good handgun for home defense for wife on a budget.

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newprepper120

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My wife and I live in a bad area of town and I am going to be in a spot where I'll have close to 400 to pick up a 9mm for home defense. My wife is gun shy but willing to learn are there any good SA/DA hammer fired pistols for that price out there? I've owned a Taurus pt111 but sold it due to a major malfunction.
 
thanks!

Do you know for chance if the mag release can be switched she's a leftie if not the good ol trigger finger will probably work
 
Both of you should read over this website prior to blindly spending money on a handgun/firearms:
http://www.corneredcat.com

Why is the husband doing the shopping for the wife?
Why isn't the wife the one asking the questions, herself, on this forum instead of the husband?
Why would someone on this forum know more about one's wife than either the husband or the wife, herself?

No need to respond, just things to consider.
 
gun shy

My wife has pulled the trigger on a 22 pistol one time. She's "scared of guns" so I've pointed out muzzle control and other saftey precautions. She will hold a gun in a shop but only after I have some ideas and the cash which is a couple weeks. I have had her hold a beretta px4 fs but that felt a bit large for her hands
 
You might consider as your first order of business a good NRA Basic Handgun class for both you and your wife.

I'm with a group of instructors putting on a monthly NRA Basic Handgun class. Probably 80% to 90% of our students had never touched a real gun before. Our class enrollment runs 20% to 40% female. We have students of all ages from early 20s to us more seasoned types. We've had entire families attend together. Most of our student show varying levels of anxiety at handling real guns.

We try to address this by bringing them through the course material in a step-by-step, measured and supportive way.
 
Maybe a little over your target price but the SIG SP2022 is a great DA/SA pistol.

Though I personally don't own one a CZ P07 is another to look at in that price range.

Good luck!
 
Good question & the choices are almost overwhelming without more info, so the following is a list for new handguns by top tier manufacturers that should be good to go out of the box, although not all these are hammer fired. If your wife's hand size allows her to comfortably handle & shoot a full sized gun:
S&W SD9VE, Walther PPX, Ruger 9E, maybe SIG 250 if you like the trigger

If she has smaller hands, maybe these single stack guns (slightly thinner grips) will work better, but remember that the smaller & lighter the gun, the more recoil will be felt:
S&W Shield, Ruger LC9, Beretta Nano, Walther PPS, & maybe Taurus 709 Slim (it has very good recent reviews).

The Nano can have the mag release switched to the left, but - sorry - I dont know about the others.

All these are current production, modern guns that will need less care & maintenance than some of the other, older used choices (I'm a gun guy, so I prefer those older designs myself). And I didn't mention several manufactures that make fine guns at lower price points - they generally need more break in, maintenance, etc. Again I have several of those guns, but they might not be the best choice for those who don't like tinkering on guns.

Finally, even though you mentioned 9mm, would you consider a revolver? A used S&W Model 10 (.38 special) is absolutely dependable, simple to operate & shoot. There were about 6 million made, so you can find them in good shape within your budget.
 
I am considering a revolver and I have some training and have been around guns for probably about 14 years out of my 19 (in oregon I can own a handgun just can't go to ffl dealer to purchase) I did consider a 38 but the ammo here is pretty scarce same with 357. Still might. I appreciate the info on the other guns I am thinking about the canik tp9sa? Any good reviews on that I'm up on options I wish she would test a gun or two first :mad:
 
Also appreciate the class suggestions from both I plan on getting hands on training with simunition but seeing as my only guns are a single shot 410 and a single shot 20 gauge I feel the need to get a handgun and get what I can teach tought then go into more situational and retention training afterwords.
 
You might consider as your first order of business a good NRA Basic Handgun class for both you and your wife.

I'm with a group of instructors putting on a monthly NRA Basic Handgun class. Probably 80% to 90% of our students had never touched a real gun before. Our class enrollment runs 20% to 40% female. We have students of all ages from early 20s to us more seasoned types. We've had entire families attend together. Most of our student show varying levels of anxiety at handling real guns.

We try to address this by bringing them through the course material in a step-by-step, measured and supportive way.
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I highly recommend the NRA Basic Hsndgun Safety course, I took this class years ago, and they gave good advice on choosing a handgun, which was to rent or borrow every gun you can get your hands on for 6 months, then pick the one that you shoot best. Guns that husbands pick out for their wives tend to get parked in a drawer and then eventually sold off for a fraction of what they're worth.
 
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I have been growing rather fond of Bersa handguns. In 9mm, the Thunder Pro can be had for less than $400 in either the full size or compact version, and it has some features that may make her more comfortable. First, the safety, mag release, and slide release are all ambidextrous, so she doesn't have to make adjustments, she can just manipulate the controls as intended. Secondly, the safety is also a decocker. A lot of gun shy folks are freaked out by a cocked hammer, so that may help her become more comfortable with it.

All that being said, make sure that she gets to make the call on the final purchase decision, even if you disagree with her choice. If it's her gun, she needs to own it, not just have it thrust into her hands. That is the best way to make her as comfortable with it as possible, IMO.
 
OK here's my list of major ideas not in order would like to hear how you feel on it.

Bersa bp9cc
Cz po7/po9 (is po7 good ccw for a guy I'm considering)
Canik tp9sa
Rossi 38 special 4 inch barrel.
 
I'm reminded of the following quote from Jeff Cooper:

"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician."

Why are you already searching for a handgun for someone who has zero training and virtually zero experience with firearms? Not only that, but she's afraid of guns. Is your plan to buy her a gun, let her go to the range with it a few times, and then you'll consider her armed?

You're going about this the completely wrong way. As others have stated: Have her get training first, then have her get more training. And that will be a start. And that's ONLY if she wants to; I see way too many men who pressure their wives into learning to shoot when they have no interest in it. But remember; guns arent for everyone. And just as guitar lessons are next to useless if the student doesn't want to learn and practice on his own, firearms training is also useless in the same circumstance.

I've tried to get my wife interested in personal protection, but it's just not going to happen. She leaves the pepper spray I buy for her lying around randomly or just buried in the bottom of her purse. If I bought her a gun, it would be more of a liability than anything else. So a while ago I realized I was a fool for trying to get her to use a gun for protection when she has no interest in it at all. Now I just take solace in the fact that when I'm not home she has two large, protective dogs in the house.
 
I did consider a 38 but the ammo here is pretty scarce same with 357.
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Nothing is scarce on the Internet.

If you can allocate a couple of hundred dollars, you can buy a good deal of .38 Special and .357 Magnum online.
 
The P07 is a great gun, and yes, it can be carried concealed. I do it with mine frequently.

While i am rather fond of the BP9, I would avoid it in your situation, simply because the trigger is crazy light, and if she is already nervous around guns, that may be a bad, or even dangerous choice.

I would also avoid the TP9SA, for similar reasons. A cocked single action in nervous hands is a bad thing, and a decocked single action is next to useless.

You really can't go wrong with a good revolver.
 
My plan is to find a HD handgun I like and can teach her with I can train the basics saftey maintanance shot placement trigger control muzzel control she's up to me teaching her that then taking some classes as more funds come in
 
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