jad0110
Member
Please read before responding to the poll.
My wife came out to the range with me for the first time last weekend, interested in finding out which of my five handguns (see signature line) would work best as a go-to, home defense piece (God forbid she ever needs one). After shooting a few guns, the best gun I own for her is clearly my 5” 1911 in 45 ACP. She is 5’ tall, and has very small hands. The 1911 worked best because of the slim, single stack grip frame. The weight also did not bother her and she performed very well with it. However, it is not ideal: she found the recoil to be a bit too stout for her preferences, and it is a little large for her small hands.
Although she is content with the 1911 for home defense (for now), I know it is not perfect for her. So I decided to do some research on my own that I may use to provide guidance if and when she picks her own handgun for HD.
And I will let her pick it herself, I just wanted to be able to provide good advice if needed.
First, she does NOT like revolvers, so they can be ruled out. Too bad, as I figured a 3” S&W Model 60 or Ruger SP101 would be pretty good for her, given their simplicity and dependability. But she does not like the long trigger pull, and she finds the wheel turning distracting.
As for semi automatics, I would narrow it down further to slim, all steel (for recoil abatement) single stack pistols. Since she is relatively recoil sensitive, I am thinking something chambered in 32 ACP, 380 ACP, or 9 X 18 Makarov.
Here are some of the pistols I was thinking of. BTW, the budget is $350 or less, new or used. Please feel free to suggest more. I know the Bersa Thunder is a single stack pistol, but I’m not sure about the others:
Bersa Thunder; 32 or 380 ACP
Makarov PM; 9 X 18 Mak
CZ 82 or 83; 32, 380, or 9 X 18 Mak
PA63 Hungarian 9 X 18
Walther PPK; 32 or 380 ACP
Sig P232; 380 ACP
For those of you who have shot any of the above, how does the felt recoil compare to a 5” 1911 in 45 ACP?
Thanks for your input!
My wife came out to the range with me for the first time last weekend, interested in finding out which of my five handguns (see signature line) would work best as a go-to, home defense piece (God forbid she ever needs one). After shooting a few guns, the best gun I own for her is clearly my 5” 1911 in 45 ACP. She is 5’ tall, and has very small hands. The 1911 worked best because of the slim, single stack grip frame. The weight also did not bother her and she performed very well with it. However, it is not ideal: she found the recoil to be a bit too stout for her preferences, and it is a little large for her small hands.
Although she is content with the 1911 for home defense (for now), I know it is not perfect for her. So I decided to do some research on my own that I may use to provide guidance if and when she picks her own handgun for HD.
And I will let her pick it herself, I just wanted to be able to provide good advice if needed.
First, she does NOT like revolvers, so they can be ruled out. Too bad, as I figured a 3” S&W Model 60 or Ruger SP101 would be pretty good for her, given their simplicity and dependability. But she does not like the long trigger pull, and she finds the wheel turning distracting.
As for semi automatics, I would narrow it down further to slim, all steel (for recoil abatement) single stack pistols. Since she is relatively recoil sensitive, I am thinking something chambered in 32 ACP, 380 ACP, or 9 X 18 Makarov.
Here are some of the pistols I was thinking of. BTW, the budget is $350 or less, new or used. Please feel free to suggest more. I know the Bersa Thunder is a single stack pistol, but I’m not sure about the others:
Bersa Thunder; 32 or 380 ACP
Makarov PM; 9 X 18 Mak
CZ 82 or 83; 32, 380, or 9 X 18 Mak
PA63 Hungarian 9 X 18
Walther PPK; 32 or 380 ACP
Sig P232; 380 ACP
For those of you who have shot any of the above, how does the felt recoil compare to a 5” 1911 in 45 ACP?
Thanks for your input!