Help my wife choose

[MeanStreaker]

I'll begin by saying that I'm very much in favor of people choosing their own carry gun and would like my wife to do the same. She asked me to post this request for her and we'd appreciate any thoughts/experiences you'd like to share in order to help us narrow down our search.

She's been coming to the range with me for awhile now and has became an excellent shot with our .22 caliber pistol (Ruger 22/45). Whenever she switches to my Springfield XD 9mm she complains that "it hurts too much." Apparently the fingernails of her primary hand are digging in to the palm of her support hand. I've analyzed her grip, and she seems to be holding the gun correctly.

Anyway, I wonder if maybe the grip of the XD is too thick, or she just isn't ready for 9mm yet. She said that she likes the idea of a semi-auto over a revolver, so my first instinct of a good .38 Special revolver is out the window. I've been hearing excellent things about the Bersa 380. What else would you suggest we look into? Ever have any problems with comfort of shooting a 9mm like I described above? Thanks.

[NavyChief]

OK, there are a bunch of things to consider.

Auto v. revolver number one. I too like a bottom feeder, but how good is the wife at clearing a misfire/malfunction? Can she do it without thinking about it? Next time you go to the range slip a snap cap randomly in one of her mag's. The revolver, of course, has a pretty straight forward immediate action drill - pull the trigger again. (Yes, I know. If we're at the range we're going to leave it pointed down range and wait 30 seconds - or 60, depending on how you were raised - etc. I'm talking about on the street.)

I'm guessing her problem is more with the grips of the XD than the caliber. My wife has no problem firing either my .357 or my .45. She is by no means a strong woman, and in fact does not have the strength in her hands to rack the slide on my 1911 (this is due in large part to arthritis). Nonetheless, her only problem with either is the weight, not the recoil. Several years ago I bought her a Model 642 LadySmith - she loves it.

Bottom line. She may have to shoot a bunch of different guns until she finds her gun. I don't know if there are ranges in your area that offer rentals. If there are, I'd strongly encourage trying that route. A little pricey, but compared to the price of buying a new firearm she ends up not liking, well worth it. If there are no range rentals, there are still options. Obviously, friends with guns. (Sidenote: If you can only take two things to a gunfight, what should they be? ...a long gun, and a friend with a long gun. ) Another realistic option is paying attention to who's shooting what next time you're at the range. We "gun nuts" are generally a friendly bunch. Tell the guy - or gal - in the next stall your dilemma, and ask if the wife can give their Blastomatic a try.

[TunnelRat]

Whenever she switches to my Springfield XD 9mm she complains that "it hurts too much." Apparently the fingernails of her primary hand are digging in to the palm of her support hand. I've analyzed her grip, and she seems to be holding the gun correctly.

Anyway, I wonder if maybe the grip of the XD is too thick, or she just isn't ready for 9mm yet.

You may want to try adding a Hogue grip sleeve to your XD. That might change the ergonomics of the grip sufficiently by adding a bit of girth and (maybe) reducing felt recoil a tad.

Nines aren't particularly known for heavy recoil, but I have found, when teaching my daughters, that a heavier weapon tends to diminish felt recoil (thank God for the laws of physics!). So they seemed to prefer my 9mm Browning Hi-Power over some smaller guns in that caliber. A Hi-Power weighs nearly a half pound more than your XD. So your answer may be to go to a heavier weapon rather than to a lighter caliber.

[Mad Duck]

#1 get her to a gunshow or well stocked gunshop, & see what she finds feels good.
She might try a sig, or glock
Lady D has really long slender hands, & she finds the Sig 226 very comfortable.
I can't see how her fingernails could be digging in, unless they are really long.

[netphoenix]

My wife doesn't like anything bigger than a 380 after testing multiple handguns. I then took her to Gander Mountain where she liked the feel of the Bersa 380's.

She enjoys shooting it, but after going through the CCW class, decided it was too difficult for her to conceal. She now owns a Keltec P-3AT & loves the little bugger.

Now when we go to the range, I stick with my Taurus while my wife enjoys switching back n forth between her Bersa & Keltec.


-Chris

[TunnelRat]

She now owns a Keltec P-3AT & loves the little bugger.

I am happy with my P-3AT, too. Though I find the recoil of the .380 cartridge on that tiny platform is sharp enough that I don't care to shoot more than one box of ammo at an outing.

[Javelin Man]

I've never fired a Bersa, but I picked a couple up at gunshows. And set them down, I didn't take them. I don't see any need for a .380 in my gun safe. I did enjoy how they felt in my hand, though. I'm sure the extra weight would tame the recoil quite a bit. I don't think my wife would fire my P11 more than once. She's fired my P32 a few times and after hitting the bullseye on her third shot smiled and gave it to me. She said she shot it and that's all she was going to do. She could easily handle my .38 Chief's Special if someone was coming through the door.

Choose well.

[netphoenix]

I am happy with my P-3AT, too. Though I find the recoil of the .380 cartridge on that tiny platform is sharp enough that I don't care to shoot more than one box of ammo at an outing.

The boss claims it "jumps" instead of "kicks".

If she's happy, I'm not gonna argue!

BTW have you notice how pathetic poor old NavyChief has looked as of late? His Avatar has completely abandoned him and everytime he posts, he just looks like a broken man. Just to help him out, I think he should consider this new one:





OH MANN!!!! And as I post this, I find he has his Avatar back!!! Oh well, this jab was just too cute to edit out.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone & God Bless
-Chris

[Mad Duck]

Lady D has a Bersa, & I agree with Tom, .380's "jump" or "torqe" when fired.
I have found it happens with Beretta's, Keltec's etc.
Miz D perfers her Sig over the Bersa, on the range, & even told me the 1911, 45 was more comfortable to shoot.
She carries the Bersa, because so much of the time she has to lock it in her vehicle, (she works for UC), she does not want the Risk the Sig.
in case someone breaks into her car.
I have been looking at the EAA Polymer pistols, at CDNN & they are not much higher than the Bersa's.
Not banging the Bersa, just don't care for the 380 round.
Well we have plenty of Browning HP's, but in her case the Sig is her Fav.

[TunnelRat]

Miz D perfers her Sig over the Bersa, on the range, & even told me the 1911, 45 was more comfortable to shoot.

My daughters much prefer the .45 caliber 1911 over other guns. The grip seems to fit their hands better and the mass of the gun (2 1/2 lbs!) soaks up most of the recoil. Of course, they like my recoil-free 9mm Hi-Power even better.

Not banging the Bersa, just don't care for the 380 round.

I think that so many of the more popular .380 guns try to make themselves smaller than the cartridge calls for. It's hard to get around the laws of physics (though James Tiberius Kirk managed to do so...).

[NavyChief]

BTW have you notice how pathetic poor old NavyChief has looked as of late? His Avatar has completely abandoned him and everytime he posts, he just looks like a broken man. Just to help him out, I think he should consider this new one:





OH MANN!!!! And as I post this, I find he has his Avatar back!!! Oh well, this jab was just too cute to edit out.

You will pay. Just remember, I know low people in high places...

[Willy P]

Chief he could have done worse. At least he didn't put Poopdeck Pappy's picture in the post.

[netphoenix]

Try to be helpful & what's it get yuh??

-Chris

[TunnelRat]

Try to be helpful & what's it get yuh??

Another day older and deeper in debt...

[dan_sayers]

I've been hearing excellent things about the Bersa 380.

I will agree. Though I'm not allowed to say so since my experience is incredibly limited. I will say that by time I handled several guns (but not necessarily firing them), the Bersa was most impressive by way of single-hand operation. By that I mean that all the controls are in reach and it's very easy for me to operate. I know the 380 platform is considered more of a ladies platform, but I don't feel any lacking. It does kick a bit more than you'd expect as well as bark quite a bit louder than you'd expect. My guess would be the shorter barrel. At any rate, I started off wanting a PPK and just felt it was too tough to operate. Didn't like the lack of a slide release and didn't like how resistant the slide was to being pulled back. Don't really have that issue with the Bersa at all. I was also able to fire it incredibly accurate. It's her decision, so she should go with whatever's best for her. But if holding a Bersa, she's even remotely interested, see what you can do to get her to fire one. After handling it, I wanted it. After firing it, I was certain I made the right decision. After cleaning it, I was in love. I'm a guy, but I don't mind owning "a woman's gun" at all or its smaller caliber.