Asking for my Wife - Which handgun?

Cyclimus · Post by **Cyclimus** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:51 pm

My wife is a small lady but she's pretty strong for her size (years of martial arts and athletics). She's 5'0" tall, in the 115 lbs range and trying to go down to 110 at the most. I and some events in and around our neighborhood have convinced her to start shooting, we have yet to get to the range (one of the next two weekends) but she asked me to help her pick out a handgun.

I had her hold a few different ones to get a feel for the weight and overall frame size she'd prefer. She tried my full size XD and thought it was too wide to be comfortable. She thought the .357 Magnum revolver was too heavy (understandable, the thing is a beast). The one she did like was the little Walther P22.

Based on that, I'm leaning toward a Kahr in 9mm more than likely for her, but I'd welcome any suggestions from the ladies on the board as to what they like (especially if they are of comparable size!).

{Title edited for clarity - JK}

color of law · Post by **color of law** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:46 pm

KelTec PF-9 9mm but it does have a kick. Or a S&W 38S airweight snubnose. I have a small hand and both fit my hand well. I would look at the KelTec P-11 also 9mm.

WBL_2006 · Post by **WBL_2006** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:43 pm

Ruger SP-101 in .38 spcl

Mrs. WBL loves mine (aka "ours"

). It is the 2.25" bbl and is a great shooter.

WBL

NordicRX8 · Post by **NordicRX8** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:47 pm

Is this something the Mrs. will be carrying concealed or just something to have in case of "things that go bump in the night"?

Here's a good thread for some suggestions:

http://ohioccwforums.org/viewtopic.php?t=20197

Post by **Morne** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:26 am

Have her try the aluminum framed (airweight?) S&W J-Frame revolvers in .38 special. My wife loves hers.

Cyclimus · Post by **Cyclimus** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:22 am

She's leaning toward a semi-auto, so the revolver might be out but I'll get her to try an airweight SW at least. This will likely be a housegun for a while but she'll end up getting her CHL down the road I think - she just needs to get over the initial hump so to speak of gun ownership.

Buckshot · Post by **Buckshot** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:00 am

Cyclimus,

She needs a firearm that FITS and FEELS GOOD.

You may end up buying her a .22 for early use and a larger caliber once she gets her skills up.

Rejoice if this happens, instead of hating the extra expense!

Buckshot

BredaFallacy · Post by **BredaFallacy** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:59 pm

I shoot a Bersa Thunder .380 and really enjoy it. It's small enough to conceal, and is reliable and fun to shoot.

carmen fovozzo · Post by **carmen fovozzo** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:05 pm

I am trying to get my wife started in shooting. IMO a 22 or 380 would be good for starters. If you give her a larger caliber to shoot, it might turn her off. Start with something like a Ruger LCP in 380. Stay away from Keltec, they have a tinny feel. Good Luck.

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 1:52 pm

I had a Kahr P9 and really hated the recoil. The gun never felt comfortable in my hands, either. I have a Sig P232 now (.380) and I love it. I also like the Walther PPK, which is chambered for .32 and .380. I like the .380 version. You might want to have her try both. An advantage to the Walther is that the mag release is in a more natural spot. The Sig has an awkward mag release near the base of the magazine that takes some getting used to.

Walther PPK

Sig P232

I think both of these guns would be easy for your wife to conceal. I think women have more trouble concealing than men. I've had trouble finding good concealment options for my Ruger P89 and Sig P229, so I carry the one I can conceal most easily.

Hope this helps!

Ann

{edited to shorten links - JK}

Stephen2 · Post by **Stephen2** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:17 am

My wife is the same size only 100#'s though. She is tough too.

We went through this when deciding what she wanted to carry. (We wanted to carry the same gun model.)

She tried many. We liked the size of the Kahr but we wanted something that wouldn't fall apart from shooting weekly for proficiency. (We try to shoot 100 rounds a week each.)

Couldn't do the Glock as we wanted to shoot lead and not jacketed.

She tried a .45 and a 9mm. .45 is the right choice as it has more stopping power than a 9mm. It was too big in her hand though. (She thought the recoil was the same though!)

She couldnt do a double stack 9mm due to width.

We ended up with single stack Firestars. Relatively inexpensive but reliable and solid.

It was a hard choice. We had considered a sub-compact springer XD. More rounds, trigger and grip safety and a few ounces lighter. (But heavier when extra round were added. Firestar 8+1, XD 15+1)

We liked the grip safety but we decided since we have kids that a lever safety would be better suited.

You could carry a smaller caliber but you want something that works. Plus the 9's are cheaper to shoot.

Report back what you decide.

Post by **TunnelRat** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:48 am

Although I tend to agree with much of what has been posted, I would encourage you to consider the laws of physics when selecting a handgun for your wife. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A pistol needs a certain amount of mass to soak up the recoil.

Thus, air-weight snubbies and plastic-framed autos may be light enough for easy carry, but they can be frankly unpleasant to shoot. I would recommend a larger, steel-framed handgun -- at least for a start. Snubbies make for a nice size carry gun, but try one in steel, so there's enough heft to absorb some of the recoil. Kahr also makes a small 9mm, but their steel frame job is more "shootable" than their plastic frame models.

Both of my daughters learned to shoot with my 9mm Browning Hi-Power. Even though it's got a double-stack magazine it was still slender enough for their small hands.

By the way, we tried the Walther P-22 with great success. It is small, attractive, reliable, and very easy to shoot. Your wife could do a lot worse than that.

curby · Post by **curby** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:33 am

why not a MILLENNIUM PRO™ COMPACT 745 .45 ACP COMPACT

it's a single stack 6+1 and easily concealed.

they also have the .32, .380, 9mm, .40 S&W

I know, it's a taurus but i'm a taurus guy.

Post by **Morne** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:06 pm

Curby, that is one NICE looking gun...

My .45ACP family could use an addition...

But I must buy AR's too...

thx · Post by **thx** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:52 pm

My wife hates revolvers and after trying nearly everything really likes (and subsequently has no problem carrying) a Beretta Tomcat in 32acp. While a larger caliber would be ideal if she wont carry anything else then its the right caliber. Load it with FEderal Hydrashocks and the what winds up in the badguy will be more like the width of a .45.
Its more solid than any gun its size that Ive picked up, has a safety, and has a pop-open barrel if you dont want to rack the slide to chamber the first round. Its method of operation is a little different than other autos but it really is a great gun. Pretty accurate too considering the barrel length. Plus it carrys invisible in shorts in a pocket holster.