MY wife's first gun...help?

FWIW, I have fired several revolvers and hated every one of them - not that I can't shoot them, but they aren't really fun so I don't see a reason to subject myself to them. Obviously, I prefer a semi. I vote for her taking a class where she gets the opportunity to handle several guns. The slide issue (if there is one) can be worked out (barring certain disabilities).

Cleaning a semi is nothing (pu - lease, a woman can't handle 5 or 6 parts - guess she shouldn't be sewing or driving or any of a dozen other things that women typically handle).

Sorry, didn't mean this to turn into a rant, I just find the automatic answer of "revolver" to be lazy and unthinking.
 
Based on Experience

Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of looking at little light guns that will "fit her hand" like my wife did.

My wife's first gun was a S&W Ladysmith 642 in 38 SPL. It was small and light - just what she wanted. It kicks like a mule, the sights are terrible and she had very bad experiences with it trying to learn to shoot because the DAO trigger pull is 12 lbs. She took it to her CCW course and wound up shooting my GP100 after her hand hurt so much she didn't want to shoot it any more. I eventually put a Crimson Trace grip set on it so she could figure out where it was pointed.

Her second gun was a Kahr9. It also fit the little for little hands criteria, but she has trouble working the slide. She hardly shoots it although I think it is a great carry gun now that I put a Crimson Trace on it..

After shooting my Kimber High Capacity Polymer, she found that it kicked less than her little guns and had a longer sight picture that she could see so she bought herself a Paraordnance LDA 14-45. It has a wide grip but she still likes to shoot it.

She has since bought herself a Beretta NEOS 6.5 inch barrel pistol to practice with. That she shoots all day and enjoys herself. It's a plinker but provides good sighting practice, is low cost and doesn't have bad accuracy. She has a red-dot scope mounted on it so sight picture isn't an issue.

Picking a light, CCW gun with lousy sights and surprisingly strong recoil for her first gun was a big mistake. Fortunately, it didn't put her off shooting from the get go. I really admire her willingness to work through the experience and get something she can shoot. She now is able to see the value of small for carry but she doesn't make the mistake of trying to practice with a gun that hurts after she fires a few rounds with it. She can take 3 or 4 rounds but not a box worth with the little guns.
 
The best advice has been given -- take her to try out as many guns as she possibly can. Shooting different guns can be fun, but tiring too. Tip: Take a notebook or 5x7 notepad to the range when test firing guns. Have her write down her impressions of each gun. This way, she can recall which ones she DID like versus the ones she didn't. Or which one had the hard-to-reach safety. After shooting five or six guns, two days later you can't remember which one recoiled too much.

Things to avoid in general:
- 2" snubbie revolvers: Hard to aim & shoot accurately
- Very lightweight guns (under 23 oz): Increases felt recoil
- Weak cartridges: .22, .25, .32ACP, .32 Long

Things to help her with:
- Proper fit to her hand
- Use of the magazine & slide release controls
- How to manipulate the safety/decocker
- Slide operation (new guns will be stiffer to rack the slide)

For your $400 price range, you should be able to find a very nice "previously owned" gun that is still reliable and accurate.

For what it's worth, here are a few examples of my handguns that women have found comfortable to shoot;

CM39B92FS_S1307.jpg

Top: Beretta 92FS, 9mm; Bottom S&W Model 39-2, 9mm

The Beretta's wide grip made it easy for taller women to obtain a firm grip and it's evenly balanced in the hand. This same idea applies to the Taurus PT92 series.

The S&W 39-2 (and it's follow on pistols: 439, 539, 639) are full size single-stacks. Women liked the lighter weight, the good grip they could maintain. Some said recoil was "brisk" but quick to recover from.

For a .38 Special revolver, there is always the simple solution of a Model 10 Military & Police revolver with 2" or 4" barrel. There are a variety of grips in different sizes and shapes to help suit her hand that are easily available.

If you run across a S&W Model 15, in either form shown here, these are excellent defense revolvers. The 2" will be harder to aim & shoot accurately, but the adjustable sights are easier to use. (This 2" snubbie will shoot 2.5" at 25 yards, just not with my old eyes.)
M15_1665GL.jpg


Another option is the venerable Model 19 (or 66 in stainless) with the 2.5" barrel. More sighting plane, easier to aim & shoot and it give you the option of using .357 Magnums if she wants.
M19q1.jpg


It's fairly heavy, but that helps dampen the recoil. With .38 Special +P, it's fun to shoot. Speer's 135gr .357 Magnum is a mild load perfect for the short Model 19.

Comparable guns from Ruger would be their older Security-Six and Speed-Six lines or the GP-100 series.

Wild ideas
Do not rule out the .45 ACP cartridge. Let her try a 1911 or other type of .45. She might surprise you! If possible, DO try either a S&W 625 or a 3-inch Model 25 revolver in .45ACP. These are heavy, large frame guns but they dampen the recoil to about that of a standard .38 special. These might be out of your price range, but a used specimen may only be a little more.

Beretta made a couple of fairly large .380 pistols. The Model 84 carried 13 rounds double-stacked. The Model 85 is a single-stack and the Model 86 (shown below) included a tip-up barrel for easier loading of the first round (no slide operation required). New prices on these were around $600+ but used guns can often be found for much less.
ber_cheetah_380_tip.jpg
 
My wife gun is a Glock 17 and she picked it after renting one. While working at the range I have notice alot of women like the G-17. Give her some choices and see what she picks.
 
I'm in the same boat...

I'm looking for my mom. She's shot my hot .357 loads, snappy little 9's, .22's, tons of rifles, etc. But she hasn't put more than 50 rounds through any more than 2 guns. So she is still a little weary when stepping up to a new one for the first time. It doesn't matter what it is. She is quick to judge it as too big, loud, etc. before she even has it in her hands. She then sticks with that preconception.

Beretta made a couple of fairly large .380 pistols.
Click to expand...

Therefore I would highly recommend getting her something like this in her hands and at the target. Good call, BillCA.

However, if it is for defense and to make both you and herself feel better, I would go with a revolver. No worry about limp wristing, ftf, etc. Don't get me wrong, I feel better with capacity all day long. But in a self defense situation, I would rather my wife, at least for the next 20K rounds, have a revolver in her hands.

I'd get her one of those snubbies first, if I were you. Lot easier to find ammo for right now which is when she needs to practice and get to know the gun.

Good luck!
 
Stay, Stay, Stay with a revolver.

Don't even consider an auto for a novice shooting woman. J frame revolver shrouded like a used 638 Smith or comparable Taurus, or even a Rossi. Can she clear a jam under pressure? NO. Can she keep pulling the trigger 5 times? YES. Shrouded revolver. No hammer to snag in the purse or pocket. Doesn't matter if you just use wadcutters. You don't need plus P ammo. Keep it simple and she will be fine. The security blanket around her knowing she is packin will give her the confidence to feel safer. A simple gun to operate will keep her head cooler under fire. J frame revolver all the way.
 
My girl loves to shoot .38s out of my full-size .357, but wants her own now that she has the bug. We are planning on a smaller frame (for smaller hands) .38 Special but not a snubby for recoil and accuracy reasons. It will probably be a Rossi because she knows she doesn't want it to be used (girls...).
Rossi has a "His & Hers" that comes with both black and pink grips and has a 3" barrel for $299. She loves pink, and I love that she wants to come to the range with me... I got her to fire a 158 gr .357 once, just for reference... she decided she likes .38 just fine (maybe +p someday).
I also have a Beretta Tomcat .32 that I thought would be good for her due to the small size and relatively low recoil, but I was wrong... she's all about the revolvers...
 
Another vote for http://www.corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx

I tend to recommend a .22 as a first handgun. It gives a person time to familiarize themselves with shooting. That will help inform their choices for a centerfire gun. It allows people to start taking gun classes immediately.

Also I tend to think a first centerfire gun should be as heavy as the person can comfortably handle; in as light a caliber that will do the job.
 
As I said in my original response, try to avoid buying her a 2-inch J-frame revolver -- the same thing applies to pocket autos. First, the recoil is more noticeable in the smaller guns and second, the short sight radius makes accurate shooting that much harder. This will NOT instill confidence in her ability to defend herself.

For a carry gun, a 3-inch barrel is just about perfect. There's enough sight radius to make good hits out to 15 yards (25 if you try). A 4-inch revolver is about ideal for a defensive revolver since it combines a good sight radius and most .38 ammo is optimized for a 4-inch barrel.

One of the advantages to trying out the Beretta 92FS/M9 series pistols is that the slide and recoil springs are often light enough for a woman to operate. I think the .380's are similar, but a tad heavier for the blowback design.

If she decides she likes a semi-auto pistol, that's fine. Sit her down and let her watch Clint Smith's demonstration of clearing a jam using the Tap-Rack-Bang method. Then practice it several times at a range session.
 
Take her to a nice range (or a couple different ranges) that rent handguns. Most will have a variety of revolvers and pistols to choose from. Try them all. Talk her into trying one or two that she's not initially interested in (say, "well, I want to try it...").

Narrow it down to 2 or 3. Go back a week later and try those few again. Then go shopping.

I'm in the midst of this with my wife as well. She thinks she wants a small revolver. I don't think she realizes how much of a hand full they really are. I'm leaning toward an XDsub because I want one too. :)
 
Ruger LCR in .38 + p. There are manufacturers that make .38 special hollow points without the extra pressure, like Federal, if she doesn't want the extra recoil. Lightweight polymer gun that fits in a purse or whatever easy. Simple to use since its a revolver. Excellent reputation for reliability as a Ruger. Five shots of .38 is pretty potent at close range. Only down side is she might need to do some practice with it since it is a snub, but that is true for any gun, and if she can shoot decent with it in a relatively close range it should get the job done. Might have to go a little over your $400 price range, like $475 or so.
 
Here's another no vote on the light weight snubbie revolver. My girl friend has progressed from only shooting the Ruger .22 to shooting almost anything at least once. While she likes the SP101 even with .357 loads, she hates my S&W 442, too hard a trigger, too hard to hit anything with, uncomfortable recoil. She ended up carrying a Bersa Thunder .380, I know several women who like these.
Let her pick what she wants to shoot, guns are an individual fit.
 
Bersa 380 or DE 50AE

I would go with the Bersa 380 as well and put a grip on it for her she will love it. Either that or maybe a Desert Eagle 50AE, or an old Ball and Cap muzzle loading pistol. Since she is a woman she could carry around plenty of extra pirex powder, balls, caps and patches in her purse. And if she ever had to shoot anyone she would be doing it in style I mean what better front page local news story than "Woman Shoots Attacker with Colonial War Style Pistol" :D
 
george fury -

I haven;t seen anyone mention the Ruger SP101. Available in .327 Federal Magnum which will also shoot .32 H&R magnum and another lighter load or two, also available in .357 magnum which will shoot all types of .38 Special loads for less recoil.

Advantages or disadvantages:

Heavy barrel configuration for less muzzle flip and felt recoil. Fairly easy to shoot.
Simplicity of a revolver vs, the mechanics of a semi-auto.
Smaller grips than many other revolvers makes it fit a small woman's hand better. Comfortable rubber grip absorbs some of the "sting" on recoil.
A bit heavy and bulky for concealed carry.

Might not get one for your $400.00 price point though. Recently got my wife a new one for just under $500.00. Shop the gunstores for a nice used one - you might get lucky.

Myron
 
Have her try a glock 26, or the XD compact in 9mm, reasonable size and weight good recoil dispersion in the frame and grip, reasonable trigger pull, slides are not too hard to rack.

My wife has shot mine and likes it and she is petite and has small hands.
my 642 she fired one round and said her hand hurt and put it down. I have boot grips on it and find it slightly unpleasant to shoot as well, its more pleasant with large rubber grips.
My Ruger lcp is extremely unpleasant for her as well, and the slide is hard to rack.
 
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