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I took my wife out for some pratice. She had her Beretta model 20 (25 auto) that she bought 30 years ago. It's the one with the tip-up barrel. This is basicly a new gun and probably has had 50 rounds through it. We were getting constant jams, too many to get any real pratice. The problem was lite primer strikes, I tried two differant boxes of bullets but it was still unreliable. Time for a new gun.
She shot my guns, a Sig 229 40 cal and an XDS 45. These were way too intimating. I'm thinking of moving her up to a 380. I know a 9mm would be better but she's recoil shy. I'm looking for a light weight 380 auto. Must be extremely easy to shot. What do ya recommend?
I took my wife out for some pratice. She had her Beretta model 20 (25 auto) that she bought 30 years ago. It's the one with the tip-up barrel. This is basicly a new gun and probably has had 50 rounds through it. We were getting constant jams, too many to get any real pratice. The problem was lite primer strikes, I tried two differant boxes of bullets but it was still unreliable. Time for a new gun.
She shot my guns, a Sig 229 40 cal and an XDS 45. These were way too intimating. I'm thinking of moving her up to a 380. I know a 9mm would be better but she's recoil shy. I'm looking for a light weight 380 auto. Must be extremely easy to shot. What do ya recommend?
I learned to shoot handguns when I was about age 6, and was way under 100 lbs at the time. Fortunately, I just learned on my parents' guns, which were a full-size .38 revolver and a full-size .22 semi-auto. I've since taught a number of other women to shoot. Basically, what I've found works best for most women is a full size gun of some sort. Small or light-weight guns are much harder to shoot and harder on the shooter. I would suggest starting with a K-frame or L-frame S&W revolver in .357mag or .38 special. 4 inch barrel is easier to shoot than anything shorter initially. Get grips on the gun that fit her hands perfectly and make it point naturally for her. Start with .38 sp wadcutters.
Since you think your wife is unlikely to carry the gun, focus on home defense. And on something that is enjoyable to shoot. If she really enjoys shooting her 4-inch revolver, don't be surprised if she starts carrying it too. Or gets enthusiastic enough about shooting and convinced enough about the importance of being prepared to be ready for something smaller and more difficult to shoot that she can also carry.
Please don't shove her into semi-autos because they are what you prefer. Most women new to guns for self-defense are thinking in terms of one or two attackers who have grabbed them or are about to, not fighting off a whole army. If semi-autos are genuinely her preference, go with a full size 9mm, not something tiny. And teach her to rack the slide by moving both hands, the hand holding the gun as well as the other hand. Most adult women can rack the slide on a good quality full size 9mm once they learn to hold grip and slide hard and use both hands.
I applaud you for helping your wife to take responsibility for her own safety. If your wife is ever attacked, it is most likely to be when you aren't around. So the best way for you to protect her is to help her learn to protect herself.