Gun Suggestions for the Wife?

[OUFAN75]

Hey guys. I am fairly new to the world of handguns and I just purchased my first semi-auto SA XD9 sub-compact. I took my wife to the range last night to shoot my new gun and we had a great time. She thought the 9mm was a bit much for her. Any suggestions? What do your wives carry?

Thanks in advance for the responses....

 

[Biggsly]

Might try a few 9mms to see if she like another better. My wife has a Ruger lcr and really likes it.

 

[superdave65]

I would recommend that you stay away from the sub-compacts. In my experience they are very unpleasant to shoot. There are some very decent compact 9mm pistols on the market.

 

[OUFAN75]

I should mention that we also shot my .22lr revolver and in comparison it was like a cap gun that she was comparing to.....

 

[B96brig4CC]

You are in the right caliber range, you just need to find something she is more comfortable shooting. My wife likes my kahr k9 okay, but she loves the S&W 340pd that I picked up for her. she seems to control the .38 a little better than my 9mm. she feels more comfortable with the revolver. You will find that unless you go to 22lr, recoil will be uncomfortable with most calibers because of the size of the gun it is coming out of. .380 is another option if you go with something the size of a bersa, my kahr p380 is small and light and the felt recoil is similar to my k9.

 

[B96brig4CC]

I would recommend that you stay away from the sub-compacts. In my experience they are very unpleasant to shoot. There are some very decent compact 9mm pistols on the market.

I agree with this. get her in a 9mm compact like a glock 19 or even a fullsize M&P 9mm. I love the M&P and the recoil is very light.

 

[ripnbst]

What will your wife be doing with the gun? Carrying it on her person or in her purse or just keeping it in the home for home defense?

I would also say get her into a 9mm that is bigger than a sub compact. I even find a big difference in "shootability" btw a compact and sub-compact let alone a service size firearm. Even a woman can conceal a compact on her person depending on her build. Also keep in mind, sub-compacts aren't meant to be pleasant to shoot hundreds of round through on a range. They are designed to be very concealable and shot when you need it in a life or death situation. Though they do need to see some range time to train and make sure that they function and you stay proficient.

 

[OUFAN75]

You are in the right caliber range, you just need to find something she is more comfortable shooting.

I think that is the problem. As I was thinking about it, I purchased the XD9 SC cause it felt great in my hand and my hand fully filled the grip. When I was showing her how to hold the gun I noticed her hand did not naturally fit the grip. There was a gap towards the top of the grip where the inside of your hand goes to depress the safety. I think a 9mm that fits her hand is the way to go. I think we will have to rent a few and try it.

 

[OUFAN75]

What will your wife be doing with the gun? Carrying it on her person or in her purse or just keeping it in the home for home defense?

As for now, she wants to carry in her purse. But that may change after she gets more comfortable and we take the CC class.

 

[druryj]

I think that is the problem. As I was thinking about it, I purchased the XD9 SC cause it felt great in my hand and my hand fully filled the grip. When I was showing her how to hold the gun I noticed her hand did not naturally fit the grip. There was a gap towards the top of the grip where the inside of your hand goes to depress the safety. I think a 9mm that fits her hand is the way to go. I think we will have to rent a few and try it.

There you go; let her hold onto a few and see what feels righ to her. As other have suggested, a compact may be better for her than a sub-compact. There's a world of differnce in felt recoil between my itty-bitty Kahr PM9 and my compact Glock 19.