Handgun for my wife

[king fisher]

I'm not buying my wife any kind of gun.  The Bait Monkey would be dead in a week, design or caliber wouldn't make any difference.  If I ever let the Bait Monkey talk me in to trying expensive swimbaits, and a rod, reel combo to fish them, I would have to eliminate all knives with blades longer than 2 inches along with any of my guns from the house in order to save the life of the Monkey. 

[slonezp]

On 4/19/2022 at 11:04 AM, king fisher said:

I'm not buying my wife any kind of gun.  The Bait Monkey would be dead in a week, design or caliber wouldn't make any difference.  If I ever let the Bait Monkey talk me in to trying expensive swimbaits, and a rod, reel combo to fish them, I would have to eliminate all knives with blades longer than 2 inches along with any of my guns from the house in order to save the life of the Monkey. 

Sacrifice the wife, not the monkey

Monkey loves you

Wifey no love you

[NorcalBassin]

Our single stack options in CA are pretty limited, but I picked up a p238 (380) for my wife for Christmas a couple years ago and even started training my daughter with it this past year. It's a little "snappy" but quite manageable after working on wrist control.

 

I'm actually a fan of manual safeties since an accidental discharge is more likely than needing to defend one's self, and if you train with disengaging the safety it will become part of the muscle memory when drawing the firearm. Regarding ballistics, I've yet to meet anyone interested in volunteering to take 2 to the chest and 1 to the head with a .380 due to it being "less lethal" than a 9mm or .45. Nothing wrong with a 380 for close range self-defense. 

[Woody B]

My Wife carries a Sig P938 every day.   Before that she carried a S&W Model 60.   

[NHBull]

On 5/9/2022 at 1:23 AM, NorcalBassin said:

Our single stack options in CA are pretty limited, but I picked up a p238 (380) for my wife for Christmas a couple years ago and even started training my daughter with it this past year. It's a little "snappy" but quite manageable after working on wrist control.

 

I'm actually a fan of manual safeties since an accidental discharge is more likely than needing to defend one's self, and if you train with disengaging the safety it will become part of the muscle memory when drawing the firearm. Regarding ballistics, I've yet to meet anyone interested in volunteering to take 2 to the chest and 1 to the head with a .380 due to it being "less lethal" than a 9mm or .45. Nothing wrong with a 380 for close range self-defense. 

The best handgun in the world is the one you are more likely to have on your person regardless of caliber

[Captain Phil]

I live in an area where it seems everyone carries a gun, even little old ladies have one in their purse.  You would think we have a lot of crime, we don't.   Our people are so afraid these days that they feel they need to arm themselves when they go to church.  If it makes you feel safer, I have no problem with it.  I own guns, but I don't carry them in my car or on my person.  Why?  Because I never get myself in a position where I need to use it.  If I did, I might use it and regret it for the rest of my life.  You can't take back a bullet.  Enough about that.

 

I am probably an outlier on this issue, but I prefer revolvers.  They are simple and safe.  The revolver I have in my home is loaded with an empty chamber under the hammer.  If I drop it, it's not going to kill me or anyone else.  I can see the bullets, so I know it's loaded. I don't need to kill anyone to deter them.  If my wife shoots through the door of our home, I'm fairly sure the trespasser will leave.  If they don't and try to come in, it's at their peril.   I am not anti gun.  I just think most people would be better off not carrying one.  This is a personal decision each person should make on their own, not the government. 

[Neil McCauley]

I saw a great response to this recurring question on another forum:

 

They said Ruger Mark IV .22LR.

Get into target shooting, marksmanship, etc and move on from there. Buy and practice with other pistols. When the person is ready they will know what works best for them.

[slolane]

My wife carries a Sig p238 (380) its a great carry gun.

[Fishin Dad]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:32 PM, AmmoGuy said:

 

You're not wrong. I've competed with a manual safety for over a decade (USPSA Limited) and with regular training and practice, it is not a consideration. Disengaging is built into your grip and happens faster than you can present the pistol. 

 

That said, in this type of discussion, I tailor my response for those that are most likely not going to put in that type of effort. In those cases, the risk of someone spending life saving seconds fumbling with a thumb/manual safety during a defensive situation is very real. On top of that, a thumb safety on most modern striker fired pistols offers NO actual safety benefits (when the pistol is carried/handled correctly). These are the reasons for my recommendation. 

 

But yes, you're correct in principal. As an example, this is a silly one-shot stage from USPSA Nationals a few years ago. My gun in the video has a manual thumb safety. 

 

 

 

That is pretty B.A.!!  I want you on my side. 

[Deleted account]

On 3/10/2022 at 12:32 PM, gimruis said:

I demand that she...

 

Yeah, that's gonna work out...

[Darth-Baiter]

On 3/10/2022 at 9:32 AM, gimruis said:

My wife doesn't carry a pistol, but she sometimes goes with me to the range to shoot.  I demand that she at least knows how to load and shoot a handgun from a basic operational stand point.

 

For that reason, she uses a Ruger SR22.  She doesn't like recoil and the more recoil there is, the more she dislikes it.  .22LR ammo is cheap and has virtually no recoil, and the handgun still fits in her hand.  The downside is that it doesn't have the stopping power of a 9mm or similar caliber.

a CCI Velocitor .22 round is so d**n hot.  it would be the more perfect .22LR defense round.

 

it will pink mist a jackrabbit.  (so i've heard.)  my wife is fairly against guns, but she can shoot them fantastic.  her brother calls her "Dead Eye".  super funny.  i dont push it with her.  i know she can at least cover the back door if the junk hits the fan.  hahahha.a..

[BayouSlide]

3 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

it will pink mist a jackrabbit.  (so i've heard.)

 

Not to be argumentative by none of the firearms I own, including .308s, 12 gauges. .357 magnum and hot 10mm, will "pink mist" a jackrabbit, even at close range. They ain't that scrawny ?

[Functional]

might be a little late to the party but my wife surprised me on our anniversary night. We were supposed to go race go-karts but she wanted to go to a range instead and try out a bunch of handguns so she could start carrying. (honestly, I have a great wife, both were her ideas for our anniversary)

 

After the sig 365, p238, ruger something she finally landed on the M&P EZ shield in 380. Very easy to rack, tons of intuitive safeties and had a large enough handle to shoot easily but still concealable. 

 

Thats her though, I'd HIGHLY advise you try and get as many guns in her hands as you can and let her pick. Shes gotta be comfortable with it and be able to control it. All 3 guns she shot were the same caliber but weight, handle size and height over bore and general design can and will make all the difference. Even better if you can afford to get her some 1v1 or small group womens only pistol training where they have some guns for her to rotate through. Regardless, training after a purchase will NEVER be money wasted. There isnt a person alive who can say they couldnt benefit from more training of some kind.

[Darth-Baiter]

i have never understood threads like this.  "suggestions for the wife...."

 

i have seen "which car for the wife?"  all over the place.  lots of which "firearm for the little lady"?

 

my wife wouldnt want a handgun, altho she is a badaess with mine.  the girl can shoot.  we have a running joke.  everytime she lines up on the shooting line, she says, "they call me deadeye".  then she commences with the fine shooting.    having said that, if she wanted a gun, she would go to the store and buy one she chose.  same with her car.  she woke me up on morning and said..."hey lets go get my car..it is here!".  we talked about her choice in cars, but i wasnt sure if she was serious.   my wife is a very independent person.  

 

[Bird]

Whenever the wife starts talking about guns I always reply " it's awful quiet in the kitchen " ?

Nah, she and both daughters own handguns.

Something I quickly learned in basic training, women are consistently more accurate than men across the board.

[crzy50]

I would have her check out a S&W model 642.  Carry in a purse, hell shove it in a coat pocket.  No reason to pull it out just point and pull the trigger. 

[GreenPig]

Just upgraded my wife's truck gun a Ruger P89  to a S & W Performance Center Shield Plus. 

[Alan Land]

The S&W shield 9mm is a good choice, I have trained women in the safety and use many times. They seem to function well. I might recommend, you go to a range, where the have rentals, she could get the feel, and choose the right one for her. Biggest mistake made when buying firearms for the spouse, is the guy buying what he thinks she may be able to use. Let her handle it, rack the slide, get a feel for it. Any quality gun shop can help her with this. 

[gim]

32 minutes ago, Alan Land said:

Biggest mistake made when buying firearms for the spouse, is the guy buying what he thinks she may be able to use. Let her handle it, rack the slide, get a feel for it. Any quality gun shop can help her with this. 

 

Absolutely.  The person who is going to be using it should be the one selecting and handling it.

 

I would also add that they shoot it too.  Recoil is not friendly to smaller, weaker hands and females tend to have that in comparison to ours.

[A-Jay]

Handgun for my wife ~

I guess either one of these ~

A-Jay

[Functional]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Handgun for my wife ~

I guess either one of these ~

A-Jay

I knew I liked you two....

 

Was in a gun store yesterday and got some hands on the new S&W Bodyguard 2.0. Gotta say I really like it and will likely pick up at least one for myself. Would be nice for the days I'm going to be chasing my kids around and need a little slimmer of a pistol and lighter weight. I love my Shield+ but the bodyguard is right there with it. My wife even seems interested.

[MediumMouthBass]

15 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Handgun for my wife ~

I guess either one of these ~

A-Jay

Nice Legion!

 

I get a laugh out of guys asking what guns to buy for their wives.

Most women are more than capable of handling recoil, and honestly recoil for most guns is nothing. They arent short barrel 308's....

The military has standard issued sidearms, regardless of the soldier, sailor, airmen, etc's gender.

The best picks for carry (for men and women) are S&W Shields (if older the EZ models are great), Sig p365, XL, and even the Macro, slim line Glocks like the 43x and 48, Walther PDP F, Glock 19.

Theres a ton of other options too, but these are the most known.

 

Best thing to do for your wife is to learn about carry laws, along with taking carry classes. Plus range time and a good holster, not the one from Amazon for $15.

[gim]

18 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said:

The military has standard issued sidearms, regardless of the soldier, sailor, airmen, etc's gender.

Comparing the average civilian female to a trained member of the military seems like a bit of a stretch.

 

Recoil intimidates people that shoot firearms, myself included, regardless of whether it’s a handgun, rifle, shotgun, whatever. And the more recoil a weapon has, the less accurate you are. One of the primary reasons I selected and actively used the firearms I own is because of the recoil, or lack thereof.

[MediumMouthBass]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

Comparing the average civilian female to a trained member of the military seems like a bit of a stretch.

 

Recoil intimidates people that shoot firearms, myself included, regardless of whether it’s a handgun, rifle, shotgun, whatever. And the more recoil a weapon has, the less accurate you are. One of the primary reasons I selected and actively used the firearms I own is because of the recoil.

I love the military, but the their firearms training isnt as great as Hollywood makes it out to be.

I have seen over and over again numerous civilians handle guns better as well as shoot better time and time again. Now units with more money and dedicated training (SOF) yeah they will be some of the best shooters on the planet. But thats a small fraction of the military.

Most MOS or rates are support, staff, etc, what they do is still very important but more than likely they will never need firearms training more than what they had in basic.

And what they had in basic is just that, basic. 

 

I understand your point about recoil, best thing to do would be dry fire. After doing it alot theres less flinch, and fear of it. Also helps a great deal with accuracy.

And saves alot of money on ammo costs too.

 

I dont understand why so many underestimate women, and think they are fragile and unable to handle recoil. I met a woman once who carried 2 1911's in 45acp. Of course she worked at the range, but still. What she carried packed more punch than what most men carry, just times 2.

[deaknh03]

Recoil is certainly a major deciding factor for women.  I know plenty of women that carry and that was the number one factor in deciding what gun to carry.  Ease of racking is a close 2nd.