Pistol recommendation

[latisimusd]

Title should say Pistol Recommendation (not 22LR)

I just sold a pistol and want to get my wife something that will fit her hands and possibly something that could be holstered and carried. Small to med size woman size hands.

She's not real fond of snappy recoil ( 40S&W and 45acp won't work too much and 22-25 too small), so what would you pick for your wife based on that info?

Does sound like Goldilocks:)

Thanks in advance for your recommendations & opinions

Edited June 23, 2011 by strickj

[R1100R]

Mine was shooting 380's and J frames. She shot my SIG 220 in .45 recently and that was all she wrote. She wants a 220 compact now.

Take here to a range that rents guns and let her try some out. It personal and different for each person.

[Jonnin]

22s are the worst for misfires of any ammo I know of... for that reason alone I usually recommend not using as a carry weapon.

If she insists, maybe look at the walther 22, which is a good trainer for a larger gun, or maybe the little beretta tip up 22, both are ok for carry I suppose.

I would try to convince her to go with a 380 or 9x18 in a medium frame pistol, bersa thunder size or so, to bypass the misfire issue, but thats just my opinion.

[Guest UTVOL87]

My wife does fine with the Smith & Wesson M&P9 (full size 9mm) and M&P9c (compact 9mm). Having double stack magazines means the grips are wider than a single stack, thus more surface area to distribute the recoil into the hand. The grips also fit the hand well. You also grip the pistols high and close to the bore axis which reduces snappy recoil. She also has no trouble racking the slides.

[graycrait]

Depends on where she is in shooting but she could learn very well on a 3" Ruger SP101 .357 shooting .38 spl. This gives enough weight to assist with felt recoil. If she can handle it I think the finger groove handled Ruger LCR in .38 is a great shooting light weight revolver. A Kahr CW9 in semi auto would fit her more than likely and give enough grip length to hold on to the snappy 9mm in light pistol. If higher capacity is needed then something Glock 19 size in 9mm, or SR9C, XD or M&P.

[-Bristol-]

I have a Walther PK380 that is a soft shooter. The coil spring is pretty light so it is easy to rack the slide. The 3 dot sights are adjustable and the sight radius is longer than most 380s which helps with the accuracy. It has been 100% for feed and function with every ammo I've tried. Starting price is just above $300. It has an accessory rail, ambi-safety, ambi-mag release, 19oz and NOT a subcompact. It's enjoyable to shoot.

[MarkInNashville]

I have noticed by watching women shoot what you might want to try is to go to a well stocked gun store and let her try several until she finds something the she finds comfortable or at least usable. Its a very personal desicion and really should be left up to her.

[peejman]

I have noticed by watching women shoot what you might want to try is to go to a well stocked gun store and let her try several until she finds something the she finds comfortable or at least usable. Its a very personal desicion and really should be left up to her.

+1

Find a range with lots of rentals available. Let her try a bunch of stuff.

[True Grit]

Depends on where she is in shooting but she could learn very well on a 3" Ruger SP101 .357 shooting .38 spl. This gives enough weight to assist with felt recoil. If she can handle it I think the finger groove handled Ruger LCR in .38 is a great shooting light weight revolver. A Kahr CW9 in semi auto would fit her more than likely and give enough grip length to hold on to the snappy 9mm in light pistol. If higher capacity is needed then something Glock 19 size in 9mm, or SR9C, XD or M&P.

I took my wife out to the range to try several of my guns and she picked my 9mm XDM which fit her hand and felt less recoil for her arthritic wrists. She had no difficulty racking the slide. She hated my Ruger LCR 38spl because of the long and heavy trigger pull and the snappy recoil. Now that she has her HCP she carries the xdm in her fanny pack or a Beretta 21A Bobcat 22LR in her pocket. (Now she tells me she changed her pocket gun to my Sig 238 HD).

Edited June 27, 2011 by USARTGO

[dats82]

My fiance loves her Bersa 380. We have never had any problems from it, and it is easy on the wallet as well.

What was mentioned above about her trying guns in the store is exactly what you need to do. I bought a 38 revolver for my fiance, and she did not like it one bit. I picked up the used Bersa on the cheap to mess with a little and possibly resale to make a few bucks. However, when she got ahold of it, it was all of a sudden "hers." A woman is hard to predict; let her pick it out.

[chances R]

..." A woman is hard to predict; let her pick it out.

That would be 'impossible' rather than hard.

[Guest WyattEarp]

CZ Firearms.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/handguns/54048-cz-75-p-07-duty-40-review.html

[Guest mds3d]

I am going to repeat the notion that you should take her to a range with a lot of rentals. In addition to that I am also going to suggest the PK380 as something she tries. I know it is big for a 380, but that makes for an easy to shoot weapon in a defensive caliber.

[Will Carry]

I made the mistake of buying my wife a snub nosed 38 special ultra light. She hated it and the recoil was unpleasant even for me. I think you need to desensitize your wife to recoil. I did it with my daughter and now she likes big guns. Her favorite is the XD-45, which she shoots with authority.

My daughter was a goalie for the North Carolina state Champion soccer team when she was in high school. I just pointed out to her that shooting a .357 magnum was a lot easier than standing in front of a soccer ball going 60 MPH. I tried to show her that the recoil doesn't hurt and that it's just the loud noise and sudden jump of the pistol that make people recoil sensitive. She got to shoot a 44 magnum Raging Bull and did not hesitate to empty the chambers.

Once a woman looses her fear of recoil (man too for that matter) they become empowered and will likely choose a gun you would not have thought of.

Good luck brother!

[daddyo]

Most of the accounts I've heard where a woman was trying to decide on a carry weapon resulted in them picking a small 9mm, either a Glock or a M&P.

I went along for the ride when my son took his HCP class. There were several women in the class, and some were using G19s and Sigmas. My son used my M&P9c to qualify on the range, and at the end of it all the instructor passed it around for everyone to see and shoot. All of the women liked it for the size and the ergonomics. At least two of them decided that's what they would get to carry.

You might want to look at one of the new Kahr CM9s as well if you can find one.

[adam42]

Get her a 38 / 357 revolver then all she needs to do is point and pull the trigger.

[daddyo]

If you want her to carry it, let her pick it.

[latisimusd]

Great ideas and opinions!

Got me thinking that instead of me trying to pick it out for her, a trip to one of the local ranges with pistol rentals might be the way to go.

[-Bristol-]

Using rentals will allow her to realize that some weapons offer different features, others hardly any. But she is like an unschooled driver buying a first vehicle and can make alot of wrong decisions if guidance is not given. And will she listen to your guidance? Be careful with this saying "let her decide".

I recently met a woman who was carrying and she was proud of her choice in a new Taurus 38 revolver. What sold her on it was the little key that could be used to make the weapon in-operable. The weapon was in her purse and the key was on her key ring with her car keys. That was a purchase made by an uninformed novice. And for her to abandon that feature now was not going to happen. People will let the novice make the choice and don't add a disclaimer that a novice will often make an uninformed choice, even a poor choice.

[caliperman]

.38 special. You don't have to have a gun with lots of bullets. Practice,practice,practice.

[gotigers]

I would have suggested a S&W 642, but it is a snappy gun. My next choice is a PPS. It light and thin, but it is heavier than the PM9, LC9 and PF9. Heavy enought to shoot all day without all the snappy recoil that wears your wrist out. Otherwise a Compact 9 double stack would be a good choice; M&P9c, Glock 26, Ruger(SR9c). All of the mouse .380's will be to snappy.

[True Grit]

.38 special. You don't have to have a gun with lots of bullets. Practice,practice,practice.

My wife picked up her first gun trying them out at an indoor range 25 yrs ago and it was a Charter Arms 38sp Off-Duty. Now with arthritic hands she won't use it anymore but prefers the Sig P238 HD which is pretty easy to rack the slide, has a light trigger pull and the all steel HD really has little recoil.

[TaurusPT111Pro]

I remember seeing a Taurus TCP in pink in the sales area recently, unsure if it's still there or not though....