Wife's first gun.....suggestions?

[hkusp40cal]

I just went through this with my wife. We went and looked at guns and she really liked the SW 638, that is until we took it to the range. She couldn't even fire it, the double action pull was too much for her (small hands) so I sold it. She did like the P22 which is good for her to practice with, but we are looking for something else once she gets her permit. So far she has handled many different firearms, hates revolvers and so far the pistol she likes best at least by feel is a Glock 19. We will see if that continues once she fires one.

[eapking]

In Memphis (Bartlett) Range USA rents a good assortment. You can order from them too.

[Donnie]

I agree with evryone here about letting her shoot different guns and picking it out for herself. My wife and I did the trial and error method. She first got a Kahr PM9. Good little gun but the one we got had issues. She then got a P3AT. Great little gun, but it was a bit snappy for her. Finally got a Kel-Tec P32, the P3at's little brother, and she couldn't be happier. My wife is a realtor, which means that she didn't want to change the way she dresses to conceal. The P-32 isn't noticeable at all. Just remember that a woman is built differently and what might be comfortable and concealable to a man might not be to her.

[Guest ibavol]

My suggestion would be to take her to a gun show and let her handle and feel diffferent choices. That's what my wife and I did. We decided to narrow it down to 9mm or 38spl. as a minimum defensive round caliber...other opinions respected . She had shot both and felt comfortable with the recoil of either. I took some snap caps to the fun show for both cailbers so she could feel the triggers. She didn't like the DA trigger and sights on the revolvers and had difficulty racking the slide on most SA's. After hours of going back and forth she decided on the Kahr CW9. The grip was comfortable to her hand size and she felt like she could point and shoot quickly. Easy trigger pull, fast acquisition bar/dot sights and manageable slide rack were the determining factors for her. We discussed that SA's were a little more complex than a wheel gun and she has been OK with that. I explained that a revolver is nearly fool proof and she still opted for the Kahr. I actually preferred that she go with the revolver since I had one and didn't have to spend any money but it was for her and I explained that she needed to have complete confidence.

She loves the Kahr CW 9 and carries it with her every day and can shoot it very well. Understanding the detailed operation and function of a SA made a big difference also. The gun has been flawless but training and practice are most important. Hope this helps.

[TN9mm]

JMHO the Walther P22 is a great option to start.

Nice shooting gun, ammo is cheap so you can shoot a lot you can go use up an entire box of Remmington Gold Dot 550 rounds for around $15. I'm not scared to carry it at all. I'll admit it sometimes I do, when my attire will not work with my normal carry piece. It is proven beyond reliable for me with the right ammo. It is an intimidating pistol visually and I doubt a BG is gonna examine the bore of the barrel if drawn.

It's a different discussion but the 22lr can be a very effective round if placed properly and has dropped more than people than all of those who think anything less than a .45 is a BB gun would like to admit. Those that argue it would just piss someone off would never volunteer to take 4 or 5 quick CCI Stingers to the chest then one to the melon.

Then you could move up to the PK380 if she wants more power they are virtually identical. Handling effectively and muscle memory are key to a defensive situation. I think confidence and accuracy are as important as cal.

[Guest Policek9Trainer]

My suggestion would be to take her to a gun show and let her handle and feel diffferent choices.

That's what my wife wants to do this Sunday. She's shot my 5946, grips too big for her. She's wanting to go a lot smaller although I had wanted her to stay with a 9mm (so we can share ammo), she's thinking 38 or 357, we'll see

[wjh2657]

I EDC S&W Snubbies. For a first and probably only gun I recommend a Stainless Steel Snubbie ( a 640 or 60) Especially if she is going to purse carry. Use standard pressure loads and put Pachmayr grips on it and it will be an effective SD gun she can shoot comfortably. I find wife and nieces all gravitate toward the 60, it seems to be a bit smaller yet still heavy enough to absorb recoil.

[Guest pws_smokeyjones]

Here is what Smokey did for Mrs. Jones back when she decided to start shooting. It worked very well.

1. Took her to the range, rented a .22 and let her shot that for a while. After getting comfortable with gun safety, grip, stance etc... moved on

2. Rented a 9mm and a .40 - let her shoot those a bit. she immediately handed the .40 back

3. She decided she liked the 9mm as a caliber. So we rented a glock 19, Sig P239 & P229, Beretta 92fs , and a Ruger, all in 9mm - she liked the Sig P239.

4. She put another 50 rounds or so in a 12" group at 7 yards and said she wanted one. So we marched back up stairs and bought one.

She has put a little over a thousand rounds through it since and has zero regrets.

[Paletiger13]

Walther P99 9mm. Grips interchange and recoil is minimal got a 9mm. My gf is maybe 105lbs and 5' and can control it with ease. She likes so I like.

[turkeydad]

hard to beat a taurus ultra lite for the money if she goes the revolver route

[titan14]

hard to beat a taurus ultra lite for the money if she goes the revolver route

IF she can stand the "little mule" kicking her in the hand every time she pulls the trigger....

[Guest Policek9Trainer]

Well as it turns out, she couldn't rack any of the auto's at one booth so they referred us to another vendor (Speciality Arms in LaVergne) and recommended the 642. She just didn't take to it. She had always liked my old Bersa 380 (can't remember what happened to that gun) and liked shooting it. So a they let her look at it, and she was able to rack it, and it was 150 cheaper than the 642, so she got it. Course I didn't know I was going to have a heck of a time finding ammo for it and haven't yet looked for extra mags yet. I only bought 5 boxes of 380 as I was able to get 10 boxes of 9's from another source for slightly less than I paid for those 5 boxes. Unreal.

[Guest Fwdftw]

mp 9c.. or a glock 26.. or a 38 special snub nose!

[Guest docvantrease2003]

smith an wesson 642

[Guest Tom@GunDepot]

We sell a ton of Walther p22's women seem to really like the way the feel in there hands and they can work the controls Safety, Slides & Magazine Release which is the most important thing. In a revolver I would recommend a 22 magnum they have a nice little punch. If she is recoil sensitive.

(Very Underrated) Round

Edited April 29, 2009 by Tom@GunDepot

[Shark1591]

My wife likes my Sig P239. She is deadly with it.. She doesn't carry it (yet) but loves to shoot it.

[GLOCKMEISTER]

1st of all she needs to shoot it more then 10 times in her life. Practice with what ever you get her. Let her totally pick it out, if she doesnt you may be stuck with something she wont use. Semi automatics arent advisable for novices.

Most of my lady students wind up with a 38 special revolver in some form or fashion... most prefer the S&W 642...as does my wife.

[GLOCKMEISTER]

We sell a ton of Walther p22's women seem to really like the way the feel in there hands and they can work the controls Safety, Slides & Magazine Release which is the most important thing. In a revolver I would recommend a 22 magnum they have a nice little punch. If she is recoil sensitive.

(Very Underrated) Round

sorry all you 22 lovers but a 22 or 22 magnum in a short barreled handgun is no more then a poodle popper. It simply doesnt have the velocity it would in a rifle to be an effective stopper.

If you needing to stop an attack, stop it. In all my years of teaching I have only seen two ladys that couldnt handle a .38 special with proper training.