I'm presuming your orginal post option #3 was supposed to be Ruger P97, not Taurus?
You ain't getting the recommendations for no reason -- its a good, solid, RELIABLE, relatively inexpensive piece. Some folks complain about the triggers, but for a budget "house gun" it should be perfect ... for you.
One thing to check though -- DEFINATELY have your wife handle it. I'm almost 6', and hence have pretty big paws for a chick, but I still had problems with that grip. It was just too long and narrow to feel stable in my hands. I suspect your wife might feel the same way, but then, we're all different.
Also, given her small stature, ya might wanna make sure she's comfy behind a .45 instead of a 9mm.
(By the by.. I traded in my own P97 some time back for a G30. I know the budget is always a consideration, and better a buget pistol in the night stand than a $3K showpiece on layaway when you need it.. but if there's one lesson I've learned in this gun thing so far, it's to buy what you really want the first time. Otherwise you'll just be spending more in the longrun trying to trade up later)
-K
You ain't getting the recommendations for no reason -- its a good, solid, RELIABLE, relatively inexpensive piece. Some folks complain about the triggers, but for a budget "house gun" it should be perfect ... for you.
One thing to check though -- DEFINATELY have your wife handle it. I'm almost 6', and hence have pretty big paws for a chick, but I still had problems with that grip. It was just too long and narrow to feel stable in my hands. I suspect your wife might feel the same way, but then, we're all different.
Also, given her small stature, ya might wanna make sure she's comfy behind a .45 instead of a 9mm.
(By the by.. I traded in my own P97 some time back for a G30. I know the budget is always a consideration, and better a buget pistol in the night stand than a $3K showpiece on layaway when you need it.. but if there's one lesson I've learned in this gun thing so far, it's to buy what you really want the first time. Otherwise you'll just be spending more in the longrun trying to trade up later)
-K