Handgun for wife.

We went to a range that rented guns to find my wife a semi auto we tried 5 different ones she was interested in, she is 5' 1" with small hands she ended up liking the Beretta 92A1.

It was interesting some of the guns she liked in the store she did not like the way they shoot.

Her favorite gun is a J frame S&W.
 
S & W Model 10. My 5' 3" wife loves this revolver. Fits her smaller hands, points easily, has a 4" barrel for sighting.

If it's for mountain lions, though, I would recommend a rifle or shotgun. Ain't no way Missy is going to take down a cat with a handgun without a LOT of training.
 
We went to a range that rented guns to find my wife a semi auto we tried 5 different ones she was interested in, she is 5' 1" with small hands she ended up liking the Beretta 92A1.
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Do you know the reason she liked the Beretta over other semi's? My Beretta 92 series pistols are some of the easiest semi's to rack the slide, very reliable, and accurate. While large it is probably no more difficult to carry than many others.

When hiking in the CO Rockies, with a good population of cats, I was comfortable with what I carried down in the Denver area, which was often my 9MM CZ-75D PCR or Browning Hi Power. A Beretta would be just as good.
 
Do you know the reason she liked the Beretta over other semi's? My Beretta 92 series pistols are some of the easiest semi's to rack the slide, very reliable, and accurate. While large it is probably no more difficult to carry than many others.

When hiking in the CO Rockies, with a good population of cats, I was comfortable with what I carried down in the Denver area, which was often my 9MM CZ-75D PCR or Browning Hi Power. A Beretta would be just as good.
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She liked the feel of it, the curves, the actions, she also liked it was metal and the way it shot.

I recently got a 96A1 and she really liked the feel in the store but at the range the recoil was to strong to be enjoyable for her, so we went on a mission to find her a semi auto and she ended up liking the 92A1.

I do like the Berettas so far, I had a Taurus that was basically the same but very inaccurate but I always loved the design, so I am happy to have the design in better quality and accuracy. They are large to carry concealed I usually carry a S&W 686 2” in bear country that is large also so I am thinking about a S&W 5shot J frame for better concealment around the city.

I do spend a good amount of time in mt lion country I like to explore the nooks and crevices of the redrocks around the front range. I have had some hair raising experiences with cats but I am much more scared of bears and usually don't carry a gun for cats. I might start carrying a stout walking stick in a couple of places(not that it would kill them but more of a deterrent). One of the biggest animal problems I have had so far is aggressive moose.
 
The Ruger SP101 in .357 or a S&W would be a great choice in a revolver. For a semi-auto, the Ruger SR9c might interest her. It does have a safety and it shoots nice.
 
I would choose something with decent capacity. Mountain Lion are pretty agile creatures that even the most seasoned shooter might have a hard time getting hits on it with a pistol.
 
Not a lady, but have a S&W 638 airweight, super lite and and shoot double action for that take your time shot. Also have Ruger SR9c. Great little gun with good trigger and sites. for me either one works great for ccw, just get both I DID>
 
Mountain lions are no joke, they're one of if not the most dangerous animals in the lower 48. They're really good stalkers, by the time you see them it's too late they're already on top of you. Maybe some pepper spray would be a good idea if she's not into guns.
 
I'm not actually worried about the lion attacking. It was just a precipitating factor in her deciding that guns might occasionally be useful.

Also, I'd like to again remind everyone I'm not attempting to pick her out a gun. I'm just trying to get suggestions for some soft shooting smallish guns for her to look at. One of the few downsides of living in the sticks is that it takes some planning to see much in the way of selection. The current mess doesn't help.
Also, she will be taking a class - one of my buddies wives is even going to take it with her. The purpose of this thread was just to help be brainstorm guns that might work.

So, as of right now, the list I'm going to try to find for her to look at are:

CZ po1
HK P2000sk
Ruger sr9c
Ruger LCR
Sig P239
Sig p225 - assuming I can find one
SW M&P9c
SW sheild
SW 60/642/640

Also, we'll obviously peruse the shops we go to, and look at whatever else we see. Are there any glaring holes?
 
While older, the HK P7 is accurate, heavy enough for recoil reduction, about as foolproof to handle and shoot
My wife gave me one for my birthday and has somewhat absconded with that and my G26 as "her" guns...........

Both are awesome and easy to operate and manipulate
 
From what you posted in your list a Sig 239 in 9mm should work really well for her, of course this is all speculation since I don't know your wife. The 239 is very easy to shoot and very light recoil, easy to rack the slide which is an issue for some women, grip isn't too large so it should accommodate smaller hands, comes standard with night sights, decent capacity and option of extended mags, gun is very accurate and naturally pointing. I plan to pick one up myself eventually.

I notice you listed the SR9C, and although it is a great gun and I carried one for close to 2 years, that sucker has one of the hardest slides to rack out of any semi-auto I picked up. The reason is the gun has a dual recoil spring, which although is great for soaking up recoil, it makes the slide very heavy and hard to rack. Was never an issue for me personally, but some women have trouble finding guns that they can reliably rack the slide on, just something to watch out for.

I also owned both a S&W 60 and 640 which you have on the list. Snub revolvers take alot of practice to become proficient with. I carried S&W J frames for close to 3 years, and even though I became pretty proficient with them, I was never satisfied with the accuracy I was getting, especially when the gun only holds 5 rounds. Snub revolvers don't have buttery smooth triggers like their larger counterparts due to having to use a heavy coil spring vs a leaf spring you see in larger revolvers. Throw in the very short sight radius and you have yourself a gun that's just not very easy to shoot without putting in the time for practice. If your wife is willing to put in the range time then go all for it, but if this is a gun she wont be shooting too often I would stray away from the snub revolver.
 
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If she is comfortable with the Beretta, and wants to carry it, the new Beretta 92FS Compact L/M9A1 INOX would be a good choice. However, most of the guns mentioned would be just fine for cats, and personal protection. I don't worry about bears too much in CO. Don't pet the Elk in Estes Park, however, lol.
 
In that size range I really liked the beretta px4 storm, It was accurate and shot nice. they also have a "subcompact" version.
My wife didn't think it was that great she just said ahahh.. and shrugged her shoulders.? so it might not be a lady charmer.
 
If you go the auto route, no gun will be as comfortable for her as one of the S&W MP's. With the ability to change to small backstrap, it's a guaranteed fit. I own the 45, 4", 8rd model. AWESOME! Puts the Glocks, Springfields, Sigs, and HK's to shame!
 
If you go the auto route, no gun will be as comfortable for her as one of the S&W MP's. With the ability to change to small backstrap, it's a guaranteed fit. I own the 45, 4", 8rd model. AWESOME! Puts the Glocks, Springfields, Sigs, and HK's to shame!
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Going to have to disagree wholeheartedly with this entire statement. None of us are in any position to say which gun will be the most comfortable for her, and although the M&P is a great gun I don't think it puts any of the guns you listed to shame. All the manufacturers you listed make quality firearms, what's best for one person may not be the best for the other.
 
FWIW my wife is small and has tiny hands but loves her Beretta 92 inox. She is almost a better shot than me with it(dont tell her I said so). ;)

Either way she should probably try out different ones until she finds what is most comfortable to her. My wife wanted small and picked up a Shield 9. Then she shot it and hated the recoil. It's now a bug for me. Unfortunately she chose the Beretta next. Otherwise I may have had many more in my collection while she "tried" them out.
 
Noob here ...

My wife just got her first, and after picking up and holding a few of my suggestions she decided she wanted the M&P Shield in 9mm. I saw it mentioned earlier in the thread about the SR9c. I have one, but she doesn't like the size of the grip - she has relatively small hands. So a week or so ago the Shield arrives at my LGS. Brought it home and cleaned it, and went to the range. She loves it, feels she made the right choice.
 
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