Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I have a couple pistols that I sometimes shoot, such as a S&W .357, but was looking to purchase a pistol, preferably an auto, that my wife could learn to shoot comfortably, yet have some snort behind it to drop a man if necessary without emptying a magazine. The primary purpose of the pistol will be for protection.
Due to circumstance my wife has yet to learn to shoot, as I have barely had time to shoot and hunt myself the past 5 years of so. We plan to take some time soon to get her aquanted to shooting, but thinking longer term as well.
Any suggestions for pistols would be fantastic. Also, I would prefer that the pistol not brake the bank as well. Thanks ahead of time.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Mini Glocks are nice but if concerned about recoil, the 9mm would probably be the best bet. I would also recommend the AMT backup Series in .380. With the right loads it would be a good self defense carry gun. They also make it in 9mm, 40 S&W, and even 45 ACP. Beretta makes a Tomcat in 32 auto, the Bobcat in 25 ACP, and Cheetah in either .380 or 32 auto.Kahr also make the MK 9 in 9mm which can fire 2 in groups from a rest at 50 feet. Any of these would be worthy to look at as they are small, easily concealable in a handbag, and able to take a man down if needed for self defense situations.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I would get a small light 38 special revolver. Many women can't pull the slide back on small auto's. If you do get one, take her in the store and see if she can work the slide in a way that would work under pressure.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

So your saying that I should take her to a store, and while she is handling the pistol, yell at her, call her stupid and get her angry enough to want to shoot me?!

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

380 auto

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

When I had my gun store it was common for guys to buy guns that they liked for their wives. Many girls cannot work the slide because the springs are to stiff and the small auto's don,t give you much to grab hold of.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

James B hit it right on the money.

For the occasional shooter or for home defense purposes, a wheel gun can't be beat.

No feed jams
No forgetting to rack the slide
No forgetting to turn the saftey off

Just a simple point and click interface.

I would look into one of the S&W models like a LadySmith 38 or other small framed 38.

A 38 +P load has more than enough "snot" to knock down even the most aggressive opponent certainly as well as a 9mm. Any more than that and you start crossing into the territory where the recoil becomes a detriment to her aiming. If you really need more power, a .357 with the first 2 shots being .38s and the follow up ones being .357 is an option. If your attacker is still coming after a couple of rounds of .38 the .357 follow ups should put an end to that.

Also don't fall into the "gotta have an auto" mindset. I have shot IPSC competition for years and can deal with my autos without thinking, however my home defense gun is a Ruger SP-101 .357. My concern is not that I would not be able to operate the auto, but could my wife do it if somebody were actually breaking into our home.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Ruger SP101in 38/357.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

There are a couple of issues I found when I was contemplating a home defense gun for my, now, ex-wife. There were children in the house, and I did not want anything penetrating through walls , and having a chance of striking the children. I looked at some of the fast frag. rounds, but wound up with a charter arms .38 special revolver, and I loaded it with 38 cal. shotshells and ball ammo. I let her take it outside and shoot the gun into a large piece of cardboard target, and the shotshell blew a nice little hole in it. But I also thought of the one guy who would keep on coming. On that thought I decided to go with 2 shotshells , 1 .38 ball , 1 shotshell , 1 ball. That gave her some piece of mind, and still would be safe to use in the house. If all else failed , and the perp. didn't run, she had the deadly stuff behind the shotshells. And before you discount the shotshell ammo, get some and try it out first. It packs more of a punch than you might think.

And BTW, she really liked the gun and still has it, she got it in the divorce, and it is still loaded the same way.

God Bless

Michael

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Perhaps a CZ in 9mm Luger for a semi auto. I would take her shooting somewhere to rent/borrow some pieces to see how she likes them. Appearance & feel can be a big difference for the ladies. I would have bought Mrs Biscuit anything she wanted, and she handled many different weapons after shooting mine, but she chose a Smith & Wesson hammerless snubby over all. And the 3 little biscuit daughters shoot it, too. Very popular with 'em. My oldest girl's preference was for a Ruger SA in .32 H&R Magnum, which is out of production for now. Glad I helped her get it last year.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Most good CCW classes the instructor(s) should have several handguns there for you and your wifeto look at and handle and shoot if possible.The guy that gives classes out were I live has about 15-20 differant handguns,he passes them around while class is going on so everyone can check them out and if he is in a good mood he wont charge you for the ammo you shootup.Plus alot of people bring thier own for qualification,and will let you look at them also.
2nd amendment at its best.......;):)

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions, I really do appreciate them.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Kel-Tec PT9 or P11 they are both 9mm. I use to have a PT9 but sold it and bought the P11 because it holds more rounds. Very reliable gun, I use it as my C&C gun. It has never jammed on me, fired lots of rounds at the range just to see if it jamed andit has work flawlessly.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I second this choice. Simple, rugged, accurate. A revolver is probably a better choice unless she is going to be going to the range quite a bit to become proficient with the more complex workings of a semi-auto.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

J-Frame S&W all the way. Or any other small frame revolver. Semi-auto is a bad idea for beginners. Most people for their first firearm go the inexpensive way. I would say that an inexpensive revolver is ten times more reliable than an inexpensive semi-auot. Do not worry about getting yelled at, worry about your wife's protection. Tom.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

IF you insist on a semi-auto, I would have her begin with a .22 LR semiauto like a Ruger, and let her shoot alot until she acquires some marksmanship skill. But even more important, if you are going to equip her with a semi-auto, is for her to developINSTINCTIVE safe handling habits. It is a serious mistake to equip a beginner with a semi-auto without making ABSOLUTELY SURE the person learns to handle it safely and effectively! Otherwise, it is more dangerous to her and the rest of the family than to the bad guys!! Believe me. I've seen this happen, even in the Army, by people who had been given the "required training!!"

Once she gets to the point where she can safely and effectively employ the Ruger 22, get her a small version of the Kimber 1911-types in .40 S&W, or better yet, .45 ACP. My wife is 5'3" tall, and will not shoot any handgun except for "my .45", as she calls it!!

Avoid all the pipsqueak "pocket pistols" and their pipsqueak cartridges - the .22 LR hollowpoint is A MORE EFFECTIVE DEFENSE roundthan the .25, .32 ACP or .380!

If you don't want to spring for a .22 semiauto, start her off with your .357 revolver, shooting .38 Special wadcutter target ammo. It has about the same recoil as the .22, is very accurate, and not too loud. Make sure she has real good ear protection -I've seen more beginners scared away from handguns by the NOISE they make than by recoil!

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

The 22lr is more effective than the 25 acp, but not so with the others. Good hp ammo will outpreform a 22 rimfire any day by a large margin in the 32 or the 380. The Kel Tec 380 is often hard to find because so many police officers are buying them for backup, and by the way I think they can still be had for around $250 when you can find them. The Beretta models with the tip up barrel solve the problem of racking the slide,and also simplify unloading. I'm not trying to distract from the benefits of the revolver but only to give credit where credit is due. It's like learning to drive a car, everyone should have to learn in a stick shift, then they would be able to drive anything in an emergency!

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Wolf.
I just bought the Kahr CW9.Ive got about 420 round thru it with no problems(put away my Ruger P95DC).Its a very nice CW,fits way better then the Ruger.
I was at the sport shop today and bought a electric ice auger and while there ordered the KAHR CW40.Got it for 420.00 bucks.Will be in nxt week cant wait.its the same as the CW9.
When they say shoot at least 200-300 rounds thru it before you use it as a CW,do it.It makes a big differance.the 1st few rounds I was getting second thoughts, but buy the time I got into the 150-200 it started to group way way better and got better the more I shot it....It needs a good break in.I carried the Ruger so long I had to adjust to the smaller frame and grip.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I know of a guy who supposedly knew guns real well and one day while going to clean his 25 auto was interrupted by the phone. Lets just say he swears the gun was empty when he missed a main artery in his leg by a fraction of an inch. No, they are not very complex but-and don't ask why the idiot dropped the hammer while the gun was pointed at his leg-but a revolver is easier to clear and a double action is pretty hard to accidentally pull through.
One other thing about autos that people don't think about too much is the matching of the power of a load to the recoil spring of the gun. If you fire an auto without enough resistance to recoil provided by the shooting hand you've got a failure to feed guaranteed. My buddy and I once loaded up some 'cheapy' lead reloads for his 9mm. We had no problems at all with feeding until we let his wife take a turn, every other shot didn't cycle the gun fully. If you decide on the auto route I'd definitely practice different holds on the gun while firing. No, I'm not saying women are limp wristed, that's just a gun design thing that doesn't take into account that people are different.
I think basically the .38 special double action revolver is the wayto go, especially when your talking about a self defense gun

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I am real surprised on all the different choices that were mentioned, some of which I would shy away from, and some that I would go for.

RedLion asked about a pistol that has stopping power and not break the bank. Personaly in a semi autoI would not go with anything less than a 9mm and the 9mm would be a conditional buy for me. They are nice because of the size of the cartrage and you can carry more. I would look into a 40s&w or a 45acp for the real stopping power.
In a revolver I would go with a 357 mag due to the fact that it can be shot with 38's for learning and practice and not break the bank on a box of ammo.

As far as making a suggestion I would suggest going to a gun shop and looking at several diffrent handguns and see what feels best in her hands. Lets face it the gun that fits her best is going to be the most enjoyable for her shooting.

Shane

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

Red,

My wife has 3 handguns. A ruger mkII .22, a Beretta Tomcat .32, and a ladysmith S&W revolver .357/.38. Though expensive, the .357 is the perfect gun. It is single action/double action with plenty of power and easy to handle shooting 38 Specials.

Her.32 Tomcat is a horrible gun. It is only remotely accurate to about 10 feet. The trigger is terrible.The only benefit is that the barrel tips up so a bullet can be loaded right into the chamber. My wife is not strong enough to pull back the slide on any larger caliber semi-auto she has looked at. The gun also jams a lot, which scares the hell out of me when considering a defensive confrontation.

As Eldeguello said, a nice reliable .22 semi should actually be able to get the job done. My wife's MKII is very accurate and feeds reliable. You get 10 rounds and it is inexpensive to own and to shoot. Some quality hollow points would do the trick. I put a Crimsom Trace laser sight on hers, and it helps her achieve a steadier hold, and gives her a little more confidence in aiming.

Above all, ask around. Choose something that will be absolutely reliable, and spend what it takes for you to know it will be a gun that will perform when needed.

Best regards,

KEJ

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

I say either a .40 S&W or a 9mm is a good handgun for a more recoil-shy shooter.


Just My 2 Cents.

RE: Recommend a pistol for my wife
 

My wife and I went to look at some hanguns this past Saturday, and she liked Glocks and of course a couple S&W wheelguns as well. She had some trouble charging the slide on a Cougar, but handled a couple of glocks with no problem. She ended up prefering the wheelguns overall. I appreciate the feedback you all have given me. Thanks.