Advice Needed - Handgun for Wife

C

CassidyGT

New member
The wife has a .380 Bersa. She shootes very well with it and likes it alot. However, she is concerned with the cheap quality of the Bersa and she is concerned with the dinky .380 round.


These are the features she would like:

1. Must have Single/Double Action (like a Beretta 92)

2. Must be small - like a Walther PPK

3. Must shoot at least 9mm round

4. Must have external safety

5. Must be a QUALITY handgun

Is there any pistol that meets these criteria?


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Thane (NRA GOA JPFO SAF CAN)
MD C.A.N.OP
tbellomo@home.com
http://homes.acmecity.com/thematrix/digital/237/cansite/can.html
www.members.home.net/tbellomo/tbellomo/index.htm
"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression.
In both instances there is a twilight when everything remains
seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all
must be most aware of change in the air - however slight -
lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."
--Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
 
Cassidy, my wife carries a Walther P5 Compact daily. it fits your requirements with the exception of the external safety.

Without a doubt, I still think the P5c is the finest compact 9mm made - period - and I own 5 9mm pistols. They are not easy to find and are expensive but worth every penny. The only place importing them right now is Earl's Repair Service - the current Walther factory service center.

Although it does not have the external safety you mentioned I would encourage you to try to locate one and see how your wofe like it.

If you have trouble finding one, I'd be happy to take a few digital pics and send them to you.

CMOS

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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!

The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
 
Beretta makes a Compact Model M, a shortened single stack version of the 92; they also make the Mini-Cougar in 9mm. A S&W 3913 sounds like it would fit (buy one used). FEG makes a 9mm that is aparently a mini-sized cross between the Smith and a Browning. The CZ-75 Compact might do.

OTOH, if you can get her into DAO, the new Kahr P9 is really slick.
 
The older Smith & Wesson 3913TSW (obviously pre-agreement) -- the first of their 'Tactical' line is even smaller than the regular 3913 or their newer/current 3913TSW.<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI> It's traditional DA/SA
<LI> It's slightly larger than a PPK -- about the size of a PP
<LI> Shoots a 9mm -- there's a .40 model available (4013TSW) which is about the same size but it is much bulkier because it is double stack instead of single
<LI> Has an external safety
<LI> Some may question it's quality but it is my main carry gun and I stake my life on it. Here are some e-mails that I've received with regard to it's quality ... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><LI> I picked up two 3913tsw one is the old syle without the rail and one with the rail. I read your comment on try to get the older style, so i got both. They are very nice to shoot. I traded a two Glocks in for the 3913tsw. Glocks cannot touch the quality of the smiths. I was deceived for 1 year about them. What i did with the 3913 at the range the first time out took me six months to accomplish with the 26 and 19. Plus there isn't any saftey on the Glocks! I am sold on Smith's, not the Company but their quality pistols.
<LI> I picked up a Smith last week, it is beautiful!! This is the first pistol that i have ever shot, that fires as smooth as glass. Very little recoil, and back on target every time. I even got my wife out to the range, (miracle) the first shot she couldn't hit the target, second shot bullseye smack in the Xring. Twenty feet is no problem, and very accurate and smooth shooting. I call it a classic! I bought a Smith 3913TSW - nine caliber. Shooting a Sig is like shooting sandpaper, much to abrasive of a pistol, especiallly the slide coming back on your thumb. Never on the Smith. The Smith is fine tuned, trigger action is tuned at the factory.[/quote]</UL>Hope this helps. By the way, the requirements that you listed are the very same one's that I look for. Regards, FUD.

[This message has been edited by FUD (edited September 11, 2000).]
 
FUD,

Hey buddy, I knew you couldn't resist with this one!! :D

CassidyGT, possible to take her to the local range and rent a few guns? (If "possible.")

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God, Guns and Guts made this country a great country!

oberkommando sez:
"We lost the first and third and now they are after the Second!(no pun intended)"
 
I purchased a Kahr K9 for Amy, but at 4'9" and 85 pounds she had a tough time loading the magazine and such. I thought that this was a great gun for her because it was an FBI carry gun, took std. 9mm and +P, thin and had a very comfortable grip for both small and large hands. We have since switched to a revolver and have taken care of the loading problem. Anyway, good gun, especially for carry. This gun is barely used and on GunsAmerica:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976054500.htm
 
Your wife is right, Bersa is $---. I think a 9mm Sig Sauer P239 would make a great choice-- excellent triggers in both SA and DA, and it is very accurate and controllable. Consider canning the external safety-- you don't need one when the DA trigger is nearly 10 lbs. Another excellent pistol would be the Ruger P95--a best buy IMO.

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited September 11, 2000).]
 
For Men: How Do I Help Women In Making A Decision About Firearms?
By Nancy West

Other pages on this site: Women | General | Associations | Publications |
Manufacturers | Reloading
Whenever I pass a Women and Firearms chat site and look at what people are
talking about, there always seems to be a note from a man. He is concerned
about the safety of a woman close to him: a sister, a mother, a girlfriend,
or a wife. Or he and other members of his family enjoy shooting, but his
significant other won't even look at a gun, much less touch one. What do I
do? they ask. How can I get her interested in looking at guns as an option,
for self-defense or recreation?

Here are a few tips. Purely my own opinion, but they may be helpful to you.

First, do not purchase the woman a gun and give it to her as a present. If
she hasn't made the decision to use a firearm, this will be seen as
unwelcome pressure to do something she doesn't want to do, not as a welcome
gift. She will likely see it as an attempt to force her to use a gun, and
the gun will remain in the back of a sock drawer.

Besides, just as you look carefully at guns to make your purchase, she will
need to look carefully at them to make hers if she decides to become
involved with firearms. Just because the guy behind the counter at the gun
store says "All the women are buying this one," or "this one is perfect for
a first gun," does not mean that it is. Imagine how insulted you might feel
if someone gave you a gun assuming it was just what you needed. What if it
doesn't fit your grip? What if you hate revolvers and only shoot semi-autos?
What if you simply don't like the way it shoots?

These are individual preferences, and she needs to be allowed to make the
choice of the gun she wants, even if that mean she chooses no gun at all.

Suggest a neutral third-party for training. That means, someone who is not
you. Even if you are a excellent shooter and teacher yourself, with years of
firearms experience, the woman might feel nervous, and pressured to do what
you expect of her.

Many female instructors are now available in a wide range of shooting
disciplines, from beginning gun safety to hunting, and from self-defense to
trapshooting. Some even offer women-only courses, where a beginning user may
not be as likely to feel "stupid" because she doesn't know about guns
already.

A female instructor is not essential, however. A basic course that allows
her to see what it feels like to shoot a gun, and try a variety of different
firearms to see what she's comfortable with, without you looking over her
shoulder, will be well worth the expense. She will have more confidence in
her ability to make decisions about guns on her own, without your input. It
is this confidence that will make her more likely to be interested in guns
in general.

Do not give her your cast-off equipment to use. Sometimes I'll see a woman
on the range, with an ill-fitting holster on a skinny, non-reinforced belt.
She can't draw the gun easily, everything slips and moves around the wrong
way, and she does not look as if she's having fun. Why should she, being so
poorly equipped?

Particularly with holsters, what works for most men will not work for women.
Our bodies are built differently (obviously). It may seem to make sense to
use equipment you have, and if she develops an interest in shooting,
purchase more expensive equipment. But I can guarantee what she'll remember
is not the fun and confidence she had at the range, but her frustration. You
will get the opposite result of what you want. Either invest in quality
equipment that fits her correctly, or encourage her to do so for herself.

Subscribe to Women & Guns magazine. No, this is not a paid advertisement.
But there is no other publication that talks so specifically to women's
issues and concerns about firearms ownership. Plus, I know many men who
value the magazine's easy-to-understand articles, full of details that are
relevant to all gun owners. Many gun magazines can seem full of
techno-babble, but Women & Guns cuts through all that. She might see that
there are many women who enjoy hunting and shooting sports, and who carry
handguns for self-defense. If she is developing an interest in firearms, but
is worried because she doesn't personally know a woman who owns a one, this
publication could be reassuring and provide valuable information.

Connect her to other women on the Internet. There are a wide variety of
women interested in firearms on the web. I've just begun to uncover who's
out there, and plan to be adding more and more sites. Women she knows at
work and in the community do use firearms, but are reluctant to discuss it.
On the internet she can talk to women with a variety of opinions and
interests, who are eager to share their knowledge with a beginner.
 
WAGCEVP, great advice! From classes (particularly the carry permits classes) that we teach, we have found a lot of the same things going on. In addition to not letting a spouse teach the other spouse, we have a rule that requires husband/wife or female/male partners taking a class to physically separate (at least until we can tell whether one is "bossing" the other).
 
Thane,

This is going to sound self-serving (as you'll see at the end), but I'm trying not to be. I think you should look at the S&W (pre-agreement) 3913/3914 9mm compact autos. They meet the requirements you set out: Small, SA/DA, 9mm, ext safety, and a quality handgun. Add to that excellent Novak sights. As far as fitting a woman's hands goes, the 3914 was one of the original "Ladysmith" designs, and fits my wife (petite jewel that she is) quite well. Magazine and leather availability problems are a non-issue. The gun is a great balance between small enough to conceal comfortably and large enough to be a pussycat with +P ammo.

Having said all this, you might think me crass to mention I have one said 3914 for sale. If you're interested, you can e-mail me for the details.

Self-interest aside, look seriously at this gun. It meets your needs, and if you get a "used" one, pre-agreement, then you get a quality firearm and S&W doesn't see a dime. Win/win.

Good luck.

Scott
 
Cassidy..I ditto what CMOS said,the Walther P-5 is an awesome pistol,they are kinda hard to come by,but they are out there,and well worth the $$. The PPK/S is a great carry weapon as well..PJ
 
Regarding the S&W semi-autos (DONT BUY ONE)!!!
Smith and Wesson semi-autos are over-rated junk IMO. Of the 2 I owned (457 & 4526), both had very poor triggers, horrible reliability (the 457 was a jam-o-matic), and the 4526 was not much better in reliability. Both had parts breakages early on and often-- for example twice the 457's magazine hold broke which in turn made the gun inoperable (since gun won't shoot w/o a locked magazine). Neither pistol survived past 750 rounds without at least one part breakage (the 457 had 3 broken parts before 500 rounds). The 4526 also had several annoying parts breakages, and for an expensive model the 4526 had a very poor trigger. Its not only me-- other people I know have had similar experiences with S&W semi-autos. Yes, S&W makes great revolvers. BUT, I learned the hard way that the semi-autos are flat out junk. I do not recommend S&W autos.

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited September 11, 2000).]
 
Quantum Singularity, I have to respectfully disagree with you on your accessment with S&W pistols. I own a 659 for nearly a dozen and a half years and I go to the range about once a month with it and put 100-150 through it. Let's be conservative and use the lower number and let's also assume that I miss a couple of months out of the year. That still comes out to about 18,000 rounds (10 months X 18 years X 100 rounds) and the gun is still going strong! I own several of their newer models (3913, 4013, 4006, 5906, 1006, 4513, 4506) and they seem to be made of even better quality. With regard to the trigger pull -- smooth as glass fresh from the factory.

I own several different makes and models (Beretta, Browning, SIG, etc.) but when it comes to home defense and concealed carry, it's a S&W pistol that I reach for FIRST. I wouldn't trust my life and that of my family to a product unless I thought that it was the best available.

By the way, Ruger & Sig do not have a maual safety -- they have decockers only. Pull the trigger and the gun will still fire. The S&W's have a combination safety/decocker which was one of the things on the list.

[This message has been edited by FUD (edited September 11, 2000).]
 
Fud,

I respect your position...you have a very nice Smith pistol :)--I don't deny that. But, both of the ones I owned were lemons and I have several buddies who had lemons too--theirs had poor triggers but were reliable--both of my Smiths had poor triggers but were unreliable (and not very durable) also. I think (at the very least) it can be said that the quality control is an issue with the Smith s.auto pistols of late. No doubt, there are good ones, but many bad ones too--I haven't seen nearly as many lemons from Glock, Sig, Ruger, H&K or the other major companies as I have seen from Smith. In my experience (having owned 2 Smith autos and shooting many other Smith models (either rented or buddies) even the Smiths that work reliable generally have very bad triggers in SA mode--I've been told this is due to the magazine safety? By the way, both models I owned were pre-agreement.

I know the Sigs, and most Rugers etc have no external safety (Ruger P89/P90 do have an option for an external safety). I prefer no external safety--one less thing to worry about.

With that said, I love my (pre-agreement) Smith revolver-- its just the semi-autos that have given me problems in the past.

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited September 11, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited September 11, 2000).]
 
I jsut bought my wife a Sig 225 (Precision Armory has them for 460 with Trijicon Night sites) ... actually he had one left after I got mine ... uh ... hers ... 10 days ago. I know it doesn't have a manual safety ... but the rest is perfect. The other choice is a HK USP9C ... never shot one, but I have the USP40C and it's the same deal ... has everything you want.
Saands
 
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