Another "Looking for a handgun for my wife" posting.

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ddc

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I'm one of the lucky ones whose wife asks to go to the range on occasion.

In honor of the new elected President we are also looking for a CC handgun for her.

She has sampled a number of handguns at this point:
1. SW 60
2. SW 65LS
3. SW 686P
4. Kahr K9
5. Kahr MK9
6. Browning HiPower

The only one she likes is the BHP. Yeah, she's got good taste. But the BHP is a little large for everyday carry and she is struggling a little to keep the heavier guns on target after the first magazine or so.

She's about 5'4", 125lbs with smallish hands.

Her uniform complaint about the SW's and Kahr's is that the trigger pull is "too long".

I think a lot of her objection could be overcome with more training and exercise.
However if that isn't successful or she just doesn't like long DA type pulls at this point I'm thinking of an EMP or something similar in single action.

Any suggestions?
 
I suggest she get what she likes, not what you think is best or preferable, even if she has to leave you at home. She won't carry it if she doesn't like it. Take her to a range that rents handguns. She might like the Sig P239 or the Sig P232.

P239-SAS-detail-L.jpg

P232-detail-L.jpg
 
Remember that small light handguns have more felt recoil and sometimes more muzzle blast.

My wife originally wanted a S&W model 60. She thought it was cute or something. She came to realize that it was really hard to hit what she was shooting at. Now she has a Glock 22. She is much more comfortable and accurate with the larger package. Having 15 rounds rather than 5 is a comfort too.
 
If she likes the browning, why not give the Springfield EMP a try. It's a smaller lighter 9MM 1911 style.

Am I correct in saying that the BHP and the 1911 are basically the same design?
 
I carry a 5" 1911, 4" S&W M21, 4" S&W M22...
If you make the proper concessions and dress for it you can conceal a LOT of things you wouldnt think you could.
If she shoots the BHP well, and likes it... look into what needs to be done to conceal it.
I can think of a lot worse things than having a BHP with federal HSTs in it when trouble arises.
My wife carries a 1911 compact... High Standard Crusader.
7+1 rounds of .45 acp.
Have her practice with the pistol, if she is having issues holding it up for long times... she can work at home with light weights to build up the needed strength in exactly the right areas.
I had a right hand injury that made it difficult to shoot pistols well till I worked on my hand strength.
Personally, I would avoid the J frames for her. They are easy to shoot... but harder to shoot well. You pay the price for their size and weight with recoil.
The 65LS with grips that fit her well wouldnt be a bad choice.
Congrats on a wife who takes to firearms and considers her own safety.


Jim
 
I suggest she get what she likes, not what you think is best or preferable, even if she has to leave you at home.
Click to expand...

+1

If you think she might like the EMP then by all means have her try it out but let her make her own decision.
 
I suggest she get what she likes, not what you think is best or preferable, even if she has to leave you at home.
Click to expand...

Amen to that brother!

We are talking about a very spirited, somewhat headstrong, woman. She will not be paying any attention to guns that don't capture HER interest.
 
Hokay, my thoughts based on my experiences (and credit card debt) from my wife's choices for a carry piece.

It's expensive to "let her decide." She doesn't know what she wants so she is likely to buy something "tiny" because it's cute. Stop this before it starts. Tiny guns are hard to hold and impossible to be accurate with at anything further than 5 yds away.

Slim guns feel great. For awhile. Then they feel "too skinny" and the wife suddenly wants your double stack semi auto for herself. IF you tell her it makes her look fat she'll drop you in your tracks before you can blink so restrain yourself. Even if its true. She'll eventually give it back to you anyway but you can use the excuse to go buy something else.

REVOLVERS!!! There's a reason they're called "girl guns." Women who don't have a lot of experience with handguns like them. They fit their hands, go bang every time, and are simple to operate and maintain. Buy one with a fully shrouded hammer or (better yet) hammerless.

An added bonus is that when face to face (or body to body) with the BG, a revolver won't go out of battery so it WILL fire when the trigger is pulled. For those who say that revolvers don't hold enough rounds, a revolver holding 6 rounds is only 2 short of a compact semi-auto (7+1). In a typical self defense situation, you will likely only need 2 or 3 shots so the difference in capacity is minimal.

Final benefit, revolvers fit where you stuff them. In the purse, holster, waistband, etc. Wherever it goes, it fits.
 
I hear the "it wont go out of battery" line a lot.
What happens if the BG grabs the cyl and frame of the ladies revolver when she is trying to fire it DA? ;)
She gets a locked up gun too.
Get her something mid sized, revolver or auto... that fits her hands well and she can shoot well.


Jim
 
If she likes the Browning Hi-power I have heard of compact polymer models which could lighten it up for her and reduce it to a better carry size. Of course the increased recoil may change her mind on the Hi-power. I like a Glock 26 with an assortment of different mags to suite the situation. Keltec .380 for pocket carry as needed.
 
Revolvers are "girl" guns?

Have you ever actually shot a quality DA revolver?

You will find that a lot of men on this website actually prefer revolvers. I like autoloaders as much as the next guy, but in my book, nothing feels quite like a good revolver. I shoot best with my revolvers and don't feel like I would need more than six rounds to deal with most problems.
 
Revolvers are nice and simple. Girls like revolvers. But when it comes to carrying a hammerless DAO revolver, the trigger pull is pretty rough.

Most guys have extremely questionable accuracy firing a light revolver in double action. Do you guys really think that's a good choice for your wife?

I'm not being a smartass -- I'm seriously asking. Because girls I've shot with do seem much more comfortable with revolvers. The do very well shooting single action but often miss the paper completely shooting double action.
 
Like anything, practice with a DAO revolver will improve accuracy. My wife is a lousy shot with her 3913 in DA but outshoots me when only in SA mode. I do a fairly good job getting tight(ish) groups in DA mode with my 6906 but I practice mainly for self defense not target.

I suspect that if someone were to practice with a DAO revolver they'd get the better results over someone who doesn't practice. Just saying.

I do not own a DAO revolver (mine are all SA) so I do not know about the trigger pull except to say that it can't be worse than my 6906 (which is HORRIBLE). As for the "a lot of men shoot revolvers" thing; I shoot my SA revolvers very well. But then, I practice with them (didn't I just say something like that?) to be sure that I am proficient with them.

If someone were to think about what fits a woman's hands, mindset, and the most likely defensive situations they get into, a revolver is something that should be given more than equal consideration over an autoloader.

I did not come up with the "girl guns" moniker.
 
The best thing you can do for your wife is take her to the gun shop, point her to someone behind the counter, and then go to the other side of the store. Let her explain what she's looking for. I'm guessing that most on this forum looked, read, rented, and asked questions before they purchased and didn't let anyone else select their weapon.
 
Just my opinion...

I think going really light on any legitimate defense cartridge is a bad move for some might be recoil sensitive.

I would probably have her try out a couple of different compact handguns. I think subcompacts and the light weight revolvers might prove to be a little much. These guns can kick a lot more than you'd think and they can have pretty impressive muzzle flash.
 
My wife actually wanted the Bersa Thunder 380 after shooting a friend of hers. I researched the gun and found it to be an excellant weapon. I'm a Glock man myself but that little Bersa has turned out to be a fine gun. I can't reload for her fast enough. Not one single jam or problem with it, none nada zilch. I personally think it has way too many safeties including the magazine disconnect. But she loves it so check them out for her.
 
Slabhead, did the friend survive??:D My mother-in-law now has a Bersa in .380 and she does quite well with it. It's much better on her than the .45 Derringer she relied on for years.
 
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