What Handgun for wife? Brands & size?

[gjwandkids]

PAX's post was really good, and I second the motion to let her pick it out. If you have an indoor range near you that rents them let her try a few.

I decided on a 9mm and my best girlfriend got a .45 (Her husband has the "girl gun".) It really depends on what she is comfortable with and what she's going to use it for. Is she going to carry all the time? If so she may not want to lug something heavy around although the .45 doesn't seem to bother my friend any.

Please keep us updated as to what she eventually decides to get. I'm always interested in what my sisters are carrying anyway......

 

[Rezin]

My wife carries a Besa Thunder .380. She conceals it well, is good with it, and it's been very reliable. Shes' 5"2', bout 135.

 

[Strings]

huh... seems that, most women I've taken out shooting have ended up prefering the feel of the 1911 or the Automag. Only one has ever decided they prefered a 9mm, none have liked the smaller guns...

 

[Versifier]

Thinking it through

While they like the visual appeal of "those cute little guns", the realities of recoil and the difficulty of learning to shoot a short barreled handgun accurately can be daunting. Smaller hands also have a harder time getting a good positive grip on many models. As mentioned above, the Ruger Security Six has the smallest grips of the decently powered revolvers, start with mild .38 loads and don't worry about what she will eventually carry. By the time she's ready, she'll know enough to pick it out herself. I am not considering Jframe S&W's and like sized models because they aren't for beginners - they are too difficult for a novice to shoot accurately and the recoil is likely to induce a flinch. I think it is much better for a new shooter of either sex to start with a revolver - the workings are straightforward and the triggers aren't so light that an accidental discharge is worrisome. A four or six inch barrel has a long enough sight radius that one can soon be keeping them all on the paper, and that inspires confidence. If she really turns out to enjoy shooting, then you could consider a Buckmark or a Ruger bull-barrel MkII, if and only if she liked the idea. She might surprise you and go for a Sig or a Glock! The biggest mistake we make in trying to arm our womenfolk is to approach it with the "I like this so it's just what YOU need" attitude. I was heartened to read that she got instruction outside of the home, because that's the second biggest mistake - not every good shot is a good teacher, they are two completely different kinds of skills and not often found together in one individual. Ego often makes the job impossible.

 

[RaetherEnt]

My wife started with a CZ 75P-01 in 9mm and she loved it! A few weeks later she fired my Springfield 1911, and since the .45 didn't seem to bother her, we went right back in to the front of the store and picked up a HK USP compact in .45. Ever since then she has been in love with that gun and won't let me near it! Hell, I liked it so much that last night I picked up a HK USP 45 (Not compact) for myself!

 

[GunNut]

I started my wife off with a Ruger GP100 3" .357mag for home defense.

Now she is getting really expensive and decided a P7M8 is what she wanted.

Sure she's expensive, but at least we spend the money on guns and not something like shoes.

Steve

 

[Jkwas]

My wife doesn't like revolvers. But pulling back the slide is a consideration. The DAO taurus milpro has a very light trigger pull, and since you don't have to cock a hammer, the slide pulls very easily as well. You might want to look at it with the others.

 

[springmom]

well, my first was an XD-40

When I was thinking I might like a handgun, a friend took us out to the range and brought his entire arsenal. It was almost too much, everything from .45 1911s and revolvers to smaller guns. I had a ball! I found that a .40 cal was fine for me to shoot, and I enjoyed it enormously. My first gun then was an XD-40, my second, a Bersa .380 (more easily hidden than a XD-40 in the summer) and I've recently traded the .380 for a S&W model 37. The S&W has a nice small handle, not too bad recoil, it's light....

But let HER pick it out, preferably by letting HER shoot alot of them.

Springmom

 

[V4Vendetta]

Semi-auto's:
Glock 19.
Glock 21.
Colt 1911.

AVOID SMITH & WESSON & RUGER PRODUCTS!!!!!!!

Revolvers:
Taurus Ultralight models.
Colt DA.

 

[gremlin_bros]

well my wife at 5' 6" and a whole 115 lbs shoots a 1911 in 45. i call her my little recoil monkey. were both 1911 fans. but if your wife wants somthing in a 22 i can highly recomend a tarus 95 with a 5 and a half inch barrel or if she wants an auto the ruger mark II or III would be a nice choice. however as many have stated befor let her shot them befor you buy one to see how she likes them. or at the very least hold them to see how they feel in her hand.

 

[jeremywills]

My wife doesn't like revolvers. But pulling back the slide is a consideration. The DAO taurus milpro has a very light trigger pull, and since you don't have to cock a hammer, the slide pulls very easily as well. You might want to look at it with the others.

+1 on the Mil Pro, I have one in 9mm and all of my Women friends I have taken out to the range have been able to handle this one quite well, he already stated the key points above about the slide and everything, just a suggestion, the price of these are not all that expensive, I have small hands and it fits me pretty good, its just trial and error sometimes, this is the only DAO gun I have ever shot this well with, like I said, most of my female friends have also liked it very much

My advice, I tell women just take the gun, grab the slide, take your hand thats on the grip and most importantly with your finger off the trigger shove it forward, just ram it hard, 95 percent of the time it works

Usually they are more afraid of breaking it or something and Im like trust me, yours or my manual manipulation of it is most likely tame compared to the 9mm round knocking it around during the firing cycle

this usally does the trick
ymmv

finally, my best friends mom chose the sig 232, already mentioned in this thread, she also has a walther ppk and a glock 19, but carries the sig and keeps the other 2 in the house for HD, it took her 3 guns to find the right carry gun and the one she liked the most, she said it was more mind over matter and once she tackled the idea that just because she was a female didnt mean squat, she actually was able to accomplish much more shooting the things and actually finding the right combination

good luck sir


just my 2 cents on the matter,

 

[pax]

Hand size?

Prefers semi-auto or revolver?

Without at least that much information, specific recommendations aren't going to be very useful.

pax

 

[hwp]

AVOID SMITH & WESSON & RUGER PRODUCTS!!!!!!!

Why?

Is that same old stuff going on again?

 

[MadMercS55]

My wife is on the smaller-side of life. About 5'2" and about 115lbs. She got hooked on Glocks from day one of being introduced to shooting. She can handle my G17's and a 23 pretty darn good, but she is most comfortable with the G26, and as such has chosen one as her carry gun. She doesn't like much over the 9mm, having tried .40 and .45 several different times, she is much faster and accurate with a 9mm.