Input on CCW pistol

[Black Adder LXX]

Hello to all,

I want to start by saying that this is not another of those what pistol for my wife threads. My wife has gone from vehemtly anti-gun to willing to get her CCW permit in the last year and a half. Between the deputy shootings and the break ins in our area lately, I guess she's changed her opinion. This is also in large part due to conversations we've had based on things I've learned here... thanks...

Now the question: My wife is finally willing to consider carrying concealed, but she's still a little scared and wants a safety on her first carry pistol. I have already explained to her about how the safety is between her ears, etc. Also, as she has gone out to the range with me, she did very well with revolvers, and likes our GP100 we use for HD. I have tried to talk her into an sp101 as I like the power to size ratio... She would still feel more comfortable with a manual safety, and I figure what's the harm as long as she practices her draw. She's already come so far, I'm not going to argue about preferences. I personally don't use safeties, but I know experienced shooters who do, so whatever...

So I'm looking for input on a CCW pistol with a safety. My wife is very small; 5feet tall and about 95 pounds with small hands. I'm looking somewhere around $500 if possible. Of course I would look to rent the said gun first so she could see if she likes it, etc, and all the usual "it's her gun have her check it out" conversations should be presupposed as both wise and already on the agenda.

So far pistols I am considering are:
Walther ppk
Makarov
If that stinking Beretta storm compact would *ever* come out

Thanks to all...

 

[NoScreenName]

IMO a blowback might not be the best choice. They seem to have more felt recoil than locked breech pistols and some women have a harder time racking the slide.

As is said in all these types of threads... take her to the gunshop and let her hold a few to see what she's comfy with. My GF never likes the pistols I think she will or the ones I reccommend. She always finds one that feels good to her and I am always surprised at her decisions. Her last pick was a BHP that was a tad higher than the budget for that purchase. She hates my Mak because of the recoil and with the 19# spring it's almost impossible for her to quickly and easily rack the slide.


some quick off the top of head suggestions:
S&W 3913
Beretta 84/85

 

[Autolycus]

I am not sure of pricing but perhaps an EMP.

 

[moph759fl]

I always look to the 3 C's; Cost, Concealment, Caliber when looking at a conceal firearm and with that said most of mine listed here do well as far as the 3 C's here in SW Florida, but in the very end it is what ever works for you.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

Noscreenname I hear you on the blowback pistols. I was actually just looking at the CZRami compact as well, it looks pretty good (any feedback anyone). I need to find one to rent so she can try it out.

 

[Will Fennell]

BHP

My wife also ended up with a BHP. She wanted reasonable power, active safety, and consistant trigger pull. She also really liked 1911's in either 9mm or downloaded .45. But the BHP really won her over.

Just to note, her is a list of others she tried first, and passed on.....

Glock
XD
Sigs
Kahr
various revolvers

.... and she REALLY wanted a consitant, crisp trigger AND a active 'thumb type' safety. Really can't blame her for that....

 

[jeepmor]

Her hand will decide what is the most comfortable. More comfort equals better markmanship in my experience. Any good range should offer plenty of rental options to try out. Sure, you dump some money finding what she wants, but it's money well spent in the long run for a gun that fits.

 

[tydephan]

Great question! Sounds like the PX4 compact would really be a good option for her if it was already out.

I also agree with the point about the Blowback pistols. I have a Sig P232 that has, IMO, more felt recoil than any of my small locked breech pistols.

And I'd also second the EMP, even though it is twice as expensive as what you want to spend. It is a great pistol. Perfect for smaller hands. The 9mm round out of it is simply superb! The trigger is fantastic and of course it has the thumb safety. I can tell you that I had to work hard to pay mine off on lay-a-way, and it was worth every penny.

Good luck with your search.

 

[fletcher]

IMO a blowback might not be the best choice. They seem to have more felt recoil than locked breech pistols and some women have a harder time racking the slide.

My fiance hates my Makarov because of both the grips and how hard it is to rack the slide. Personally, it's my favorite gun.

I would take a serious look at the smaller Kel-tecs. They're inexpensive, go up to 9mm (PF-9, although slightly larger), and don't have too much recoil from my experience. They do not have safeties, however.

The BHP also sounds like a good choice.

 

[18DAI]

Good choice on the SP101. If she's looking at semi auto's, try to handle a S&W 3913. Superb 9mm, single stack CCW pistol. TJ

 

[Markbo]

Hmmmmm.... why does this remind me of a CC tactical class I took once?

Oh I know... because 2 of the 3 ladies there had small autos! They were so small in fact that they could not control them and we had - no lie- .32 bullets bouncing back off the railroad ties that held up the sandy bank!

That is when I called a cease fire when one zingged by my leg... the 2 instructors looked miffed until I told them what happened. They then sent the 2 ladies back to the bench while the rest of us continued shooting, where they got a little one on one. BTW, they both failed that class.

My point being that if she is going to carry and really has no idea, no preference, no standard to judge, why don't you take her to the range with as large an assortment as possible and let her choose? Don't overhwhelm her... just a few shots each. Shooting too much and getting the shakes or getting afraid of how 'they are all different' might scare her.

Maybe revolvers one day and autos another day. Let her tell you rather than you suggest to her.

 

[FranklyTodd]

Beretta Tomcat?

Tomcat 3032 with the tilt-up barrel?

Don't have one, but have shot one and it's a nice little gun with a safety, though larger and heavier than the P-32.

The newer Taurus line has manual safeties, and some guns that look pretty good on paper. Don't know enough to "recommend" them, but my old Taurus PT92 has been stellar.

 

[NurseDave]

I recently purchased a Kahr CW9. It is light and has an 7+1 configuration in 9mm with a narrow grip for the single stack magazine. Good choice for men or women.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

Just to clarify, my wife is small but tough. I wouldn't ever want to mess with her, she had 2 of our 3 kids without so much as an aspirin. She has had problems racking the slide on my big-ol Beretta 90-two, but I know with proper leverage like pax mentions on her site she could learn how to make it go. The problem is that her hands can be arthritic, so I am looking for something a little easier, but don't want something wimpy, either. I'm thinking 9mm just because I know that bigger hurts her hands and wrists after a little bit, and I want it to be as pleasant as possible for her to practice with. Add to that the fact that she is a small woman, and the criteria narrows. We have a GP100 and a buckmark to practice with, so whatever we get would be mainly for her to carry. I appreciate the suggestions on the BMP and the S&W, I will definitely call around and see if any of my local ranges rent those so we can check them out. I appreciate the input, it will help me find some good options for her to see if she likes them. If there's any more out there, I'm all ears...

 

[worker]

So I'm looking for input on a CCW pistol with a safety. My wife is very small; 5feet tall and about 95 pounds with small hands.

You did not specify hand strength -- but if she
is not an athlete with that size she will not have much
upper body and wrist hand strength.
Therefore my recommendation is for guns
that are easy to slide and have low recoil

Taurus PT111 (3d generation) or
STI LS9 (used can be had for around 550-600)

or consider the new Walther PPS in 9mm
(but I have not tried that). It has the right ingridients
(from the specs)

The two above are easy to slide, have safety
good sights and the STI LS9 is really thin and absorbs
recoil much better than any polymer gun I have tried

 

[Babalouie]

If you must have a safety then your choices are limited. Fortunately you have a very good choice in the Taurus Pt Millennium Pro series. I have a PT140 and it is a fantastic weapon. When I was looking for a ccw weapon I too wanted a safety and the PT140 in stainless really appealed to me. The trigger on these are really amazing...its a longer pull (which I wanted for ccw) but very smooth, consistent and surprisingly light...every bit as good as a Ruger Security Six I owned that had a very nice trigger job. The Mil pros are compact but carry at least 10 to 15 rounds depending on the caliber you choose. They really are worth looking into. Although I now carry a Keltec PF9 because of how light and thin it is, I keep my Mil Pro in the car. Recoil is firm in the 40 but I don't shoot as a range gun...just enough to keep proficient. A ccw will trade recoil for weight and size reduction. I figure if I ever had to actually use it to defend myself I won't even be aware of the recoil. The Mil pros are also a super value.

If you go full size then the new Ruger SR9 has a safety.

If a safety wasn't a requirement you would have many options...M&P compact for instance...very nice.

 

[Zundfolge]

I was actually just looking at the CZRami compact as well, it looks pretty good (any feedback anyone)

Can't go wrong with the RAMI.

If you get her a DA/SA pistol with a safety, eventually she may become more comfortable with carrying sans safety.

If she's uncomfortable with a pistol without a safety, I'm not sure how comfortable she's going to be with carrying C&L, so the EMP and other small 1911 based guns may not be the best choice.

I'd recommend against a .380 or other blowback, small caliber pistol for reasons that have been stated above ... but there are plenty of good 9x19 CCW pistols out there in your price range.

I think the little Taurus Millennium Pro pistols have safeties So does the little Beretta Px4 Storm (dunno if the new subcompact is available yet, or if its under $500) and the Bersa Thunder.

 

[wuchak]

I've seen good reviews on the RAMI 9mm and some indicated CZ was having some issues with the 40. The alloy framed RAMI is the most comfortable 9mm pistol I have ever picked up in a gun store. If I were going to buy a compact 9 that'd be the one. It comes with a flush fitting 10 round mag and a 14 round mag with nice looking built in grip extension.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

If you get her a DA/SA pistol with a safety, eventually she may become more comfortable with carrying sans safety.

That's my thinking as well. If she gets more comfortable, hey another gun. If not, that's fine too.

Thanks for the input on the RAMI guys...

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

How about a Beretta 86? The slide need not be racked at all as the barrel tips up to load the chamber. And it has ambidextrous manual safeties on the frame that allow DA first shot with safeties engaged or disengaged, or cocked and locked. It is "only" a .380, but I would not want to stand in front of it.

For a sort of "belt and suspenders" approach, there is the Smith & Wesson 3913 and its several equivalents. (The "Value Line" 908 is $500-ish.) These are DA-first-shot with a safety (some models ambidextrous) on the slide. But, the slide-mounted safety is difficult to use as a safety.

I think the FN Pro-9 has a manual safety, but I have no experience with them. Some Taurus models do as well, same notation.

If one is going to carry a safety-equipped gun "on-safe," it must be reflexively ingrained to remember to disengage the safety before firing.

 

[armoredman]

The RAMI is a fine peice, and there are 14 round mags available. Pictured is normal and extended mags.





Another thought, if the budget gets real tight, is the CZ82 from CDNN, in 9mm Mak. Extremely good pistols, bit big for the caliber, but definately budget friendly.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

Are the safety and/or slide release ambidextrous on the RAMI? Just curious as I only see pictures of them on the one side.

 

[ernunnos]

If she must have a safety that eliminates a lot of good options. On the other hand, if she's willing to learn a safety and be dedicated to its use, there's no reason she can't carry cocked 'n locked in a proper holster, yielding a much better first shot trigger pull. It'll be a lot easier for her as well. 9mm will be a lot more controllable in a small package, so look for something compact, 9mm, that can be carried in condition 1.

That narrows it down to either a CZ RAMI or a Springfield EMP. Of the two, I'd pick the RAMI, but that's mostly because I'm an unabashed CZ fanboy, and it can use the CZ magazines I already own.