Asking for my Wife - Which handgun?

[dclaarjr]

My daughter is about the same size as your wife. My Ruger P94 is too big for her hands, She doesn't like the recoil from my Kel-Tec P11. I bought her a Bersa .380 and she really likes it. She really surprised me with how well she could shoot with it right out of the box.

[paul120]

I think Nordic has suggested a good thing.

[rwalker35291]

I just bought my wife a Keltec p11 in 9mm. She too is a small lady. This was about the only gun that she was comfortable with.

[stringygerm]

I have a Walther P22 with a laser on it that I have been thinking about selling. I got it to train my GF when she seemed excited to go out shooting cans. You can guess how that is going. Let me know if you are interested. I'll let her test it.

[dclaarjr]

I just bought my wife a Keltec p11 in 9mm. She too is a small lady. This was about the only gun that she was comfortable with.

Has she shot it yet? I have one and it recoils quite a bit. With my +p carry ammo its a real hand full. If she is new, you may want to start her with a gun that has less recoil.

[Vikefantam]

This is just my opinion, but I love my Glock 27 .40 cal. I'm 5'4", 115-120 lbs and it fits me well. The instructor at my CCW class told me perhaps a 9 mil would be better, that the Glock gave me too much kickback (I don't see this - then again, he was a crabby old man that night - LOL and it's a matter of personal preference) but it's a relatively new gun to me and I am still getting used to it. I fire my husband's Glock 22 just as well as I fire my 27 (the 27 is a smaller model of the 22). I "missed" only one of the 36 required shots and it went just a hair to the left of the torso, hitting the arm. I think my Glock suits me just fine.

Tammy

[Imcrazy]

Try a S&W M&P9c mine shoots great and with the interchangeable backstraps id imagine it would fit her hand nicely, plus its really managable recoil.

[tjeffries]

This is just my opinion, but I love my Glock 27 .40 cal. I'm 5'4", 115-120 lbs and it fits me well. The instructor at my CCW class told me perhaps a 9 mil would be better, that the Glock gave me too much kickback (I don't see this - then again, he was a crabby old man that night - LOL and it's a matter of personal preference) but it's a relatively new gun to me and I am still getting used to it. I fire my husband's Glock 22 just as well as I fire my 27 (the 27 is a smaller model of the 22). I "missed" only one of the 36 required shots and it went just a hair to the left of the torso, hitting the arm. I think my Glock suits me just fine.

Tammy

A lot of women and smaller men don't like the 40 cal, but if it works for you, it has more stopping power than the nine, and is a widely accepted defense round. Carry it everywhere you can, and good luck.

[redhondavtx]

For my birthday the him in my life took out to a local range where they rent guns for shooting on their range. My birthday present this year is a S & W .38 revolver. It fits my hand nicely, I like the weight, and it doesn't have a really bad recoil like alot of the smaller guns do.

For me, his Model 19 Glock is just too big and too heavy to be comfortable. I can't pull the slide back on it even. Granted it is new but I wouldn't be comfortable with something like that.

Now all I need is a speed loader and I am all good to go.

[Morne]

My birthday present this year is a S & W .38 revolver. It fits my hand nicely, I like the weight, and it doesn't have a really bad recoil like alot of the smaller guns do.

<snip>

Now all I need is a speed loader and I am all good to go.

Excellent choice!!!

Which model is it? Rolls 5 in the cylinder or 6? Hammerless? What finish?

[ccmama]

I started out with a Model 638 S&W (airweight snubby)- it kicks like a mule with the factory grips. Changed them to 305 Laser Grips - so much better!
But I digress- I now have a Ruger Sr-9 that is a JOY to shoot. I am a tall, thin women with little arms and I shot 350 rounds yesterday in 2 hours. Very little recoil! No sore arms today! I work building websites so I can't afford to be laid up with sore arms and fingers. Seriously, I wish someone would have let me shoot theirs first so I could have skipped the snubby suggested to women most of the time. BTW- I have shot a gun less than 20 different times so I am not used to recoil or a tough gal.

[TunnelRat]

Seriously, I wish someone would have let me shoot theirs first so I could have skipped the snubby suggested to women most of the time.

I never recommend snubbies for women, especially when they are first learning to shoot. A short-barreled revolver is hard to shoot accurately and can be frankly unpleasant to fire. The so-called "air weight" revolvers are even worse: there is simply not enough mass to absorb the recoil.

It is much wiser (and way easier) to start with a full-sized service pistol, whether a revolver or a semi-automatic. Then, once confidence has been gained (and fear overcome), one can go on to select a smaller, and perhaps more difficult handgun.

[Ken228]

My wife really likes her Sig P232. She also owns a S&W 642, but prefers the Sig.

[Tweed Ring]

TR- last class I instructed there was a small female student, probably late 30's early 40's. She was diminutive. Never fired a gun before. She borrowed something to use for the range portion, but upon seeing my Ruger SP101 snub nosed spur-less revolver, she asked if she could try it because it looked "cute."

Lady fired about 150 rounds, qualified, and at the end of the range session, she walked out to the showroom and ordered one. She didn't like the .357 recoil, but she was fine with the .38 target loads.

I think it all depends on the student and with what gives them confidence and comfort.

[Marica]

I haven't seen this mentioned: Ruger SP101 .357 2.5 inch barrel.

I'm 5'4" & 105. This gun fits my hand, is light enough to carry, but heavy enough to manage. I shoot .38spl & .38spl +P for practice, but use .357 110 grain loads for personal protection (I CC). I *can* shoot 125 grain .357s, but my hand rings if I go through more than 10-15 rounds. I cannot begin to imagine what it would feel like to shoot the lighter weight S&W .38, or bigger .357s.

So one of the main reasons I like the revolver vs. the semi-autos is ammo flexibility.