Hope y'all can help . . . I'm wondering what handgun caliber you think would be best for my wife?

(My buddy says to get her something I can survive.) Ha - Ha

I'm going to take her out and shoot my .45acp, but expect her to be scared of it. If not, that's what I'll go with. But what do some of you have for home defense for the wife?

How about a .32 or .38 or even a 9mm?

454 casuall [8D]


What does she like to shoot and is good with.It should besomthing she'scomfortable with, as in fit, feel, and not scared of.

Ruger SP101 SS 3"bbl .357mag. She can shoot .38, .38P+ and .357mag...



Revolver
KGPF-331

My wife doesn't like the 45 but she will shoot the 9 MM and the 40 S&W. The 40 with lighter bullets (155) is pretty pleasant to shoot. She also likes the 38 Special. She used to shoot bowling pins with a S&W 45 LC as well. She shoots very well. She started with a 22 pistol.

The first time I took my girlfriend (all 4' 8"and 82 lbs. of her!) to the range, we started with a Buckmark .22lr. Then we went up to my Taurus tracker with .38's, & she did fine. I loaded a few .357's in there, & she still held her sight picture well, without flinching. Lastly, we stepped up to my Kimber 1911 in .45, and she'd take 2 steps back with each shot. STILL, she didn't flinch!

When we go to the range, she's still all about the Buckmark, and she's quite good with it, too. However, she took the .357 when we went hog hunting. We BOTH wanted her to have sufficient power for the task,& she was consistently able to bust clay pigeons on the 50 yard berm with that load.

So, my advice would be to introduce her to shooting (if she needs an introduction) with a .22, and to do most of her shooting with that. That will ensure she's good good fundamentals. Then, for home defense, I'd suggest she go with a .357 mag, .40 S&W, or .45. Anyone who's well trained in a smaller caliber can handle short stints at the range with these 3 calibers, and you'll be assured of serious stopping power should the need arise.

My $.02,

FC

4' 8" tall and 82lbs? You sure those aren't your daughters dimensions? You sure have a very petite lady.

If she did OK with the tracker, a Glock 26 would be a suggestion. Take her to a dealer with a range where she can shoot a few models and let her decide which one she likes best. That way you both wind up happy.

Wouldn't that short barrel make it recoil like heck?

The SP-101 with a 3" barrel and .357 mag rounds is a real handful.

While the gun is a good solid firearm, it can and does bite pretty good with hot loads.

I would recomend something just a bit heavier and a load no hotter than a .38+P. This will keep the recoil to a minimum but still give you plenty of "oomph" if she needs to use it.

Stay away from semi autos. Unless she is proficent at clearing feed jams under high stress situations, a revolver is the best choice.
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