto slide, no magnum, no +P, just pull the trigger & it goes bang.
S&W Model 60nd
No semi-auto slide, no magnum, no +P, just pull the trigger & it goes bang.
S&W Model 60nd
just for fun
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Apples and oranges. What's your point?
Sauer Grapes
Member
This is what I bought for my wife. Small grip for her hand, weight for recoil. I opted for the 3'' barrel.
She does quite well with it.
Last time at the range she said she wanted to shoot my M&P9. Well guess what, she put her revolver in the safe and commandeered the M&P from me. She thought it was great it holds 17 rounds.
JeeperCreeper
Member
My 5'0" 105 pound girlfriend HATES little guns because they hurt her... which is 100% understandable. She LOVES all steel, fullsize pistols such as the Beretta 92FS, 1911, CZ 75, and Ruger P95 as they do not recoil heavily and are accurate enough for her to hit the target so she ACTUALLY enjoys shooting (no fun shooting a snubby especially when you always miss due to flinch). She also likes .22 pistols like the Colt Woodsman and SR 22, etc, etc.
Give her options and let her pick... ever go shopping with a woman? They need to try everything on thousands of times before te know.
Give her options and let her pick... ever go shopping with a woman? They need to try everything on thousands of times before te know.
Jim Watson
Member
A Lady here was furnished an Airweight .38 by her considerate husband.
After gaining some experience, she turned it in on a Ruger .380.
She took an interest in IDPA. I let her try some different guns and she picked a 9mm 1911oid. But she turned to the Dark Side and is now shooting a Glock.
Another Lady of my acquaintance had a Gold Cup as her first handgun. Loved it, but wanted something more compact for carry. So she got a Detective Special. She had trouble seeing why the DA revolver's trigger pull was heavier than the target auto, so she sent it in to Colt. I don't know what she said to them, but she got it back with a Custom Shop trigger job that is what people like about a V spring Colt.
After gaining some experience, she turned it in on a Ruger .380.
She took an interest in IDPA. I let her try some different guns and she picked a 9mm 1911oid. But she turned to the Dark Side and is now shooting a Glock.
Another Lady of my acquaintance had a Gold Cup as her first handgun. Loved it, but wanted something more compact for carry. So she got a Detective Special. She had trouble seeing why the DA revolver's trigger pull was heavier than the target auto, so she sent it in to Colt. I don't know what she said to them, but she got it back with a Custom Shop trigger job that is what people like about a V spring Colt.
JTQ
Member
The two posts from Jim Watson and ugaarguy pretty much covered it.
For a gun that isn't going to be concealed, there really isn't any advantage to the G19 or G26 over the G17. The grip circumference will be the same for all three. Typically, the G17 will be easier to shoot well than the smaller versions.
Vodoun da Vinci
Member
My opinion as well if she chooses Glocks - Range test the G19 and G17 and if that suits and she decides later she wants to carry same as a concealed weapon then check out the G26. I have a G26 and *love* it but am seriously considering trading up to a G19 as it's not that much harder to conceal and it's a lot more comfortable to shoot.
If she's not looking for concealment there is no sense to starting with subcompact guns IMO.
VooDoo
I, too, am wondering why you are making these decisions for your wife. You ruled out the shotgun??
The shotgun is my wife's favorite defense weapon. She can handle it better, more confidently, and shoot it more accurately than any of our handguns. It's the one weapon that makes her feel safe while I'm away on business trips. After watching her get into action and printing on target, I feel for anyone who challenges her choice.
I don't think your wife is getting a good deal here.
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oneounceload
member
If you don't pick out her shoes, then don't pick out her gun
ArchAngelCD
Member.
My wife is very small as in just over 5 foot and recoil hurts her. She does however like a shotgun albeit in 410. Nothing like a 410 shooting Buckshot to ruin someone's day if they come into our home without being invited.
In a 3" 410 shell there are 9 #4 Buckshot pellets, nothing to sneeze at IMO. There are 5X 000 Buckshot pellets in a 3" shell but for HD I prefer #4 Buckshot.
In a 3" 410 shell there are 9 #4 Buckshot pellets, nothing to sneeze at IMO. There are 5X 000 Buckshot pellets in a 3" shell but for HD I prefer #4 Buckshot.
MedWheeler
Member
Think I'm gonna change my sig line soon to:
If you don't pick out your wife's sewing machine, hair dryer, slow cooker, or shoes, why are you picking out her gun?
EDIT: Done.
If you don't pick out your wife's sewing machine, hair dryer, slow cooker, or shoes, why are you picking out her gun?
EDIT: Done.
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"Like!"
tactikel
Member
For a first handgun I bought my Wife a Beretta Neos .22. She LOVES it. She's a fine shot and with me loading like mad she burned thru a brick of .22lr in an hour 
. Unless she will conceal carry buy her a medium sized handgun that fits her hand in a medium caliber for her defensive gun. A single stack SA in .380/9mm, or a 4" .38spl. Once she masters these she will TELL you what her next gun will be .
. Unless she will conceal carry buy her a medium sized handgun that fits her hand in a medium caliber for her defensive gun. A single stack SA in .380/9mm, or a 4" .38spl. Once she masters these she will TELL you what her next gun will be .
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I hate social media! LOL
Baron_Null
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I'm going to parrot what most others have said, and suggest that you take your wife to look at handguns, and in the process try them out and find what she likes. If yous can rent/borrow some to try out, all the better.
First off, if you're looking for a gun that you can sometimes carry as an alternative to your current handgun, then get one for yourself. Your wife's gun needs to be suited to her first, and you second.
I can speak from experience when I say that it's not a matter that can be solved by asking a bunch of forum guys "what is best?" At the end of the day, it's about what your wife likes, not what you like, and definitely not what a bunch of random strangers on the internet like.
I have taught both my mother and girlfriend about guns over the past few years, and in the process taught them how to look for a gun that they like. Note that I didn't look for a gun for them, they tried things out and naturally gravitated to different options.
Now, it's important that you really let her look for what she likes. Of course there is major benefit to giving some advice along the way, such as letting her know that lighter guns have heavier felt recoil, or that perhaps neither .22lr nor .454 casull are particularly suited to self-defense, but in any case it's best to remain as free as bias as is possible. Just because I don't like slide-mounted safeties didn't mean I tried to turn my mom away from a Bersa Thunder .380, it just meant that it wasn't a gun that was suited for me.
On the topic of mechanical function, my belief is that the strong majority of Americans are more than intelligent enough to figure out how a semi-auto works. Most of us are trained to operate things that are orders of magnitude more complex than autoloaders, and can learn how a semi-auto works in a very short period of time. DA/SA is a complex action to try to describe, but everyone I explain it to gets it almost instantly once I demonstrate it using a visual aid (usually one of my handguns). The most important thing is that you aren't "dumbing down" the gun in order to fit a perceived deficiency in the ability to learn the action, and are instead making sure she gains an extreme amount of familiarity with the gun regardless of the action type (think of the phrase "like an extension of one's hand" when trying to figure out how well she should know the gun)
On the topic of physical factors, there are some physical considerations to be made, although they are almost always in a different place than people look. It is important to find a handgun that fits in terms of hand size/shape. Comfort while holding it is a large factor, as well as the way the handgun lines up with the rest of the arm. A good explanation of that can be found here. Just because I am able to shoot my 4506 comfortably doesn't mean that it's the ideal gun for my girlfriend (it's too long in the grip for her), and just because you can shoot your G17 comfortably doesn't mean it's the ideal gun for your wife. (as an aside, I feel that the siderlock safety is far more dangerous as a safety mechanism than not having it at all, considering it forces you to violate one of the four basic rules of gun safety just to turn the safety on, but that is neither here nor there)
If your wife has the average build, a shotgun or rifle will not be too bulky for her. In fact, there are a great deal of long guns out there that are perfectly suited to people of smaller statures, and plenty that fit people of average weight/build. I myself weigh a measly 100lbs, and I can tell you in all confidence that a shotgun or intermediate caliber rifle is nowhere near too much to handle. However, the same aspects apply to long guns as handguns- it's all about finding what fits her and what she likes.
TL;DR- Let your wife choose what she likes. You may have good intentions trying to find the best gun for her by asking us, but the best way to do this is to have her be an active participant in the process.
First off, if you're looking for a gun that you can sometimes carry as an alternative to your current handgun, then get one for yourself. Your wife's gun needs to be suited to her first, and you second.
I can speak from experience when I say that it's not a matter that can be solved by asking a bunch of forum guys "what is best?" At the end of the day, it's about what your wife likes, not what you like, and definitely not what a bunch of random strangers on the internet like.
I have taught both my mother and girlfriend about guns over the past few years, and in the process taught them how to look for a gun that they like. Note that I didn't look for a gun for them, they tried things out and naturally gravitated to different options.
Now, it's important that you really let her look for what she likes. Of course there is major benefit to giving some advice along the way, such as letting her know that lighter guns have heavier felt recoil, or that perhaps neither .22lr nor .454 casull are particularly suited to self-defense, but in any case it's best to remain as free as bias as is possible. Just because I don't like slide-mounted safeties didn't mean I tried to turn my mom away from a Bersa Thunder .380, it just meant that it wasn't a gun that was suited for me.
On the topic of mechanical function, my belief is that the strong majority of Americans are more than intelligent enough to figure out how a semi-auto works. Most of us are trained to operate things that are orders of magnitude more complex than autoloaders, and can learn how a semi-auto works in a very short period of time. DA/SA is a complex action to try to describe, but everyone I explain it to gets it almost instantly once I demonstrate it using a visual aid (usually one of my handguns). The most important thing is that you aren't "dumbing down" the gun in order to fit a perceived deficiency in the ability to learn the action, and are instead making sure she gains an extreme amount of familiarity with the gun regardless of the action type (think of the phrase "like an extension of one's hand" when trying to figure out how well she should know the gun)
On the topic of physical factors, there are some physical considerations to be made, although they are almost always in a different place than people look. It is important to find a handgun that fits in terms of hand size/shape. Comfort while holding it is a large factor, as well as the way the handgun lines up with the rest of the arm. A good explanation of that can be found here. Just because I am able to shoot my 4506 comfortably doesn't mean that it's the ideal gun for my girlfriend (it's too long in the grip for her), and just because you can shoot your G17 comfortably doesn't mean it's the ideal gun for your wife. (as an aside, I feel that the siderlock safety is far more dangerous as a safety mechanism than not having it at all, considering it forces you to violate one of the four basic rules of gun safety just to turn the safety on, but that is neither here nor there)
If your wife has the average build, a shotgun or rifle will not be too bulky for her. In fact, there are a great deal of long guns out there that are perfectly suited to people of smaller statures, and plenty that fit people of average weight/build. I myself weigh a measly 100lbs, and I can tell you in all confidence that a shotgun or intermediate caliber rifle is nowhere near too much to handle. However, the same aspects apply to long guns as handguns- it's all about finding what fits her and what she likes.
TL;DR- Let your wife choose what she likes. You may have good intentions trying to find the best gun for her by asking us, but the best way to do this is to have her be an active participant in the process.
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