First CC gun for my wife...Suggestions

[widgeon]

SP101 with a trigger job to smooth out the trigger--with stock springs. speer short barrel .38 special +P ammunition. not much recoil, big damage.

or, get her an airweight and turn her off to shooting altogether. or a .454 casull--no such thing as too much firepower.

 

[deen_ad]

Disregard the talk of "stopping the threat" and understand it for what it really is.....taking a life.
Not what you want to say in Court Of law,but it is what may happen if she does in fact,decide to carry

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on if the perp lives or not. But your purpose in shooting is to stop the threat, if the perp dies that's secondary.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

S&W m60, or if you want lighter get the m637.

 

[H7K]

Take your wife to a range with lots of rental and let her try out a bunch of different guns, then let her decide what she likes, what she's comfortable with and what she can shoot well. If she is going to carry it she should be making the choice.

Also, instead of looking at this as her first gun so the price has to kept low, look at it like this, if she ever needs to use it it may be the only thing between her and death, will it matter then that it was under $450? I would rather my wife owned only one top self hand gun than 2 or 3 tier two or tier three hand guns.

Take a look at a HK P2000sk in LEM, my personal choice. Used you can get them for $600, I know its a bit more than you wanted to spend, but when the chips are down it will prove to be worth every penny you spent.

 

[jkent26]

Lots of good advice and I thank you all. I know a lot of you say let her go and try them all...I also know my wife. If I take her to a store or gun show she will become overwhelmed by the amount of choices, then she will vacillate for hours and ultimately forget which one she liked and then give up. So I want to narrow it down to say under 10 choices. She values my opinion and will believe (because i have her best interest) that i have given her the strongest choices. If it turns out she likes none of those then I will show her a few more one another trip.

I still have not found a range that rents guns to try....ANYONE????

Also, her purse is like a kidney to her...it never leaves her side...even in the car it sits right next to her. She always carries with the strap over the opposite shoulder as she was taught in self defense class.

I also am not real worried about reloading, if she faces that many threats I don't think anything short of an uzi will help. I hope she never has to use it and believe that in most cases, if faced with a threat, if she draws and appears confident (hence the training), any assailant will bail and find an easier target. If she does have to use it 2 shots center mass should be enough to kill or give her escape.

I am not trying to prep her for a zombie apocolypse, just a potential threat or a knife wielding assailant or the like.

 

[cotillion]

I'm gonna have to disagree with the whole "do not get her a j frame" statement. My 12 year old nerdy stepson who's never shot in his life shot 50 rounds through my 642 with factory grips. Was it uncomfortable? Yup, but every caliber over .380 in a compact model is going to kick. Most guns used for cc aren't range guns. If someone is really recoil sensitive then I'd suggest a kel tec .32 or smaller. Saying that an lcp is less snappy then a 642 is just silly though. Take the +P out of your wifes gun and problem solved

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

I'm gonna have to disagree with the whole "do not get her a j frame" statement. My 12 year old nerdy stepson who's never shot in his life shot 50 rounds through my 642 with factory grips. Was it uncomfortable? Yup, but every caliber over .380 in a compact model is going to kick. Most guns used for cc aren't range guns. If someone is really recoil sensitive then I'd suggest a kel tec .32 or smaller. Saying that an lcp is less snappy then a 642 is just silly though. Take the +P out of your wifes gun and problem solved

Every time I hear someone say a revolver is harder to shoot than a semi-auto I immediately assume most of their firearms knowledge comes from video games. In fact we had that very discussion in one of the gun chats this week. The j-frame revolver is one of the most versatile and practical carry pieces ever made and one of the easiest to master for close range defense. There is also such a wide range of available loads that the gun can be customized for the comfort level of the shooter.

 

[cotillion]

Every time I hear someone say a revolver is harder to shoot than a semi-auto I immediately assume most of their firearms knowledge comes from video games. In fact we had that very discussion in one of the gun chats this week. The j-frame revolver is one of the most versatile and practical carry pieces ever made and one of the easiest to master for close range defense. There is also such a wide range of available loads that the gun can be customized for the comfort level of the shooter.

I completely agree. I just got this 642 a couple weeks back, set my target at 10 feet and shot it just the same as my Taurus TCP. Shot it 1 handed and it hit where I pointed. If you'll notice most snubs and pocket pistols have garbage for sights and that's because the gun gliding out of your pocket smoothly is more important than aiming at 3-7 feet.

 

[mortre]

I had a 442 for awhile. Never even managed to get through both boxes of range ammo I bought when I bought the gun itself. It was eventually traded off for a steel framed SA ultra-compact for the wife. A 642 might be a different ball of wax recoil wise but I would still stay away from J-frames, I'll never own another and probably never carry another revolver for self defense. The 442 is also the only handgun I ever owned that had a stoppage that I couldn't clear at the range, and it was the only handgun that I ever owned that the wife couldn't pull the trigger on. She just didn't have enough hand strength. I would honestly recommend a trip to a range that rents and see what she likes best. Don't be pushy with her, my wife used to get pissed that I would grab the gun before we went to the grocery store. But last month she picked out her own OWB holster. She may or may not come around, but push to hard and she definitely won't.

Another thing to think about is something that has a similar manual of arms to what you carry. My wife carries either the SA EMP or the ultra-compact, she can wrack either slide and both work exactly the same as the 1911's that I carry.

 

[Captain1160]

An indoor range with rentals: Barons Den just south of Eugene just off I-5. I think its the LCC exit.

 

[berne]

another 'my wife has an LCR'....

the .357 version is a tiny bit heavier, and when shot w/ .38's.....while not a kitty cat, is VERY shoot-able, and really not much worse w/ +P's

it IS pretty snappy w/ full house 357's

--B

 

[mambo]

First I will say that Old Hick was spot on with his post!
Second, I will not tell you what I think you should buy, I will tell you how my wife went through the process. She made the decision to carry (committed to training, training, training). Next she handled several guns, all wheels. Liked the Ruger LCR and S&W Airweight until she shot them. The lightweights bucked like a rowdy roan. Settled on a Ruger SP101. It fit her hand the best, it was a steel frame (.357, y;know) so it didn't buck on her, and she had three kill hits out of her first five shots at 7 yards. She purse carries mostly, she is still looking for a good (pretty?) conceal holster. Many thanks to Baron's Den in Eugene for letting her try five guns in one setting, it helped her a lot!

 

[tkdguy]

My 22 yo daughter has a Ladysmith Model 60, 5 shot, 38 spl which fits her hand well. And, above all with it's frosted frame and rosewood grips, it is above all "pretty". She is sold on it. That is an all steel gun and I am told that it can shoot 38 +p for self defense purposed without a hickup. I have a 442 Airweight and it shoots 38 +p, so the all steel LadySmith should be fine. She shoots 38 spl on a regular basis with it and it is accurate. She is 5'4" and 110 pds. Size 6 pants; so she is small. He other gun is a Ruger sp 101 357 which she can also shoot without any problems. But, that is a "trail gun" for backpacking. It is a 3". But, above all you have to find something that 1) she likes, 2) fits her hand, and 3) she is comfortable to shoot and she is not afraid of. If that boils down to a .22 so be it. Bretta has a .22 super small pistol that fits in the palm of your hand. Good luck.

 

[edogg]

My 22 yo daughter has a Ladysmith Model 60, 5 shot, 38 spl which fits her hand well. And, above all with it's frosted frame and rosewood grips, it is above all "pretty". She is sold on it. That is an all steel gun and I am told that it can shoot 38 +p for self defense purposed without a hickup.

I bought this exact gun with the 3" barrel for my wife awhile back and put some Crimson Trace grips on it. She tried it at the range for the first time this weekend and did pretty well with it for her first time shooting anything bigger than a .22 pistol many years ago. These all steel Ladysmith J frames are great little guns.

 

[tkdguy]

I bought this exact gun with the 3" barrel for my wife awhile back and put some Crimson Trace grips on it. She tried it at the range for the first time this weekend and did pretty well with it for her first time shooting anything bigger than a .22 pistol many years ago. These all steel Ladysmith J frames are great little guns.

I liked hers so much I wanted to take it! I did not know these (Ladysmith's) were made in 3". I have a Model 60 3" in .357 and it is a joy.

 

[tkdguy]

I liked hers so much I wanted to take it! I did not know these (Ladysmith's) were made in 3". I have a Model 60 3" in .357 and it is a joy.

I missed the details. She has a 1 7/8 " barrel.

 

[edogg]

I liked hers so much I wanted to take it! I did not know these (Ladysmith's) were made in 3". I have a Model 60 3" in .357 and it is a joy.

It was pretty hard to find but they're out there. I think all the new ones are aluminum framed, which would be a little harder to shoot. A gun shop near my house had one on consignment one day when I went in for some cleaning supplies so I snatched it up. Of course the guys at the shop had to give me a hard time about buying a Ladysmith.

 

[Old Hick]

Lots of good advice and I thank you all. I know a lot of you say let her go and try them all...I also know my wife. If I take her to a store or gun show she will become overwhelmed by the amount of choices, then she will vacillate for hours and ultimately forget which one she liked and then give up. So I want to narrow it down to say under 10 choices. She values my opinion and will believe (because i have her best interest) that i have given her the strongest choices. If it turns out she likes none of those then I will show her a few more one another trip.

I still have not found a range that rents guns to try....ANYONE????



Also, her purse is like a kidney to her...it never leaves her side...even in the car it sits right next to her. She always carries with the strap over the opposite shoulder as she was taught in self defense class.

I also am not real worried about reloading, if she faces that many threats I don't think anything short of an uzi will help. I hope she never has to use it and believe that in most cases, if faced with a threat, if she draws and appears confident (hence the training), any assailant will bail and find an easier target. If she does have to use it 2 shots center mass should be enough to kill or give her escape.

I am not trying to prep her for a zombie apocolypse, just a potential threat or a knife wielding assailant or the like.

Here is a link to place that rent. Not a lot near you. I know that last post is a great place to go.

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/strategies-tactics-training/50112-handgun-rental-portland.html

As for YOU picking out about 10 and letting her choose from there, and if none of them work, then YOU will pick more... FORGET IT!!!! That is like Her picking a belt for you, or a holster for you, or, YOU picking shoes for her.... and a purse for her... maybe even a Bra... it just DOESN'T work... SHE needs to pick it out.
If she finds several that she likes, great, go back to the gun store a week later, have her pick them up again. Make sure SHE is comfortable with that weapon before you buy it.

If you can't find any friends with guns, (it helped my wife a lot) I still say go rent some, even if you have to travel to do it.

When my wife decided to carry a few years back, I was excited. We looked and tried a lot of different types of guns.... she did not like the revolvers, most were to snappy for her. She fell in Love with my .45ACP, but it was to big for a purse carry. YES, she carries in a purse, Not my choice, but HERS. Like I said before, she picked the walther pk380, but later tried the gen. 4 glock 19 and really loved it. So that is what she carries and trains with.... She has taken several classes, besides what we train together. I am Blessed to have her as my wife. She loves guns....

So I will say again, let HER decide what she likes. If you have to make 50 trips to the gun store, so be it, just go.


Stay Safe.

 

[ORHunter79]

Ruger SPS101. Limp wristing is a non-issue.

 

[SVT-ROY]

Exactly, my wife makes pistols that have never jammed JAM o MATICS. Heres her pistol now with big dot nite sight. Along with her Derringer. She shoots it better than I. Im way to used to an ipsc auto grip to shoot wheel guns well i think.