Keeping my wife alive

B

bob.a

New member
Now that some thug kicked in a neighbor's back door and cleaned the place out, my wife has taken an interest in having a firearm around when I'm not available. So I popped the safe and pulled out some toys.

She needed two index fingers to pull the trigger on my S&W Model 60. Interesting technique, but somehow just didn't look right.

She was barely able to work the slide on the H&K P7. While she liked the trigger, I'm not comfortable with her being unable to rack the pistol if necessary.

She was able to rack the slide on an H&K P9S 45, but the thing is a bit too complicated, with safeties, hammer drops, and BIG grips. Plus I'm not sure she could deal with the recoil. (No trips to the range yet; still trying to find something she can deal with).

She can work the old Colt Woodsman, but it's a 22. Not number one for Home Defense.

Finally a .32 S&W Hand Ejector seemed to be both manageable from a trigger pull point of view as well as a reasonable size for a small person's hands. No safeties or other buttons to worry about. But no one seems to make anything but the old lead round nose for the pistol.

We'll probably go with the .32 anyway, for lack of a better option. But if anyone knows of a better SD load, I'd be interested to learn of it.

Failing that, the possibility exists of finding one of the newer .32H&R magnum pistols. If anyone has experience with these pistols, please chime in with info about the trigger pull and shooting characteristics. If the thing is going to jump out of her hand at the first shot, it might be best to stick with the little .32 HE.

Thanks.
 
the S&W would have been the most ideal. Whats the lbs on the trigger pull?

not sure about .32 loads, but someone will be along shortly.

Glad she is interested now, make sure she PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.
 
I would, honestly, not baby her. Make her competent regarding usage and able to work the controls on not just one gun, but all of them. For the time being, let her use whatever she can, but work her up to being able to handle and use all your guns. Is your .32 a .32S&W or .32 Long?

I honestly feel that women shouldn't be limited to using subpar guns simply because we (men) feel that bigger and better guns are too much for them. My girlfriend's never been pampered and she can use my Sig P6 at a moment's notice because I never thought "it's too much for her."

If the Woodsman is what she can handle, then it's better than screaming. But, I think you should help her become proficient in the use of ALL your guns.
 
Eagleks, care to explain to use why a Shotgun is better than a handgun for someone to use to home defense, other than the classic "clunk-clunk" noise? It could be that his wife has NEVER used a shotgun, or that they don't have a shotgun, or that their home is smaller and doesn't facilitate the use of long arms.
 
It's a .32 S&W Long; of course it'll chamber the short .32s as well.

It's a strength issue; she can't pull the trigger on the .38 with one hand. She can't rack the slide on a P7, but almost. It's the pistol I'd most like her to use; for an auto, it's stone simple so long as you can use the grip cocker, which she can. An unusual manual of arms, but if it's the only auto she uses, that won't be a problem once she's used to it. But we need something more or less now, and a Hand-Ejector in the hand is worth more than pie in the sky by and by.

Shotgun? Come on. Unwieldy, she can be easily disarmed, recoil will knock her on her butt. Also not something you carry around the house, you know what I mean? Still, effective in the right hands, of course, but not hers.
 
the .32 S&W Long isn't something I'd enjoy being shot with and since she can handle it, that's probably the best for her to use for now. Ideally, like I said, I'd work on her being able to use the P7 and the other H&K you own so that she can use the guns. She shouldn't be limited to a single gun in all circumstances.

Also, don't sell her short on the shotgun. The first time my girlfriend used a shotgun, she did wonderfully. She didn't hit a whole lot of clays, but she handled it and was able to use it without being knocked down. My girlfriend is about 5'4" and 110lbs, so, she's not exactly big and strong, but she can handle guns just like a guy.
 
My .2 cents

My wife carries a .380. I never even considered any of the .32's. And guess what happened? After she overcame her initial fear of guns, she loves them. And she especially likes the .45 ACP's now! Her night-stand weapon of choice is a Beretta 92F. She's too "dainty" to pack a .45 along all day concealed, so she sticks with the .380 on a daily basis when out and about.
But I mean to tell you, she'll gladly shoot any weapon nowadays! Yes fellas, I gotta great wife!

What I'm suggesting is if you can start her off with a .32, don't just end it there. Look forward to the time when she's comfy enough to move up a caliber or two or five!:)
 
Great advice

Shotgun? Come on. Unwieldy, she can be easily disarmed, recoil will knock her on her butt. Also not something you carry around the house, you know what I mean? Still, effective in the right hands, of course, but not hers.
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I whole heartedly agree with the encaptioned quote.
 
If you wife is recoil sensitive and has trouble racking the slide on a semi auto, a shotgun might not be a bad choice. One that is shorter would be better. Why not a 20 gauge? Longarms are easier to handle. I wouldnt expect my wife to go around the house with the shotgun, just get as far away as possible and use it if she is pursued. All the junk in my house is replaceable. My wife isnt.
 
Two places within a 15 minute drive of me have .32 H&R, it's not as uncommon as you think. A 50 round box of Federal .32 H&R ain't hard to find, neither is .32 S&W, which is what we were talking about. That, I can find at one place near me, but it's still findable and relatively inexpensive.
 
nefprotector said:
.32 H&R? Good luck finding ammo.
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Thomme said:
Two places within a 15 minute drive of me have .32 H&R, it's not as uncommon as you think. A 50 round box of Federal .32 H&R ain't hard to find, neither is .32 S&W, which is what we were talking about. That, I can find at one place near me, but it's still findable and relatively inexpensive.
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^ What he said ^.

.32 H&R is nowhere near as scarce as some people believe.

If you are having issues locating some in your area, it is probably due to one of two reasons:
1. It's a terribly unpopular cartridge where you live. Merchants don't like sitting on the ammo for 3 years, and don't carry it.
2. The .327 Federal Mag owners got tired of not being able to find their ammo, and turned to .32 H&R for some trigger time. .327 Federal ammo is hitting the shelves again, and .32 H&R is running a little short in some areas - but it's usually still available. Life sucks. It happens - even with cartridges like .30-06, 9mm Luger, and .45 Auto.

I was at one of my local shops on Monday. They had not one, not two, but three loads for the .32 H&R; and two loads for the .32 S&W Long; and a load for .32 S&W. The cartridges might not be as abundant as water, but they're still not pixie dust or the fountain of youth...
 
Here is why the shotgun is a good choice.

First: A dog provides early warning.

A shotgun with properly chosen loads recoils less than most effective handguns, and is lot easier to hit with. Begging Terry A.'s and bob.a's pardons, the shotgun is not meant to be carried around the house. It is meant for a stationary defense in a safe room. Settle down with a cell phone dialed in to 911 and keep the shotgun aimed at the safe-room door.

If your wife is not capable of operating a handgun with confidence, a pump shotgun (or even a double) might be the right choice.

On the other hand, if she is willing to put in the training and practice time and learn the proper techniques, almost anyone can operate any of the handguns you mentioned. But a shotgun IS easier to master.

Why does no one ever mention the 16 Gauge? It used to be quite popular.

Eagleks has it over me in succinctness, but he, DLiller and I agree that a shotgun should at least be considered.

On training: The classic advice to not try to teach your wife to drive (too many side issues and peripheral considerations interfere with the learning process and cloud the judgment of both parties) Applies very often to teaching how to shoot, as well.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep
 
a local families murderer's trial ended just reciently... the intruder killed several of the household members in the middle of the night, with their own shotgun...

it's assumed that the bad guy took the shotgun away from one of the family members & then shot them with their own shotgun...

yes, the shotgun is easier to use... but it's also easier to take away, if the bad guy gets too close
 
This may not be popular advice, but I'd give her the Woodsman.

No one is going to continue an attack with 11 .22 caliber holes in them (assuming your's hold the same number as mine (10+1)).

A Woodsman can be easily mastered, and 10 or 11 accurate shots are far better than any number of inaccurate shots from a handgun that she can't use well. For my own defense, I'd rather have a Woodsman than a .32 HE.

As her experience and skills increase, you can introduce her to bigger guns and see how she does. Starting out with a gun that may be too much for her is a good way to develop bad habits, and maybe even turn her away from shooting in general.
 
A double barrel coach gun in 410 or 20ga . it's for defense . Find a place to make a stand ,and hold your ground . Have extra ammo there if needed , with a little practice you can load one of these pretty darn fast . Shotgun gives alot more menecing apperance to an invader , let alone higher percentage of hits .
 
Going on the options you listed, I would train her on the Woodsman, CCI makes some blistering .22lr rounds; however, if you have the money take her shopping for a good 38 that she can use.
 
If she's having problems working the slide, could it be a matter of technique?

Many women (my girlfriend included) find it easy to push the frame and slide in opposing directions instead of holding the frame still and pulling backwards on it.
 
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