Carry gun for the wife?

heresyourdipstickjimmy · Aug 29, 2010

daddy4count said:
Opinions please?

My wife is discussing what kind of gun she wants to get. This is a big step for her. Until recently she has always talked about getting one "someday" but now she is actually thinking about what kind to get.

She digs my XD-45 but it is a little bit too large for her hands. Also, after shooting 50 or 60 rounds it starts to hurt her hand and can even leave a bruise!

She is small, 5 ft 2 and has a hard time finding blue jeans small enough so gun size is a consideration.

She will not be carrying as often as I do. We will get her a WA state CPL but she will likely OC on occasion too. Primarily this will be for range use and her defense when I am not around... or in the woods when we hike and backpack.

It also needs to be a simple gun... simple operation and simple cleaning, maintenance, etc.

So I am thinking revolver? Form and function, easy cleaning, simple operation, small frame with the ability to hurl lead like the bigger players.

I also want her to have some knock down power but not so much that she cannot control it... so I am thinking .357

Here is where the fun begins...

6-inch is too much barrel for her but I think 2-inch is too little?

Light weight frames are nice, but they kick like a mule so the felt recoil is going to be right up there with my .45 - well not exactly but still not fun to shoot 100 times in an afternoon, right?

Ruger? S&W? Taurus?

Hammerless?

I know she needs to get her hands on some, and we will. Probably head to Champion or Wades and break out the .357 selection, let her play to her hearts content. But since I know a few folks who are well versed on the subject... why not posit the question to them?

Sounds like you're on the right first-step: Let her pick it out.

You're forgetting something major about the .357's. You can shoot .38spl through them. That means that the 2-4 inch barrel choices are quite manageable. If you're in doubt go with a ported barrel.

Look at the snubby .357's, especially in the Lady Smith versions. But if she likes the .45ACP don't be afraid to consider the Kahr .45's. Single stack Kahr will give you a slimmer profile than the revolver will. And to a woman, profile is everything...it has to allow them to continue to look sexy...and it doesn't hurt if the pistol is sexy as well.

So let me run down some options I considered for my wife and what the result was.
Baby Eagle .45ACP - loved to shoot it, but it was too large and too heavy to carry, so I got to keep it for myself thankfully.

Walther P22 3 inch - profile was right, length was right, hid well, trigger great, but it just didn't pack enough punch for me to feel safe with her carrying it, plus they are prone to jams. Sold it.

XD9SC - length was right, width wasn't right, weight wasn't right. Sold it.

Ruger LCP - snappy recoil and a light pistol. Fit her hands well, profile is right, crimson trace is available for it, trigger was heavy...but she kept this anyway. She has a Crossbreed Minituck that accepts the LCP w/ Crimson Trace mounted as well as a pocket holster option if she wants it.

.357 Mag revolver - none of the .357 mags gave her the profile she wanted, but she did note that it would be a great winter jacket pistol or in a concealed carry purse. Keeping this for IDPA stock service revolver division.

Mr H · Aug 30, 2010

Haven't read all the posts yet, so I apologize in advance for any repetition.

When my wife was looking, with her hand strength concerns, a wheelgun was the best choice for her, and I agree.

It came down to 2... S&W Mod60, and Ruger SP101, b oth in the 3" (3.25?) barrel.

It was a tough call, but she dedcided to go with the 60. She decided that she WANTED the slightly tighter pull of tghe S&W over the Ruger, even though overall she seemed to like the SP better.

Why?

Less of a chance for a premature or erroneous shot, to her mind. And, if that was a comfort point for her, who am I to argue??!!

As for loads, we go with 39spl for her to practice, and it gets put to bed with +p

Of course, YMMV...

Mr H · Aug 30, 2010

G20-IWB24/7 said:
The Sig's do not require a tool to be disassembled. Just a flip of the takedown lever when at slide-lock.

The gun she's talking about on NCIS is a P229 (which tend to have a fairly wide grip, as they are double-stack.) You might have her look at the P239, which is similar to the wider gun, but has a single stack (thin) grip. I've had a P239 in the past, and it was a great shooter and easy to operate with my small hands. The 239 is available in 9mm (8+1 capacity), .357 Sig, or .40S&W (7+1 cap.).

If I had it to do again, I would go with the P229 over the 239, simply because of my meathooks.

But, even so, no complaints!!! Also, there is a 10-round mag available for the P239... ugly as sin, but it's not ALL about the looks!!

Just picked up a P238 tonight... will try to go shoot it this weekend, and report.

Tawnos · Aug 31, 2010

In .380: Sig 238
In .38Spl: Airweight
In 9mm/.40S&W: Walther PPS, baby GLOCK, XD SC, M&P C

onlurker · Aug 31, 2010

daddy4count said:
Good points...

THIS JUST IN:

"I like the gun Ziva carries on NCIS. What kind is that?"

So she favors the look of the .40SW Sig... or at least the look of it in the hands of a good looking, Latino actress.

The last time I had to clean a Sig it was a bit of a chore. Though at the time I still shot a 1911, which aren't exactly simple to break down. Am I mis-remembering that the Sig requires a tool to disassemble?

Where my Sig folks at?

Small hands + a Sig, +1 more vote to have her look at the P239. My roommate has small hands and she likes how my P239 feels when she holds it. Sam's up here in Everett has a pair of P239s (.40 and 9mm) she could try out if you're willing to make the drive. Whenever there is the next local shoot and your wife hasn't had a chance to shoot one, I can bring mine (.40 S&W) to give it a try should the circumstances allow for it.

daddy4count · Aug 31, 2010

onlurker said:
I can bring mine (.40 S&W) to give it a try should the circumstances allow for it.

Very generous offer, thanks!

I may make the trek up to Sams, great place. I used to go there all the time when I was in sales... most of my customers preferred shooting to golf or lunches. It was a great way to get the company to pay for my practice ammo!!

skorittnig · Sep 3, 2010

I'm sorry- when I read "Carry gun for the wife", I thought you were asking what carry gun you should be looking to take IN TRADE for her. :lol:

I'd look at a DAO revolver like a ruger sp101 or S&W J frame (depending on what size/caliber/recoil sensitive she is).

Best wishes, it is great that your wife wants to carry.

Maverick9110e · Sep 3, 2010

I'm in about the same boat as you. Two guns that caught our eyes you may want to look at is the new bodyguard series .380's from S&W. I'm on my phone so ill post a link later but the size and style really caught mher eye. They have both a revolver and semi auto flavor.

Regular_Joe · Sep 4, 2010

G20-IWB24/7 said:
The Sig's do not require a tool to be disassembled. Just a flip of the takedown lever when at slide-lock.

The gun she's talking about on NCIS is a P229 (which tend to have a fairly wide grip, as they are double-stack.) You might have her look at the P239, which is similar to the wider gun, but has a single stack (thin) grip. I've had a P239 in the past, and it was a great shooter and easy to operate with my small hands. The 239 is available in 9mm (8+1 capacity), .357 Sig, or .40S&W (7+1 cap.).

My wife bought a P239 after she tried many at a local range (make sure she testdrives whatever she is interested in!). She likes the small frame and she is able to pull the slide back fairly easily. Sig is an excellent brand and the steel components eats up a bunch of the recoil. She would prefer a higher-cap mag, but she didn't want to sacrifice for the width that a doublestack would offer.

She has been through some defensive handgun training with no issues (Galco leather pancake belt holster).

She has noticed that after about 45 minutes of range time that the gun tends to get heavy. She is shopping now for gun #2 and is looking at the Springfield EMP, also and excellent option for your wife!

M1911a1lvr · Sep 4, 2010

Another gun you might want to consider is the SIG P250 in 9mm/.40S&W/.357 SIG. My wife carries the P250 Compact 9mm. She likes the fact that it has minimal controls, a smooth trigger pull and is DAO. So it's the same trigger pull every time. Plus if your wife has small hands like mine does, you can also get the short reach trigger installed. The nice thing about the P250 is that you can change out the frames to a larger or smaller frame. My wife's SIG P250 came with night sights and a rail for a laser/light package. She loves it.

When my wife gets back from being deployed in Afghanistan, we will be taking some defensive handgun courses together. She will need them to get better.

gunbug · Sep 4, 2010

My wife move to progressively smaller and lighter handguns until she settled in on the Ruger LCP. It's "only" a .380 and she'd prefer her Ruger 45 if things went south, but the adage of the gun you have with you is better than the one at home in the safe has proved true with her.

For that reason I think a 6in revolver wouldn't be a great choice, but a 3in sp101 would be a good selection for a revolver.

HvyMtl · Sep 4, 2010

If I am remembering correctly, the XD and several Glock models require the trigger to be pulled to break down the gun for cleaning. I do believe the XDm does not have this issue. Simply due to safety, I would go XDm.

Remember: She has to make the decision on the firearm. It has to "feel right" to her. Otherwise, she will not like it and not want to carry it. So if you hate it, but she likes it, she wins. Otherwise you may have wasted your $, and she will not trust the weapon enough to carry it...

Find the caliber she is most comfortable with (recoil and quickness of follow up shot) then find the pistol which fits her hand, her target eye, and her feel best.

Finding this firearm can be quite fun.

Mr H · Sep 4, 2010

Regular_Joe said:
She has noticed that after about 45 minutes of range time that the gun tends to get heavy. She is shopping now for gun #2

After today, I can heartily recommend the Sig P238 as a lightweight option.

Very comfy to shoot... not a lot of recoil (a lot less than I expected, actually), and very nice sighting for a small weapon.

My only concern??? That once I get the wife to try it, I may need another one.

;-))

big_bugga9 · Sep 6, 2010

I've always thought the old AMT.380 backup was the perfect gun for the ladies to carry... its a modest yet effective round, comfortable in small hands, has a grip safety, relatively cheap and small enough for a purse. You can find them for around $150.

sultan62 · Sep 6, 2010

HvyMtl said:
SNIP
If I am remembering correctly, the XD and several Glock models require the trigger to be pulled to break down the gun for cleaning. I do believe the XDm does not have this issue. Simply due to safety, I would go XDm.

I have seen this issue brought up over and over, and I just don't see how you could possibly make the mistake of not checking to see if the gun is loading before disassembling, or somehow not seeing the round in the breech.

groovedrummer · Sep 6, 2010

Opps wrong thread... lol

pool_marine702 · Sep 6, 2010

sultan62 said:
I have seen this issue brought up over and over, and I just don't see how you could possibly make the mistake of not checking to see if the gun is loading before disassembling, or somehow not seeing the round in the breech.

I have heard this before also and its BS!!!.... I own a glock 23 and in my opinion if you are even touching a weapon, led alone attempting to dissasemble a weapon without knowing if the weapon is loaded... you have no business being around or handleing any gun.
AND by the way i refrenced my owners manuel for the glock as well as my AR-15... and when you get to the dissambley section, both clearly state in BOLD LETTERS... BE SURE THAT THE WEAOPN IS UN-LOADED AND CLEARED OF ANY AMMUNITION.... just dont be an idiot and pay attention to what your doing and you will never have an accidental discharge!
Due to their simplicity a glock or XD/ XDm would be a great choice (if not one of the best )for your wife...or anyone for that matter... because there is less steps or things to forget when drawing your weapon to engage a threat... i wouldn't want my girlfriend to forget to disengage her safety and get hurt in a stressful situation. thats why whenever she is ready to carry... she will carry a glock or XD

onlurker · Sep 7, 2010

HvyMtl said:
If I am remembering correctly, the XD and several Glock models require the trigger to be pulled to break down the gun for cleaning. I do believe the XDm does not have this issue. Simply due to safety, I would go XDm.

The XD and the XDM have the same process for removing the slide, you have to lock the slide back and lift the take-down lever. The operation is nearly identical to a Sig and completely different than a Glock.

Snakemathis · Sep 7, 2010

pool_marine702 said:
SNIP thats why whenever she is ready to carry... she will carry a glock or XD

Not to be rude but that really should be her choice. If she is more comfortable with the external safety then she needs to train with it. Its NOT about how many or how few safeties a firearm has, its about HER ABILITY to operate and handle that firearm. Training with an external safety will make her just as fast with it as you may be with your glock or XD. She needs to have what is comfortable for her, and just train, train, train. But her basing her firearm decision on safety operation alone is more dangerous than her getting any firearm with an external safety.

wakeslayer · Sep 8, 2010

My wife recently bought a Beretta PX4 9mm. She owned a Taurus PT-908 for many years. She tried several auto's, Glock, Springfield, Taurus, Smith etc, and decided to get the Storm. We got a good trade on the 908, so it made sense. She has RA, so comfort is very important to her. Despite being a full size auto, she is very comfortable with carrying, handling, and shooting it. The PX4 comes with three different backstraps for the grip so you can somewhat adjust the grip size. Very easy gun to use. She can rack the slide with half the effort of her 908, and the safety/decocker is much easier to use. It also uses a rotating barrel that reduces the recoil noticeably.

I liked the gun so much that i got one also. I traded my Taurus PT99 in on it.

Just my $.02

Carry gun for the wife?

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

New member

Regular Member

Regular Member

New member

Attachments

Regular Member

New member

Regular Member

Regular Member

Regular Member

New member