handgun for wife to use

[chuwee81]

hello THR !

Anyway took wife shooting yesterday for her first ever handgun shoot. I started by telling her to hold my hand to feel the recoil (i got a sigma 9mm). She did so with her right hand, Bang !. I said good, now let's try it with both hands. BANG ! I don't know how, but she got a MAJOR slide bite on her left thumb :banghead: (i knew it then it'd be a short trip). I think it hit her knuckle at a 90* angle and she said her whole thumb was numb. She man it up and fired a couple of mags though. Most of the shots are on paper, 75% was on the 10" circle of the target at 7 yds.

Anyway I asked her how it was besides the pain. She said the recoil was too much and she was not used to it at all (don't have a smaller pistol/ caliber and the range have no rentals). I noticed she pushed down the muzzle when the shot was about to break indicating too much anticipation. She also said half the time she's scared that the gun would jump out of her hands.

BUUUTTTT, here's the catch - she then asked if "they" made a smaller size/ lower recoil handgun (and the fish bit the hook ). I said "why yes,...." and started rambling on different calibers and such. She had shot my 10/22 and i told her they made handguns in that caliber also. I told her after our tax money comes in, we'll do gun shopping - seems like when you put the word "shopping", girls will fall for it everytime. She said yes enthusiastically.

SOOO, here's the question. I don't wanna buy her a .22 lr handgun (shot placement is key but not so much stopping power). So what would you guys suggest? i want to start her off with a good .380 or anything smaller than a 9mm luger. It could be a revolver too. Anything that's foolproof, practical (size), has enough oomph for SHTF case.

Sorry if this issue has been debated to death. If you can provide links, that'd be great too.

 

[Brian Williams]

Any S&W 3" J frame, a 36 or 60 come to mind.
Ruger Mark 1, II or III

 

[Wolfeye]

As a revolver guy, I'd have to recommend something in .327 federal; it's almost as poweful as .357, and can also shoot .32 h&r mag and .32 s&w long, both of which are pretty timid. Ruger, Smith, and I think Charter Arms & Taurus all support .327 now.

You can also go with a larger caliber, say .38 spl, if she's willing to try a medium-sized gun rather than a small one. While small guns look less intimidating, larger ones will recoil less when using the same ammo. Good choices might be a 3 or 4" Ruger GP100, or one of the plethora of Smith's model 686's.

It might help your wife to spend time dryfiring with snap caps. This will help her see that a handgun isn't inherently hard to shoot.

You can repeat the gun shopping experience by taking her grip shopping. With a revolver she could choose a grip that fits her hand like a glove.

 

[KINGMAX]

My wife made her own purchase

Of all the guns that I have, my wife went and chose her own carry pistol. It turned out to be a Charter Arms Undercover .38 spl w/ a real short barrel and small grips. Turn her loose with her budget money, let her make her own choice, 100 percent hers. She might surprise you, or maybe not. Regardless, don't blame me, and she can't blame you.

 

[twoclones]

If she wants something with less recoil than 9mm, I doubt she'd like a .38 special unless it was in a .357. Otherwise, I'd rent a .380 and let her try that.

 

[chuwee81]

yeah i guess i'll have to take her to a rental range and at least to try a .22 pistol and a .38 revolver to see what she likes.
At least she won't complain about future gun buys

Hmm, i'll look into that .327.

 

[Furncliff]

Smith and Wesson 10. Cheap, durable, every one should own one, the .38 is a pretty accurate round. Lots of after market grips and stuff to customize the fit. If you're feeling flush the model 15 is a great upgrade.

 

[Shytheed Dumas]

If you're going to let her try a .38 special, I'd like to recommend picking up a box of wadcutters for her. My wife shoots them great in her ultralight 642, but hates the recoil of standard loads. The good news is that she loves the 110 Hornady personal defense loads, too, so there's something she can carry and something she can use at the range. Of course there might be no recoil issue at all in a heavier revolver.

 

[feudalson]

i know you said smaller than 9mm but you should try and rent a springfield xd9sub compact... the frame of the springfield really seems to keep recoil down ... my wife shoots one all the time and loves it..

 

[PT1911]

taurus millenium pro ..available in 9, 40, and 45

 

[chris in va]

Might want to find something in all steel instead of polymer. The weight will really absorb the push.

And what's wrong with a 22 if she wants one?

Let her try a few and decide. You have no business choosing the gun for her.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

That is just a wee horsebite from the gun telling you to stay out of the way of that slide IMHO.

I second the other posters saying let the wife decide which is good for her. You will see a bright smile with radiance when she fires it on target somewhere from that pile of handguns next to her.

 

[mljdeckard]

SMALLER SIZE DOES NOT MEAN LESS RECOIL. Smaller guns have less weight to soak up the recoil. Smaller guns have a shorter sight radius, making them more difficult to aim.

I hate the Sigma, but honestly the recoil isn't bad on them at all. I'd have her try an all-steel .38. Or better yet, a .357 loaded with .38s.

 

[searcher451]

The topic has been covered many many times. You might want to run a search and sort through the hundreds of suggestions that have been made on this topic in the past month alone.

That having been said, let the wife pick out the gun that feels right to her. Any advice you provide will be the wrong advice, despite your best intentions. And any advice you get here, regardless of how well-intentioned, will turn out to be equally wrong ... unless, of course, a suggestion matches her eventual choice.

 

[Pulse]

how about a 9mm with more weight to it?

your sigma 9mm has about ~9.5J of free recoil energie at ~5.65meters per second.
for example a SIG P228 only has ~6.5J of free recoil energie at ~3.9 meters per second.

as mljdeckard said, smaller caliber does not equal less recoil by definition, the weight of the firearm has mutch to do with it.

honestly, spend a afternoon with the miss on a rental range and let her try diffrent guns, also some 'heavy' 9mm.

 

[farmrboy]

Pulse +1

I might add though, start her out w/ a 22pistol, revolver or auto doesn't matter. Let her get used to handling a gun, It sounds like she's interested, but got a little spooked after getting hurt. But get the .22 in the same action that she wants when she gets something bigger.

With a .22, she can focus on learning the proper grip and sight picture and controlling what little bit of recoil there is. When she's comortable with that, then move her to something bigger...like a heavy 9mm or 38. But give her some choices and let her make the final decision on what to buy.

I did that with my wife, picked out several for her to try out and then let her make the purchase. We are both very happy with the result because she's asking me to take her out to practice.

 

[jester_s1]

If money is tight, an airsoft or BB gun is fine for learning sight alignment and trigger control.

You might reconsider the 9mm. A better built and bigger 9mm will feel like less recoil. Glocks and XD's come to mind as possible candidates.

 

[Great Scot]

Couple suggestions...

..but first I agree to let her decide. That said, you can always present options. A Ruger SP-101 with a three inch barrel is a really nice gun for a novice shooter. The grips are great for recoil control and the weight keeps the gun from popping to much.

As far as .22s go, you might want to see if you can find a Beretta 70s or Beretta 87. .22s are not great for defense, but the Berettas are reliable and dumping 8 or 9 .22s in a small spot would probably get someone's attention. The Berettas are also natural pointers and ridiculously easy to shoot. Hope this helps.

 

[357sigRog]

My wife loves to shoot my Bersa Thunder .380. She loves the semi-auto action, but her favorite is her .38 Special.

 

[Brian Dale]

You've got it, chuwee81: let her choose her guns. Helping to choose a handgun for someone else is a little like helping them to pick out a comfortable pair of shoes. You can discuss the characteristics of different types, but then they need to get what feels right to them.

Also, searching THR for previous threads on the topic will expose you to a gold mine.

I don't wanna buy her a .22 lr handgun...

It's always worth getting a good .22 in addition to your defensive handgun, as soon as the budget permits it.

 

[hso]

There is no one gun to recommend for your wife because she's the only one that can pick. Recoil is less of an issue when the gun fits the individual because not only does accuracy improve, but the absorption of recoil is more easily managed. I've had more than one woman turn down several different 9mms and pick a 1911 in .45 because the grip angle, width and trigger reach fit them. I've also had big strapping men pick a 9mm in a different fit. If it fits it makes hits.

The folks that have told you to let her pick her own gun are right on target. Make sure that she handles a lot of handguns after reading here and here for guidance on how to make sure the gun fits you instead of trying to fit you to the gun.