MY wife's first gun...help?

george fury

Inactive
hello, all.

the scenario: a year ago she didnt like guns, six months ago they werent so bad and three months ago she had a run in with a shady character now she wants one. nines scare her so i'd like to get her at 38 or 380 or though i wouldnt prefer it a 22.

can anyone suggest a reliable gun at a resonable price? i can not go over $400. please help my wife and me find a gun for her.

thanks...
 
I think most will say whatever she can handle comfortably and appropriately. I am in the same boat as you, and have been advised to stay away from the .22; although it's better than nothing, but I bet a bunch of well placed shots will get the perp to understand to back the hell up!

Some say they'd trust their lives to the .22; just let her shoot a few calibers and see what she likes! ;) I've considered the P22 and a small Bersa or LCP .380 for my girl.
 
Take her to a range that rents guns and have her shoot everything they have. Get her to hold every gun in the display case. Now:

The "best" gun is the one SHE likes, not anyone else. It will be a compromise of:

1. Fit - It should fit in her hand like she was born with it there.
2. Reliability - It should go BANG about 99.8% of the time she pulls the trigger. I know 100% is preferable, but any mechanical device can fail.
3. Accuracy - In HER hand. It's how well SHE shoots it.
4. Concealability - It should be comfortable enough to wear and easy enough to conceal so she won't leave it laying on the dresser at home.
5. Cost - She doesn't want to scrimp on her "life protector" weapon, but she probably doesn't need a $1,000 Kimber, either.

That being said, my wife prefers a .380 or 9mm semi in a medium frame. From personal experience, the Bersa Thunder is a fine PD weapon, as is the Springfield XD9SC and Keltec PF-9 or P-11. The Taurus Mil-Pro in .380 or 9mm is right up there, too.
 
It's a question that definitely that's too individual for there to be one best answer. Just as there is no one single answer to "What's the best handgun for a man?" Personal preferences can often defy assumptions or even logic. I've had my girlfriend try firing various guns ,and more than anything, she loves my Nagant revolver. What's the deal with that?!
 
As others said, you need to find what fits. That said I carry a Ruger LCP. It shoot great. My 12 yr old boy love to plink with it, and he ain't no gun nut.

Warning : Taking you wife to the range and trying to find the gun she likes may overexpose her to the shooting bug. Addiction is hard to avoid in this insance. Many men have found that this leads to being married to a woman who can outshoot them. Take all nessessary precautions, and lots of ammo when heading to the range. Have fun, be safe, and good luck!
 
Its hard to beat a good revolver for simplicity. Also most have a variety of grip shapes and sizes available. It shouldn't be to hard to find a good used and some new revolvers in your price range. I prefer ruger and s&w. Good luck.
 
Why not a .357 and shoot .38's until she is comfortable moving up to .357

Like others have said, though, it is important that she picks out the gun and it is comfortable and she likes it - put your own opinions to the side.
 
CWP nailed it exactly....SHE has to decide what's best for her, even if you don't agree......

and another vote for reading the Cornered Cat....excellent site
 
Kahr makes the P380 and Keltec makes a 380 that is in your price range. They aren't the finest things but they work well. My uncle has a keltec 32 that he loves. His motto is that if it is too big I will only carry it half the time, if it is small you will have it all the time. His comeback to the whole "that's too small" comment is Ok then stand over there and let me shoot you with it... (in jest of course)
Good luck
 
From my personal experience, try your best yo stay out of your wife's selection processes. This is not "YOU" who's buying a gun, but your wife.

If you would like your wife to continue her interest with firearm/shooting, she needs to be in love with her tool. If she wants a gun with pink slide, let her get it!:D

Take her to couple shops, have her handle all the ones that she's interested at.
If they are available for rent, have her send some lead down the range as well.

Try your best to stay quiet the whole time asides from advising her on some basic information. Good luck shooting:D Be safe!
 
While I agree that taking as hands-off an approach as possible is best, I would make a couple suggestions for her to check out. Not, "Here, get one of these," but more like, "I've heard these are well-liked." The Bersa Thunder .380 (or .380cc) is excellent for a budget, and Walther's new P380 might be a good suggestion as well. If she's recoil sensitive, go for larger/heavier guns in smaller calibers.
 
I let my wife go to the store and handle a few. She ultimatley setteled on a smith j frame (with pink grips). Im sure ilke many people on here you are known as the "gun guy" like I am to my friends and family. I always recommend a revolver to a first time gun owner if it is a woman. I have found that many of them have trouble racking the slide on a semi-auto, and a revolver is easier to maintain.
 
FWIW, I've been through the same scenario with my friend. Didn't like firearms at first, now she's applying for her CC permit and laughs at the Brinks commercials.:p

But anyway one of the default answers for a 'girl gun' is the little revolver. However she doesn't like my old steel j-frame whatsoever, as it has a stiff DA pull and stout recoil. Ironically she likes my Sig 220 45 the best, but realizes effective CC is not really practical with the big platform, so much prefers my new Kahr K9 which is all-steel in construction.

Everyone is different. She needs to decide for herself what she wants to carry. You can certainly GUIDE her away/toward certain platforms, but don't choose for her any more than you'd like her to choose what car you drive.
 
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one of the default answers for a 'girl gun' is the little revolver

BlayGlock's wife liked the J-frame, but my wife hated mine, as did both my daughters. Many women find them uncomfortable to shoot due to the hard trigger pull and the quite noticeable recoil. (For that matter, a significant number of men feel the same way, but not all of them admit it.)

As I have said before on TFL, putting a pink handle on it doesn't make it a woman's gun. If it is important for a man's gun to be comfortable to hold and shoot (and conceal, if that is part of its purpose) - and it is - why would it be less so for a woman?

Don't be surprised if she likes the handling of a semi better than a revolver. Then, if she can work the slide (another plug for Cornered Cat website here), why not? The cleaning issue is spurious - no conceivable reason that a woman can't clean an auto properly. I have a daughter studying engineering at a major university and helping the boys with their homework, so it isn't an inability to handle technical or mechanical knowledge. And women, God bless them, spend a major portion of their lives cleaning up after men, so what is the difference between adding a wheel gun or adding a pistol to what they can clean. Heck, if she washes your socks maybe you should clean her pistol.:D
 
I recomend finding an instructor that furishes a few different guns and have her learn from someone that is unbiased. I worked with teaching my girfriend some of the basics of shooting. One day she asked what it took to get her permit. I called an instrutor that furnished the gun and ammo and he had the time to do a private class. I paid for it and she took it and passed for her CHL. She picked the Bersa Thunder 9mm UC. The only thing I was in the gunstore for was to make shure the guy working the counter did not insult her inteligence. Which quite a few seem to have an uncanny ability to do.
 
How about this little .38 special from Academy Sports?

It's $259
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I know others are going to mention Bersa, Kel Tec and Ruger.

There's a shortage of .380 ammo.. CCW is so popular and with
everything else these little pocket guns are going for a lot more
money than they used too.

The revolver is simple to use and easy to clean. Maybe when
things cool down get her a nice P3At to put in her purse ;)
 
I always recommend a revolver to a first time gun owner if it is a woman. I have found that many of them have trouble racking the slide on a semi-auto, and a revolver is easier to maintain.

IMO, more women have a harder time trying to shoot a J-frame DAO revolver, especially with +P and hit their target, than they do racking a slide. Read TheCorneredCat.com - great tactics for racking slides
 
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