EDC for new female shooter

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Doc2A

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My wife has recently decided that she would like a handgun for personal protection. I have carried ever since moving to a state that believes in the 2nd Amendment, and currently carry a Sig P365 loaded with 10+1 Critical Defense and a second spare mag. I’ve been shooting my whole life, and own many guns including semiautomatic pistols and revolvers so I’m familiar with the pros and cons of each. My specific question is on what would be the better choice for my wife to carry.

I like the idea of a revolver such as a LCR or S&W J frame in .38 special since the manual of arms is so simple and the double action trigger pull adds to safety. My concern is that she’s got small hands and the DA trigger pull may be a bit much for her. She’s fired my Glock 19 at the range and likes that, but I’m not super comfortable that she can operate the slide quickly if needed. I’ve thought of a hammer fired DA/SA with a decocker/safety, but that seems like it might be complicated for her. I’d appreciate your thoughts, especially if you’ve dealt with the same sort of situation.
 
The decision is ultimately for the two of you to make. I would suggest you take a look at the S&W Shield EZ in 9mm. It is designed to be easy to load & manipulate the slide. I would stipulate the 9mm though as I bought my wife the 380 version & we have had some issues with it (the last round in the magazine feeds all the way through the pistol & out the ejection port occasionally). I contacted S&W & they sent a shipping label but I haven't sent it in yet. From what I have read on the S&W forum some people have issues with the 380 version but I have not read of the same issues with the 9mm.
 
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I have this comment in another thread https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/small-gun-performance.881579/

We semi-frequently have threads where folks are looking to get into semi-autos and a concealment gun.

I always recommend they get a duty sized semi-auto (Glock family would be G19/G17/G34 size) first and learn how they work and shoot before working their way to the smaller versions of those guns that are invariably harder to shoot, especially for somebody not experienced with a semi-auto pistol.
Click to expand...

We also have this thread immediately above your thread

"So you want to buy your girlfriend/wife a gun"

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/so-you-want-to-buy-your-girlfriend-wife-a-gun.564531/
 
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Doc2A said:
My specific question is on what would be the better choice for my wife to carry.
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That should be her choice alone.

Don't make the mistake of deciding for her or thinking you know best what she needs.

Been there, done that. Doesn't usually end well.

This is what my wife decided on, after years of me telling her what she needed.
P-225.jpg
 
Doc2A said:
I like the idea of a revolver such as a LCR or S&W J frame in .38 special since the manual of arms is so simple and the double action trigger pull adds to safety. My concern is that she’s got small hands and the DA trigger pull may be a bit much for her. She’s fired my Glock 19 at the range and likes that, but I’m not super comfortable that she can operate the slide quickly if needed. I’ve thought of a hammer fired DA/SA with a decocker/safety, but that seems like it might be complicated for her. I’d appreciate your thoughts, especially if you’ve dealt with the same sort of situation.
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DA revolver - 10 (ish) lb trigger pull for every shot. An LCR or J-Frame, only 5 shots and short barrel and short grip - tough to shoot and to reload.

The Glock 19 - perhaps cycling the slide may be an issue, but she'll probably have 15 rounds available, at a 5 lb trigger pull for all of them, before she'll have to do that.
 
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Not knowing your wife I am going to stay out except to offer one piece of advise. It will be her gun so let her choose it. Don't over complicate it. it. She will know what works and what doesn't for her better than any of us or you for that matter.
 
My wife and daughter both carry S&W Shield EZs. My daughter's Shield is a 9mm, but my wife's is only a .380 - due to the arthritis in her thumb joint (probably at least in part due to thousands upon thousands of full-house 44 Magnum rounds fired in IHMSA competition) my wife can't handle 9mm recoil in a lightweight pistol like a S&W Shield. She does okay with 9mm recoil in her slightly larger (and heavier) Sig 239 though.
It was kinda funny how up until a couple of years ago, my wife carried a j-frame snubby 38 Special, but when our daughter's fiancé bought our daughter a Shield .380, my wife ask to borrow it just take it out and see how it shot. A week later, my wife ended up with a Shield .380 of her own. However, that wasn't the end of the story - as soon as Smith came out with the Shield EZ 9mm, our daughter traded her .380 in, and got herself a 9mm.:p
BTW, our daughter claims her Shield 9mm "doesn't kick much more" than her Shield .380 used to. But that's a classic example of why everyone, both male and female, should choose guns for themselves. Our daughter's perception of how hard a gun does or doesn't kick is a heck of a lot different than my wife's. My wife is a lot more experienced than our daughter with guns, but our daughter doesn't struggle with arthritis in her thumb joint, carpal tunnel syndrome in her wrist, and tendonitis in her elbow.
 
My wife shot and carried the sig p238, loved it, but just recently upgraded to the P365 in 9mm You can buy Critical Defense light SD ammo 90 Gr in 9mm if recoil is her concern with the 365.
 
Also Recoil on light 38s can be a non starter for ladies along with the hard DA trigger pull. 32 may be an option but ammo for everything is hard now and may be for a while. May want to consider that if all you have is 9mm and you don’t have reloading resources.
 
AFTER reading the Cornered Cat, I can tell you that MY wife - 5'8". went from absconding with my G-26 to wanting my SIG P365, so I bought her her own................
 
A j- frame will turn off most women once they pull the trigger. Go to a range that rents pistols and let her try as many as she wants. Let her decide. A female instructor, as already mentioned, is a great idea. The 9mm Shield EZ would definitely be on the list of something she should try out at a range. My wife does not carry, and she is not a big woman, her weapon of choice for home defense is my S&W 1917 with moon clips in 45 acp, and she isdarn good with it. You never know what will suit them, in the end leave it up to her.
 
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My wife likes S&W J-Frames and K-Frames. She likes the idea of her Kahr K9, but she never seems to want to carry it, or train with it.

It is important to let HER decide. In my wife’s case, she was a K-Frame fan from well before I met her. She added J-Frames after handling some of mine, and, similarly, she wanted a Kahr K9 after handling mine.

Edited to add: It is not unusual, it seems, for women to really like their K-Frame S&W revolvers. I have met quite a few, who were so inclined.
 
The decision should be hers and hers alone. She's going to be carrying and shooting it so she should select a gun that appeals to what she wants. When my wife was shopping for a gun I thought I knew what would be the best gun for her... after all I have been around guns longer and knew more about them. Little did I know she had specific needs and wants that I never considered. First and foremost was size and comfort. Would it fit in HER hand comfortably and equally important, would it fit into her purse. Doh..I never even thought about that. Was it easy to rack and were the mags easy to load were important factors for her. After several gun shows and handling slot of different firearms she decided she liked the Kimber Micro .380 the most because it met HER criteria. She has since purchased a Kimber Micro 9 to add to her stable. The most important part is because she chose the firearm she feels more compelled to practice with it. That's a good thing.
 
Doc2A said:
She’s fired my Glock 19 at the range and likes that, but I’m not super comfortable that she can operate the slide quickly if needed. I’ve thought of a hammer fired DA/SA with a decocker/safety, but that seems like it might be complicated for her. I’d appreciate your thoughts, especially if you’ve dealt with the same sort of situation.
Click to expand...

The Glock G42 comes to mind. The slide should be easier to cycle. The reach to the trigger is easier, for smaller hands, than the G19. I would buy new, rather than pre-owned, as earlier ones had bugs that needed to be sorted-out. I have seen them, in stock, locally, during the panic-demic.

We did not manage to get our pair of G42 pistols vetted, before the pandemic. We have been staying away from shooting ranges, because my wife has underlying helath conditions that make it all the more important that she not be exposed to COVID-19, so it may be a while before we have evaluated them, in order to carry them with confidence.
 
I had a 1st gen Glock 42 that jammed horribly on the first shot. Good to try it out if you can soon. corneredcat.com is a great reference.
 
GEM said:
I had a 1st gen Glock 42 that jammed horribly on the first shot. Good to try it out if you can soon. corneredcat.com is a great reference.
Click to expand...

I believe it. I have never subscribed to “Glock perfection.” One of my first pair of G22 duty pistols, in 2002, was a drama queen. It was a relatively simple fix, but yet another example of the need to thoroughly vet every handgun, and, in the case of autos, with a substantial sample of the planned duty cartridge.

Later, my other G22 revealed that it would lock the slide open, prematurely, if fed 180-grain ammo, at least that one particular batch of ammo. This reinforced the need to vet each new bullet duty or defensive load, if one changes brands, bullet weights, or bullet types.

Fortunately, I accumulated a decent supply of .380 ACP, including Gold Dots and Golden Saber, well before the panic-demic, so when it seems safe to visit shooting ranges again, we will have the ammo to vet the G42 pistols.
 
Doc2A said:
My wife has recently decided that she would like a handgun for personal protection. I have carried ever since moving to a state that believes in the 2nd Amendment, and currently carry a Sig P365 loaded with 10+1 Critical Defense and a second spare mag. I’ve been shooting my whole life, and own many guns including semiautomatic pistols and revolvers so I’m familiar with the pros and cons of each. My specific question is on what would be the better choice for my wife to carry.

I like the idea of a revolver such as a LCR or S&W J frame in .38 special since the manual of arms is so simple and the double action trigger pull adds to safety. My concern is that she’s got small hands and the DA trigger pull may be a bit much for her. She’s fired my Glock 19 at the range and likes that, but I’m not super comfortable that she can operate the slide quickly if needed. I’ve thought of a hammer fired DA/SA with a decocker/safety, but that seems like it might be complicated for her. I’d appreciate your thoughts, especially if you’ve dealt with the same sort of situation.
Click to expand...

Take her on several trips to a range that allows rental and have her shoot several platforms and calibers. Or, borrow from friends. A decision will be easier, and better, when there is knowledge backing it.
 
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