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380 auto for my wife

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Does anyone have any firsthand experience with the Ruger LC380 yet? I was under the impression this was the very crowd it was marketed to. Larger, easier to manipulate than a micro-sized pistol, and .380 recoil in a 9mm sized package. I just haven't had the chance to handle one yet and feel the force required to operate the slide.
 
This question comes up fairly often (in fact there is a sticky on the subject) and the responses often show that the posters do not understand the issues with shooting with disabilities such as carpel tunnel or that some ladies are built differently than their man-o-mano spouse and don't like or find shooting handguns painful.

Selecting a handgun for the lady in your life also means setting aside your own percieved notions and be willing to consider all types of firearms and calibers.

The advice "let her select what is wants" is Internet tripe imho.

When said in the context of the man-o-mano giving his lady a heavy gun like the 1911 in the heavy recoiling 45 without considering her skill level and ability I agree that is a poor idea.

On the other hand taking her to a gun shop and having a gun clerk who is probably only being paid a little over minimium wage and may have zero experience with medical issues such as carpel tunnel and the physical differences between men and women sell her a gun is just plain silly.

I posted this question once and it got so out of hand I was called a liar because a couple of the posters can not believe a lady with weak wrists can ride a horse, fight off a mugger but have issues with recoil of handguns.

In my search for a handgun with my wife I have explored the following options;

1. All of the semi-autos handguns she has tried are out. She can not operate the slide. Period. Nada. No can do.

2. She finds most double action revolvers to painful as the recoil hurts her wrists (i.e. carple tunnel again).

3. She can shoot single action revolvers comfortably. We use to shoot in Cowboy Mounted Shooting so she is well experience with shooting with one hand. What some of the posters that do not have experience with single-action revolvers fail to realize is single action revovlers are designed to be shot one handed and the grip is shaped for the barrel to slip upwards in the hand when fired so the recoil is transferred downwards.

The Ruger Single-Six in 32 Mag. has good stopping power. The biggest downside (which I consider a big one) is once a S.A. is cocked the trigger pull is much lighter and the potential problem of decocking it on a live round especially under stress.

This keeps bringing us back to the double action revolver in a caliber that has less recoil. There are not a lot of choices smaller than the 38 but recently I watched a video on Gunblast comparing the Ruger LCR in 38 vs the new 22 Magnum chambering in side by side shooting. The difference in recoil is simply amazing. So much that when I showed the video to my wife she commented that she thought she could handled the 22 mag. just fine.

The 22 magnum should not be confused with it's cousin the Long Rifle cartridge. I have decided to buy a LCR in 22 mag. for her to try (well hopefully some day after Obama quits selling guns and ammo). If it doesn't work out for her I'll pack it around the ranch...

On the other hand if we both like it Lord help the bank account.
 
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If the slide is a problem have her try a Beretta Tomcat. It isn't a .380 but it eliminates her biggest problem with semi-autos.
 
I am not a big fan of the 22LR as a defensive round but if that is all she can handle then it is certainly better than a short stick. I don't have a really small .22 that I feel comfortable carrying from a reliability standpoint but I am sure they are out there. That may not solve the problem with the slide but is there a small .22 revolver that is dependable?
 
Three choices

For me, the only three choices would be:

SIG 232---My favorite carry gun. The aluminum framed gun comes with night sights and weighs 18.5 ounces empty. The grip shape spreads the recoil impulse so that I can shoot 150 rounds at a session without becoming tired.
Very reliable and excellent trigger. Very easy to clean.
Downside is the slow reload because of the heel clip magazine release.

BERETTA 84/85---Most reliable compact pistol I know of. Good accuracy and mild recoil due to the large size of the model 84's grip. It holds 13 rounds, another plus. Good sights and trigger.
If the 84 is too large, try the slimmer 85 with a single collum magazine and 8 round capacity.
Downside is the size of the gun. I have shot compact 9m.m. pistols that were the same size.

CZ 83---The heaviest of the lot. It is similar is size and features to the BERETTA and has a 12 shot magazine. The grip seems a little more compact, but the steel frame means it is not light. Very reliable design with a nice trigger and good sights.
Downside is the weight.

I would take any of the above guns, but for pocket use, only the SIG is viable. With a GALCO pocket holster and deep pockets, you can just get away with it.

Jim
 
My Bersas are the favorite ladies guns in my safe,,,

I take a lot of young women shooting,,,
More than not it is their first time.

They all seem to like shooting my Bersa Thunder .380,,,
I teach them how to use both arms racking the slide,,,
None of them have any problem after a few mags.

But the real beauty of the Bersa is the Thunder .22,,,
It's identical in size/shape to the Thunder 380,,,
Start her on the .22 and move to the .380.

Buying both guns isn't that much money,,,
Cheap practice with the .22 has made my friends good shooters with both.

Just a thought,,,

Aarond

.
 
I agree with everything BSA has to say (great bikes BTW) My wife is pretty small 5' nothing and 100lbs soaking wet with rocks in her pockets. We have tried many different things. Bersa 380...she even bought CT grips for the thing...recoil hurts...leaves bruses. This is the same woman that got a bruse on her shoulder after shooting high power....with a M1 carbine...and yes she had it firm against her shoulder.

We tried many small guns....even a 1903 colt the recoil hurt her...and she still could not work the slide.

So we tried revolvers, little J frame...nope drew blood in the web of her thumb where the gun would kick back.

She had about 10 different people at our club work with her....people that have shot for years....top 25 shooters in the nation in their specialities....these folks know how to shoot.....we came away with she is just small, has thin skin and just flat can not shoot anything over a 22 without pain to herself.

The woman can flat shoot she does very well in small bore silhouette, and has done some of the pistol games (ppc and such) with a Neos, and a old woodsman (our club is pretty informal they will let her play, just not score her)...bottom line is she knows how to shoot.

We went with what another poster suggested, a small rimfire pistol with good quality ammo (and I think this is the key)...22 ammo is about the most iffy ammo out there, so if for what ever reason you can't manage a larger caliber, get a good quality 22 and good ammo.

I have long said you have no business to carry if you do not train and practice all aspects...and one of those is shooting the gun you choose to carry. If it hurts she will not shoot it.

One last thing of all the people that say 22 is not enough I have yet to find someone that wants to be shot by one....on the other hand I have seen first hand a .45 be stopped by a cell phone....nothing is 100%, but everyone will agree that some gun is better than no gun.
 
+1 (or is it 10?) on the SigP238...Not bad at all in the 380 - the LCP and everything else are much worse....

BUT, better (and cheaper) still is the P230/232 that Golden mentioned. Can can blued aluminum frame or metal SS...both are great and for whatever reason (maybe they are not super small for a 380) they never seemed to bring what they are worth. I have several and was going to sell one a while ago and can't really get enough to make it worth my while. I love shooting it since it makes the P238 look like it kicks hard!

Search Gunbroker/AuctionArms for Sig P230 or P232 and see what I mean!!
 
Every decent .380 I've handled had recoil and a hard-racking slide to boot. You are better of getting a .38 special revolver, particularly if she is a new shooter, and has issues working an action.
 
The OP should not even consider -although it's in 9x18 Makarov- the Polish P64.
I considered buying the type as my First Handgun until the second session. No more, and other than recoil I really like them.

That day, the next gun was a Bersa Thunder .380 and the recoil was a stark contrast.
 
We also tried the CZ82....same basic thing.

Men tend to forget that women are just built different (thank god) they wear their clothes different, and some just can't do it...end of story.

Then there are those with medical problems....I have nerve damage in my left arm...makes it quite hard for me to do some....some I can't do.

There comes a time when you just have to look to other solutions to the problem.
 
Roadking Rider:

For what it is worth, the friend who let me try his Bersa Thunder .380 volunteers now and then for TDY in Afghanistan as an Army Reserve JAG.
He has tried out an interesting mix of guns over there.

B. is about 6'2", likes both his Bersa .380 and Russian Makarov. The B. .380 type will be my First Handgun if a really used Sig 232 is not avail. in west TN in my 'really used' price range.
 
I also like the Bersa Thunder for consideration in this role, especially if the slide-racking issue can be resolved through training.

But, as BSA1 mentioned, the Ruger LCR in .22WMR would be an excellent option.
 
The Sig P250 comes in 380. If she can handle the weight (about 25oz) and size (halfway between a Glock 19 and 26 for the subcompact) it's an excellent gun and affordable. Smooth, safe 6lb. DAO trigger that anyone can pull and less recoil than the smaller guns. There's a video on YT of a guy's young daughter shooting one at the range and one where he discusses the gun in detail. And the slide is relatively easy to rack.

Now OTOH like BSA1, my wife is 85lbs and very weak. She can not rack any slide, so like him I'm considering a Ruger LCR in 22 for her. Still better than mace.
 
Another vote for the PK 380. My wife had carpal tunnel surgery and can't rack my Makarov. No problems withe the Walther.
 
I gave my Mother in law my Bersa 380 when her husband passed away. The slide is easy to rack and recoil is almost nil. She has shot it a little and she really likes it.
 
Actually an old Star S series might have some possibilities if you must have a semi auto.

With the external hammer Single action only it is part of the recoil system. By cocking the hammer first it is a little easier to rack the slide.

If she is recoil shy I would think twice before buying a plastic framed .22Magnum revolver until she had shot one.

As other have said find a place that does rentals and that has a wide selection and let her try stuff before you buy.

-kBob
 
Has anyone actually fired a .22 Mag handgun? They are LOUD. Not as loud as a .30 Carbine handgun, but the same high pitched ice-pick-in-your-ear loud.
 
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