Buying a gun for my wife

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I tried to read it all, but if I read "it's not about me, it's about her" one more time, I was going to shoot MYSELF.

serriosly though, she might enjoy a slightly smaller pistol chambered in .380 or even 32 acp. or a .38 special. she might have an easier time with a smaller semi-auto though.
 
These are what I sell to ladies at shows who want a carry gun.
Airweight hammerless 642 smith, Taurus 85UL hammerless, Kel-Tec P3AT .380 Ruger LCP, the LCR ruger is nice if you can find it. A Colt Mustang is also a good choice. Also the Kel-Tec pf9. The sub glocks and xds are nice, but remeber if it kicks too much, or is too heavy she won't want to carry it. A revolver is a very good choice for 3 reasons. Simplicity(no safeties, or buttons to push) No jams(if the first shot don't go bang pull the trigger again) Go hammerless(nothing to get hung on if she's pulling it out of her purse. My wife has 3 carry guns a pf9, a 45/410 derringer, and a naa 22mag derringer. Mostly the Kel-Tec, but she has been around guns and me along time and is comfortable with autos. If she had her choice she'd carry her Luger. Just my
.02
 
Mainly, your posting was way, way

too long. I read two paragraphs and looked at how long it was and quit. If you lost me how many others did you loose. I think you could have found a way to tell the main points with out all the minutiae. In any event my big question of you is, WHAT IF SHE WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY FIREARM? Could it still be all about her and not about you?
 
Good Work Polar Express! I think you're building a great, functional marriage.

*1 on CorneredCat.com

From the experience I've had introducing women to firearms I'd say there is no predicting what the best fit will be for any given individual.

I generally start out with the Ruger .22 pistol and then let them pick out what they want to try from my collection. After trying several handguns my son's girlfriend LOVES the .357 Blackhawk best. Never would have predicted that.

AL
 
A lady friend I'm talking with has a Lady Smith in 9mm. I don't know if they still sell them in 9mm, but she loves her's, even has her CCW for it and carries regularly. See if you can find a Lady Smith to rent/use. She might go for it. You never know. :)
 
First thing you need to do, is get over it all being about you... :neener:

More serious now: EVERY woman I've taught to shoot has gravitated to 2 handguns: the 1911 (Spoon ended up getting a compact Kimber, Mom-in-law is getting a RIA full size) and the Automag.

I have yet to have ANY woman say they prefer a revolver (although Spoon DOES want a Ruger SP101 in .357)
 
Have her sign on to THR on her own, because, it is about her, right? From there, SHE can decide what she really wants!
 
My wife is left handed (but Lt eye dominant). One of the reasons she likes the M&P compact is the ambidextrous slide lock. For admin tasks, anyway. Still changes to Rt grip for some stoppage reductions. She has a really tough time locking the slide back w/ her Lt index finger, like some lefty guys can do.

Of course, if she likes the XD, get her an XDM in 9, put 19 in the mag and one in the tube, and just forget about the reload part. I'm leaning that way for my 80 YO Mom.

Steve
 
update!

Yesterday, for the first time, she carried! :D

It wasnt' crazy, wasnt fancy, just put a full mag in a Glock 33/27 not chambered, and put it in her purse. Just to get the 'feel' of the weight and what it might be like to know there is a firearm in her purse. She had her permit, and we observed all legal restrictions. So, a huge step, and she handled it well.

Now, some responses.......

For those of you who don't like my writing style, I'm sorry for offending your delicate sensibilities, and typing too many characters, or if you don't get my humor, but nobody made you read it.....:neener:

Some have asked: "does she want a gun?", and well, she didn't come to me and say "I want a gun", but, when I suggested it, she was open to the idea. That's why I really want to approach this carefully. I really want her to have a positive experience for the first bunch of times, and bring her in slowly, before we start to 'explore' and complicate it.

Some of you have suggested that I steer her towards a revolver. I certainly understand the simplicity of the revolvers, and respect what they are, especially for a panic situation, But, this is really her choice, not mine.

I'm trying VERY hard to keep my biases and opinions out, be supportive, and encourage her, and really let her pick it out. So far, we've only been to one store/range, and it's small enough that they don't have a ton of selection. Before SHE makes HER choice, I would like to let her try as many as I can, and that's why I'm thankful for the suggestions. She's got really long and slender hands/fingers, so things are going to feel different to her than most ladies.

I still haven't checked out the cornered cat, but it's on my short list of things to do. Sometimes my wife has the attention span of a hiccup, so I have to keep things short.

I'm actually just delighted she's embracing the idea of learning to shoot, and and carrying. She appears to grasp the idea that carrying is a safer choice. My hope is to let the class (we all know she'll listen to someone else better than she'll listen to me) teach her the details, and me just be the supportive cheerleader.

PE
 
My wife DID come to me and say "I want a gun". Christmas of 07. We went to the range for 2 hours, and shot around 20 different guns, different calibers. We got it down to 3 (all 9mm), and she chose the M&P9. She is 5'5", around 115lbs. Fairly small.

She has not regretted it all. I just bought an M&P9 Compact, and I can already see her eyes all over that one too.

Good luck with HER choice!
 
My wife is a wonderful young lady. She 24, and she’s gotta be the sweetest, kindest person I’ve ever met.
Click to expand...

Can I assume that you have not been married for very long?..........:rolleyes:
 
yes, we've been married for only 2.5 yrs, so we're fairly new at this marriage thing. First time for both of us.

I held out for a long time 'till I found her, she on the other hand was lucky to find Mr. Perfect at a young age.:D

... but she decided to marry me instead.
 
lols

good one polar.

I've read everything here. Your writing style is fine, I think. Most people have a slow reading speed though.

I don't want to make suggestions, not being slender nor a lady, but the FN 5-7 has very low recoil, tremendous energy, and even the standard (non sticking out) magazine has high capacity.
 
it's about her...

i have heard more women say "oooh-aaah" after a session with one of the KAHR lineup than any other. the trigger pull is absolutely the best and they come in all sizes and calibers.
 
Our local range has a ladies day. They'll let her rent all the different types of guns for one price. For 30 bucks we can try like 30 different models. You might look for something like that.
 
I agree, we have a Ladies morning at our Range also, and it is good to rent them all and see what fits in her hand. I, as a woman have tried many many.. Most guns are made for a mans hand. There are Womans only classes in both beginners, Tactial, and defensive Levels, Just my Opinion, but there is nothing worse than being at the range with a first time ( lady) shooter with a shaky grip, and nervous.. TAKE A CLASS !! I have taken them all,many times..Because IT IS ALL ABOUT ME !!!!
I carry, to Protect..and I shoot at the range for Pratice,and fun.. But most importantly I know what I am doing, because IT IS ALL ABOUT ME!!
 
I don't know if introducing the misses, perfect angel or not, to shooting with her eventual carry-piece is necessarily the way to pursue this.

My wife will shoot about anything, my 442 included, but who can honestly say a 442 is "fun"? :scrutiny:

My wife really really enjoys shooting my BHP. The ergonomics are good for her, it's a very elegant looking thing, and she's damn good with it, and that creates enthusiasm that builds on itself. Something to think about.

Les
 
Who'd have known?

My girlfriend, of all things, has become a crack shot with an Iver Johnson 55 Cadet in .32 Long. It's a clunky gun, very heavy for its size, and it's her house gun. I bought it because it was really, really cheap and I was curious. She latched onto it the first time she shot it. She got a dead center 2 1/2" group with the first cylinder.

When the hammer is at rest, it obscures the rear sight groove, a crazy characteristic for a double action gun. It does have an adjustable hammer spring so one can tune it easily. I found that Federal makes a wadcutter with 132 ft lbs, the most I could find. I think this could be bumped up a bit with handloading; the gun is way overbuilt. Anyway, she can shoot it very, very well and she's very comfortable and very confident with it.

I'd rather she was good with something else but, nevertheless, I wouldn't want to face off with her.

The moral of this story: Don't even try to guess what someone else will like.

IverJohnsonCadetlt02.gif ​
 
Try before you buy

My future wife (We'll be on our honeymoon this time next year) had not fired a
weapon since she was a child when her grandfather taught her to shoot a .22 rifle.

I took her to a local indoor range several months ago and let here try out
a few rifles and pistols. She did not like the AR, but she loved my Glock 21.

My girl now has her very own Winchester .357 Mag trapper and a Glock 17 :)
 
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