CCW Dilemma for Wife

[BikerHT]

My wife's first EDC was a cute little pink 32auto. That was the appeal to her, the cuteness. Ever since putting the KelTech P-11 9mm in her hand, the 9mm became her EDC and the cute little pink 32 is one of her BUGs.

 

[shotty]

Does she shoot much? Start out with a bersa 22, then 380

 

[toehanus]

My wife is a petite woman with small hands. She took her ccw class with a ruger mk4. After that I get her a Bersa .380. She really likes it. Then, one day we were shooting and she wanted to shoot my full size 1911 just so she would be sorta familiar with it. She absolutely love it. So we will probably be getting her something in a size 1911 soon. BTW, she hated my xd9. The grip was too fat for her to get her hands around it.

 

[carlstretch]

My wife is pretty sensitive to recoil and she loves her S&W model 632. It is a J Frame chambered in .327 Federal Magnum. It is a great round and allows her to practice with several different types of ammo. I personally have shot the following rounds thru it:

.32 Auto
.32 S&W Short
.32 S&W Long
.327 H&R Magnum
.327 Federal Magnum

They all have different recoil feel. For self defense, I keep the .327 Federal Magnum in it but for plinking,.. we use the .32 S&W Long. Great practice round. She also likes to shoot my Sig P238,.... but she's not a fan of semi-auto's. She likes the simplicity of the revolver. Even the .327 Federal Magnum is pretty comfortable to shoot. I recommend both the Sig P238 but I think the S&W 632 is flying way under the radar,.. it is a great firearm.

 

[WessonOil]

380's tend to be very "snappy" in recoil.
Since it's not a high pressure round like the 9mm, it has less metal.
In a literal side by side comparison with three different women of three different sizes, all three found my Kahr PM9 (9mm) more comfortable to shoot than the LCP 380.

 

[gillman7]

If she is comfortable carrying a 22 and will carry it, buy it. Once she shoots for a while, she may want to change. For all the hype about not carrying a 22, I don't hear anyone willing to be shot by one. Usually a 22 will have a fairly high capacity, get her a CT grip for it, tell her to aim the dot and empty the mag, period. A 380 is pretty snappy in a small frame. For new shooters, it can be intimidating.

Go to 2A and rent some guns. I bought my wife a G19, and while she shoots it well, will not carry it because of the size. We went through a 642, P22, PM9, CW9, and finally she decided on a K9, and carries it, and is comfortable with it. Let her pick, and be willing to spend the money without saying a word. The team at 2A will help her out with the best options. Don't sweat the price, if you have it spend it, her life is worth it.

I would rather my wife carry a 22 that she will shoot and can control, and feel confident with it, than a 380 or 9mm that she may or may not hit the target consistently, and follow up shots be all over the place. Being shot with anything is a great deterrent, and pretty sure most people, when they are shot, know the caliber of the bullet by being hit by it.

 

[OKSDC]

I would rather my wife carry a 22 that she will shoot and can control, and feel confident with it, than a 380 or 9mm that she may or may not hit the target consistently, and follow up shots be all over the place. Being shot with anything is a great deterrent, and pretty sure most people, when they are shot, know the caliber of the bullet by being hit by it.

Best advice you can give.

This is EXACTLY what I tell people when asked what is the best gun to buy for ccw. I always say the "one you WILL carry and the one you can shoot accurately, while being able to repeat quickly, more than one time if necessary until the threat stops." If they don't feel confident in shooting it, or it doesn't "fit" their needs and skills, chances are they won't carry it.

Wish a lot of shooters would apply your logic to their own set up. This is not an attack to any of you on this board, as I have not seen most of you shoot, but while instructing a work, I have seen too many people out there who's ego gets in the way of carrying the gun that would be better suited for them to save their lives if necessary. I guess there are just a lot of Dirty Harry carrying, "one shot, one kill" snipers out their among us.

 

[Stackle2]

Glock 27 makes a wonderful women's carry gun.

 

[OKSDC]

Glock 27 makes a wonderful women's carry gun.

I disagree. .40cal sub compact is extremely snappy and if you're looking at sub compact glocks, you would be better served to get the glock 26

Besides my opinion, my wife hated my 27 with the grip extender on the mag for that very reason.

Just my $0.02

 

[BadgeBunny]

If she is comfortable carrying a 22 and will carry it, buy it. Once she shoots for a while, she may want to change. For all the hype about not carrying a 22, I don't hear anyone willing to be shot by one. Usually a 22 will have a fairly high capacity, get her a CT grip for it, tell her to aim the dot and empty the mag, period. A 380 is pretty snappy in a small frame. For new shooters, it can be intimidating.

Go to 2A and rent some guns. I bought my wife a G19, and while she shoots it well, will not carry it because of the size. We went through a 642, P22, PM9, CW9, and finally she decided on a K9, and carries it, and is comfortable with it. Let her pick, and be willing to spend the money without saying a word. The team at 2A will help her out with the best options. Don't sweat the price, if you have it spend it, her life is worth it.

I would rather my wife carry a 22 that she will shoot and can control, and feel confident with it, than a 380 or 9mm that she may or may not hit the target consistently, and follow up shots be all over the place. Being shot with anything is a great deterrent, and pretty sure most people, when they are shot, know the caliber of the bullet by being hit by it.

This, this, this ... A bazillion times over ... THIS ...

As a woman who hated guns, didn't want guns in the house, didn't want to learn how to shoot guns, didn't want anything to do with guns, let me just say ... the harder you guys try to pick the best gun for your wife the worse you will fail ... Everybody's wife is petite, everybody's wife has little hands ... Jeez ... Take her to a range that rents guns ... Take a wad of cash with you because you are gonna need it. Let her pick the guns she wants to try. Don't limit her on the scope of caliber or size of the gun because of your preconceived notions of what women "want" or "can handle" ... LET HER FIGURE IT OUT ON HER OWN ... Then buy her the gun SHE picks out ... If she wants a pink one (gag) then fine, so be it ... find her a pink gun like the one she liked when she was shooting ...

THEN go to the range regularly and let her practice, practice, practice ... Don't stand over her criticizing every little move she makes, correcting her constantly ... LET HER FIGURE IT OUT ON HER OWN ... If it bugs you that much, or if she gets that frustrated, buy her some private lessons ...

I lost track of how many men and women I saw leave the range frustrated and angry because the fella already had it all figured out and his wife/girlfriend/SO just got sick and tired of trying to get him to listen to what SHE wanted ...

And finally ... If you do all these things, don't be surprised if she becomes a better shot than you ...

(BTW guys, my absolute favorite carry gun (and gun to shoot) is a full-size 1911 Colt (that's a .45 for those of you who don't know ... )

Like OKSDC above me, just my $0.02 ...