The gun store report
So.. we're back from the gun shop, had a pretty good time looking around and trying out different models. They hired a new kid at the gunstore. He was pretty cool... helpful kid. Very opinionated, especially about the 9mm round being the most effective
He offered, or attempted to offer a 9mm for every single gun we wanted to look at.. That got a little old.
...but he was helpful nonetheless.
No real complaints, other than the 9mm stuff - but he seemed to like my girlfriend a little more than he should have...
I'm not a jealous guy, so that didn't bother me. At one point, he recommended she go for bra carry. That I didn't like too much. I think he knew how bad he messed up there - he apologized pretty quickly and we moved on without incident.
So, here's how things went.
Glock 30: She thought it was bulky. She liked it, but she liked the G36 a lot better. I think her favorite model was the 36, but she liked the 26 as well.. She also liked the G19 and G22, surprisingly - but the trigger put her off and we went to look at other offerings.
Para-Ordnance Warthawg: She liked it, loved the way it looked, loved the way it felt in her hand. It was thicker than she thought, but she liked it nonetheless. The weight put her off. She thinks that 11 rounds of .45ACP might make it just heavy enough to be a PITA to carry. Because of the weight issue, we didn't look at any other 1911's.
Walther P99 and P99c: Way bigger and bulkier than they look in the catalogs or online. Disqualified before she even got ahold of it. A Walther P22 is in our very near future though.
H&K P2000sk: Same as the P99... it was bigger and bulkier than she thought, and she doesn't want one for carry. She actually got her hands on this one before she decided that.
Kahr P9 and PM9: The salesman insisted she check these out. The triggers actually pissed her off, I think.
I've never quite seen her make a face like that before. She liked the slim profile, but just didn't care for the feel, fit or finish of either one. Don't think we'll be buying any Kahr Arms pistols in the future, seeing as how I don't like them either.
S&W Model 60 LadySmith: She liked it, but she's still scared of the .357 magnum, and wants more than 5 shots if she's carrying a .38 special. She also wants the easier reloads and higher capacity that comes with an auto, so I didn't press the issue. I think for now, she just likes shooting MY revolvers. She'll gain an appreciation for them, I'm sure. She didn't want a 1911 not long ago... Now she wants one for sure - just not for carry.
Sig P239 SAS: Loved it... Her absolute favorite of the flock. Fit her hand like a glove, she loved the trigger, and I think she shares my Sig infatuation. She was very impressed, and decided upon holding it that this is the pistol she wants to carry. They also had regular models, but she was thoroughly impressed with the SAS model. She said she'd take a regular model if I didn't feel like shelling out a stack ($1000 = a stack) for the SAS...
Gee, thanks babe
AND
Just for good measure, I wanted her to check out a Walther PPK/S. She absolutely loved it... Now she can't choose between the PPK and the Sig P239 - I'm not sure which one she'll end up with. On one hand, she's very fiscally minded, so the low price of the PPK might win her over. OTOH, I've never quite seen her as impressed with any gun as she was the Sig P239... Until she held the PPK/S. Then there's caliber. She likes power, but she's been doing her homework, and feels confident that a .380 would be more than enough. Knowing how well she shoots, I'd be hard pressed to think she'd need more than 8 shots of .380 to take a bad guy down. If that's what she wants to carry, then I'll carry one with her.
So, that's the progress report. I think she learned a lot about what she does and doesn't like. It'll be interesting to see what she goes with. Figured this might help with further suggestions, recommendations, etc. Feel free to keep the votes going, she wants to go back soon and compare the Glocks and Sig side by side one more time.
I want the Sig...
...we'll see what happens.