auto for my wife

[xd40lvr]

Hey, this is my first time here. Wow there is a lot of info out there.
I need some help finding the right pistol for my wife. She has shot both revolvers and autos and really likes the autos. The problem we're having is finding something in a sub-compact or a small frame that she is comfortable with. She shot my .40 xd and didn't like the recoil so she wanted to go smaller. She shot the Walther p22 and loved it but was concerned with stopping power. She wanted to go with a 9mm a actully bought a taurus pt111 with high recomendations but sold it quickly after firing it and finding that it had nearly as much recoil as my .40.
She really enjoys shooting and wants something she is comfortable with shooting for recreation but wants somthing she can relay on for protection. What about a .380? Is the rrecoil on those any less that on the 9mm? Should she stay w/ the p22 get realy good with it and go from there?

 

[Pilot]

If she is really sold on the autos, somehting like a CZ-75D PCR, Glock 19, Sig P228, HK USPc or P2000 would be some for her to look at. 9MM is a good all around caliber for training and self defense. My wife looked at all of these and found she limp wrists most autos except for the CZ. She ended up with a S&W revolver in .38 Spl. .380's are OK, but some have snappy recoil due to their blowback design. The 9MM is a much better choice for SD than .380, although I do carry a .380 Beretta and Makarov sometimes.

Let her shoot some 9MM's and .380's and see what she likes.

 

[Rockstar]

Try the G26. I can't imagine that the recoil would be too much for your wife. The dual recoil spring system, low bore axis, and polymer frame mitigate the recoil nicely.

Make sure that your wife's wearing double ear protection...foam plugs plus muffs. For newbies, the blast is "confused" with recoil, in many cases.

 

[usp9]

easy recoil for wife...

The easiest guns to shoot in my experience have been the CZ83, the Beretta 84/85, and the Sig 230/232. All .380 autos. Of those the easiest my be the CZ, but only because it has a sweet trigger. The CZ also has a very comfortable grip.

The Beretta 84 may be the best made, fine finish, built like a tank, a military spec gun. They are a bit expensive. The 84 grip is a bit large and the 85 grip may be better for a woman, but of course that is something only she could answer.

The Sig is another quality piece. Great ergonomics, reliability, and accuracy. It is the lightest of the buch I mentioned, so it has more felt recoil.

 

[tlish]

a woman's opinion

i think that the .380's have more felt recoil than the 9mm's due to the blowback design of .380's.

the mil pro pt111 has a double-recoil spring, and i feel that it has less felt recoil than the bersa .380. if the pt111 was too much recoil, she could try a heavier 9mm - all steel or even an alloy that's a little heavier (springfield ultra compact 9mm). another choice would be a makarov .380, but again - heavy. the problem is, if the gun is heavy, she probably won't want to carry it.

i would say, stick with the p22. load it with aguila hyper-velocity ammo. this has more than double the muzzle energy of the .32, your next smallest choice if the .380 is too much recoil. plus, it's easy to get really good with the .22, so she could pull off 10 very well-placed (head) shots in a short amount of time.

those are my thoughts.
good luck!

 

[Jammer Six]

Here we go again...

What is it about shooters that attracts women who can't think for themselves?

 

[Navy87Guy]

I guess I'm confused...she thought the recoil of the XD was too much so she wants something smaller? In my experience, that's just going to increase the perceived recoil.

That said, have you considered a Walther P99 Compact? It has the same ergonomics as the P22, but in 9mm. It does have more kick than my full-size P99, though.

Of all my guns, my wife prefers the Ruger KP93. Perceived recoil is pretty light and it fits her hands well (she's 5'2" with small hands and short fingers). She shoots it much better than any of my other guns.

CDNN carries both of them....for $300 the KP93 is a bargain!

Jim

 

[nero45acp]

The weight of a all steel pistol will help reduce the felt recoil that you wife is sensitive to. Consider S&W's 539, 639, or 3906. They are all medium-sized, DA/SA with a slide mounted safety, have steel frames and slides (weigh 36oz), are single-stack 9mm (will fit small hands well), are accurate and reliable. Unfortunately, none of them are still being made. However, it isn't too hard to find one in very good to excellent condition for a decent price, and mags/parts/springs for them are easy to find.

Here is a 639 on GunBroker: (I'm not affiliated with this auction)

http:www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=44747851

nero

 

[xd40lvr]

Hey thanks for all of the good info. I called one of my buddies that has a Makarov .380 and he is going to let her shoot that to see what she thinks.

Does any body have any input on the Bersa .380 thunder? I 've heard mixed reviews. Is this something we should consider?

 

[Mizzle187]

I can speak from experience on the P99 compact. My fiancee has tried to shoot mine and it didnt work out. She couldnt get a good two hand grip on it so the recoil was mroe than it should have been. This was with the finger rest mag. Also she absolutely loves my P22. So mcuh im buying her one to play around with. What I bought her though for nightstand truck carry and one day ccw is a S&W Ladysmith 60 .357. She keeps .38s in it though. It felt great to her! I still plan on buying here a autoloader though. If I can have numerous guns so can she right?

 

[politicalpolls.us]

My wife prefers our G26

My wife has access to all of my guns, but prefers the G26 over the Kahr and Sig I have. We also rented a CZ RAMI 2075 9mm and a Ruger prior to buying some of our guns.

My wife likes the simplicity of the G26 and it's like carrying a revolver or having one in the house. She likes the Kahr too but it has a snap to it and our Sig P239 has too many levers for her. She doesn't even like to touch it.

 

[tlish]

"Does any body have any input on the Bersa .380 thunder?"



the bersa .380 will shoot any ammo you feed it, and is a very reliable gun. the main problem, though, is that your wife does not like felt recoil. the .380, with the blowback design, combined with the fact that the bersa is so lightweight, will likely cause your wife problems. i feel that the bersa has more felt recoil than the pt111. if she wants less recoil, she needs a heavier gun or a really small caliber. those are the only options.

before you spend any money on a gun that she's not going to like, you should see if she can shoot a variety of guns first. it would also be helpful if you let her pick out what she wants so that she's happy with it.

don't hesitate on the bersa if she shoots it and likes it. it's a good quality gun. but it would be a bad move for someone particularly recoil sensitive if they haven't tried it first. the makarov will have a lot less recoil since it's steel. it's a little more powerful than the .380 auto as well.

 

[edwardyoung]

I'd spend $200 and get her a Star BM 9mm. They're all steel, compact, reliable, and accurate. People always caution that replacement parts are hard to find, which may be true; but I've had a half-dozen of them and none have ever broken-or even malfunctioned.

 

[Joe D]

IMO either the Glock 26 or 19 is the perfect "Girl Gun". The 9mm does not have much recoil. The easiest way to make a 9mm a much softer shooting gun is to use 147 gr bullets. There is an huge difference in recoil between a 115 gr bullet and a 147. If all I could carry was a 9mm I would have it loaded with 147 Ranger Talons.

 

[afsnco]

My wife tried my 6906 & my PT111 Pro over the weekend, and she liked the 6906 best. But there's really no way of knowing what yours likes until she tries them.

 

[chopinbloc]

+1 to the above. 9mm is the lowest recoiling cartridge that i'd recommend for defense. many fights have been stopped by lesser calibers but one should ehaust one's options in 9mm or above first before resorting to more anemic rounds. therefore, i recommend a pistol with more weight and/or more surface area to the backstrap. a low bore axis will help reduce perceived recoil as well. if there is a range nearby where you can rent guns, she should try as many as she can. don't try to "guide" her into something that she doesn't want. let her choose what SHE likes; she might just surprise you. anyway, i think the eaa witness, cz-75 or tanfoglio (they're all basically the same) is/are probably the most recoil friendly fighting pistols ever made. they utilize a full size, all steel frame, very low bore axis and while the grip is wide to accomodate a double stack mag, the trigger reach is remarkably short. the suggestion about using both foam plugs and muffs is very good. you'd be surprised what a difference this will make in perceived "recoil" with the uninitiated. keep in mind also that this is not the last pistol she can ever get. if the nines all turn out to be too much for her, there's no reason she can't just shoot a .22 until she gets more accustomed to the shooting sports.