Good choice for bedroom safe and wife-friendly?

My argument is...

... that unless there are other reasons to go with the revolver, that I generally prefer an auto due to:

a) higher capacity (usually);
b) faster reload capability (I'm much faster with magazine changes than I am with speed strips or speed-loaders);
c) ease of shooting (typically less perceived recoil with the auto in any given caliber / power range).

Reasons that I might give the nod to the revolver would include:

a) possibility of needing to change power levels on ammo (.38+P in my lady's GP100 on the nightstand, but .357 180gr Buffalo Bore when used as a woods gun);
b) ability to leave it loaded without worrying about magazine springs (again, great for the nightstand gun);
c) ability to feed any bullet contour (but then again, many semi-autos can feed large HP cavity bullets well, one just has to test for reliability).
d) in rare cases, where the user has trouble with their grip, and can't work the slide of an SD caliber auto but can manage to hold onto an SD caliber revolver (note: my mother actually has an easier time with a P239 than with a small revolver; she can work the slide on the P239, although she had trouble with other 9mm autos; she does not like, and has trouble controlling, the recoil of a .38 snub).

I definitely don't recommend AGAINST an auto because it holds more rounds, or reloads faster.

I also don't recommend in favor of a revolver due to its "simplicity." (It really isn't that hard to learn to work the controls of an auto, nor to learn to clear stoppages - if a shooter doesn't want to put in that much effort, they probably shouldn't be trusted with a revolver either).
 
my other point being...

... that "spray and pray" is a training issue, not a mechanical issue.

If she's a "spray and pray" shooter, your wife will simply empty the revolver a few rounds before she would have emptied the semi-auto.

So, get her some good quality training, so that hopefully she won't spray and pray with any handgun, of any type.
 
:) dude you managed to beat this topic into a bloody pulp in a matter of a few posts.

I was simply looking for opinions on what would serve well as a bedside gun while still being user friendly in case my wife needs to use it.

Yes she needs training, no one is arguing this, but this is irrelevant as to the type of gun she uses, as long as she able to safely and quickly operate the thing. By not being able to rack the P230, that is a problem.

I was set on getting the FNP45 with a 15 round clip, but I am definitely open to having an 8-shot revolver for the simple fact that I don't have to think twice about whether the gun will shoot when I pull it out of the safe after several years of storage (separate issue, I know it needs to be checked every once in a while).
 
Kel-tec pmr 30 / The Poor Man's FN-5.7

Retail is $475. It holds 30 rounds of 22mag (check the ballistics) is very lightweight has a soft spring, a light trigger and shoots a flame about 16 inches out of the barrel. PERFECT for a lady with zero recoil and fiber-optic sights.
I LOVE this gun.
 
It will punch a vest with the right load...
It tends to keyhole on impact....Very effective. We shot some wet phone books with ours and were highly impressed with the penetration and trauma.
 
yeah i don't know if i am a believer in that.

i recall reading some reports a few years back that analyzed these situations and it seems adrenaline is very effective at hiding pain and trauma. meaning that the bad guy will be on over-drive due to (a) adrenaline and/or (b) drugs and it takes a really major shot to actually stop them. not that the smaller rounds will not do damage, it just take a bigger and much harder hit to actually stop them right then in the their tracks. the smaller rounds will just **** them off as they continue on and then later the trauma will kick in. on the other hand, I would love to see someone take a 45 to the body and continue attacking.
 
vpr80...

... you have a point; I'll tone it down a notch.

Just because she couldn't work the P230 slide, doesn't mean she can't work other slides. Possibly even an FN45, but the recoil spring on that one should be stiffer. The grip shape and contour may make it easier for her to overcome the spring, though, so it's possible.

Sometimes, it isn't the caliber or the basic type (revolver vs semi) that's the problem. In my mother's case, the reason she couldn't cycle the other 9mm (and .45) autos was that her hands are starting to develop arthritis, and there wasn't enough grip area on the slides of my other weapons for her to grasp, relative to the spring tension she had to overcome.

For instance, I like CZ's, but the slide-inside-frame layout actually means there isn't that much exposed slide to grip. My mother could barely even move the CZ slide. Too bad, because the PCR I had thought I'd loan her is a very easy pistol to shoot.

OTOH, the P239 has a tall slide, that is easy for her to grasp. As a result, its recoil spring wasn't a problem for her, and she can cycle the slide using good body mechanics.

If your wife's hands aren't weakened by some medical issue, then it's entirely possible that an instructor can show her how to work the slide using body motion, rather than triceps extension (which is what most people seem to do). I normally teach people to grip the slide overhand, and push the grip through with a combination of shooting hand extension and advancing of the hip on the shooting side (like a karate front punch).
 
I think you nailed it on that one. The P230 is a small gun so the surface area of the slide was not great and combined with a bad technique, it just didn't work.

I am going to take a few of my guns and let her try them at the range, see if she's included for one or another.
 
I was simply looking for opinions on what would serve well as a bedside gun while still being user friendly in case my wife needs to use it.

Yes she needs training, no one is arguing this, but this is irrelevant as to the type of gun she uses, as long as she able to safely and quickly operate the thing. By not being able to rack the P230, that is a problem.
Click to expand...

Not irrelevant - why practice "tap, rack and bang" drills if she wants a wheel gun? Or using a speedloader when she needs to practice using a magazine?

Again, let HER decide after a lesson or two, and go with that - there's nothing wrong with having two different guns on opposite nightstands
 
Glock 22. 15+1 rounds of .40S&W. Reasonably priced, new usually goes for avg of $550.00, used can be had for less. They are really accurate and reliability is what Glocks are known for. Plus, if you get a latter production run 3rd gen or 4th gen Glock 22, you have the option of adding a light and or laser on the dust cover.
 
Have her check out the Glock 19 and 26. The 26 is sometimes touted as too small for many men's hands. I like it but my pinkie holds nothing on it, though 9mm is so easy to control it doesn't matter. A smaller hand may find it's grip perfect. Just a suggestion.
 
Take a look at Springfield's XDM platform, specifically the new XDM compact.

Some women have difficulty racking the slide because they cannot get a firm enough grip on the slide. The XDM has some serious ridges in the slide that make it easier to grip and rack.

I suggest the XDM compact because it comes with two different clips, a short and a long. The short clip makes the XDM a compact, and the extended clip makes it more like something you'd want to shoot.

Just a thought: http://www.the-m-factor.com/html/specs_1.html
 
adjust and adapt

What if the zombie apocalypse happened tonight? Right now? lol :D one of two things can happen here, a technique where she can learn to use her body and arms to rack the slide with trial and error to see what techniques work...OR you can get her a .357 revolver the recoil isn't THAT bad. If God forbid she needs to ever use it, with that hammer cocked back and slight amount of pressure that needs to be applied for that trigger to go bang..That's where the accuracy goes and what was said about the statistics, with the "being over" in 1-2 rounds will come into play.

Let the gunshop emplyee's take out a few and let her pick one that feels good in her hands and she can handle easiest. To each their own, it's like...

It's like picking a puppy, you pick the one that feels right and loves you...Ah guns....what would the world be without you?

I'm rambling but I wanna get this fixed already, my girly is the same way...What helps her out a lot is seeing ANOTHER female with a gun and having that female talk to her about it. The caliber, the brand, the type etc. Please let us know what goes on! Good luck with it all.

p.s. glock 26/27 would be great...even though I stand by .45's and .40's

Just ask a Miami Dade Police officer ;)
 
I figured it wouldn't take long for the "zombies" are coming to show up. vpr80 it may take a little while and some running around, but go around a bunch of gun shops and let her try all of them she likes. She find one easy enough to rack, having same problem in finding a bigger carry gun for the wife. It just takes a little time. And revolvers are great, but if you had a choice now 6 or 9, 14-15, I know what I'll choose. :rolleyes:
 
thanks a lot for the feedback guys. one of the problems of living in northern NJ is that (A) there are basically no gun shops around with inventory and (B) there are definitely no ranges that rent guns and do lessons.

i have some variety on the ones that I currently own so I will start with those and see what she thinks. Then we can shop around to see if she likes anything.

for me personally, the FNP45 with a 15 round clip in dark earth is calling my name :)
 
Zombies?

No seriously, they actually are coming...lol damn zombies.

Not just the haha type thing, but..here's food for thought. I know I'm off topic. If there is EVER another attack on American soil (that is if they actually have the balls to, hopefully not) you know who's going to be holding down the fort on our country? US the armed civilians will take action. I can get into a massive debate about the amendment and all that stuff. Also this stupid possible "ban on guns" which I hope NEVER happens cause what? The criminals are going to be like "Oh, no more guns :( " no... -__- But for the sake of boring everyone I'll just stick to the zombies in being a double meaning. What I'm trying to say is, everyone should already be ready for the worst. You know? Sorry...Rambling on.

Anyways, any news on the wife and a new gun? Did you take her to the shop to check them out?
 
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