So you want to buy your girlfriend/wife a gun

Status
Not open for further replies.
Yeah, you never know what they're gonna like. After having my girlfriend shoot numerous different handguns, the G19 was her second favorite. Her first choice? Witness Elite Match - in 10mm :scrutiny:

When I have extra cash I'm supposed to buy her a Match in 9mm.
 
OldCavSoldier said:
Clance: My advice: If you get her a J-frame .38, try to find an S&W model 60 with the 3-inch barrel...or one with the 5 inch barrel. It takes considerable practice to hit a target with a 2-inch snubbie in the dark when one is scared. And do not load .357s in it for her. Stay with 148 grain wadcutters until she says she wants some loads with more ooompf. (Advice is free, and one often gets what he pays for.)
Click to expand...
For the distance that she'll be shooting (12" feet or less) I don't think the barrel length is going to matter.

If I thought she could handle the recoil I would get one of the Taurus Judges and load it with Winchester PDX1 410 Defensive Shotgun Ammo. But with hands as small as her's I don't think she could grip well enough to shoot it comfortably or safely, that is why the J-Frame Smith. Otherwise I would just hand her my Kimber Eclipse Pro or Browning High Power.

The one that I think would fit her would be the S&W 640, the extra weight over the AirLite (S&W 642) would help her control what little recoil there is. Personally I don't like the idea of a hammer gun for a novice cause it either can get snagged on something or if cocked provides a hair trigger under stressful situation where someone could accidental get shot. I prefer it not to be one of our kids who on the spur of the moment decides to drop by or me coming in late at night! :what:
 
For self defence barrel length can play a part. If the attacker grabs for the gun, the longer barrel will give him leverage to pry it from your hand. A 2 inch gun, if grabbed, can be fired, costing the attacker finger loss and burns.
 
This is exactly why i'm taking my wife to the gun show in april. As long as she is comfortable holding the gun then we can move on to caliber. I'm personally buying a ruger gp100 in .357 if i can find one there, and since you can load .38 rounds in it as well, she can decide if the .38 is too weak, or if the .357 is too strong and work our way around from there. My hats off to you OP, more people should think like that.
 
buying your wife a gun

Two good options,

Sig - 238 (.380) great purse gun.
Sig P-239 (9mm/.40)

Reliable, no stovepiping (see Kimber compacts), easy to conceal.


Gents, as to price: girls say no when they mean yes. Spend the extra money.
she's worth it.
 
"06. Dont go cheap. Your girl likes good things much like you do. You go cheap and you will hear about it over and over and over. If you truly love her, show her."

I must disagree here-
I think this depends entirely on use, value, etc.
When purchasing a firearm for my wife, which was more a priority for me than her-
she preferred I spend less- I am young but I know that loving a woman is about knowing her priorities- my wife's is being financially responsible, so while I could have purchased a engraved colt or a lady s&w, she is content with an "ugly" Beretta for concealed carry- remember, women(most) don't covet their guns like men do- they care more about what the gun is in than what the gun is- and in some ways they are more pragmatic-

Also, in this line of psychology, we have come to a sad state of things that loving a woman means spending, and often more than you can afford to-
My grandfather was a WV coal miner (he carried a Colt 1908 .38)- he never had much to spend on my grandmother, but you've never seen a man love a woman like he did- and I'm confident she wouldn't have felt any more loved if he could have lavished her with fancy things. I've been blessed with great prosperity but I'll never forget what's important and where my roots are- and I'd encourage ya'll to do the same.

Remember what gun ownership is about- freedom. and freedom is as easily gained by a hi-point as a python- The men you gave us this freedom did so holding whatever they could put their hands on.

And don't forget- "the love of money is the root of all evil"
 
Wise words. Welcome to THR. Sadly there are more than a few gun snobs here who think no weapon can shoot straight unless its $1000 dollars.
 
Phildoggie's got it.

phildoggie said:
Two good options,

Sig - 238 (.380) great purse gun.
Sig P-239 (9mm/.40)

Gents, as to price: girls say no when they mean yes. Spend the extra money.
she's worth it.
Click to expand...

;) Phil's got it right.

My husband (then bf) took me to a friend's house. I got to shoot a .380, .40, 9mm, and .45. I liked the 9mm the best, (less recoil, easy to deal with) and that's what I bought for my first gun. Happened to be a Sig 239 in 9mm. I took my carry course with it. (Then promptly bought a Sig .40 for Christmas so we'd have a larger one in the house.)

I bought an LCP after that for a carry gun. It was small - and beat up my hand when I actually fired it. After about a year, I traded in the LCP for a Sig 238. I have been soooo happy that Sig got on the small gun wagon! My only problem with the new Sig 238 is that I got it so early that I had a hard time finding a good pancake holster for it. I love that gun!!!

Today we went to the range and I put over 100 rounds through my Sig 238, and over 100 round through my Sig P-239. No misfires, no stovepipes, no issues whatsoever! I looooove those guns. :D
 
I've been in the Purdue Rifle and Pistol Club for the better part of forever, because I've been here at Purdue for the better part of forever, and I can't count the number of times I've gotten the "what handgun should I get" question from new shooters.

Male or female, my response is always the same. I ask them how much they're willing to spend, then give them a list of every possible gun I can think of under that price with notes about who in the club has one. I tell them to try as many of them as possible and pick the one that feels and shoots best for them, then offer to take them to the range.
 
My wife has zero interest in guns (either pro or con). I'd like to keep it that way. First, this tends to keep her nose out of my gun collecting activities. Second, I wouldn't trust her with a gun, any more than I would trust her with our finances. Other than that, our relationship is just fine. (Married 33 years, btw.)
 
AlexanderA said:
My wife has zero interest in guns (either pro or con). I'd like to keep it that way. First, this tends to keep her nose out of my gun collecting activities. Second, I wouldn't trust her with a gun, any more than I would trust her with our finances. Other than that, our relationship is just fine. (Married 33 years, btw.)
Click to expand...
you better hope she doesn't learn to shoot especially if she reads this forum!
 
I wanted my wife to carry for her protection, but she was/is very scared of guns.

HOWever, she understands the wisdom of it, and since my sister started carrying a gun and they are best friends, she agreed to take the class and try and find a gun she was comfortable with.

She demanded I attend the class with her (at a Florida gun show), though, as she didn't want to go by herself. I felt that was a small price to pay, plus I could attend for free. PLUS, it's never a bad idea to go through the basics again. I'm glad I did.

Then we went out to the backyard and tried a bunch of different handguns. I was hoping she would go for the nice S&W 642 J Frame. I was even prepared to buy her the one with the pink handle. :eek: But, she hated the trigger pull, and the recoil was a little much for her.

After shooting a bunch of different guns, she decided on the smallest option we had for her to shoot that day - a Kel Tec P32. She actually ended up enjoying shooting that gun, and was very accurate with it, which also gave her a lot of confidence.

So I got her a Kel Tec P32 (in green, which is her favorite color :eek:) which she carries with her.

UNFORTUNATELY, she simply refuses to trust a gun without a safety, so she refuses to keep a shell in the chamber. :banghead:

So, basically, I'm still looking. I just bought myself a Bodyguard 380, and she likes the fact that it has a safety and an integrated laser. So she's going to give it a try soon. Unfortunately, I don't think she'll like the recoil at all.

So I'm kind of still looking, but I am pleased she has her CCW license and does carry a handgun. Even if she doesn't keep a bullet in the chamber. :uhoh:

Baby steps are better than no steps at all. :cool:
 
Second, I wouldn't trust her with a gun, any more than I would trust her with our finances.
Click to expand...

I'd be on the couch until the divorce if I wrote that. >.<
Nope. My wife picks all her own guns and does all her own cleaning, shooting and work on her own collection.
 
My husband took me to the gun show this weekend so that I could find my next gun, the one I've been dreaming of, my first 1911! and a Beretta 92FS! I know what I like, and I think if your wives shoot at all, they will know what they want too! I've got pics and info on my guns on my blog.
Nushif, it sounds like your wife and I would get along!
GNG
 
Hey all, I haven't read all the way through the whole thread - gotta get a move on.
My wife however, from her first marriage has an SP101 - but she doesn't shoot or practice or anything. She's always affraid that the children might get a hold of it and that whole story. No matter the precautions, the locks everything. Anyway, our son together, he's 6 now, has shown a great interest in guns.... But of course, right!
Anyway, I've used the 'I'll get you an airsoft or bb gun upon these conditions' - yes I've had to resort to that. But since then, my wife is coming around and starting to feel much more confortable about the guns. It's two or three times a week I'm showing my son the do's and don'ts of the weapons, teaching, teaching, teaching - and now my wife is starting to lean more towards going to the range with me and firing off her weapon. But what's caught her eye is the Taurus Judge - .45/.410 - she's always talking about a shotgun but when she saw the Judge, I saw the sparkle in her eye, if you will.

Also CoRoMo - if you haven't found a weapon yet, show her the Sub-Compact Beretta PX4 storm in the 9 - that's a bad A$$ item there. I'm going to get the 40 and 45 versions soon, but maybe that's an option.
 
I live with a great gal, But when I needed to buy a beretta 92FS(my carry arm was the M9)for practice when I was working for DOD Police as a member of the Base closure force from 1995-2000 in San Francisco Bay Area. She was not hot on the idea, at first: I took here to the range to keep me company while I did my shooting. She had watched for a time, then She asked if she might try it! Now, mind you she did not like guns and only allowed it in the house because of my training needs. Well, I showed her how to handle the pistol. How to load,unload and other stuff. She has small hands and the 92FS looked like a cannon in her hands. After I showed her the basics, she shot the 10 round mag. She turned to me with a BIG smile on her face and said "Cool, Can I Do It Again! " She was hooked!!!!! She has since that time bought the folowing Guns: a Beretta Cougar 8000 (no longer made by Beretta) a Baby Dragoon pocket pistol (kit gun) And I gave her a Ruger Vaquero in 357. She wants a double action revolver now! We are both SASS members and we belong to a Bay Area reneactor group. I need to show her how shoot a shotgun and a lever action rifle next. She went from not liking guns to loving them! No arm twisting was needed. All women should be so willing. Good luck to the OP, Don't force her But show her how fun it is and stress the stress relief one gets by shooting at a target and pretending it is the jackalope that took the parking space you wanted! That is what my lady does, saves on meds that way.
 
I'm glad this is stickied. My gun is close to the best gift I've ever received. I was given a price limit and packed off to Sportsman's Warehouse. And promptly fell in love. With a gun outside of the price limit. Oh well :)
I think it's great that guys want to buy their gals guns. May more ladies learn to appreciate that kind of gift. Don't stop with your wives though. Get your daughters guns and teach them to love them, too!
 
Of course your should let your wife/gf choose their own gun. I too had to learn this the hard way.
When my daughter was planning her wedding with my wife, I was complaining to a lady co-worker about the price of a wedding cake. she gave me some wise advice which I took to heart. she said I needed to apply the "3-S" position when it came to wedding planning.
1. Sit down
2. Shut up
3. Shell out.
Had I taken that advice when I bought "Her" a gun, I would have been several hundred dollars better off.
 
Even though she was in the NAVY she had had almost no time with a gun when i meet her.

after many thousands of 22lr from my browning nomad, HS sk100, ruger mkIII22/45. (made a dent in my 22 stash)

she picked up a SW-CS9 nice little gun . now she is working on my 9mm stash:eek:.

guess next ill get her into reloading.

ps: she has shot my xdsc40 and xd45 she did good with the 40
 
The reoccurring theme to this thread is to "let your wife/girlfriend pick out her own gun." And although I couldn't agree more, the reasoning goes beyond mere taste. I had let my wife shoot my .40 and she was not a fan. I thought this had put her against guns all together until one day she asked out of the blue if a .22 would stop a man. Generally I think the answer is "no," however I explained that any gun that she was comfortable with, confident with, and accurate with is better than either no gun at all, or a gun that you can't shoot accurately. By approaching it this way, she is now in the shopping phase of gun ownership. Had I said "no, you need at least a 9mm" she may have never picked up another gun. So I will let her pick out what she wants and maybe someday she will be more comfortable with a larger caliber.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

1911 guy
  • Locked
Buying a handgun for your wife or girlfriend?
Replies
4
Views
491
Fred Fuller
F
D
  • Locked
VERY proud of my wife.
Replies
14
Views
1K
tbtrout
T
Smaug
  • Locked
Getting the wife shooting; our story
2 3
Replies
64
Views
3K
Smaug
Smaug
M
  • Locked
Wife thinking about CCW. Looking for suggestions...
2 3
Replies
61
Views
3K
PaFrank
P
C
  • Locked
handgun for wife to use
Replies
20
Views
778
hso
hso
Back
Top