Another New Gun for the Wife Thread

Was talking to my wife yesterday and she wants another carry pistol, she already has the following;

Sig P-250 Compact 9mm
S&W 349 .357 mag but shoots .38 Spec.
1911 Government (Ed Brown)

What she is looking for now (this starting to remind me of shopping for new shoes) is something she can purse, coat pocket or CC.
Criteria as follows;
As for all SD guns reliability is first on the list
Semi Auto
Slim width - single stack mag
Good 3 dot sights
DAO or DA
More compact than the Sig P250 - Slimmer, shorter barrel, height not so much of an issue as long as height not more than the P-250.
Caliber, 9mm is preferred, .380 second choice

My wife is petite, with small hands and does not like sharp snappy recoil. She handles the P-250 very well, handles a 1911 with standard ball really well, but the S&W loaded with standard .38’s is too snappy for her likening. She would like to carry a 4” Kimber but a 1911 does not lend itself to purse of pocket carry at least in my opinion. And like a lot of gals, my wife likes to dress fashionable when in the big city so a holster does not work well….besides have ya got any idea how many holsters I’d need to buy to match all those shoes.

We looked on the net and narrowed the initial choices to the following;
Kahr PM9 , P9 or CW9
Sig P232

Do you guy or gals have any other suggestions?

The new Ruger LC9?

Curtis said:

The new Ruger LC9?

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I had not thought of the Ruger.
Any idea if there has been reliability isues? How is the trigger?

I'll have her take a look.

Thanks,

Steve

If she doesn't like snappy recoil she might not the lc9, it only weighs 17OZ. That's a really light 9mm with a 3 inch barrel. Any small gun is going to be pretty snappy in the recoil department comparative to the p250.

If I can make a suggestion, try out a cz82/83. They are very well built, have nice big sights, chambered in .380 or 9mm makarov and have low felt recoil. They also tend to have good triggers in SA and DA, or at least mine does. I've read form a ton of people that women love them and my girlfriend is no different. First time she shot it she loved it and now it's hers. They are simple and reliable as well. I prefer the 9x18 or 9mm makarov version for the slight increase in power over the .380, but the CZ 83 does look much nicer and I believe they come with night sights standard.

Other than the CZ, I'm a fan if you can tell, lol, how bout these guns?: Walther PPK or PPS
Kel Tec PF9
CZ 2075 RAMI
S&W 908
Taurus pt709

That was about all I could think of off hand, that seemed to match most of your criteria, but there are plenty more I'm sure. Just make sure she handles them and approves or she might hate it and then it's kind of pointless.

I would vote for the Kahr P9 or PM9.

If she decides to go .380 the Kahr P380 is a nice gun and recoil isn't bad. My 12 year old daughter can shoot it fine but my 14 year old says its too small for her hands. I have also heard great things about the Sig Sauer P238. It is like a mini 1911 but a bit heavy which also helps with recoil.

Personally I recommend at least 9mm and think the PM9 is the best choice.

Just remember purse carry isn't the best way to carry. If someone snatches your purse they got your gun too. To counter that argument I have heard of people getting hammerless revolvers and carrying in their purse so when they reach into the purse they can fire from within it.

The horror of having a bride with whom one could enjoy shopping !! If most of us could be as fortunate..guns vs. shoes, etc..aye. lol.

I second the CZ's, and/or a Mak. (ironic since I have a heck of a time bringing myself to suggest moth-ball launchers -9mm- to anyone, in good conscience)

Or the Bersa Thunder CC. Nice and small-very slim. Tuck em just about anyplace.

.45acp said:

Was talking to my wife yesterday and she wants another carry pistol, she already has the following;

Sig P-250 Compact 9mm
S&W 349 .357 mag but shoots .38 Spec.
1911 Government (Ed Brown)

Click to expand...

Tell her you couldn't afford it, as you had to buy one for me. I only have one carry piece.

And yeah! A couple more CZ fans!

since9 said:

Tell her you couldn't afford it, as you had to buy one for me. I only have one carry piece.

And yeah! A couple more CZ fans!

Click to expand...

Indeed on the CZ's. Hard to beat them. Sort of the Honda Civic of handguns. Cant break em if you wanted to. Have an old 1970 vintage VZ50 (Czech police) that's all banged-up, dented,dinged,bluing flaking off here and there, but that old horse still shoots sweet as can be. -if magazines for it werent such a royal pain in the a.s.s to find, I wouldnt hesitate to carry it 24/7.

If she's willing to go to 380, the Bersa Thunder, either the concealed carry (Thunder 380 CC) or the Thunder 380. They also make a double-stack, but you've ruled that out.

The Bersa .380 was my carry gun for a long while, and I still carry it from time to time when I want something lightweight in my purse. I normally carry a 9mm now, but I am big and have big hands, so I can't recommend something based on my preferences. I often carry a Bersa Thunder 9; it's smaller than a lot of 9mm guns, but harder to conceal than the 380.

I replaced my Mak with the Thunder 380. More reliable (for me) and better accuracy (again, for me). Daughter shoots the Mak now.

Ever try the HK compact/USP's?

Thanks for the ideas and comment folks.

I think she is going to look at the PM 9 and the .45acp in Kahr's also. She really wants a .45acp, and she shoots my Dad's 3" 1911 Kimber without any problems.

We'll see what shakes out.

Steve

check my 845 review. She may actually love this one. recoil? non-issue.
controls placed just like a 1911, and ambi.

.45acp said:

Thanks for the ideas and comment folks.

I think she is going to look at the PM 9 and the .45acp in Kahr's also. She really wants a .45acp, and she shoots my Dad's 3" 1911 Kimber without any problems.

We'll see what shakes out.

Steve

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Yes the P45 and PM45 look interesting. I strongly considered them but decided on a Sig P220 Compact for CC since I already own other Sig's. The compact version is 6+1 just like the Kahr's but I can use any other P220 mags in it too. The Kahr had a significant weight & price advantage and was slightly thinner. The SAS melt, SRT trigger and night sights sold me on the Sig (as well as holster and mag interchange). http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=50&productid=294

I have a Kahr MK40 and I like it but it is heavy compared to a P/PM series gun. http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-MK40-Elite.asp I added a Crimson Trace laser grip to it and it works great. Both the 40 and 9mm versions are thinner than the 45 so depending on what you want each has its benefit. The gun-size difference between 9mm and 40 is negligable. If you were going with an all steel I would recommend the 40, for the polymer 9mm and 45.

Criteria as follows;
As for all SD guns reliability is first on the list
Semi Auto
Slim width - single stack mag
Good 3 dot sights
DAO or DA
More compact than the Sig P250 - Slimmer, shorter barrel, height not so much of an issue as long as height not more than the P-250.
Caliber, 9mm is preferred, .380 second choice

Click to expand...

Walther PPS 9mm fills all of those criteria, except perhaps pocket carry. It can be done, as some people even carry the subcompact Glocks this way, but I wouldn't say this is the ideal mode of carry for most 9mm sized pistols, especially for women. You see, women's pants tend to be much more form fitting, and the pockets much smaller, and shallower than mens' pants.

So, with that said, the PPS is just about ideal for any other CC application, for men or women. It's about the width as a 1911, and sorter in length and height than the ultra-short 1911s, and unlike tiny 1911s (in my experience) it's a reliable piece. And of course, striker fire, no safeties to worry about. I love my PPS.

Kimber Solo (9mm)
Sig P238 (.380) - the smoothest shooting .380 to be had.


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45acpForMe said:

Yes the P45 and PM45 look interesting. I strongly considered them but decided on a Sig P220 Compact for CC since I already own other Sig's. The compact version is 6+1 just like the Kahr's but I can use any other P220 mags in it too. The Kahr had a significant weight & price advantage and was slightly thinner. The SAS melt, SRT trigger and night sights sold me on the Sig (as well as holster and mag interchange). http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=50&productid=294

I have a Kahr MK40 and I like it but it is heavy compared to a P/PM series gun. http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-MK40-Elite.asp I added a Crimson Trace laser grip to it and it works great. Both the 40 and 9mm versions are thinner than the 45 so depending on what you want each has its benefit. The gun-size difference between 9mm and 40 is negligable. If you were going with an all steel I would recommend the 40, for the polymer 9mm and 45.

Click to expand...

We looked at the Sigs online, but with the exception of the P232 there was not much that offered an advantage over her P250 in terms size wieght.

Now the Kahrs she really likes and has handled several in a shop but not fired. The DAO trigger on them is about as slick as it could be.

We won't go for a .40 cal mostly because I don't want to start reloading another round, I'm already loading .380 acp-.38/.357 -9mm- 10mm-.41- .44 - .45acp-.45 Colt and I just don't want a another caliber to feed!

We also are looking at the Para Ord PDA 9mm or .45acp and the Kimber Solo that Ruger suggested. many, many more choices now days. It has always been fairly simple for me.....wake up and decide which 1911 to carry....Like I said at the start, this is starting to remind me of a shoe shopping trip. Most of the time I am the only one OCing the ladies shoe dept.