What sidearm does your wife have?

[cddogfan1]

My wife is not really a gun person. She does not care how many I have but up until now she has not had a desire for one her self. She has recently decide she wants a side arm for personal protection and to possibly carry in her purse. Looking for suggestion.

[djw]

Ruger LC9s.

But....your wife is not my wife, and your wife is not you. Take her somewhere that she can handle and shoot a variety, and let her make the choice. Let us know your location, and I'm sure there's someone that would be willing to share their collection to help her along.

[contender]

Which one?

Seriously, Miss Penny has several handguns herself. PLUS,,, she teaches the NRA Women On Target program.

So, instead of trying to figure out what others have, you NEED to have HER try & figure out what she wants.
To do so correctly,,, get her into a ladies ONLY clinic, away from you. Ask questions,,, of the instructor to see if they start her with smaller calibers & move up. Also, look long & hard at the fact she will most likely NOT become as involved in firearms as you are. SO, we teach the KISS method. The simplest to operate, very versatile in ammo choices, that will do the job she needs.

In short, she needs to handle a lot of guns WITHOUT pressures. Plus,,, getting her to shoot several,,, even the exact same guns with different grips can help her choose what will work for her.

We've been helping a lot of ladies just like her for over 15 years now with excellent success. If you need more info, just ask!

[warhawk]

OP ... My wife is in much the same situation. She's never been anti gun, just had no interest until recently. She has completed her CHL training and now we wait for the permit to come back from the state.

She has tried several of my guns, and nothing really tickled her fancy. I was able to shoot a Walther CCP at an indoor range ( rental gun and I was out of town on business). I think this may be the right gun for her. The ergos are great, it uses a unique gas action that cuts recoil and allows a light main spring, making it very easy to rack the slide. These guns are apparently very popular, Buds can't keep them in stock.

[Otony]

Smith & Wesson Model 36 .38 Special, 3" barrel, square butt, Tyler T-grip, soon to be installed Wallis & Sons hammer shroud

Smith & Wesson 432 .32 Magnum, 2" barrel, round butt, S&W banana grips

She like to shoot her Bearcat, and also a Model 10 with a 5" pencil barrel.

I keep a LOT of revolvers handy........

[COR]

You wouldn't dare buy her shoes or a purse but you truly believe you should buy her a gun... C'mon man.

Let her pick and stay out of it, you need to be smart enough to step back and let HER buy HER gun. Then send her to the best training you can afford.

My wife got her own CCW and got her own .38 LCR with Crimson Trace. I just told her about a few gun stores I recommended. Took her 7 months to choose.

[bushog]

I got rid of my wife so they're ALL mine!

(Girlfriend does have a Beretta 92)

[paulg]

Mine settled on a Glock 43. She started with a Smith & Wesson model 10. After a lot of shooting and training she went to a Glock 19. When the 43 came out she couldn't get her hands on one fast enough.

[magnumwheelman]

What sidearm does my wife have???

... um... Me

she can outshoot me, & could shoot any gun she wants... however, we live a pretty safe lifestyle, & she doesn't often go by herself, to places of increased risk, without me, & I carry 24-7... plus she's one that doesn't want the government knowing any more about her than necessary ( rolls eyes )

BTW... just cause you're a man, doesn't mean you can't do laundry ( it's a machine ) doesn't mean you don't know how big her boobs are & couldn't buy her a bra ( I've bought bras for MRS, that fit better than what she buys ) I've bought her several pairs of shoes over the years, that are some of her favorites...

so I have a pretty good idea the "kind or type" of gun she'd prefer... but those that posted about it being her choice are right... still I'd put MRS in my 32 H&R magnum air weight J frame 1st off, & am 99% sure after she tried several others, that would be her 1st pick...

others I'd have her try, from what we currently own, would be our 22 Magnum 351 PD, our Taurus 380 TCP... one of the old Czech autos in 380, or the CZ-75 Compact in 9mm... ( the Czech autos were her dad's & she might choose one of those out of nostalgia ) however I'm still betting the 32 Maggie comes out on top

[cddogfan1]

Thanks for the info. Will plan on taking her to a couple of stores then. The only training close buy that I am aware of is done by the local sheriff's department. You have to furnish your own gun. Need to research to see if anything else is closer. Thanks guys all good advise.

[zac0419]

Let her handle as many as possible. The training course is a great idea.

Also, I find that hiding the price tags helps her make an unbiased decision.

[perterra]

Old Interarms 2" Rossi 68S 38 special. Actually an excellent little revolver. loaded with Nyclads it shoots accurately and with little recoil. Locks up tight and best of all I picked up 2 of them for $200. Put about 400 rounds apiece thru them with no malfunctions other than one of the them binds the cylinder face to the barrel after about 10 cylinders full. Just a quick wipe down and it goes back into operation for another 50 rounds or so. It stays in the wifes SUV along with a single speed loader, if it gets stolen I have lost a C note.

[ProGun]

After my wife and I had been in some less than desirable areas under less than desirable circumstances, I lost the need to convince her to carry a gun a long time ago. Then the quest to find which one. I literally lost sleep considering all the different possibilities. Initially, by pure happenstance, I acquired a Ruger LCR .38 special. She LOVED that gun! However, when we found ourselves in a tough situation with the prospect of having to engage some gang bangers- My first thought was that her only having 5 rounds of .38+p just wasn't enough. 999 times out of 1000, it probably would be, but there we were with multiple big targets and that was how I felt. To make a long story a little shorter, we went through several guns before finally settling on a Glock 26. We tried out a Ruger SP101 .357: She liked the full grip (could get her pinky on it), but couldn't shoot .357's out of it comfortably and it was too heavy to tote around. We also tried a Kimber Solo 9mm: Small and aesthetically pleasing. Wayyy to snappy on the recoil. Only a 6 or 7 round mag. The slide is monster to rack. Also, I read too much about questionable reliability and she would need to remember to switch the safety off in a flash life or death situation.



I was never, ever a big fan of Glocks, but I had to come to terms with them. The truth is- they work. Not in a pretty way, but doggone it they get the job done in as reliable of fashion as any pistol ever could. Plus, they're light, the sub-compact 9mm model 26 has a 10 or 11 round magazine and my wife can rack the slide without issue. That leaves us with the issue of a "Safety". I'm not going to insult your intelligence, you know what safeties guns do or do not have. I like DA revolvers for my wife because they rely on a DA trigger pull for the safety. I like Glocks for the same reason. I truly do not think that a woman (or anyone that doesn't train on a regular basis for that matter) will have the frame of mind to remember the safety when they're given a forearm shiver into the side of the car and the fight for life is on.



If nothing else check out: guntotenmamas.com/. My wife has one of their purses and absolutely loves it. It has enabled her to carry comfortably, which lends to her carrying much more often than she ever did before. She's packing most all of the time.

[bulasteve]

Wife has, picked out a S&W AirLite .22. Better'n a sharp stick, more range than pepper spray, if Momma ain't happy... She has, and can shoot anything I have, but just to know she can. She has taken a number of courses with me. She just doesn't see shooting, as fun. So, don't push it guys.

[contender]

cddogfan1,,, Go online & look at the NRA website for any WOT clinics nearby. If none are found,,, or you can't find one,,, PM me & we'll see if we can help you find a clinic for her nearby.