First Gun For Wife

[gmcttr]

.22lr's are for life....not a ""stop-gap learning gun" at all.

 

[mcapo]

Instead of the P238 - go with the P938. I have both and a fair number of "first timers" have shot both while considering a first EDC. Almost all end up preferring the P938. Not much bigger. Kimber Micro 9 is a pretty sweet shooter though you HAVE to run premium ammo in it. Both are single action. That's a consideration. Shield is the buy right now.

Also, consider how and where she is going to carry it.

SO many options for EDC today. You might get better answers once she's shot a sampling and found a few that she shots well.

 

[mcapo]

4) Revolver: Probably not. Not a horrible idea, but it has taken me forever to get her to consider a gun, and I think I need to get her the one that she will keep rather than a stop-gap learning gun. This comment might also apply to the .22.

More later. Thanks for all the advice so far!

I would give up a fair number of other guns before I'd let go of any of my S&W revolvers. A nice short barrel revolver can be a good self defense gun with DA and still a good time on the range shooting SA.

 

[NKBJ]

The better 2/3's hands changed with age.
Her finger was being hurt by the trigger guard.
We shopped until finding what was just right.
Best way to go is she finds what suits her.
And of course the cat loves the laser.

And why isn't fedex here with my new phone %#$@&*.

 

[gglass]

I have a great idea! Don't buy her what she wants, but instead tell her what is best for her.

I see no problems coming from this approach.
.
.
.
.
.
Actually, I think that you should buy her whatever she wants - within your budget of course. My ex-wife carried that exact same P238 for years and loved it as a carry gun and as a range gun. As for accuracy, I could hit precisely what I aimed at out to 25 yards. With practice, it is a fine little shooter.

 

[actaeon277]

Had the same with my wife a few years ago. She said I want a pistol.

Took her to the outside range on a weekday morning. Nice only one other shooter. When over the four rules. Showed her the ruger mark 2 target. On with the glasses and ear pro. She rocked that targets and many more. Got her a class at Highsmith and we started the permit process. We when to the farm and shot 10-22's and a 357 6 inch with 38's. She used several guns at Highsmith on range time. Did the beginners class. Shot some more range guns at bullseye in Anderson.

Then we went to dad's and I brought all mine and a few friends brought theirs. Must have been a good fifty around. Was like goldielocks. To hot to cold to big to small. Narrowed it down to about 15 without shooting. Of those fifteen the winner for her came up around number 9. Bang bullseye bang bullseye bang bullseye. Much better groups than any others and a smile on her face.


My 1980 interarms import Walter PPK/s. She said it pointed well and kept on target easy. I had some work done on it long ago. Some feed ramp polish a spring change and a little trigger work. Loaded it with some 380 critical defense and it eat them up. O problem. She also liked the 5906 smith near mint that dad had but it was very stiff for and older gun and the slide did. It rack back well. She liked the look of an HK 9mm. It did not fit her hand. The 380 PPK/s just called to her. I think the extra weight helped the small package and the reduced spring made the slide easy for her. She shot it better than I do.

Well that was her. She liked the 5906. The PpK's a colt cobra and a browning BdA about the best. The PPK/s has bitten her with the slide once or twice. Smith's non import version has an extended beaver tale but she said the PPK's mine. So who am I to tell her no.

This and
this
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/women-firearms/12684-buying-gun-women-your-life.html


Let her try many different ones. Friends, family, or an INGO shoot would help.

 

[NHT3]

Get her in some training and she can make her own decision on what she likes and what she can shoot well. In 380 I would suggest a glock 42 if you go up to 9mm it's almost impossible to beat the shield.

[FONT=&quot]NRA Life Member [/FONT]NRA Basic pistol instructor[FONT=&quot] /[/FONT][FONT=&quot] RSO[/FONT]
Glock certified armorer- M&P Certified armorer [FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot]“[/FONT]Safety is not something that you hold in your hands, it happens between your ears”
Col. Jeff Cooper

 

[Brad69]

Ahhhhh Glock 42 has a history of not being a good choice for females. It doesn't like limp wristing like most small Glocks 43.

But to be fair I am not a big Glock guy not even at blue label price.

x5 on the Shield.

 

[steve0322]

The EAA Pavona is an interesting option. Specifically made for women. It's hard to get a hold of for testing.

 

[gregr]

They do lots better with a heavier long barreled gun than with a "cute" little gun. No matter the caliber. Revolvers seem to make sense to a new shooter. Less intimidating than the internal workings of a semi auto.

Recoil, muzzle flip, and muzzle blast are pretty scary to a new shooter.

But then if concealability is the utmost factor, then something as small as an LCP may just be the ticket.

 

[snapping turtle]

My wife's picking of the interarm's PPK/s took me by surprise. I carried that gun for a while myself before shifting back to my smith model 66 snub nose workhorse. I had some tweaking done to it so it would feed hollow points well. A little polishing of the trigger group and a lighter spring (the factory is like a truck rear spring) I have had that pistol a lot longer than my wife.

When she first got the bug I had a bunch of catalog's and handed her them. She was picking out the most "black guns" of the handguns in them. Then she saw how big they were and she did not seem to shoot them well. She loved the mark 2 22 pistol we shot as a beginner then the smith 586 with 38's was her favorite. The first two pistols she ever fired. Then when she started in the class and got to do range time with a nice amount of pistol's she became a little more confused as they all had little differences Safety here. Double action only. Double first shot single afterwards. Safety here. Safety there. It was time to call in the boys and dad have a cookout and let her coon finger and shoot any of ours she wanted. We had to get her one for her so she could get a good handle on one gun for a bit.

When she got to the PPK you could just see the difference in her groups and the smile when she pulled the trigger. I think was heavy enough for it's size not to small not to big and it is tried and true police gun with good rep. She had shot a bersa in one of the range sessions and liked it but the firing pin broke while she was using it. (I think bersa owners should always have an extra) seems common for them. attractive to that style of pistol she is.

I guess we we all have things that seem to fit us. I grew up shooting 870 shotguns. Have others still use the 870 90 percent of the time. Always liked lever action rifles (cowboy movies) still hunt with them 90 precent of the time. Always loved revolvers and still carry the model 66 as EDC. There might be better choices in the safe some would say. What seems to matter is the confidence that comes with something.

Woukd be be willing to come over with my small crop of handguns for a cookout. Maybe she would even let me bring the PPK.

 

[gmcttr]

I picked up an Interarms PPK/S .380 about 1980 and never cared for it that much. It was the first gun my youngest daughter shot when she was 5-7 yrs old and she loved it.

It sat unused for decades until this past year, when she asked me to bring it to the range. She still enjoyed shooting it so it is her's now.

 

[rkwhyte2]

I picked up an Interarms PPK/S .380 about 1980 and never cared for it that much. It was the first gun my youngest daughter shot when she was 5-7 yrs old and she loved it.

It sat unused for decades until this past year, when she asked me to bring it to the range. She still enjoyed shooting it so it is her's now.

You have earned a Dad of the Year nomination for this. Good job.

 

[sloughfoot]

I think it is fascinating that the revolver is considered a stop-gap learning gun and that the .380 semi auto is considered a viable SD choice.

How times change..

 

[Thor]

Well, the ammo has improved a lot in the SD category...but I still don't mind carrying a revolver and consider it a viable option...even a single action. If we go back to BBI's self defense shooting statistics we find that none of them involved a reload. So, I suppose no matter what you're carrying you just need to make sure you hit your target and use good SD ammo.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Look at how often the average guy changes EDC, think about how often wives change shoes...no matter what picking the right one the first time out is rare

 

[Ed B]

My wife learned with my G-42 and shot it well, but she decided the trigger was too heavy. We then went looking for something she liked better. She ended up with the Sig P-238, single action trigger, and she was dead accurate with it. She loved the bling of the rainbow model, so that was "her" first gun. She absolutely loves it, except the slick slide finish especially when hot. We found the spider grips to fit the slide grooves and it made all the difference. She still loves the gun so much that the second gun she got was an exact match, except the Extreme model. She didn't want to have to learn another gun so wanted her backup as a match. It's a wonderfully good model. Good luck and let her buy what she wants after trying everything she wants.

 

[gregr]

I think it is fascinating that the revolver is considered a stop-gap learning gun and that the .380 semi auto is considered a viable SD choice.

How times change..

But this change is for the better. More and more municipalities are rightfully recognizing the Second Amendment right of the people to carry arms, and many people want that ultra concealability.

 

[TheJoker]

I originally bought my GF a S&W Model 60. She shot it once; she didn't like it at all. "Too complicated", she said. She pointed at my S&W Model 39(...I know, much more complicated, but YOU tell her that doesn't make sense!), shot it and liked it. I traded the Model 60 for a lightly used S&W Model 3913 Lady Smith which is basically a compact version of the Model 39. After three Basic Pistol courses with the awesome folks of Revere's Riders, she shoots her Lady Smith effectively and carries it confidently in the back compartment of her UKoala bag.

We have experimented with her carrying my 9mm kurz Walther PPK; but, she struggles with that previously mentioned, truck like, hammer spring on the first double action trigger pull.

I recently switched my EDC to a Walther CCP. Kathy likes it and shoots it well too. I will probably buy another CCP down the road. The CCP is very accurate for a small gun; but, the CCP also has a couple of features which make it uniquely appealing to female shooters. Because of the unique gas piston locking system, it uses a much lighter recoil spring making it much easier to 'rack the slide' to chamber a round. The CCP also has a much lower recoil than the average 9x19mm.

 

[sdb321]

Getting The Wife A GUN!!!

Here's a little advice. LET HER CHOOSE! I bought my wife two cars and she hated both of them. So when she suggested we purchase a handgun, we went together. She tried the "rainbow gun" but couldn't operate the slide. I suggested a revolver, this is her choice. She said "it was pretty. View attachment 56971