Thread: First CC gun for my wife...Suggestions

My wife has FINALLY agreed to carry a pistol. She is going to go thru training courses first.

I am looking to narrow down the choices for her. She will be carrying in her purse. So lightweight and small. Remember this is her first gun...I want to keep price under $450.

I want a caliber with stopping power and open to auto or revolver.

Tell me what you would buy and why?

Originally Posted by jkent26

My wife has FINALLY agreed to carry a pistol. She is going to go thru training courses first.

I am looking to narrow down the choices for her. She will be carrying in her purse. So lightweight and small. Remember this is her first gun...I want to keep price under $450.

I want a caliber with stopping power and open to auto or revolver.

Tell me what you would buy and why?

I'm becoming a fan of wheel guns more and more each passing day. I have a higher sense of confidence that the gun will go bang, and I'm also a big fan of hornady critical defense 115g jhp .38 special. I don't like +P but many do. I would suggest a s&w j frame, ruger LCR a Taurus 85. All under 450, all very light and all have enough stopping power while still controllable. It's also a good idea to start off with a wheel gun to get used to carrying loaded and a round ready so if you ever get a semi auto you'll feel comfortable will 1 in the pipe. Some woman also hate racking the slide

If she goes revolver...hammer or hammerless. I have never owned a revolver so bear with me.

Glock 26 - simple 9mm
Sig P238 - smaller, light, nice trigger (higher price than you asked for but a good CC gun)
Keep in mind there is a lot more perceived recoil in a revolver than a semi-auto. Most of the women I have taken shooting do not care for the .38 in a light framed revolver.

I would recommend looking into a Ruger LC9. Small, lightweight, has the stopping power of a 9mm, and very good ergonomics. It also fits nicely into your budget. I have one and like it immensely.

if you can try and find a K frame model 10 with a 2" barrel and a round butt, the advantage is having six shots and a slightly larger frame to help with control. To achieve any kind of accuracy with a J frame size revolver requires a lot of practice in my opinion, also the percieved recoil in the J frame may be such as to put her off the smaller gun.

take her to a range and let her try one with target loads

just read the previous post, not so sure the 9mm vs 38 arguement needs to get started here, but 38 is better

I own and carry revolvers with exposed, "bobbed", shrouded, and concealed hammers for various reasons. When I choose to carry a CC revolver I reach for my .38 +P rated, concealed hammer model every time.

Originally Posted by coop44

if you can try and find a K frame model 10 with a 2" barrel and a round butt, the advantage is having six shots and a slightly larger frame to help with control. To achieve any kind of accuracy with a J frame size revolver requires a lot of practice in my opinion, also the percieved recoil in the J frame may be such as to put her off the smaller gun.

take her to a range and let her try one with target loads

just read the previous post, not so sure the 9mm vs 38 arguement needs to get started here, but 38 is better

Is there a local range that rents guns to try?

Based on size, price range, and recoil, I'd say Kahr 9mm.

People might scoff, but PF-9. Lighter then almost anything else. You can use +P Speer gold dots in it which will give in excess of 95% one shot stops. Replace the guide rod with a metal one for $10. Put a belt clip right on the frame and carry comfortably without a holster. Practice ammo is cheap.

Cheap, functions well, light, small, effective. Something doesn't have to be expensive, pretty or a fancy brand to be good. PF-9 is a good gun.

I chose the ruger lcr for my wife. simple and with plus p must have some stopping power. its amazing how that little gun glides out of a pocket with out catching. for sure fits the price range. not to mention its another gun purchase, makes me happy.

I also can vouch for the lcr its a great concealed carry gun and i use it as my edc. It is also hammerless so no worries about snagging it during draw. If you do go with the lcr i would recommend putting the extra 40-50 dollars and get the lcr 357 instead of the 38spl this doesn't mean she or you have to fire 357 but it leaves that option open while still being able to fire 38 spls. If you are not set on going with the revolver then i would recommend either the lc9 or the kahr pm9 or cm9 those are all good small Carry 9mm's.

Just my .002

JP

Beretta NANO 9mm with Winchester Ranger JHP 124 +P. I've heard the Nano doesn't like 115gr due to it's spring being designed for .40 Cal use in the future. With Win/Ranger NATO FMJ and Win/Ranger 124+P JHP or anything more than 115gr she'll have a light weight and flawless pistol.

I'm getting the same thing for my better half when her permit comes in.

First off, let it be HER decision.

Take her to a local gun shop/store and let her handle a bunch of guns. Let her pick which one's fits her hands, SHE is the one who will be carrying it, not you or any of us. She needs to decide what fits her properly.

Then if she finds a few different types, such as a semi-auto or a revolver, go to a range that rents guns.

Yes, revolvers being a short barrel have a bit more snap to it than a semi-auto, but so do the LITTLE semi's as well, like with the LCP's and such.

Do you have friends that own any handguns? Maybe borrow a few from them, and let her try them out.

If she hasn't handled a whole lot of handguns, then I would Not recommend a sub-compact. If her pinky hangs off the grip at all that is.

My wife carries a glock 19, Gen 4. It fits much nicer in her hand than any of the previous generation of glocks. She started with the walther PK380, but did not like the fact that the walther has to have a special key to break it down.

Let her watch you shoot whatever handgun she picks out first, as to watch how much recoil there is. That way she is Not surprised with a big bang when she pulls the trigger...

Again, let your Wife handle a bunch of handguns, and see what Fits her hands the best and go from there.

My 2 cents.


Stay Safe.

I agree with Old Hick as let it be HER decision.
My only advice is why does it have to be lightweight and small? My Wife prefers more full to mid size guns to the small and lightweight. The light weight guns will almost always "kick" harder. There was a lady at Practical Pistol with the little Ruger 9mm and was not able to handle the recoil very well at all. Good luck,
Mike

Lisa always wanted an auto to carry, but found out that it was not easy to cycle a round. She did not want to carry a chambered auto in her purse. We had 3 different autos for her, and went back to a S&W 642.

+1

Originally Posted by Old Hick

First off, let it be HER decision.

Take her to a local gun shop/store and let her handle a bunch of guns. Let her pick which one's fits her hands, SHE is the one who will be carrying it, not you or any of us. She needs to decide what fits her properly.

Then if she finds a few different types, such as a semi-auto or a revolver, go to a range that rents guns.

Yes, revolvers being a short barrel have a bit more snap to it than a semi-auto, but so do the LITTLE semi's as well, like with the LCP's and such.

Do you have friends that own any handguns? Maybe borrow a few from them, and let her try them out.

Let her watch you shoot whatever handgun she picks out first, as to watch how much recoil there is. That way she is Not surprised with a big bang when she pulls the trigger...

Again, let your Wife handle a bunch of handguns, and see what Fits her hands the best and go from there.

My 2 cents.


Stay Safe.

I carry a smith 642 .38. its hammerless so no snag points. 158 grn hp have plenty of stopping power.

X2 Let her chose...All of this talk about "Stopping Power".

What good is a self defense weapon that you're afraid of the
recoil and any second shot would be into the ceiling?

A good firearms class and then let her chose.

Personaly I own several hand guns, revolvers and semi's
My primary (half asleep reaching for a flashlite and my glasses) goto is a wheel gun.
Pick it up...Pull the trigger. My CC is a .25 auto (Pimpgun). Why? Because I can hide it. I'm not 6'6" and 250lbs. Heck, if I was 6'6" 250lbs....Why would I need a gun?

Jack...

kahr 9mm or a smith or Taurus 38 snubbie i load my wifes colt diamondback 38 snub with 158 gr +p swhp she has a hard time pulling back the slide so i went with a revolver for her