Help me provide 1st gun options for wife? (long)

[dschwartz69]

Good point on the outside training and instruction - I've tried to be extremely careful not to teach her a habit or grip or method that I have, but rather to show her the proper options and find the one best suited for her grip, style, eyesight, etc.

David.

As far as my rust goes, I was very surprised to see my 2" groupings at 10-15 yards for 30 rounds...I guess what they say about muscle memory is true...

 

[pax]

No flame, but I disagree that SIGs present a uniquely difficult learning curve for new shooters. Nobody would say "don't get a revolver for your first gun, because you'll have to learn to shoot DA." All the firearm operating systems have their + and -, and they all have "issues" that you HAVE to learn to deal with.

Antsi ~

We're not too far apart on this. A new shooter does have a lot of things to learn, and often ends up trying to learn them all at once. Learning to shoot well with a DA/SA is kind of like learning to drive with a stickshift -- can it be done? Sure. Will it be more difficult? Probably. Is it unnecessarily difficult? Maybe. It's worthwhile to know, going in, what the issues will be, and to be prepared to deal with them.

Since the original poster wanted to know if there was anything to be said against any of the guns on his first list, I told him why I wouldn't personally select a DA/SA to learn on. That doesn't mean it won't suit his wife -- as I said, that's a personal choice for her to make -- but it helps to know how the choices differ before you commit to one.

pax

 

[hub]

dont forget the sig p232 and sig p239. my dad has both and they are great pistols. also if your concerned about da/sa sig makes a p220r sao. my girlfriend has also shot my 1911, glock 23,kel tec p11, and sig trailside. she likes the trailside .22 best, then the p232.

 

[timn]

Our solutoin... so far

I introduced my wife to shooting much the same as you. She had never fired a handgun.
My son had a Walther .22, a Kimber Classic and several several 9mm pistols. I had my old Colt 1911 and a Kimber Pro Carry when we got to the range. She started with the Walther and worked up to a Taurus 24/7 9mm. She shot everything we had including my son's .50 cal Desert Eagle.
The range will only let him shoot his DE on the rifle side and it always draws a few onlookers. I asked her if she wanted to try it and to my surprise she said ok. We ran the target out to about 10 yards and she stepped up. My lovely bride is all of 5' 2" and seeing her with that monster in her hand looked, ummm,, curious. The crowd gathered, she took aim, and fired. There was a nice .50 cal hole dead in the X. She put the pistol down, stepped back, and the crowd actually applauded. We went outside to grab a quick smoke and she told me that she was glad that she shot it so well because" I never want shhot that sumb!&%* again!"
She got hooked on shooting and we went looking for the right gun for her. I got her a Sig 229 in .357 sig and converted it to 9mm. I installed a short trigger (small hands) and thought that we were done.
She like the pistol but shot my Kimber and Colt a lot better and decided she wanted a .45. I tried to take her down the revolver road but she didn't like the double action pull. I gave her shooting lessons for her Bday and the instructor discovered that most of her problems were trigger related. The search is on again.
A gunsmith friend had an almost new Para CCO LDA .45 that he wanted to trade for a Commander sized 1911. I wound up trading my Kimber Pro Carry to my son for his Spinger Champion and traded with the GS for the Para.
My wife loves it and really likes the LDA action. Now she bugs me to reload some more and take her to the range.
Life is tuff sometimes.
Anyway, see if you can find a LDA Para for your wife to try. She might just like it

 

[Wiley]

re: small hands.

In general look to 'single stack' pistols or revolvers. 'Double stack' pistols tend to be thicker in the grip area making the reach from the grip to the trigger longer.

Try Kel-tec pistols. They have been designed as carry pistols and are about the smallest, lightest guns on the market. They have just announced a 9mm single stack pistol that might suit you wife. I have a first generation P-3AT that I have never had a mechanical problem with, but due to my long fingers is really too small.

 

[Thor67]

A friend of mine has smallish hands and loves the Glock 19. That would be my top pick for reliability with any ammo too.

Stay away from the Beretta 9000. I've read some sketchy things about it reliability wise, I thought it had kind of a fat grip (I have large hands and it fits me pretty well), and they've stopped making it.

Also, try one of the Springfield XD 9 models. All are supposed to be great weapons.

Spring for the night sights on any new gun.

 

[pax]

I'd vote against a Kel-Tec for this purpose. Those things are great carry pistols, but the same things that make them great carry pistols make them less than ideal for a beginner who is learning to shoot. Small & lightweight only goes so far before it becomes too small to shoot accurately and too lightweight to shoot comfortably -- both of which are discouraging for a newbie.

pax

 

[Will Fennell]

THis worked for my significant other....

My lady friend is a shooter....but a competitive sportingclay shooter. She is now interested in learning to shoot a handgun for fun, and SD. I assembled all of the "recommended " handguns for lady shooters.......and she was not impressed with any of them. She kept asking for laded mags for my 1911's . Shen said the the trigger was easier to manage and the grip felt better than the Glocks and Sigs and revolvers that I had laid on the table for her to try.

I got a .17 mach 2 conversion unit from KIMBER[ runs great, but one in .22 would be cheaper to feed] and she has been having a great time ever since. At first I handloaded light .45 acp loads for her....but recently I got a deal on a 9mm 1911, and she is very happy with it. WWB ball for serious practice[as opposed to shooting the .17] and the nastiest, hottest 9mm SD loads I can find to keep in it for defense. THe good news about the 1911 in 9mm, even the hottest Corbon or Doubletap loads are VERY mild in an all steel 1911.

I think either a 1911 in 9mm, or a BHP in 9mm.....along with a .22 conversion unit is a GREAT way to go. I think that this combo is better than a 9mm and a second .22 pistol, because with the conversion unit, the new shooter learns the exact same manual of arms......my GF has commented over and over that this has help make her more comfortable, faster, bcause she gets so much repetition with handling the same gun, safety, trigger, mag release, ect.