First CCW for my Wife

C

chemcal

New member
She has taken classes with a p250 but doesn't really like it. Neither of us feel my PPQ has a safe carry trigger. She shoots my P99 well, however, it does not have the simplest trigger platform and is too large.

Please recommend some handguns women do well with.
 
My fiancée is quite fond of her Glock 42 with the grip extension.

I highly recommend that if your wife must have a gun with a safety that she practice drawing and sighting in many many times until it becomes muscle memory to disengage that safety as she clears the holster. It needs to be subconscious.
 
Taurus TCP >> .380, made in FL!

It's one of the few (.380) that lock open when mag is empty.

They offer it in (pink) <<<< did I type that!!!!!!! :eek:
 
How does she plan on carrying it? I conceal different guns better depending on how fitted or not fitted my clothes are.

I personally like the Sig p238, Sig p938, Glock 43, Glock 26, Ruger LC9S Pro, and sometimes my Glock19. (Those are in my carry rotation that happen to work best for me and that I went and picked out myself).

Some around here like the M&P Shield. It's a great gun but for whatever reason, I never could shoot it as well as others.
As mentioned the Glock 42 is nice as well.
 
Absolutely NOTHING is wrong with the Shield, don't take it as I meant it was bad. It was just a gun that for whatever reason, didn't point well for ME.
Excellent gun though!

ETA: When I'm not on duty and carrying my full size duty weapon, my Glock 43 seems to get the most carry time since I got it last year. My 26 was getting the most prior to that. My p238 is my trusty go-to when I need something easier to conceal. Then my others come out whenever I feel the need.
All my other guns are full size and I don't carry them.
 
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Carry Guns

The Ruger LC9s 9mm,LCP .380,LCR(.38Spec.Revolver)and the Glock42(.380) may fit well here.Plus all are light,well-proven ccw's
 
Please recommend some handguns women do well with
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Women are no different than us men when it comes to handguns other than they may have smaller hands and fingers but not necessarily so.

Anyhow there are a lot of possibilities for CCW and compact or subcompact handguns in both double and single stack.

Is she totally against striker fired pistols or does she feel that the trigger on the PPQ is too light?

Is she OK with a DA/SA hammer fired pistol?

Best bet is to find a rental range that has possibilities she can try. Keep in mind that smaller and lighter pistols generally have greater felt recoil but only the shooter can judge if recoil with a particular pistol is a problem or not. Also smaller and lighter pistols can be more difficult to shoot accurately. One must find the best compromise between ease of concealment, safety, and comfort of carry versus "shootability".

The M&P Shield (with or without external thumb safety), Walther PPS, Glock 43, and Springfield XDS are popular choices for 9MM single stack thin poly frame subcompact striker fired pistols that have a variety of magazine options - 6/7/8 rounds. The XDS has a grip safety if that would interest her.

This review of single stack 9MM CCW pistols may be helpful.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/handguns/compacts/single-stack-9mm-shootout/

I have been very happy with my HK P30SK which is a poly frame hammer fired double stack subcompact which has a customizable grip with changeable back straps and palm swells. It comes in a variety of trigger configurations including DA/SA, DA/SA with safety, and LEM with long but light take up for the first round fired. There are also magazine options including 13 round with X-GRIP adapter for a little extra capacity and grip length.

http://hk-usa.com/hk-models/p30sk/

Good luck.
 
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Sigarms228 nailed it. Why do some guys want to put a tiny pistol into a woman's hands for their first handgun? I've seen it over and over. Ladies come to training classes with P238's, Bodyguards, LCP's, Airweight 38's, that their husbands, boyfriends, dads picked out for them and they're scared to death of them. Can't get a good grip on such a small gun. They leave our classes shooting G19, PPQ, XD size and Shield, LC9S size with confidence and competence. As much as I'd rather see a woman carry on her person, most who carry will purse carry. Think about it guys - if it were socially acceptable for men to carry purses, which would you rather carry in your purse, a P238 or a G19?
 
Take her out with as many different models you can get your hand on andssee which one she's drawn to. Better still if you know people who have them so you don't have to rent them:)
 
My wife and daughter can shoot or "borrow" any of the dozens of handguns my FiL and I own between us. They both prefer 32 magnum revolvers. My MiL likes them too, but is fond of her Sig 250. The CZ83 is high on their approval lists as well.
 
One of my favorites is the SIG p232 which is .380. I also like the 9mm HK p30sk. Both are available in DA/SA with decocker. I have small hands; a 1911 is also a good fit for me.

Have her try and select what she likes!
 
I really don't think anyone even you can pick the right gun for your wife. She has to pick it. Take her to a rental range and spend the day trying guns that she likes.

That said, my wife found that many short barreled 9 mm pistols have a very difficult slide to rack. She is happy wither Ruger LC9S and found the Sig P938 easier to rack but to small to grip. She has small hands but even so the 938 was just too small for her.
 
Women are no different than us men when it comes to handguns other than they may have smaller hands and fingers but not necessarily so.
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I can't agree with that, I am afraid. Women are shaped differently and very often dress differently; thus, their concealment needs are different.

My wife, like redhologram, finds the Sig P238 to be very easy to conceal. In some outfits, she can conceal it at her waist, and sometimes it goes into its own pocket in a purse. Men howl about off-body carry, but women sometimes find it the only way to go armed.

That is not to say that the Sig P238 is the only pistol I would recommend for a woman, only that my wife, with several pistols available at home and lots more at our very cooperative LGS, picked it for herself. As I have related here before, I thought she might like an LCP and we went to the LGS to look at one, and she decided on the little Sig. There is a lesson there about picking out a pistol for someone else.

Corneredcat.com, as mentioned, is an outstanding resource for women and, in my opinion, for anyone who wants to learn about concealed carry, gun safety, and related topics.
 
I recommend you consider a Walther PPS M2. I now have 6,7, and 8 round mags for mine, I know that one of these mags will fit anybody's hand. I'm getting one more 8 round mag, then I'll carry the 6 rounder, and keep the 8 rounders for spares. This is a great carry gun that I can shoot really well with.
 
My wife had a Bodyguard. Its a really nice weapon EXCEPT for that horribly long trigger pull. She liked the Glock 43 and Shield much better. Its a shame they didn't have a TP more like the Shield.
 
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