kilotanker19

I am looking for a good sub compact for my wife. The caliber will either be 9mm or 357 Sig. Any ideas? One question that i have is will the 357 Sig recoil for her too much? She is 5 1 and about 110 pounds. Also any suggestions on make and model? I have a Glock 26 in mind.

Hairtrigger

I don't like to do laundry or dishes.
My advise is instead of trading her away on a gun... keep her and buy a gun.

Ruger-Redhawk

The little Glock M-26 would be a good choice.The problem with the SIG 357 is the recoil might be to much for her and the ammo is quite pricey. I might suggest a Glock M-27 . That's a 40 cal. The recoil isn't real bad and it has allot more punch for a SD gun.I had a G-26 and traded it off when I finally got my G-27. They were scarce when they were first released.Onanother thought if your wife isn't real experienced with guns Imight suggest a small framed revolver in 38spl.They are pretty much fool proof and better suited for a new shooter.

oldsmellhound

The .357 Sig is not very popular and hard to find ammo. It also kicks quite a bit more than the 9mm. I'd stay away from that caliber for what you need it for. A Glock in 9mm with quality ammo or perhaps .40 would be a good choice. A .38 revolver would also be a solid pick. One suggestion - take your wife to a shooting range where you can rent guns to shoot. Have her shoot a Glock and a .38 revolver and see which one feels more comfortable for her. Many ranges/gun shops will let you rent used guns to shoot for a small fee - it's well worth doing for something this important.

Also - the .40 can have a pretty good kick to it, depending on the gun style, grip, load used, etc. Best to try before you buy.

kilotanker19

i cant really take her to the range i am in afghanistan i will be home around christmas and it is a gift

ipscshooter

Does she have much shooting experience? Generally speaking, folks who haven't shot much and who don't intend to shoot much are probably a little better off with a revolver than a semi-auto. They're easier to learn to shoot, and you don't have to worry about teaching jam-clearing drills. Check out something like the Ruger SP-101 in .357 Mag or .327 Mag. With the .357, she can shoot some nice mild .38 Special target loads for practice.

If you insist on a semi-auto, the 9mm is little more tame than the .357 Sig. The Glock will work. You might want to also check out the Springfield Armory XD. I like the grip angle a little better...

http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php

idunno

x2 on the springfield xd. I had one in 40 and regret getting rid of it. Actually there's only one gun I've ever owned that I don't regret getting rid of.

homers brother

I agree with ipsc here.

Never ever will I again assume that my wife enjoys the complexities and inner workings of semi-auto firearms, or that I have the slightest idea what's going to fit her hand the best, let alone manipulate effectively - especially in a crisis situation.

Revolvers are the simplest to operate, and (in my experience) the least likely to result in negligent discharges. Of course, you could put a clearing barrel at each of the doors into your housejust like they do at all the KBR DFACs.....? (j/k).

By all means, let her handle a few of them, too.If she feelslike the thing is too big for her, it will be - regardless of the caliber - and her confidence level will suffer accordingly.

harter66

My daughters have sot everything in the arsenal 45 Blackhawk to the ruger Mk1 22lr .
The oldest 5' 11 /135 loves the blackhawk 45 .
The youngest 5' /111 likes the 9mm High Power clone .
The middle 5'5'' / 95 digs the security six 357 w/ 38+p's
The Hungarian FEG HP9 is available as a 3'' compact .
It takes about 10 seconds to strip and 20 to put back in service has all the Ca bs but has 30 rnd clips available and is HP parts innerchange clear through .
Best of all they can be had for 300.00 or less and are dead solid reliable .

Maine Shooter

If it's for her, let her pick it out. It'll need to fit HER and be comfortable for HER. You don't choose her shoes, don't choose her firearm. Bring her to shop and let her see what SHE likes. Let HER handle different models. Her gun, HER decision. Never know, she might prefer a revovler over aan auto loader in which case the whole .357 sig/9mmthing it's almost moot.

The .357 Sig chambering can be snappy I think. I've shot it in a P239 and in a CZ RAMI. Shot very good but it's got a good snap to it.