What Is Your Best Idea on Which Handgun Is Best For Your Wife?

[daddyseal]

Let's say that she has medium size hands, OK?

[FergusonTO35]

My Ruger SR9c is the one that is out for her to use in a home defense situation. She likes the thumb safety and loaded chmber indicator. I'm working on a 125 grain flat point boolit load for her to use.

[MGySgt]

Ruger LCR with 38 WC.
S&W Model 60 with a 3 in barrel adjustable sights. Same 38 WC

[EdS]

I vote for a medium frame revolver in .38 Special or .38/.357 Magnum. I personally prefer the S&W K-frame models, but I have a lot of respect for similar size Rugers. To be more specific, the S&W M19 or M66 round butt, 2.5" barrel would be my first choice. Even lighter are the K-frame M10s. -Ed

[paul h]

For what purpose? Learning to shoot a firearm, self defense, hunting?

I'd definately recomend a DA revolver, not just due to the simpler opperation, but many women have trouble racking the slide on an autoloading pistol. I'd say start her with a 22rf, and then consider working up to a 357 mag starting with 38 sp target loads.

[colonelsanders]

I have two handguns for My Wife.

I keep a S&W 10-7 beside the bed (have a T-grip installed to shift her hand position and make it easier for her in double action). This also double as her practice pistol, as the recoil is acceptable with standard 38 special loads.

She also has a ruger LCR to carry.

I might note that she chose the LCR due to its light weight and very light trigger pull compared to other brands.

When we first got the S&W I had to give it a trigger job and change out springs to get acceptable double action pull for her. Her finger strength was nowhere near high enough to dry fir more than 6 times from the factory.

Just my two cents.

[Lonegun1894]

Not a wife, but my girlfriend has a Bersa .380 and a Glock 23 (.40 S&W), and always carries the Glock. I'm not even sure the Bersa has been out shooting more than a half dozen times, but she shoots the Glock everytime we go out for some handgun practice.

Do me a favor, having worked in a gunshop and seen way too many men try this and fail miserably, here is my advice. Take her out shooting and shoot as many different things as possible so she gets an idea of what she likes and what she doesnt. Only after she has some ideas take her shopping, but when you do, keep the salesmen away, and keep your mouth shut too unless she asks for your opinion. The sales man's job is to hand her the guns she wants to look at, and yours is to write the check when she picks one she likes. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I have seen too many husbands/boyfriends/salesmen/etc push a woman into a gun she wont shoot or carry, or buy her one as a suprize/gift with the same result. Now if she has told you which one she wants, go get it, but regardless of what it is, let her pick the one she wants. What I do with women who ask this is to just tell them that the main thing is their comfort in the way the gun feels and shoots. I try to steer them away from the "purse guns", the "cute" guns, etc, reminding them that it isn't the looks but the function that is important. I tell them a few bramds to stay away from, like Davis, Cobra, Jennings, Jimenez, etc (basically the ones who crank out a bunch of trash, get sued because they get people killed, declare bankruptcy, and reopen with a different name 6 months later just to do it again. Get one that is a compromise between so big that she won't carry it, but not so small that it isn't reliable or doesn't have useable sights so she will have it with her when she needs it and be pleasant enough to shoot that she will practice with it. The above advice cost me a few sales, and has upset some men who were gun shopping for their significant others, but the ones who listened have all told me they appreciate the honesty and advice when they followed it. I have also had quite a few who didn't listen come back and ask for it again when they realized they bought something that wouldn't do them any good, and they always lost money in the long run when they sold or traded the gun they didn't like for one they did at another shop (we didn't take trade-ins or used guns). If a woman walked in with the husband, I always asked them to let me ask her questions and on occasion had to ask someone else to distract the guy who knows everything about what his wife needs, so I could get her alone to let her pick the gun SHE wants, not the gun HER HUSBAND wants her to have.

Besides, what woman will refuse when you offer to take her shopping?

[Love Life]

My wife has small hands and like the Glock 17. Hope that helps.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

My wife favors the Walther PPK. She has small hands and uses sophisticated medical equipment on a daily basis at work.

[felix]

Not just hand guns, but long guns too. ... felix

[colonelsanders]

I must concur with Lonegun1984 on his opinion.

If she doesn't actually like the gun she will passively let you know by never touching it.

I would not have chosen the LCR (she picked the 38 +P aluminum model). But overriding my own opinions is the fact that if she didn't pick it herself (she handled and tried every carry gun they had) she wouldn't use it. And any gun is infinitely better than no gun, especially to start.

I also concur with the shooting range rental advice.

1 more thought. Don't use her as an excuse to buy another gun you want. I have not yet fired either of her revolvers and I never intend to. My wife catches on to my shenanigans pretty quick. This subject is important enough to me that I don;t fool around. Leaving a negative impression would be worse than doing nothing.

[1Shirt]

Any double action revolver that she is comfortable with, likes to shoot, and is not afraid of. My choice would be for a 38S with wad cutter ammo.
1Shirt!

[Lonegun1894]

I will add one more thing, if I may. Same as you should not attempt to influence her choice, stay close enough to make sure the salesman doesn't either. If they do, get someone else, or if that fails, go someplace else until you find someone who wont sell her a gun they want, but the one she wants. It also may be helpful if the "salesman" is another woman, as she should understand a woman's point of view better. At the shop I worked at, we had a range on premises, and would often hand the ladies our (extra) guns to go try them and see if they had any potential use for them. It may not have been exactly what they wanted, and some guns they would shoot quite a bit, others would get handed back to us after a handful of rounds fired, but at least the women got a better idea of what was and wasn't comfortable for them. Like has been said by above posters, dont push her into anything, but do encourage and help her along til she finds what she likes. Just hope yours doesn't attempt to claim one of your guns like mine did with my Rossi '92 .357, I had to buy her one to be able to keep mine.

[TNFrank]

I don't have to have an idea of what she likes, she's told me what she likes, something on the order of a S&W K-Frame with a 3" or 4" bbl. is what she likes. Although I'm trying to get her to come around to the idea of a semi-auto.

[357Mag]

DaddyS -

Howdy !

Your wifes size/build and her likely " carry " method enter into the mix.

I recommend a quality 4" stainless revolver of a frame size that fits her hands....
if she can carry it concealed readily.

While a .38Spl is always a strong choice for the ladies; something like the
H & R .40 S & W revolver might deserve a look/try ? Perhaps, recoil and blast on such a handgun would be excessive for her; especially for practice cessions ??

Regards,
357Mag

[btroj]

It doesn't matter what I think is best for my wife. It only matters what she thinks is best for her.

I am way past being dumb enou to make choices like this for my wife, or anyone else for that matter.

I take a selection of guns out, let her try them, then she can decide. Is there really a better method?

[z1r]

Sinc eyou don't state a purpose, I wil assume self defense and some informal shooting.

For that, I have always favored a small steel framed revolver like a S&W Mod 36 or equivilent, or a thin barreled medim frame like the old tapered barrel Model 10 4".

The 36 is particularly good because it is heavy enough to dampen recoil but not so heavy that a woman cannot hold it steady.

Much depends on the woman. How fit/strong she is, how much she shoots, what she wants the handgun for.

I know women who love their Sig 226's and others who simply don't posess the strength to rack the slide on most auto pistols.

There is no one size fits all answer but then again, just about anyone can safely operate a decent proportionally sized revolver.

My sister, at 6 YO, was shooting my S&W N frame .44-40. My wife prefers the Model 10 but has recently acquired and taken a shine to an FEG DA clone of the HP. It is one of the few auto pistols whe can rack the slide on and despite being a double stack, it fits her hands well. She can keep all 15 shots in the black.

[375RUGER]

I don't know what size her hands are, small or medium, but my wife is 5'1", 120#- of course.
She carrys a full size 1911 and is very comfortable with it. she also shoots a 357 Vaquero.

Get her access to as much variety as you can and let her decide what she likes.

[357Mag]

OOps.....

Believe the .40 S & W revolver I had in mind, is from Taurus.

I"m not sure about the arrel length ( 3" ? ).

Again, probably too much for the Mrs, and .38's / + P's hold appeal.

Regards,
357Mag

[daddyseal]

DaddyS -

Howdy !

Your wifes size/build and her likely " carry " method enter into the mix.

I recommend a quality 4" stainless revolver of a frame size that fits her hands....
if she can carry it concealed readily.

While a .38Spl is always a strong choice for the ladies; something like the
H & R .40 S & W revolver might deserve a look/try ? Perhaps, recoil and blast on such a handgun would be excessive for her; especially for practice cessions ??

Regards,
357Mag
357Mag,
That was a general question. My wife does not carry...and is an accomplished shooter.
And she does have a favorite. It may not be a gun that many guys think their wives would like, but I agree with her choice for the same reasons she does.
Not in any particular order...

1) is it's Incredible accuracy (Gold Medal winner of many shooting competitions in Europe and around the world) of this Slovakian made pistion.
2) Is the very low recoil for a midsize frame 9mm pistol.
3) Is the dependability and reputation of STI behind it
4) Is it's absolutely sweetest factory trigger imaginable required by STI, from Slovakian maker "Grand Power" before putting their name on it.

It's the STI GP6

[Longwood]

One that she will never be able to shoot "YOU" with. :lol:

[daddyseal]

One that she will never be able to shoot "YOU" with. :lol:
HaHa~!..What..Me Worry?
Quote A. E. N.

[rintinglen]

Buying a gun for my wife would be an exercise in futility. She doesn't like shooting, doesn't like guns, and completely lacks any inkling of a "killer instinct." Any gun in her hands is just going to be taken from her and used against her.

My daughters, on the other hand both have handguns and would not hesitate to use them. My eldest is partial to her 30-30 Winchester, but also shoots the S&W M-36 3" HB pretty well. My other daughter bought herself a DPMS M-4 copy, because that is what she trained with in boot camp, but she also is fond of her S&W 422 22 LR.

[Good Cheer]

Well, with time, age and changing musculature her air weight starting bouncing on her finger enough to hurt. The solution was to visit one shop after another until she found the one that was right. Turned out that crimson trace grips on a double action 357 were a winner for her. Doesn't have much use for the laser out side of entertaining the cats but those grips on her new piece made all the difference in the world.
Comfort level, adequate power and preexisting ability were factors in her choice.

[shooting on a shoestring]

My wife shopped my battery and claimed a 4 inch 1923 Colt Police Positive in 38Spl. Its loaded with 358091 over 2.7 grs Bullseye. Not a screaming load, but she shoots it and she won't even pickup any of my .357s. The other gun she takes ocassionally is my old Winchester 62A and all the 22 shorts she can find. She is not afflicted with magnumitis.

[MasS&W]

2 inch model 19 or similar medium frame revo. Most crimes against women are crimes of opportunity, they don't need some airweight wiz bang 1000 shot auto. Give her a heavy-ish gun that she isn't afraid to practice with (no silly j frame 357s!) and you're golden. Lightweight gun =/= ladys gun, no matter how hard the shopkeeper pushes you. Chiappa makes a nice revolver in the rhino that she'll love.

[bobthenailer]

My wife doesent like semi auto pistols therefor she has abducted my S&W 2 1/2 " 66 and later on i bought her a 4 " 19 and she also likes my 22 cal 63

[pdawg_shooter]

M1911A1 in 45ACP. Its the only on of mine she will shoot. BTW, she shoots it very well indeed.

[snowwolfe]

Keep your nose out of what is best for your wife and take her to a indoor shooting range and let her pick a couple out to try and go from there.

If she didnt pick it out, and doesnt like it, it doesnt matter what you think might be a good choice for her. Same goes for your kids:)

[NoZombies]

My wife likes J-frame smiths. And very little else as far as guns are concerned.

[crazy mark]

My wife like a small frame 32 Mag revolver. She has had carpal tunnel surgery years ago and anything over a 38 spl with light loads is too much. The 32 Mag seems to work good for her.

[MasS&W]

Well this is timely. Happened upon a 12 minute video put out today on what constitutes a good gun for the females among us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80PZ3fqlGdw&feature=g-u-u

[lbaize3]

She likes the SIG 238 in her purse, the Glock 357 Sig in the car and the XDm full size 9mm next to her side of the bed. Only a durned fool would cross her on the street, in her car, or at home.

[wrench man]

My GF seems to like the bigger guns?, she has average size hands for a woman, what ever that really is, last week I bought here an Uberti 1873 45 Colt, she sent over a hundred rounds down range with it on it's first outing and the one liter pop bottle that was the primary target couldn't be much worse off if two pit bull's were fighting over it!, and she was putting fair groups in 8" targets at about 15 yards too.
She also has a Ruger Single Ten and a Beracat also, she likes here wheel guns!

[BWelch47]

I had my wife shoot different caliburs of handguns. One day we were at the local range where there was a gentleman shooting a Virginia Dragoon in 44Mag. She asked him if he could shoot it. She did. As a result, we left the range and went to a local gun shop where they had a Super Blackhawk on sale(this during the Dirty Harry craz and 44Mag were rarer than hen's teeth). She bought the Super Blackhawk and all the 44Mag ammo on stock. We returned to the range where she shot all the ammo with a happy face. Her favorite CCW is a 2 1/2 629 which she can clear the x ring of a target at 50 yds all day long. (PS she is currently very ill with terminal cancer and has not shot her pet 44Mags for some time. God, I'll miss her when she is gone).

[Kraschenbirn]

Quite a few years back, I acquired a very nice 4" Colt Diamondback in .38 Spec. which, in a moment of mental dysfunction, I presented to my wife as a birthday gift. Since that time, I have on several occasions attempted to get that gun back...once, even, offering to trade her my favorite S&W M66 (round butt, 3" bbl, TK-Custom action job)...without success. Though she doesn't practice as often as I'd like, shooting double-action with +P JHPs, she can still hold all six shots inside the 9-ring of a PPC target at 10 yds.

Bill

[Thundarstick]

My wife, 50 and never shot a gun in her life! Told her I would teach her how, after she showed an intrest in learning. We started with safety rules over and over, moved to a 10/22 with red dot, then a single action .22lr. We went to gun shops where she handled several and found she couldn't opperate the slide of autos due to arthur in her thumbs, so the autos where out! She selected a SP101 327 Fed. that I can reload for. At the range we found out that the full power loads where too much for her hands, but the 32 H&R was a go. I reload very light wadcutters in 32h&r and she loves to shoot these for practice, but will run a cylinder full of full house loads at the end of a session. She also expressed some intrest in a Ruger Mark 3 and I did suprise her with a competition target model that she has fallen in love with! :mrgreen:

[TXGunNut]

My experience and advice is very close to LoneGun's, very good advice. One thing I'd like to add is that if you have a knowledgeable salesperson I'd introduce them and let them try on a few and see what they come up with. If the wife or SO wants a gun then it's best that she buys a gun she wants and will shoot and if necessary, carry.
Another suggestion is to have her take shooting lessons and safety instruction if necessary. I've been surprised by the number of newbie female shooters that were actually very good shooters with a little instruction. Most newbie men need remedial training and continue to struggle against bad habits common among self-taught shooters...I'm still struggling with bad habits I taught myself over 30 yrs ago. :veryconfu

[danski26]

SP101 or a Smith Model 60 firing 38 Specials is where I would start.

[Bullet Caster]

Well, my wife already told me what she likes to shoot and that's her dad's old High Standard .22 rf 9 shot. She also likes to shoot my Remington Apache 77 .22 rf. Any other gun I try to get her to shoot and she complains that they hurt her ears and that's with hearing protection. Personally I think she is afraid of the recoil more than the noise on any of my centerfire pistols.

But then I want her to shoot whatever she likes just as long as she shoots. BC

[ebner glocken]

I did go out and buy my wife a gun but it was after having her out at several range sessions with a large variaty of handguns. I let her do her own thing and watched which ones she picked up numerous times and seem to like and hit with. The end result was a taurus 85UL loaded with 125 +Ps. That's been several years ago, she's not an avid shooter at all. She goes to the range once a year and still can empty it quickly on a sheet of copy paper up to 15 yards. Not what I would call a bullseye shooter but a competent defensive shooter.

Ebner

[wrench]

My 2cents, being female and all....;-)
I hate revolvers. Big ones, little ones, steel ones, alloy ones, any ones. If you guys kept handing me all the revolvers you always want women to shoot, I wouldn't shoot.
My favorite pistols, in no particular order:
1911 full size, both 9mm and 45
Glocks, 26, 19 or 34
Browning Hipower
Beretta 92 compact type 'M'
3rd gen S&W compacts like the 3913 and CS9
FWIW, I'm 5'2", with an uh, sturdy build, and a men's size 8 glove is a smidge too big.
I second, (third?fourth?fifth?) the advice to let her shoot as many as you can before making a decision.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Longwood got the correct answer. The one she won't shoot you with!

Randy

[BWelch47]

My 2cents, being female and all....;-)
I hate revolvers. Big ones, little ones, steel ones, alloy ones, any ones. If you guys kept handing me all the revolvers you always want women to shoot, I wouldn't shoot.
My favorite pistols, in no particular order:
1911 full size, both 9mm and 45
Glocks, 26, 19 or 34
Browning Hipower
Beretta 92 compact type 'M'
3rd gen S&W compacts like the 3913 and CS9
FWIW, I'm 5'2", with an uh, sturdy build, and a men's size 8 glove is a smidge too big.
I second, (third?fourth?fifth?) the advice to let her shoot as many as you can before making a decision.

I agree with you. We men sometimes have the wrong concept of what a woman likes in a handgun. As I mentioned in a prior post that my wife likes the 44Mag. Many men, when said that she enjoyed the 44Mag, stated that it was overgun for her. She quieted them when she used her 44Mag to clear the x-ring of a 50 yard target. She also likes her 45 ACP. Enjoy the shooting sports and as my wife said "Ignore the fools."

[thegreatdane]

My lady prefers the xd subcompact 9. Bottom line, let her choose.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[kopperl]

My wife is very happy ( and good) with her Baretta Tomcat.

[runfiverun]

it's definatly a "let her pick one" thing.
the wife likes my ruger 44 special black hawks [but not the 45 colt version], she liked my 45 colt old model vaquero just fine.
not so much my 445 even with 44 specials in it.
but does like my 357 dan wesson.
doesn't like my 9mm tokarev's, but shoots the 1911's,and liked her small 380.
she won't even touch my 375 mag but loves the 357 max revolver [dunno why, i have to read the caliber scroll to tell them apart]

[Moonie]

My wife has designs on my 1911, but she wants it cerakoated pink...now wait a cotton pickin minute...