Help with gun for wife please

B

Bennett

New member
My wife is 5'2" 115 and 70 years of age
I have encouraged her to get a carry/defense gun to no avail in the past,
last week she surprised me when she said she was thinking of getting one.
That said I would like to get some input from those of you who have
knowledge of what kind would be best.
I have always been a semi auto guy but I dont know if she could rack the slide. Does anyone have experience in fitting a lady with the proper weapon?
She obviously small hands and is not terribly strong because of her size.
What help can you give?
thanks

b
 
A small snub nosed 38 would be a great option. simple reliable and no slide to rack. Now the only thing is how much experience does she have snubs are usually more difficult to shoot for newer shooters (short sight radius) so make sure and get alot of practice with whatever she is gonna carry.
 
.38 Special is one option. Another is a medium sized .380 like the Bersa Thunder .380.

Chief advantage of a Bersa Thunder is lower recoil, Bersa will have roughly half the recoil of the .38 special and the slide is pretty easy to rack.

You can also pick up the Bersa in the $260-$300 range.
 
My wife used to carry the Walther PPK/S .380 but arthritis has now made it hard for her to operate the heavy spring slide and the heavy trigger. She will be changing to the Ruger LCR .38 revolver. I suggest you take your wife to a gun store and have her try the trigger pull of the LCR. It is a better trigger than the S&W J frames. I have found it to be the easiest trigger pull for weak or arthritis hands. A small .38 revolver is much easier for persons with hand issues to operate than a semi-auto.
 
My Granny came west as a pioneer in early 1900 in a wagon. Before they left Washington, D, C, or Virginia, my Grandad gave her a 32 S&W. This gun was pretty much her constant companion until she died at 86 years old. It seemed to work well for her in a time that was probably more dangerous than what we face today.

I hesitate to suggest a revolver for a woman on this forum, but it is what my wife has and prefers, and it worked for Granny.

Bill
 
If you're not opposed to her carrying a 22lr there are several choices that have a tip up barrel so she would never have to worry about pulling back the slide.

http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=87&category=Pistol&toggle=tp&breadcrumbseries=SF1

Here is one to consider but be warned there are alot of people out there who think they know everything who, based on old info would tell you to stay away from taurus. Ask around and you will hear from people who do know better and they will tell you that you can't beat the quality for your dollar. Lifetime warranty and all
 
When I got married I had 2 Berettas. A 92FS and an 84FS (.380). My wife particularly liked shooting the .380 at the range, but the levers and buttons intimidated her too much to trust it for SD.

I gave her a snub .38 (S&W model 36 Lady Smith) and she shoots it well. Using standard pressure .38 rounds the recoil is not an issue for her. It is not as pleasant for her to shoot as the .380, but she can make competent follow up shots without hesitation. For her the additional recoil was worth it for the simplicity and ease of use.
 
Go to a range that rents guns and let HER pick out several to try - after firing them, she'll be better able to determine what will work for HER
 
Snub nose 38 - Ruger SP 101 or S&W j frame with concealed or bobbed hammer. Revolver because it is easy to use. I like the heavier models to cut some of the recoil down. She may not like to practice if the handgun is too uncomfortable to fire.

If semi-auto, I would stick with .380 or 9mm with simple/minimum external controls like a DAO or LEM, Sig, HK P2000, Kahr, etc. Maybe single stack. Consider her hand size for fit and hand strength for racking the slide. If weak, then you stuck with the tip-up barrels (beretta).

.22 if recoil of any of the centerfire is too much. S&W kit revolvers are nice (no lock if you can find one). Revolver .22 because .22 ammo can be unreliable.

My GF's grandmother is 80+ and she has a snubnosed .38. She can use it but does not like shooting it because the trigger is heavy. She enjoys shooting .22LR buckmark because it has less recoil and trigger is SA but I notice that she has more trouble setting up the semi-auto than the revolver.
 
If you go with a 38 spl.Id recomend an all steel model not the ultra lights,I then would bring it to a (good Smith) and have the action smoothed up
and run standard presure loads.
 
what iblong says plus some

I agree with iblong but I would like to add a high polish on the trigger as part of the tune up. I have found a high polish on the trigger to really help when firing dbl action on small guns.
 
My wife is unable to rack either my LCP or my Glock. I bought her a K frame S&W 38 spl. She's deadly with it.
 
I beg you to stop

Please stop recommending j-frames and snub-nosed revolvers for someone where the OP is concerned that they may not be able to manipulate the slide. A j-frame is a lousy gun for someone lacking in hand strength, the DA triggers usually run north of 15 lbs, the short sight radius makes them difficult to shoot, and even in standard pressure loads have more recoil than most neophyte shooters are going to enjoy.

Honestly, the guy that suggested the tip up barrel guns was on to something - with no slide to manipulate, a tip up .32 or .25 is going to be a better option than no gun at all. The triggers still aren't going to be great, but they should be slightly easier to run than a j-frame trigger, and recoil in a .25 or .32 is going to be a lot less than a .38.

We can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. J-frames are great, but they're a gun that requires a lot of practice and a lot of training to use well. Heavy triggers and short sights are a lousy combo for new shooters. The best advice is "get her a .22 so she can learn to shoot and let her pick her own carry gun". Lots of ranges and some schools offer handgun selection classes where they help the shooter pick a good gun that fits their hand that they can shoot well.
 
Revolver would be good if racking a slide is an issue. Of course, there is a trade-off, in that recoil on a .38 is more than any 9mm I've fired.

...and that's using all-steel revolvers, not lightweights. That spring and sliding action soaks up a lot of recoil, where the revolver's recoil goes straight up your arm. Actually, my brother's S&W 4043 (.40 cal) kicks similarly, if not slightly less than his all-steel '93-mfg. Taurus 85.

Personally, none of the women I've taken shooting liked revolvers, mainly for the reason I gave, but also for the long trigger pull.

Not saying a revolver is a bad idea, but it's not all roses, and you've had plenty of "get a .38" suggestions.
 
Help with gun for wife please

Do not listen to any one but your wife! Bring her to the range and let her try different types, sizes and calibers. Then she can say what she's comfortable with! No one here can answer for her.
Our opinions are based on our experences so let your wifes be based on hers.
 
Help

I am overwhelmed with all the responses. Thank you all very much.
I am taking her to a couple of gun shops to let her get the feel of some
different guns and see what we come up with.
I am not going to try and influence her. I know what I like but I so appreciate
the input from all you guys. After she makes her choice I will let you know the result.
Thanks again for the help.
b
 
If you're not opposed to her carrying a 22lr there are several choices that have a tip up barrel so she would never have to worry about pulling back the slide.
Click to expand...
That Taurus PT-22 was what I bought for my wife also, thinking she could simply drop one in and pop down the barrel, rather than rack the slide-something she absolutely couldn't do. Alas, her hands aren't in any shape to even manipulate this simple design. So it's been mine all along and I even carried it on occasion. Mine's been perfect since day one-with Remington Yellow Jackets, a round Taurus recommends against due to the TC design being problematic with feeding. Great little gun and my Taurus success story.
 
IMO, rent. Start as small as you can, say 22LR.

Work your way slowly up through .25,.32,380 etc, until she finds something she's comfortable with.

Then purchase something she likes of that caliber.
 
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