Good pistol for my wife to use

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Hunter125

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My wife has a Model 60 .22 that she bought herself before I met her. That's part of the reason I knew I would marry her one day. She has shot my XDm .40 a couple of times and really liked it. She also shot my dad's G17 and said it was okay.
Once when we were at a bookstore I picked up several gun magazines and as I was leafing through them she began telling me which ones she liked and disliked. She tends to gravitate toward large caliber revolvers and some large semi-autos. She still has yet to shoot a .38 special or .357 Magnum, but seems to like the look of snub nose revolvers a lot. Whenever I point out a gun to her, her first question to me is 'Is it a girl gun? I don't want a girl gun.'
The problem is that she has very small hands and the medium backstrap on my XDm is too big for her. I have yet to try the smallest and see if that fits her hand, but I'm thinking it's too big of a gun for her in general, but not in caliber.
I am looking for a decent gun that she can practice with and feel comfortable with to keep at home when she is staying with the kids. I recently saw an advertisement for the new Ruger SR40 that said it has a shorter length of pull. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Rugers or could suggest a good gun for a woman with small hands. I don't really think that caliber is a huge concern because she handles my .40 just fine. Anybody have any suggestions?
 
I was checking out some of the new Sig E2 models at the local shop the other day and boy do they feel nice. The 229 has a much reduced grip to it perfect for small hands. The extra weight of a metal frame may help soak up some of the recoil. Even the
 
If you wife already likes short revolvers and shoots a .22 why doesn't she try out a J frame revolver in .38 Special or even .327 Federal Magnum? There are quite a few .327 Magnums around now and they are powerful with less recoil than a .357 Magnum.

If the price tag on that S&W is a little too high Charter Arms makes great revolvers in a lot of calibers including .38 Spl, .357 Magnum and .327 Fed. Magnum
 
It sounds to me like she wants a revolver. I'd look at a 3" Ruger SP101. Or, any of the S&W J or K frames like a model 642 or M66.
 
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Is that Model 60 a Marlin .22 rifle ? Or did you mean Model 63, as in S&W J-frame in .22 rimfire?

The snub nose guns are cool, but they kick. Rent some and shoot them with real ammo before buying one. Of course, you could always load up a .38 with wadcutters and call it good, as long as the reach is ok and she can manage the trigger pull. Grips makes a big difference. You can get them that cover or expose the backstrap, affecting trigger reach and recoil control.

The "small" insert for the XDm is significantly smaller. Try that first, since she liked the gun in general.

Also, the S&W M&P with the small insert. If that's too big, then there is at least one gunsmith that sets it up to run with NO insert. If THAT'S too big, then you're looking at the NAA mini-revolvers.
 
Take her shooting
Take her to a place that rents

Remember, lighter load, lighter bullet, HEAVIER gun is less recoil.

So, you save the pennies, and take her to the range, let her fondle the goods, and see what follows you all home.
 
Take her to a well stocked gun store and have her pick up and point a variety of firearms. A couple will work better than all the rest. I personally think a revolver is a good choice for new shooters because of its simplicity in design. My wife has a Mod 60 S&W 3" in .38 special with laser grips. It is a really simple gun to load and shoot. The laser grips take out much of the sight work out of the equation. "Where the dot goes the bullet goes" She can dry fire with the laser untill she gets proficient.
To others a semi auto will be a better choice. God bless all the options we have.
 
I can only give semi-auto suggestions as ive never even fired a revolver in all 40 years of my life. Sad huh? lol
Ruger has the SR9C in 9mm but ive read the SR40C is not far behind and should fit smaller hands fine.
Sig is coming out with a great pocket blaster thats the size of a .380 but shoots 9mm, Its the Sig P290
http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=70&productid=307
I cant imagine that gun not fitting the smallest of hands, And even large ones as i plan on getting also.
You have the whole Kahr line especially the CW and PM series in 9mm/.40/.45 and all have smallish grips.
The PM45 is a real wonder to hold to see a gun the size of most .380 auto's that shoots .45acp. Id imagine the recoil would take some practice but would be manageable.
Racking slides on small framed large caliber guns can be hard so she would need to try everything out in person.
Ive never had that issue, But my 65 year old mom likes to shoot and she has trouble with anything that isnt full sized when it comes to racking the slide. But ill admit shes rather weak handed and has issues opening 16oz plastic soda bottles.
 
Check out the Walther P99... it comes with different backstraps, you plug and play till you get one that is comfortable. S&W .40 is no slouch, but it isn't the recoil of a .45ACP either. I really like mine.
MyP99.jpg

Very comfortable to shoot, 10 rounds and mags pop out easily with the release across the bottom of the trigger guard.

KKKKFL
 
First post here, but been on other forums a long time.

Make sure she tries a Ruger SP101 .357 before she buys. My wife bought one for herself this spring and loves it. The good thing bout it is she can also shoot .38 special or +P in it, making it a versatile weapon. It's a little heavier than some at 25 ounces but the extra weight helps tame recoil a lot.

Also some women have trouble pulling back the slide on autos (my wife), and gravitate toward wheelguns for that reason.

Just my opinion.
 
The Ruger SP101 would be good I got my wife a Taurus 605 in .357 then I put some pink grips on it she loves it

But I picked up a Charter Arms .44spl Bull dog for myself and my wife stole it from me can you belive that crap, oh well I'll have to look for a 2nd I guess

Look into the Charter arms Bulldog in .44spl
1. It's a big bore packs a big punch
2. recoil is very manageable
3. My wife has trouble with most of my semi-auto slides (she gotting a whole lot better but still has a tough time, not the thing to worry about in high stress)
4. they come in pink so I might get my blued one back one day
 
As has already been suggested, be sure to let her pick the gun, but giving her suggestions to look into is good.

If she likes snub wheel guns and large calibers, keep your eyes open for something like a used Taurus Model 431 3" .44 Special. I picked one up recently (blue, fixed sights) for $268. Granted, 3" isn't really a snub IMO, but it would make a great drawer / house gun and has enough weight (about like a 3" S&W K Frame) to absorb recoil. With smaller grips, it might work for her small hands too.

Only real drawback is the fairly pricey, kinda hard to find ammo. If you reload, this isn't so much of an issue.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
If you wife already likes short revolvers and shoots a .22 why doesn't she try out a J frame revolver in .38 Special or even .327 Federal Magnum? There are quite a few .327 Magnums around now and they are powerful with less recoil than a .357 Magnum.

If the price tag on that S&W is a little too high Charter Arms makes great revolvers in a lot of calibers including .38 Spl, .357 Magnum and .327 Fed. Magnum
Click to expand...
I'll second the .327 Magnum. My wife's favorite handgun is her 4 inch barrel Ruger GP-100 in .327 Magnum. Pluses:

1. It holds seven rounds.

2. As a revolver, it NEVER jams.

3. Very little recoil -- not much more than a .22.

4. The .327 Magnum with a hollowpoint bullet is a dandy self-defense round.

5. It will fire .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long (both relatively cheap) for practice, .32 H&R Magnum, in addition to .327 Magnum.

6. From my wife's perpsective, no ejection of hot cases. For whatever reason, the last few times my wife has spent time at the range with semi-auto pistols, she's been burned by ejected cases going down her shirt. (No kidding.)
 
For the wife I'd go with a 38 special in a revolver. No sense beating up her hands and giving her "man hands":eek: If she wants a semi for carry then I'd think about a 9mm. A 40s&w might be a bit much when shooting hundreds of rounds at the range for practice. It's the hand thing again.
 
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=467523
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=483539
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=489617
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=506093
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=509500
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=516355
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=517549
and
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=518340
Click to expand...

I don't want to sound like a big jerk, But you should at least add some personal input from your own experiences to help the OP.
Don't take it for granted that he didn't use the search already.

I know for me id much rather tell him my suggestion than do a search for him and copy/paste some links.
 
My wife's gun is a Beretta Cheetah 85FS .380. Its a single stack, holds 8 rounds and has a slim grip that fits her hand perfectly. Have the wife try in on for size.
 
My wife is petite, and doesn't have a strong trigger finger. Her home defense gun is a stainless .357 magnum Ruger Speed Six with 2 3/4" barrel. A gunsmith worked on the trigger, so double action trigger pull is now about 8 lbs. Cartridge ignition is reliable. My wife has small hands, so I had to buy stock (service) grips to replace the custom grips that came with gun. Now the trigger reach is a little shorter than a Smith & Wesson model 10 with stock grips. Ammo is .38 special +P Speer Gold Dot 135gr. JHP.

(We tried a 9mm Ruger P-95 but she didn't handle that very well.)
 
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My wife just turned 50 and is getting a touch of arthritis already so she can no longer rack the slide of a semi-auto. That may be something to think about as your wife gets older. She now likes to shoot wadcutters or 38 SPL+P in a .357 SP-101 with the 3" barrell. She hasn't asked to shoot magnum rounds yet. Adding the laser grip would be a great idea and I plan on doing that to ours soon. Her favorite for plinking is a .32 H&R Magnum single six and she shoots it very well. I have to handload these as they are difficult to find. The SP would be better for self defense IMHO.

kj
 
Das, you do sound like a jerk

WEG was simply pointing out without making a big deal that this is a question that comes up weekly
"which gun for the wife/GF/Daughter away in school" etc.

Not much to add past the first 10 returns on the search, would you have preferred he said
"search function works fine" then posted them?

Listen the answers for this type of question comes in two varieties

'This type of gun works for me/my wife/daughter etc.'

'Ask your wife and LET HER CHOOSE'

So, I'm going with number 2, sorry dude don't know your wife or what she likes, let her pick it out. Maybe she will even let you shoot it.
 
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On these kinda threads the genral good advice is let the woman decide - you might council her on the quality/'reputation of possible choices.

Second - The S&W Model 60 aka Chiefs Special was the first all
stainless steel centerfire revolver introduced in early '60s. The blued
carbon steel version is the Model 36. both in .38 SPecial

The next Stainless Steel revolver
S&W introduced late '60s/early 70s was the
MOdel 63 a 6 shot .22 LR.

Or is the MOdel 60 your wife has something other than a S&W?

FYI - in the late 90s S&W beefed up the J-frame and chambered the
MOdel 60 and some other models in .357 Magnum.

I have a model 60 3" Bbl. .357 Mag. it has a ramp front sight, and
it's the only model 60 with an adjestable for W&E rear sight. The carry load
I have settled on is .38 SPecial +P 125 gr. SPeer Gold Dot @ approx. 1,070 FPS - it's much less in recoil than a .357 Mag, and less muzzle flash as well as being sub sonic. I like it and with the J-frame revolver she
could try the Lady Smith grips - they're made by S&W in wood and shaped for women's smaller width palms Another custom grip would be to contact Herretts - Twin Falls ID - I know a woman who likes the Jordan Troopers
from Herretts - Herretts requires a tracing of the heand so they make em
to your sizeing. I like the model 60, I find myself shooting it slow fire Double action a lot more than slow single action, and the 3" Bbl. makes for
better ballistics and accuracy.

As far as small hands go - I have a friend with small hands and he likes his XD .40 Compact I have long hands so I'll leave it to others with
small hands to pipe in.

oh, btw Milt Sparks holsters. Milt RIP but hjis son-inlaw Tony runs the
business now. He designed the #PMK for revolvers up to 4" Bbl. Len. and it's
designed it to ride high on the belt for the shape of a lady. PMK = his wife's initials.

You might also - if it is possible in your state - to see about a defensive handgun class and getting her a CCW permit.

Randall
 
I didn't do more than just sketch through about half the posts so my apoligies if I'm repeating someone's suggestions.

A hearty DITTO on allowing her to pick her gun. You married her because she's a shooter so the least you can do is respect that and go with her choices.

If she likes revolver she's in luck. Most of us with big hands that enjoy the old blued 10's 19's and other K frame guns fill 'em out with bigger grips. The small factory grips are FAR too small for most of us but for those with more "delicate" hands there's grip options galore given the size of the actual steel grip frame inside the gun. So there's no real need to go with a "girlie" J frame unless she wants something small to hide somewhere. In fact I even had to clad the grip frame of my N size Highway Patrolman with bigger wood to fill it out to my needs. So if she can hold it at arm's length she could shoot Harry Calahan's .44Magnum and it would fit her hands.

For semi auto the M&P comes with the various grip fillers and is a lighter polymer carry gun. For range only fun I've seen folks with more compact hands gravitate to the CZ line of full size pistols. And I only say "range only" because being an all steel gun they are up around 2.25 lbs for most models. The other gun that is excellent for smaller fingers is the venerable single stack 1911. And no one alive has ever called THAT a girlie gun.... :D If there is a reach issue on a 1911 then it's easily fixed by one of the shorter length aftermarket triggers. And the 1911 platform comes in just about any significant rimless cartridge you care to mention from .22 to .45 with a brief side track to 10mm in case she feels the need to rattle her fillings loose....:D
 
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