Wife is gonna get a CCW pistol. Reccomendations?

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EBRDude

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Ok, here is what she sent me in an email: I don't want anything too big, heavy or powerful. Just enough to conceal in a purse and be effective.

I am thinking a surplus P6 fits the bill pretty well. I would prefer 9mm, but a .380 may also fit the bill. She is a small girl (5'4" 115lbs) and will be recoil sensitive. So, how about some input, and if it's from a Woman, so much the better.
 
My wife's carry gun is a Taurus M85 lightweight .38 special. She does not shoot it a lot but is proficient with it.
 
Let her pick it. Have her handle a bunch of different weapons.

Big problem with small guns is that they are more expert weapons and require more diligent practice. The springs will be stiffer and will require more hand/forearm strength to manipulate. The weapon will be more prone to malf while at positions of disadvantage. The sight radius will be shorter, and sights can be harder to see (e.g. Smith J frame).

If she wants a small gun, have her practice with it so that she can operate it from positions of disadvantage, i.e. on the ground and one armed, etc. in her sleep.

Buy two, one to carry and one to shoot the stuffing out of.

Get her a class or three. You do not teach her to shoot. You pay for the class and buy ammo.
 
As always, the first recommendation is for her to go to a gun shop, look at several handguns, handle them, see how they fit in her hand, etc.

For carry, she's also going to want to experiment with different carry methods, to see what's comfortable.

A pocket revolver would be a good choice for simplicity, but she may find double action triggers uncomfortable, may not like the lack of an external safety, may want a higher ammunition capacity than 5-6 rounds...

She needs to find what she feels comfortable with. If it's not comfortable, don't buy it, because uncomfortable weapons aren't carried or practiced on.
 
For whatever it's worth...

My wife loves her KelTec P32. It's small. Low recoil. Fits everywhere. I know it ain't exactly a men stopper, but if I was to hurt her, I would certainly reconsider my plan when faces with 8 .32AUTO FMJ rounds :uhoh:
 
Again, my top pick for new, small, or strength challenged women is the Bersa Thunder .380.

It's small, accurate, reliable, and is easy to run. It was one of the few pistols that my wife could manipulate (work the slide, slide release, mag release).
 
I haven't found my carry gun yet, but you might look up my thread "The Short List" for some inspiration.

I find that the recoil from my DH's S&W M&P 9mm is almost unnoticeable. It moves the gun, but I don't feel it in my hands any more than I feel the .22 recoil from the Mark III. I haven't fired the M&P compact yet.

If she's equating "big" with "power" she may need some time shooting rental guns to understand that something larger and heavier will soak up recoil so that she isn't artificially limiting her search due to that misconception.

I'd also suggest that she look through the articles at www.corneredcat.com so that she gets a good understanding of the advantages and limitations of purse carry. :)
 
Ditto to what the other guys have said. I let my wife handle a few pistols, and she purely picked one because of the size and she picked the KelTec 3AT. She shot it once and hated it... I had a hard time holding that little pistol in my big hands. Sold it and then she shot my STI 1911. She liked it enough to want a full sized, but she eventually decided on a Para Warthog. It's personal preference but yeah I'd suggest getting her out there to shoot a few different models or at least handle a few pistols to see what feels right in her hand.
 
My wife told me to go buy her a pistol. She was working too much ot come along with me. She was thinking about another revolver like my old Taurus model 85.

I bought her a Bersa Thunder .380. She's in love with the gun!

We had a couple of misfires due to lower quality range ammo at first, but then bought good quality ammo from Space Coast Bullets, a local reloading company her in Melbourne, and haven't had a hitch since. Well, there has been one hitch, the .380 seems to have had a surge in popularity and Space Coast Bullets hasn't caught up with the rise in demand yet. They said that should be taken care of this week.

Fro the price the Bersa is hard to beat, and everyone I know who has one is quite satisfied.
 
rental guns, DA only J frame .38spl

1st, I'd take her to a rental range/shop and let her train/test fire different types of small frame weapons. She may not be able to fire a pistol or work a DA only type revolver, :uhoh:. It's better to know what she can use before you go and spend the $$$. If she is a new shooter and can handle it, I would suggest a new S&W model 642 or 638 type J frame .38spl. For a semi auto pistol, I'd get a new SIGsauer P-239 SAS/DAK model in .357sig or maybe 9mmNATO. I like the .357sig for CC/duty/protection. It feeds well and has proven power to end a violent attack, ;). The .40s&w and 9mmNATO are good but for my $$$ the .357sig would be a smart bet.

The HK LEM model P-2000sk would be a great DA only pistol too.

RS
www.gunsamerica.com
 
My wife chose an S&W 642 .38 Spl for CCW after I tried to prod her into a semi auto. I think it was a great choice. I also think the Sig P6 is a great choice but see if she can find one to shoot. If not there are many ranges with P228's and P229's which are pretty similar except they are double stack and the grip is wider. If she likes those, she'd probably like the P6.

Other good choices would be the CZ RAMI and CZ-75D PCR.
 
My wife told me to go buy her a pistol.

I wish my wife would have done that. She would have gotten a Springfield MC Operator 1911 that she surely wouldn't have liked. Then she would have gotten something chambered in 10mm that she wouldn't have liked. Then she would have gotten a Beretta CX4 in .45 that she wouldn't have liked. Then she would have gotten an XD in .45 ACP that she wouldn't have liked.

Then she would have gotten the Bersa...
 
Thanks for the comments so far. I will have her pick what she is comfortable with, then base the decision on whether the pistol is a quality item. I have pretty extensive training in shooting, being ex-law enforcement, ex military, and, a general gun nut-so I am not sure why me teaching her is a bad thing. Do it right in the back yard too, since I live in the uber-boonies.
So, that being said, who makes some quality single stack 9mm's? She has already told me at lunch she does not like revolvers. As far as shooting something to see if she likes it, I am not sure she is that "in to it" If it fits her hand, hides in her purse, and is safe and effective, then she will like it. If not, then we can buy another one. I can already see her not liking a few I could store for her. I am pretty sure she won't like a FS2000 since it wont fit in her purse, so I may just hold onto it for her.
 
Wow. I actually didn't expect 'single stack 9mm' to narrow things down so dramatically.

Kel-Tec PF9 is one. I have one with a parkerized finish, and it's very easy to conceal in an IWB without being uncomfortable. 7 round single-stack mags, and a light rail for an Insight X2, or other similarly tiny attachment.

Hi-Point 9mms use single stack mags. Debates rage on whether EITHER of these two are 'quality firearms'.

The EAA-Zastava M88 is single stack.

Going back earlier, there's the Luger P'08, Walther P38/P1, Radom pistol, S&W M39, Beretta 951, Sig P210... none of them in production anymore...

Of course, there's always the 9mm 1911 variants.
 
My wife has a Taurus MiL Pro 111 (9mm). She is small and it was one of the few semi's that has a small diameter grip that she was comfortable with. Hers is reliable and accurate. Nice, reasonably priced gun, with ample power (9mm), reasonable recoil, 12 rnd capacity, and a medium strength trigger pull for her strength and size.

I'm not a Taurus fan, but I wouldn't ignore this gun because its a Taurus. Her biggest problem was small hands and grip sizes. She held many guns during our search and she held it once and basically said "this is the one".
 
1. Let the wife go to a range and shoot a variety and pick out what she wants.


2. Thursday, today is Thursday.
[Checks file notes on Wife>Thursday>Handgun> Forum>]

Boy are you screwed!
If a month has four Thursday's as this month does, and the question pops up on this 4th Thursday...

-Garthwaite BHP in 9mm with his tweaks , is at the top of the list.
-Colt Detective Special, about 1940's vintage is next.
-Good used Smith & Wesson 3913 Lady Smith.
Is your wife blonde by chance? If so get the 3913 LS and get some Polo Shirts like Callie wears on CSI and have fun with this...

Oh, it says here if she wanted a Shotgun , go with the Beretta Onyx.
Just thought I'd toss that in for free, since you are going to have the checkbook out and all...

*smile*
 
My girlfriend is on the small side, 5'2" 120. I let her go through my toy box and find what felt comfortable, over 30 handguns to choose from. She picked out Beretta 380, Ruger SP101, Bersa thunder .380, FEG .32, Kel Tec 32. We then took them to the range. Her hands down choice was the Bersa but the Feg was second, (with wolf spring to improve trigger pull).

Went out and got her a Bersa Thunder and she loves it. She is very recoil shy and has small hands. The Bersa just works well for her. She did like the SP101 but prefered the auto.
 
I am fairly new to the wife being interested thing. For me her interest in personal defense is some what a surprise. So, I have had to work through a lot of these questions.

Some will tell you what they think you need to do for her. Others will tell you to let her choose. You need to know your wife. Mine is independent, stubborn and insists that every thing was her idea. So, I couldn't tell her this is what you need to do, this is what you want and here is how you use it. Her interest would just drop.

I did choose her weapon, but only because it was a mother's day present. Even though I pick it out, she did the final payment on it. Also, it would have been much quicker for me to present my conceal permit to buy it without a background check, but then it wouldn't be hers.

Also, I can show her the basics and I do insist on safe practices, but my plan is not to train her. On the other hand, I will gift her classes with professionals. I will gladly take the kids and even take her out that night to celebrate whatever.

Now, I have to get permission to take her gun. She insists that I buy my own ammo for it. Here is the best part, she requires that I clean it right away. Now, she takes responsibility for hers and my kids defense and is not my gun stooge. As much as I would like to teach what I know, I love that she shares what she knows.

She loves her sp101 and shoots 38s. She doesn't like the .357s, even I think they bite a little, but I like the bite. A main reason for choosing this one is that it is a point and shoot gun; no fumbling with chambering a round or stove pipes while she is carrying a baby or anything else on her weak side.
 
See what she likes?

My problem with this philosophy, is that there is more to a CCW choice, especially one carried in a purse, than just preference.

Will she tip toe around it, or will she treat it like everything else in her purse?

What are the safety requirements for this kind of carry?

Will the gun handle being thrown around and drop like most purses do?

While considering sounds ok and what feels ok and what looks ok, does she consider the other questions? This is why I think any body considering a carry weapon for their self, should seek the questions they should be asking from multiple sources; not just one friend or a spouse. To restate, rather than asking what would be good; maybe it would be better to ask, "What are the questions I should be asking for this situation?"
 
Get her a Kahr CW9. Single stack 7+1 capacity. .9" wide, and weighs 15.8oz. The CW40 is very, very snappy and kinda hurts to shoot. its on par with a lightweight 357 revolver. The 9mm has some recoil, but there is no perfect gun. Give some, take some
 
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