Searching for a pistol suitable for my wife to carry

[bayoubengal]

I just moved into inner city Houston and want to get a pistol for my wife to carry on her. Once I choose one both my wife and I will be getting our CHLs. I was thinking a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380.Thoughts?

[F-Trooper05]

Take a look at the "Hood Life" video and ask yourself if a .380 is what you'd want if you ever encountered a gang of those home boys.

If size is a priority, I would look at a Walther PPS, G26, M&Pc, or a P2000SK. Otherwise get a G19 and call it a day.

[Prdator]

From the classes that Ive taught the M&Pc is proly the most picked "real size" gun. Its what my wife carries and a few friends of her's as well. Its easy to conceal, holds enough ammo and is easy to shoot.
BUT take her to a range that you can rent several guns and have her try them and let Her make the call. Then get her signed up for some professional firearm training.

[WDW]

Most people believe that the perfect gun for a woman is a small .380 or J-frame .38. Nothing could be further from the truth. You sacrifice caliber, capacity, sights, grip, reliability, trigger pull, and in general, effectiveness all for size. It is not a wise trade. An M&Pc 9, G26, Walther P99c, G19, or Sig 228/229 are much better choices. If she actually had to use that gun, would you want to trade off every advantage aforementioned so she can fit it in a pocket in her purse? Carrying a weapon is literally a life-altering decision that must not be taken lightly. You are responsible for every round that leaves that barrel. When it comes to a gunfight, you need & want every advantage in your corner. IMO, the only excuse for carrying and using a .380 or J-frame is as a back-up to your primary if it runs dry, breaks, or is somehow more accessible than your primary. Also, if social considerations/dress prevent carry of a more duty oriented weapon. Anything else is really more or less irresponsible. I suggest your wife find a competent instructor w/several examples of reliable, proven weapons, and take an introductory handgun course where she can learn fundamentals necessary to effectively imploy a handgun.

[k831]

My wife decided on the Kahr line. She carries a PM9 in the summer and a P9 in the winter. I currently carry an M&P9c and its too big for her to conceal with anything remotely fitted and professional. Sure, she can do it on the occasion that she wears a coat, but in Arizona, that doesn't happen often, even in the winter. She is often among clients, work associated and in non permissive environments. She has zero tolerance for being "made". I insisted on 9mm as a minimum, and the Kahr fits the bill. Our Kahrs have been 100% reliable since break-in (which they do require), although I understand that some people have had so-so experience with the PM9.

Regardless, I learned that she has to like it and be comfortable with it, or she wont carry consistently, even if she likes shooting it. Having seen that first hand, I quit making the decision for her and simply "guided" the process the best I could. She is comfortable concealing these, and likes to train with them.

[medsteele]

A small .380 is gonna be much more unpleasant to shoot than a mid-sized 9mm. If it's unpleasant to shoot, she won't shoot it. If she won't shoot it, she won't be proficent with it. If she's not proficient with it, chances are it won't so her any good when she needs it, which could cause her death.

M&P9c, G26/G19, PPS, CW9, SR9c, P2000sk, P229/P239. Have her handle and shoot these and pick whichever fits best and is within your budget.

[Motor-T]

My dad's wife is quite happy with her M&P9c. She also has a Kahr PM9 for when the M&P is just a little too chunky. Don't get too caught up in the "she's a girl" thing. The pistol is called an equalizer for a reason.

[Kyle Reese]

One of the mistakes I've made is to select & purchase a handgun for my wife (at the time) based on what I thought she would like. We ended up with a Walther P99, HK USP 9 and a medley of other handguns.

What did she ultimately prefer & shoot best? Sig P228.

I'd also recommend the Glock 17 / 19, M&P 9 / M&P 9C, HK P2000 / P30 series.

As others have already stated, her input in this matter is critical. :)

[JeffJ]

Go ahead and take the class first - many places have rental guns you can use for the shooting part of the class. The wait time after you take the class is anywhere from 30 days to 6 months so I'd get in the system as soon as possible.

Also, the Texas CHL class will not teach you how to shoot. There is a shooting practical but all of the instruction is classroom based and focuses more on legal issues.

I would look around and see if you can find a basic class at a facility that offers rental guns and will allow her to try several different firearms. I'll also second the 9mm suggestion. She should have a decent sized pistol to practice with and take classes with. If, later on she needs something smaller and feels proficient with it then she can get that later.

[JonInWA]

Virtually all women that I've personally instructed, after actually shooting a handgun, vastly prefer a service-size or compact 9mm or .38 Special caliber handgun. The additional size and weight in comparison to .380 handguns significantly adds to control, and the delayed cycling of the action (versus the straight blowback system of most .380 autos) vastly increases comfort.

Also crucially important is a woman's ability to effectively operate the action of the pistol, especially in cycling the slide; if there are upper-body strength issues, it can be difficult and frustrating to jack open a slide (partial solutions can be effected by cocking the hammer first to diminish the resistance when moving the slide, or holding the slide in place with the weak hand and forcably thrusting against the receiver with the strong hand to open the slide are two techniques to overcome this. Other solutions are selection of a autopistol with effectively grabbable grasping grooves, or with lighter recoil spring weights-or going to a revolver, which has none of these issues (but does possess a more difficult trigger to master).


Those are my thoughts-good luck!

Best, Jon

[HeadHunter]

What can she do 5^5 with?
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?1666

In her excellent book Effective Defense: The Woman, the Plan, the Gun (http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Defense-Woman-Plan-Gun/dp/1885036019), Gila Hayes posited 5^4 as the performance criterion for determining whether a gun was suitable for a person. I added 4 additional iterations because I think the ability to perform a task consistently has merit.

[JHC]

Most people believe that the perfect gun for a woman is a small .380 or J-frame .38. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While the j frame is never "perfect" I think it's often good enough for the following reasons. Most of the women I have encountered who decide they want a carry gun have no interest in developing the capability to shut down an active shooter incident or shoot it out with a gang. What they want is to be able to peel an attacker off of them to prevent them from being dragged from their car or off the sidewalk or off the walking trail.

To us, the cognescenti, and IMnotSHO, we are; we will experiment through hundreds of dollars of holsters and gear and garments to be able to carry a G19/M&PC or larger sized pistol every day. There are women like that too. I just don't know any of them. And these other less hardcore gals are better served by a J-frame or LCR in their pocket or purse than they are with fists, pepper spray or kubatons.

A few weeks ago I had a range session with a woman who had just acquired an airweight j frame. She tore it up out to 20 feet. She was a new shooter but had no trouble rolling rapid DA hits that I could cover with my open hand (Ken Hackathorn accuracy standard). She tried out a G19 and didn't choose it because she didn't think she could manage to have it instantly at hand all the time.

[HeadHunter]

To us, the cognoscenti, and IMnotSHO, were are; we will experiment through hundreds of dollars of holsters and gear and garments to be able to carry a G19/M&PC or larger sized pistol every day. There are women like that too. I just don't know any of them. And these other less hardcore gals are better served by a J-frame or LCR in their pocket or purse than they are with fists, pepper spray or kubatons.

... She tried out a G19 and didn't choose it because she didn't think she could manage to have it instantly at hand all the time.

From another forum: "In addition, I also have seen a fair amount of disregard for the real challenges associated with CC for a woman who wants to dress as a woman."

[Shadow2]

After trying out several pistols including a S&W M&P9c, Sig p238, Glock19 and 26 and a few H&K's. The GF chose a XDM Compact 3.8 in 9mm. And so far its been a great pistol for her. She bought a 1000 rounds while I was out on a hunting trip and has used it all up. Once she found the pistol she liked, Ive been suprised at the initiative she's taken. So to echo whats been said input from the female is critical. Not only just because of the handgun choice but the more they feel they hand in it the more likely they are to take the initiative and have fun with it.

[JHC]

After trying out several pistols including a S&W M&P9c, Sig p238, Glock19 and 26 and a few H&K's. The GF chose a XDM Compact 3.8 in 9mm. And so far its been a great pistol for her. She bought a 1000 rounds while I was out on a hunting trip and has used it all up. Once she found the pistol she liked, Ive been suprised at the initiative she's taken. So to echo whats been said input from the female is critical. Not only just because of the handgun choice but the more they feel they hand in it the more likely they are to take the initiative and have fun with it.

Very impressive. Figures. TEXAS. ;)

[k831]

Very impressive. Figures. TEXAS. ;)

Ha, my wife is from Texas. I'm from Montana... we live in AZ. Makes it easy to have some gun culture in our home. :) I agree with what both of you have said. The woman's input and involvement in making the decision is key, and yes... we often over look the challenges faced by gals who want to carry. Their wardrobe restraints etc make it a whole lot more challenging for them than for us. Build too. I'm just happy she carries, and I've realized she just isn't gonna carry a service pistol size gun with two mags and a knife.

[GJM]

My wife's regular daily carry is a G26 or G29, depending upon locale, in a Mitch Rosen Upper Limit with a Rosen mag pouch on a Wilderness Frequent Flyer belt. There are times where that prints too much, and while she has carried a Scandium .357 J frame, in a fanny pack, she is trying to decide between a PPS, PM9 or Nano for discreet carry AIWB in a Garrett Industries holster.

[Shadow2]

Another good suggestion is if there's any womens shooting clubs in the area get her to sign up. The female has already signed up for one after we went and did a shoot with one. And now she's signing up for another. Its helpful for her to shoot with other females instead of always just shooting with me and me being a hardass on her technique and pushing her on drills. Plus they have get togethers like Breakfast and Bullets and other stuff so her having the the support from other females has been good.