Sidearms & Scatterguns Help me put a sidearm in my wifes hands...

[Exo]

Long story short, we BOTH think she needs a gun of her own, although she is too beside herself to decide what she wants. I carry a G23 daily, and love the crap out of it (Im 6'2" with 8.5" hands), and honestly would not mind getting one for her (her hands are just a touch under 7" if it matters AT ALL). It fits her hands good, she can shoot it to par, and I think its small enough for her to carry in her purse.

Other guns I have glanced at were the Ruger LCP9, the S&W Body Guard, and the XDS-40.

A friend of ours had a bodyguard that she carried daily, and she said loved it. However...my wife could not shoot if for a damn, plus she did not like the idea of a revolver. She said she likes semi auto's, ok cool.

Another friend had a XDS-40 that he carried daily and really liked it for concealment purposes, he thought however it was too small for his hands. It fit the wives hands really good, and she said she really liked it, however she never shot it.

We really have zero experience with the LCP9, except in her googling she said she likes the pink ones *shakes head*.

Now onto my glock, she can shoot it, it fits her good, she likes it, she just needs more training with the glock trigger (I think). First rounds hit are always "right there" second and third round are slightly left and high, then she can pull it back down to where she wants it to go.

So my questions for the 'Hiders is, what do you recommend and what do your wive's carry?

Thanks for any suggestions and tips. I plan to take her to the shop where she can try out a couple before we buy.

 

[Redmanss]

G23 are good, but they can get heavy for them. My ex bitched about the G19's weight, but she would also bitch if the sun shined.

Unless you're very committed to .40S&W, look to 9mm for some weight savings while still doing the job just fine. Look at the G26/27 also for less weight.

My girl picked up a S&W M&P 9C recently, but we both flew back to work overseas before we had a chance to give it a test run. She just didn't like the grip feel and trigger guard of the G19 I carry, so we went and found something at Gander Mountain that suited her taste and she said "now this feels right" when she gripped the S&W. Itching to shoot the damn thing though!

 

[Petrichor Actual]

Glock just put out a single stack micro 380. I got to handle a friend's recently and liked it a lot. I'd prefer a 9mm or 40 personally, but chicks dig 380's.

 

[EXTREMEPREJUDICE]

Women are really no different then men when it comes to firearms, it boils down to mindset, training, and personal preference. My wife is petite and carries everything from a Ruger LCP to a Nighthawk 1911 depending on the situation and circumstances. I notice she carries a HK P2000 SK more than anything else and it's a really nice concealed carry option. I guess my recommendation to you would be why not another G23, seems to be a natural? You could use the same ammo, mags, holsters (maybe) and she would become proficient with the same weapon manipulation you carry in the event she had to use yours (battlefield pickup, etc.?)

 

[Petrichor Actual]

Also, I've been eyeballing the S&W Shield 9mm. They are very nice too. I carry a snub off duty for now. My wife likes the snub and shoots it we'll.

 

[slm9s]

Ruger LCP.

 

[Steve1]

I bought my wife a Ruger LCP 380. She takes it jogging and even to work at one of her jobs, late at night.

I'm a Glock fan. I love my GLock 19. The new ones will fit smaller hands better than the older models. They are kind of fat though with that double stack magazine. I also have a Glock 26. Both of those Glocks shoot easier than the Ruger LCP 380, but the Ruger is sure a lot easier to hide and pack around.

My daughter traded in her stubby 38 revolver on a Glock 26. She wanted an automatic. Her hands are small, but she shoots it okay. She need practice with it.

I love Glocks but they are harder to conceal....

 

[Exo]

All really good recommendations!! Keep em coming!
[MENTION=41860]Redmanss[/MENTION], I completely forgot about the M&P line!! Going to have to go take a look at those. I had a buddy buy one, took it to the range once, liked it so much he stopped and got another one on his way home!

I would say, honestly, for the most part, she will be sporting this in a conceal carry purse. Unless we are going to the range or out 4 wheeling/camping I really highly doubt she will want to carry it (even concealed) on her person.

again, thanks a bunch and keep em coming!

 

[MarkCO]

Kahr PM9, CM9, CW9, S&W Shield.

Hate to be the one to state the obvious, but what does SHE want to have for a carry gun? What is the saying..."A pair of testicles means you can drive like Andretti, shoot like Hathcock and lay pipe like North, until you realize we can't." We tend to impose our preferences on other men, and even more so on women. Nature of the beast. I'd take her to a women's only pistol course, or a range on ladies night, or even just the range with rentals, and just let her explore the different options. The line..."Honey, I want you to get what you feel the most comfortable with." sure gets a lot of brownie points, and will give her some confidence that she doesn't have to meet your expectations.

The G23 might be the ultimate jack-of-all carry piece, but it is not the easiest to shoot, especially for those with smaller hands. Nothing wrong with 9mm at all and if she shoots it better, then it IS better for her.

 

[BoilerUP]

My wife has tried a PPK/S, Colt Mustang/Pocketlite, S&W Chief Special, Glock 19 and a M&P 9.

She has preferred the feel of the Glock to all the others.

 

[Pester]

Exo,

We currently own
.45
full size Nighthawk, SW M&P and the trusty 12 yr old Kimber.
.9mm
SW Shield, Springfield EMP, Kahr PM 9, XD 9 and SW M&P 9c

All things considered 95% of the time the one my wife grabs is the SW M&P 9c. Regardless of conditions/circumstances her groups are consistantly better with the 9c than anything else. Very close behind the 9c are the Shield and EMP.

After deciding to get a pistol, she put herself into a number of classes and tried a lot of pistols. On her own she settled in on the M&P as just being a better 'fit'.
I think her spending time shooting them each made a difference.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Absolutely agree on the suggestion to go somewhere that she can try them out and then decide.
Wife wanted a Ruger Bodyguard in .380, until she used it, then she said it "snapped" her hands too much. So, after meeting a couple at the range who had one and let her shoot a magazine worth to try it, I got her a Bersa Thunder, and that is much better. Then she wanted a 9mm, so we bought a Kimber Solo---that proved unmanageble for her---we have yet to try the extended mags to see if they help. (Secretly I admit to half-hoping it doesn't help enough, as I then inherit the Solo and have to find her another one....)
Might have saved some money had we found a place try before you buy.... but then, we do have more weapons as a side benefit...

 

[WildBill3/75]

Women are really no different then men when it comes to firearms, it boils down to mindset, training, and personal preference. My wife is petite and carries everything from a Ruger LCP to a Nighthawk 1911 depending on the situation and circumstances. I notice she carries a HK P2000 SK more than anything else and it's a really nice concealed carry option. I guess my recommendation to you would be why not another G23, seems to be a natural? You could use the same ammo, mags, holsters (maybe) and she would become proficient with the same weapon manipulation you carry in the event she had to use yours (battlefield pickup, etc.?)

I'd have to disagree with this one. My wife very petite, 5'6" 100-105lbs. I had her try to shoot a keltec PF9 back when I owned that piece of crap and since is was such a short barreled light 9mm she had stovepipe malfunctions every time she fired it. Put a Glock 19 in her hands and she had no issues other than she hates how my RTF2 Gen3 feels in her hands(like sand paper just like I like it).

Women naturally do not have the upper body strength that men do and if you have a slim framed woman I'd stay away from small light 9mm's and snappy .40 S&W unless you want to chase them away from handguns.

Right now I'm looking at getting her an XDM 3.8 compact...have your woman go to a gunshow with you and finger fuck all the handguns she can get her hands on.

 

[smokin.338]

H&k p30

 

[colscar]

i would say have her hold the gun in her hand and see if she can rack the slide as well...other than that its reall how she likes it .... my wife perfers the sig 238 over the lcp or shield but she has small hands

 

[*Nine]

The slide racking thing always gets me. Barring a medical condition, an adult woman should be able to exert ~18 pounds of force (or whatever it takes to overcome the specific recoil spring) using both hands. If she's trying to pinch the slide with two fingers or whatever then show her how to do it properly.

 

[graewolf]

H&k p30

Gonna +1 this....

I took my wife to a local shop that had a large selection of handguns. She picked up and held just about every single one/style. I did my best not to impose my favorites, and tried to be as objective as possible. She shoots my 45s fairly well but she wanted to stay away from that as her main carry option. I feel 40 is a bit "snappy" esp with def ammo. So, we settled on 9mm. There were several she had picked as possibles....until she held the HK P30. It was almost like a "love at first sight" moment when she picked it up. She wanted something that had a manual safety on it, and was pretty adamant about that despite what I told her about striker fired pistols or decockers. The HK P30 had a decocker and she almost ruled it out despite how well it fit in her hand, until the salesman said they had a model with the manual safety - the HK P30S. This shop's price on the P30 was pretty steep, although I found one nearby for $300 less than what they were asking. I felt a little bad about spending all that guy's time and patience to buy somewhere else but they were pretty high priced ($1100 at that shop, bought it elsewhere for $800). It has 3 interchangeable palm swells and 3 interchangeable backstraps. She shoots it very well. We are still trying to decide how she is going to carry it. It is a medium framed pistol and just a hair large to go in - or rather come out of "standard" sized carry purses easily...and she's not really into carrying larger "handbag" type purses. So, we are discussing on the body carry - waistband or some kind of undershirt holster type thing.

Bottom line, put as many pistols as you can in her hands and let her decide, it would be nice to let her shoot as many different pistols - but that's much more difficult unless you live near a range that has a large selection of rental pistols.

 

[graewolf]

The slide racking thing always gets me........If she's trying to pinch the slide with two fingers or whatever then show her how to do it properly.

+2

Invariably what I have found is that's how most women tend to rack a slide. Even petite women generally have plenty of strength to hold the pistol grip with strong hand and palm over the slide grip to rack, keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction.

 

[Winddancer]

Kahr PM9, CM9, CW9, S&W Shield.

Hate to be the one to state the obvious, but what does SHE want to have for a carry gun? What is the saying..."A pair of testicles means you can drive like Andretti, shoot like Hathcock and lay pipe like North, until you realize we can't." We tend to impose our preferences on other men, and even more so on women. Nature of the beast. I'd take her to a women's only pistol course, or a range on ladies night, or even just the range with rentals, and just let her explore the different options. The line..."Honey, I want you to get what you feel the most comfortable with." sure gets a lot of brownie points, and will give her some confidence that she doesn't have to meet your expectations.

The G23 might be the ultimate jack-of-all carry piece, but it is not the easiest to shoot, especially for those with smaller hands. Nothing wrong with 9mm at all and if she shoots it better, then it IS better for her.

MarkCO is absolutely correct!! Let her choose the pistol that she feels fits her hand the best. Go to a Gun Show or large gun shop and let her shop the tables picking them all up to find the right one. If she feels comfortable with it she will shoot it and nothing is better than trigger time! My wife and daughter always choose what they want. I may offer suggestions but in the end I want them to be comfortable with it.

 

[graewolf]

.......exactly

 

[Vio515]

My Fiancee carries an LCP. She liked it for the size and ability to confidently rack the slide. She is 5'4" 120lbs-ish.. The LCP is small enough for her that is allows for an excellent concealed carry on and off body. Summertime presents some interesting carry issues as with most ladies in the south, less is more come summer as its hot down here, but overall she has been very happy with her LCP.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

My Fiancee carries an LCP. She liked it for the size and ability to confidently rack the slide. She is 5'4" 120lbs-ish.. The LCP is small enough for her that is allows for an excellent concealed carry on and off body. Summertime presents some interesting carry issues as with most ladies in the south, less is more come summer as its hot down here, but overall she has been very happy with her LCP.

Try the Flash-Bang!


Cheers,
Tim
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Shall NOT be Infringed

 

[Pester]

See...... I learn something everytime I am on the Hide and I darn sure missed the boat on that one. Now I need to figure out how to get her interested in a rifle. :^)

Might have saved some money had we found a place try before you buy.... but then, we do have more weapons as a side benefit...

 

[Exo]

Try the Flash-Bang!


Cheers,
Tim
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Shall NOT be Infringed

just googled flashbang holster...not sure what I enjoyed looking at more? boobies or guns?

 

[Helidriver]

My wife has a very small frame including hands. She hates my G23 but loves her G19. I thought she would stick to the G19 to the end but when I brought home the G42 she instantly adopted it. She loves that little gun.

 

[shrompman420]

Mark 23!

 

[snipe10]

Ruger SP101 w 2 1/2 barrel loaded with 38's, heavy but low recoil, she loves it!

(replaced the factory grips which suck)

 

[smokin.338]

just googled flashbang holster...not sure what I enjoyed looking at more? boobies or guns?

Agreed!

Mark 23!

LMAO!

 

[17874]

Glock all the way man. She likes it and she shoots it well. That's what's important.

 

[Exo]

Thanks guys (and gals if your in here)!!!! After some serious pondering, and speaking with a few instructors, and reading through here, I am going to take her down to the local shop that will let you rent (i.e shoot for free + ammo) any gun they have in the case and let HER decide. This thread got me going in the right direction though instead of doing the typical "man" thing and just coming home with a new toy and saying "look what I got you".

thanks again!

 

[HodgdonExtreme]

Thanks guys (and gals if your in here)!!!! After some serious pondering, and speaking with a few instructors, and reading through here, I am going to take her down to the local shop that will let you rent (i.e shoot for free + ammo) any gun they have in the case and let HER decide. This thread got me going in the right direction though instead of doing the typical "man" thing and just coming home with a new toy and saying "look what I got you".

thanks again!

Good call.

Being that women don't actually care what their husbands/boyfriends/men in general think, and really just want to hear the man-figure regurgitate (in their own words) exactly what the woman was thinking to begin with...

...I'd offer this piece of advice:

Don't cringe when she likes the 22, the 32, or the 380, or even the HK Mk23. Don't offer any legitimate opinion of your own unless it matches hers. Pay close attention to her reactions at the range and exactly what she thinks of each pistol tried. Don't cringe or argue when she doesn't like the pistol YOU (secretly, if you're doing it right) want her to get.

Ultimately, you are happy that your wife wants to be armed. For her to actually make the commitment to carry daily, there can be no "he forced this on me" womanly resentment. So, WHATEVER it is SHE likes, get it. Even if it's a HiPoint.

And of course, when she starts bitching about whatever it is she has, happily take her back to the range to try/buy something new.

 

[deadly_punk]

Played this game...and I guess I won when I finally let my wife get what she wanted. We shopped for a long time and handled many of the weapons mentioned above. She eventually ended up picking a Gen 4 Glock 26. So far, she really likes it even though it's a bit harder to conceal than the Ruger LCR, LCP/LC9, SW 637/638, KT PF9, and many others we handled. I just ordered the Ghost 3.5 connector for it to install when I'm home again. She shoots it ok, and I'm confident that w/ a few hundred more rounds of practice and some formalized training she'll be great with it. Recoil doesn't bother her much, but I found that she was flinching from the report. Doubling up on ear-pro is SOP for us when we go to the range now and I think it has boosted her pistol shooting comfort levels a lot. Be sure to let us know what she ends up with.

 

[Exo]

I definitely will!

Her birthday is in March so, it will be sometime in the first half of the month.
[MENTION=75859]deadly_punk[/MENTION], did you put dummy rounds mixed within the mag with regular rounds to find the flinch?

 

[Exo]

Update

Went to a shop that has an indoor range last night. Looked around and explained to the clerk our intentions. His first suggestion was the MP9c. My wife picked it up and it was like love at first sight! The expression on her face was priceless. She also looked at an XDs and a kimber among a few others. She came back to the MP9c and said it was the most comfortable. Rented one, bought a box of ammo, and hit the range. She loved it! Shot placement was exceptional considering her real lack of any formalized training. I walked her through the motions, gave her a briefing on the gun. Made her dry fire it, load the mag, seat it. I critiqued a little bit, hand placement, stance, etc but was overall trying to be encouraging. Needless to say we walked off the range and straight back to the gun counter. I looked at her and knew the expression on her face, told the clerk to get the paperwork and wrap it up. Walked out last night with a brand new MP9c and my wife is ecstatic! She has been looking at CCW purses all day today, lol.

Next step is to get her proficient enough to be comfortable and get her into a couple classes.

Thanks 'Hide, you helped make my bride a very happy girl last night!

Thanks again
-Nick

 

[Sniper Uncle]

That's the way to do it!!! I have bought my wife five different handguns, and we're still trying to find the "perfect" one. She likes them all, just none of them quite "right." We now have a range that rents a couple we want to try, so I think we might be able to find it yet.....

 

[Pester]

Glad she found one. I also did not try to instruct my wife. She took classes with a bunch of women and she the only questions she asked were related to a quick over view of the pistol before the class and questions after. Not sure why it works that way but for us it was better to let her do it herself

Maybe its different with you....

 

[Exo]

This particular shop offers women only classes. I know her and shes going to want to shoot it a bit before a class...but its definitely going on the schedule.

 

[Eric308]

Bought lcp380 for wife. She likes the easy concealment of it but does not like shooting it nor do I or my sister or my niece.. My daughter in law does like hers. Looking at xds9 for her next .Recoil on my xds45 is quite managable so I think the nine should work for her.