Wife surprised me, wanting CC class - need gun

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Every so often, my wife will really surprise me. Today it was her desire for both of us to take the concealed carry classes. So Ok, I've been thinking about it myself. What I don't know yet is what semi-auto pistol I want and in what caliber. It'll mostly be in the vehicle when we travel throughout Texas and Louisiana rather than be in a belt, holster, or boot, but I still want something that's:

- light, or at least not too heavy.
- accurate
- sufficiently powerful caliber
- good sights, with laser (I can add that later).
- good ergonomics
- easy to put into action
- good safety features
- not too much recoil, since the wife will be shooting it.

This is an area that I haven't given much thought to, and rather than spend a month or two in research, I thought it might be better to ask the folks that have already answered those questions (and ones I forgot to ask) for themselves. I'm a reloader, so ammo cost for practice isn't a problem. I don't think I want a Beretta 92, or a 1911 or a Browning HiPower (though the size and grip of that pistol is almost ideal), and I'm not a big fan of the 9mm caliber, though I will listen to reason. There's a zillion new semi-autos out there. What would you recommend and why? Thanks much.
 
I suggest shooting different models and calibers to see what each of you shoot best. If money is not an issue, I suggest one for her and one for you.

You said semi-auto so I will leave out the revolver cartridges. A 9x19 with good personal protection ammo can work very well. If you are not a fan of the 9x19, I suggest the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP is said to have better stopping statistics than the .40 S&W.

IMO, the .45 ACP is also more pleasant to shoot than the .40 S&W due to the lower pressure of the .45 ACP cartridge. The .45 ACP also does not have the tendency to spike as fast in chamber pressure when approaching full power loads - potentially easier to load a full or near full power load with a safe chamber pressure.
 
@stressfire, I don't have an opinion on alloy versus steel. I'm hoping that more knowledgable folks than myself will give reasons for one over the other. I'll guess that less weight is the reason for folks going to alloy.
@discern, I hadn't actually considered that I could download the 45, which I am fully capable of doing, so maybe the 45 is what I want. And having a 5 gallon bucket full of 45's would cause the wife's brother to want to be here real bad (with his 1911), so that'd make the wife happy.

Now I need to look for a 45 caliber semiauto with a not-too-fat grip (for the wife's hand) and a not-too-short grip for my hand. And it needs to be a good shooter without a ton of money spent on it to improve accuracy. This is a good reason to go to the gunshop and put hands on grips and feel the weights of various guns. I hope that I can find one gun that pleases us both that isn't in pink. I don't want to have to buy 2 guns.
 
From what you have stated here so far, knocking out the 1911 and Hi-Power (which are subperb guns), I would suggest you look at the Glock 36 with the +0 mag extensions. I'm not trying to sell Glock, it is just a slim gun, not too heavy, and accurate enough out of the box for most needs. FN also makes a very good .45 as does Sig. Kahr makes the CW45 which is good but you have to be very careful with reloads as to OAL and primers.

I think that with a little research you will find there are several new rounds in 9mm, which aren't a .45, but do good service as a PD round. I alternate carrying a .45 and 9mm for CC and don't feel under gunned by either one.

Remember the old saying "A hit with a .22 beats a miss with a .45". It still holds true. They also say "A 9mm expands but a .45 doesn't shrink". It's all about shot placement.

Go with what ever best suits your needs. Good luck.
 
www.corneredcat.com

Go there, read the website, and encourage your wife to do likewise. Written by a woman for women (and for the men that love them).

Her first and overriding lesson: Do not buy your wife a gun. Take her to a gun shop and let her find what feels good. Then let her shoot it at a rental range. Let her decide what she likes.
 
His & hers handgun(s)...

If you and/or your wife want to buy a NIB(new in box) semi auto pistol that you can both carry/conceal and use for protection(home, office, vehicle, boat, etc) I'd base my selections on a few factors;
BUDGET($$$), SKILL LEVEL-TRAINING(for both of you) and PERSONAL CHOICES(night sights, ambi controls, double or single stack, SAO or DAO, etc)
In short, if you both can safely operate & fire a DA only hammer fired semi auto pistol I suggest these brands & models;
the SIG-Sauer P226R or P229R DAK in .357sig, the smaller P239 DAK SASII in .357sig or 9x19mm, the HK P2000 in .357sig or the subcompact P2000sk .357 pistol in the LEM format, the Beretta PX4 Storm C model in 9x19mm.
Any of these high quality, well made pistols could meet your needs & provide a powerful caliber to defend you or your spouse.
I'd add that you should both learn & understand the gun/use of force laws in your area, keep your firearms clean & check them often and finally get formal tactics/shooting training from a respected program if you & your wife feel you need it before you pack a loaded handgun.

Stay safe & enjoy the shooting sports;
ClydeFrog
www.NRA.org www.Handgunlaw.us www.GunsAmerica.com www.gunlawguide.com
 
Congrats on the decision (or your wife's wise decision) to get your CCW permits. A conceal carry weapon does you no good unless you carry it everywhere. Keeping it in the truck is great as long as it comes out with you. I carry a Glock 22 (.40 Caliber) and used to carry a Taurus Pt111 (9mm) as my BUG. The Taurus is going bye bye, but that is a discussion in another thread.

You and your wife should go to your LGS and get a feel for some guns. I have heard that a person should not carry anything less than a .380acp but I see on TV where people are killed by much less. Carry what YOU and YOUR WIFE are comfortable with and don't worry about the caliber wars. Once you decide on what gun or guns you two get, practice often... seriously... practice often.

Good luck on your choices and be safe.
 
Go to the gun store and try the Springfield XD-45. It's accurate, reliable, and has a moderate sized grip. My wife shoots mine and has no problem with it. It is my nightstand gun, which says a lot considering how many pistols I've had (30+). After 5000 rounds or so I've never had a malfunction. It eats everything.

I would also look at the Smith and Wesson M&P 45. The removable palmswells really make the ergonomics good for just about everyone. Throw in the S&W quality and customer service and you have a pistol to last a lifetime.
 
Many choices. Go to gunshops and see what feels good in the hand.
I would look for:
1. DAO, glock type trigger, or DA/SA.
2. Decocker would be nice if pistol has a SA mode.
3. If it has an external safety, let it be like that of a 1911 or HK USP (frame mounted/down to fire) and easy to manipulate with the thumb while maintaining shooting grip.
==========
Pistols:
1. Sig P2xx
2. Sig P239 DAK
3. Walther P99
4. HK P2000, P30.
5. 38 revolvers - Ruger SP101, S&W K frames.
==========
Caliber: 9mm - less recoil than .40 or .45
======================================
On the smaller side, I would look at:
1. Beretta 84/85 .380
2. Kahr CW9 or K9 9mm
3. Sig 230/232 380
==============================
Good fit is important. Good grip with proper trigger reach. Keep in mind that most DA/SA is a compromise on trigger reach.
High capacity/dual stack is nice but only if the pistol still fits.
 
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I would suggest looking at a Glock. With the new Gen 4's, you can change the grip to fit your hand or your wife's hand, and they have long grips so you won't have a problem with it fitting in your hand.

A 40 or a 45 are both good calibers. No offense, but some women can't handle 45's. You may want to test the waters a little before you fully commit to a gun.
 
My wife gets her permit this Thursday! She is not a large girl by far but also no wimp. I bought her an XD9 and did front red, rear green fiber sights. She is deadly with this thing. Other choice would have been S&W M&P 9mm. I work at the store and took her in to shoot all the different ones. These are the 2 that fit HER best. Just kinda nice that I carry an XD (40) as well.
 
Don't worry about the caliber of the pistol nearly as much as how it feels in your hands and how well you shoot it. If it's main purpose is as a car gun, I'd suggest a full size pistol with a rail for your light or laser/light combo.

My personal favorites are the CZ SP-01, XD or XDM and the sig 226. They are all well made reliable pistols.

I use a SP-01 as my nightstand gun, it's in 9mm, but can be had in 40. I have found that the SP-01 allows me the best grip and quickest follow up shots. It's a heavy pistol and makes recoil very easy to manage, doubles as a good club if needed, weighing in at 40+ ounces.

I prefer the XD and XDM to the glock and M&P, but I will admit the M&P is growing on me. I don't like the grip angle of glocks and the compact and sub-compact guns tend to bite my palm quite nastily on speed reloads. It isn't a huge deal, but that and a few other little things convinced me to sell my glocks and get the XD.

The sig 226 is one of the best service style pistols around. It's very well made, reliable and the triggers are usually decent out of the box. The 226 especially with the new grip style sig has come out with fells great in my hand. For some reason the smaller sigs don't feel as nice to me as the 226.

Other than my personal favorites above, the glocks, M&P's, CZ 75 variants and the beretta PX4 are excellent choices as well. It's a good time to buy a new pistol, as there are lots of good choices out there and in the end it all boils down to how it feels and shoots for you.
 
Woman's CCW Gun

There are many viable handguns for this purpose, but for reliability, ease of use, stopping power, light weight, and concealment is difficult to be a .38 Special Air Weight stub nose. It is very true that these are primary belly guns and are difficult to shoot accurately at distance, but for close in personal defense they are very good. Just another option to consider.
 
Others have mentioned this, but she really needs to handle and shoot as many pistols as she can before you buy. My wife shot a few guns before buying her H&K P30, but a few months later she finds that she shoots it the most poorly out of all my handguns. She shoots my S&W M&P9c with the most aplomb.

She is taking her CCW class next week, and I don't think she'll stick with the H&K as her concealment weapon. It's too big and I don't think she has confidence in it. I think my M&P may become hers!

I have a Kahr CW45, but it is a very small and light piece for .45. I like it and carry it, but my wife doesn't like shooting it at all. A CW9 may be a nice choice. Certainly as slim as anything. You mentioned "good safety features" of which the CW has basically none.....but neither do many of the semiauto pistols outside of available thumb safetys and decockers on some models.

Bottom line is let her see what feels good in her hand and what she likes. She won't carry it if she doesn't like it!
 
We're off to the big city next week, and I'll take her to several gun stores to see what fits her best. As for the various guns that I want to look at, a couple are the CZ SP-01 (probably 9 mm) and the new Ruger in 45. The Sigs interest me also, but I have a feeling that the price is big. She and I both shoot now, but only with Revolvers (my Python and her Charter Arms). I want us to take the course with a semi-auto. My caliber choice, based on what I think right now, would be the 45 ACP, but maybe she'd be more comfortable shooting a 9 mm. That's something we need to figure out. There's no reason to go to all this trouble and expense if I can't find a gun that she will enjoy shooting and hit what she's shooting at. She is a pretty fair shot, so she isn't new to shooting.
 
Here's the thing.

You reload, so just downcharge the practice rounds with the 45. I've got my LRN down to 9mm recoil levels with my Glock 21SF. No leading at all with the stock barrel. Cycles the slide just fine, drops the cases right on the table half the time. My girlfriend uses it in our IDPA matches and likes it better than my 9mm CZ.

Of course you'd get some normal SD ammo for carry purposes.
 
The SP-01 is a great gun, but I thought you wanted a big caliber. It is my favorite gun, even though I'm a .45 acp guy.
 
Mr Blue, yes I would rather have a 45 ACP and downloading it might be just the thing. I'd avoid 9 mm if it was just me, but I'm wondering if it might be a good compromise between the wife and me. She won't care if it's a 9 mm or a 15 mm or a 2 mm. She won't talk numbers or calibers. All she'll care about is recoil and comfort, and she'll gripe if it's too heavy. So...manageable recoil, reasonable weight, comfortable narrow grip (probably single stack), good sights, a safety that's easy to understand and manage. For me, a rail to attach a laser sight or light. As for single action or double action, I'd prefer to have the double action option, if the DA trigger pull on the first round isn't too heavy to allow for accuracy.

Obviously, I have some research to do in order to make the right choice. Right now I really don't have a clear enough idea of what's available or what I really do need. As we all know, that's not a problem. Gunshopping is some of the most fun things we guys do.
 
I went through this with my wife. We ended up taking all of my pistols to the farm and trying them all.

First she like revolvers because you open the cylinder, drop in the cartridges, close the cylinder and you ready to go. No safety to remember, no rack to slide, no magazine to load.

She says S&W 686 to large. S&W 36 to small hard to control. S&W 10 is just right. No high power P+ rounds just plain old .38 special rounds.

I guess it comes down to it has to feel good and look good. If you can figure those out for her, your more talented than I am.

Dampoo
 
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