Re: wife self defense weapon...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Strykervet</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Been round and round with the wife on this one. She was the same way. Not petit, but she's more recoil sensitive than a 4 year old. Also, many women not privy to firearms have different, and even odd sounding or impossible criteria to men. Keep that in mind.
If you have it in your budget, getting a nice .22 of whatever she'll be shooting later is a good idea. This is what she'll learn on and even carry for a little while. So my wife decided she liked revolvers over autos. She doesn't like the "violence" of the slide moving back. She also wanted ultra light and no recoil, so she got a Smith 317 snub .22 to start with. If your wife likes autos, go with a Sig or some such. Walther makes a .22 and a 9mm that basically feel the same, the P99?
Now I've never met a woman that actually likes recoil. Or doesn't mind it at all. As such, I've never met a woman that likes to fire my Glock .40. As a general rule of thumb, they don't like snappy recoil, they prefer slow shoves. So think slow heavy bullets, think .45 ACP, even 10mm, or .357/.38spcl. (I know a 16yo girl, maybe 90lbs? she hates the G27, but loves the G29 --loaded with fairly stiff 200gr. handloads!). .357 is good because it gives them a stiff carry load and something soft to practice with too. Or they may prefer to carry +P's. Lots of "range" with .357's.
My wife carried a Glock 17 for a while, but just didn't like it. She says she may change later when she gets a better carry purse (yeah, she's sort of restricted to carry this way much of the time). Over time she shot other weapons, fell in love with my 6" 686+, and learned there are no ultra light weapons with no recoil (as evidenced by my 340PD, of which one super light special load was more than enough for her).
So my wife, she finally opted for a Smith 649 no lock, shrouded hammer, 2" bbl., long laser grips, 3 or 4 speed loaders. She carries .357 125gr. Gold Dots. Those are snappy for her and she fires them less, but the beauty of the .357 is that she can fire specials all day in it. And if she gets tired of that, she can shoot the .22.
She also carries the .22 on dog walks, first two are loaded with rat shot. So it still does duty.
Other good revolver choices would be the 686+ snub, it is bigger than a J-frame, but not a large frame. You'd need the hammer filed down and then it would be DA only, but it would be a good one. The 640 is DA only, another good J-frame if SA isn't a concern. I have a 340PD, but it is too light for most men, let alone women.
Of course taking her to a rental range is also a good idea, and something my wife wanted to do until I found her the "perfect piece", which for her is this 649. But even then, finding out whether she's a revolver or an auto girls should be first, then getting a .22 in that to begin with. That would be my suggestion.
Of course you can strap her with the biggest thing she can handle right off the bat, but I guarantee you that down the road she either won't carry or will only do it to satisfy you. Which totally defeats the purpose. So you need to get something she likes, and likely that will be a .22 to start with if she's gun shy.
Good luck, it'll take time but it'll be worth it. My wife has been in a few situations where she was glad she had it on her in the last decade, and always carries now.</div></div>
This is what I am in the process of doing with my girl. The semi-autos were overwhelming as she has no previous gun experience. I am starting her off with a Ruger LCR in .22 (She liked the look and fit when we went and fondled one). After she gets comfortable with the platform and hones her skills, I will upgrade in caliber. That being said, I will definitely be holding onto the .22 as it is a cheap means of her getting a lot of trigger time without (as much) fatigue and is very cost effective.
