Thoughts about a reasonably priced pistol for the wife

[Dontbefreakenout]

I want to get the wife a pistol for around the house and for a ccw. We live 70 miles away for Portland but she travels there for work. We all know the situation there. Anyhow I have a Remington RP9 and it’s to big for the purpose and also the recoil scares her a bit. We aren’t rich and on a budget. I went and looked at some Roger 380’s but I feel they might be a little snappy with recoil being so small and I feel the calibers a little small. I was thinking about a mid sized 9 mm and would like something with a manual safety till she feels completely comfortable. Also she is left handed. Does anyone own aSar USA cm9? Would like to know some reviews on it. All ideas and thought are welcome. Thanks in advance

[TicTacticalTimmy]

I doubt you will find anyone on here that has put any serious time in on a Sar CM9. I would go on czfirearms.us and ask there in the clones subforum. From what I have read they are a very good value. If she is going to be running it like a SAO you wont need to worry about a long DA trigger reach or rough pull as is common with cheaper DA/SA guns . Be aware you probably wont be able to find any decent aftermarket sights for it, unless you pay a gunsmith to fit the sights. Same story for quality holsters. For those two reasons I would not consider the gun for CCW, but could still be decent for home/car defense when paired with a light.

I had a Sar K2 as my first service style and competition pistol. It was a good gun and a great value, but had a poor feed ramp design for hollowpoints.

The safe answer would be an M&P 2.0 with manual safety, I just steered my buddy towards one as a first gun. Another good option, if concealment is important or she has small hands, may be the Sig P365XL, which comes with good sights and shoots really well for its size.

[flyrodr]

Had a female coworker recently looking for a small handgun for generic self defense. She dropped by the house to look at some of mine, and one issue that quickly rose to the forefront was that she had trouble racking the slide. She's pretty active, and I'd have thought reasonably strong. Turns out, though, that she broke her wrist as a kid, and, while it hasn't remained sore, it's always been somewhat weak.

I didn't have one, but after we talked a bit, she's going to (hopefully) be able to find a Smith 9EZ or even a 380EZ, and see if either of those works better for her.

Just another variable to consider.

[BillSWPA]

How does she plan to carry it? Where and when will it be carried? How does she normally dress? What level of discretion is required? What is her training and experience level?

The answers may significantly affect the choice of pistol.

Keep in mind that holster availability for the chosen gun can significantly impact the ease and comfort of carrying it.


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[Yung]

Have you and your wife been to the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas County?
https://www.clackamas.us/pstc

[Poconnor]

I have seen many average size women struggle with racking the slide on mid and small semi autos. My wife doesn’t like recoil and prefers lightweight guns. I would seriously look at a S&W 642 loaded with 148 gr wadcutters. The light weight and simple manual of arms make it a winner. Install a crimson trace laser grip when your budget allows. A Safariland pocket holster, a flashlight and training and she has a good 1st rule of gun fighting option (1st rule- have gun)

DO NOT LOAD WITH HOT +P AMMO!!! a painful experience like that will quickly sour a new shooter.

[VT1032]

Start with training from a competent instructor. That will give her some perspective to pick her own gun. What you think works for her may differ dramatically from what actually works for her. My wife can't handle the recoil of a Glock 19 but shoots a steel framed 1911 .45 just fine. Something about the weight and slimmer grip works for her. Besides, regardless of any legal requirement to do so, she should not be carrying without training and without the proper equipment. Training on both how to shoot and on the legality of when you can shoot and what to do in the aftermath. That's only becoming more important in this era of politicized prosecutors throwing people under the bus to appease the torch and pitchfork bearers.

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[RJ]

Does anyone own aSar USA cm9? Would like to know some reviews on it.

Here is the first review of the SAR USA CM9 I came across:

https://spotterup.com/sar-cm9-gen2-budget-duty-pistol/

I assume this is the one you referred to?

From the review:

"The double action pull, out of the box, is heavy, gritty, and stacks aggressively at the last minute before it breaks. The single action, right out of the box, is ridiculously gritty, has a long take-up, and has a relatively crisp break."

Here is a picture from the article showing the chamber:

59813

[claymore504]

M&P Shield 380 or 9 EZ would be my suggestion.

[farscott]

Rather than make an equipment suggestion, I am going to recommend a book, namely The cornered Cat: A Woman's Guide to Concealed Carry by Kathy Jackson. $6.99 on Amazon. It will answer a lot of questions and prepare a woman to choose her own firearms and carry methods under an umbrella of personal safety. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XD5W80/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

There is also a blog done by the author. https://www.corneredcat.com/

[BehindBlueI's]

A Shield is inexpensive, available with a safety, is a proven pistol, and has a host of factory and aftermarket support.

[rkittine]

+1 for the S&W M&P Shield , especially the 380 EX. That is what I bought for my girl friend to learn on and have for protection. Low recoil, grip safety for a not so frequent gun user and an adequate cartridge with modern ammo.

Bob

[BN]

DO NOT LOAD WITH HOT +P AMMO!!! [/B] a painful experience like that will quickly sour a new shooter.

My wife is left handed and when she takes a normal 2 handed grip on a J-Frame, her right hand blocks the laser.

[stomridertx]

I work part time as a range safety officer at a outdoor public range (it's how I get my 24/7 access to a place to shoot), and I see the "I just bought my wife a new gun scenario" often. My observation from their experiences is that new adult shooters should start out with a full size 9mm service pistol as the first gun. Small guns do not make good first impressions and are flat out harder to shoot when learning fundamentals. I don't know how many times I've seen a new female shooter struggling with the tiny ass gun her boyfriend/husband/dad just bought her, and then see them smile and start enjoying themselves when I put a Glock 17,19, or 45 in their hands and show some basics on grip and sight alignment. If she has small hands, my wife fell in love with the Glock 48 right away. As much as I'm not a fan of off body carry, women have the option of purse carry for full size pistols. Racking the slide doesn't take herculean strength to accomplish, just show her the proper technique to make it easier. I've had people with arthritis struggling to rack slides until I show them how to grip the serrations and punch out with the gun.

[RJ]

Chris Baker reviews options for new shooters here:

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/best-handguns-for-new-shooters-2020/

Cliff's Notes:

For the "Enthusiastic Shooter":

- Glock 19
- Glock 48
- Glock 42

For the "Casual Shooter":

- S&W Shield EZ 380
- Ruger LCR .357 Magnum loaded with Wadcutter ammo

[GAP]

My vote is a 642 j frame with 148gr wadcutters.

If she can rack a slide and will be interested enough to learn how to clear malfunctions and all that jazz then it’s hard to beat a 9mm Shield.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

www.corneredcat.com for a discussion.

Make sure, as others said, a gun purchase goes along with training. That's as or more important that the usual male suggested techy talk.

[Poconnor]

My wife is left handed and when she takes a normal 2 handed grip on a J-Frame, her right hand blocks the laser.

Could you post a photo? I’m curious because when shooting with my left hand I don’t have that issue. I do block the laser when shooting right handed with my trigger finger indexed.

[whomever]

Dontbefreakenout , check your PM's

[JonInWA]

HK VP9/VP9 SK are my recommendations; they're excellent pistols, and the addition of the "charging supports" for gripping at the back of the slide can be a huge help in racking slides for those with weaker strength.

Best, Jon

[Dontbefreakenout]

Had a female coworker recently looking for a small handgun for generic self defense. She dropped by the house to look at some of mine, and one issue that quickly rose to the forefront was that she had trouble racking the slide. She's pretty active, and I'd have thought reasonably strong. Turns out, though, that she broke her wrist as a kid, and, while it hasn't remained sore, it's always been somewhat weak.

I didn't have one, but after we talked a bit, she's going to (hopefully) be able to find a Smith 9EZ or even a 380EZ, and see if either of those works better for her.

Just another variable to consider.

[Dontbefreakenout]

Went with the smith& Wesson mp9 ez. She really like this one. Thanks all

[Dontbefreakenout]

My wife is left handed and when she takes a normal 2 handed grip on a J-Frame, her right hand blocks the laser.




I went with mp9 ez. She’s getting used to it and likes it. Going to run a lot of rounds up in the woods.

[BN]

Could you post a photo? I’m curious because when shooting with my left hand I don’t have that issue. I do block the laser when shooting right handed with my trigger finger indexed.

59861

[BillSWPA]

Went with the smith& Wesson mp9 ez. She really like this one. Thanks all

Good choice.

[Duelist]

59861

If you want to fix that, you could try a more traditional revolver grip: shooting hand thumb curls down, support hand thumb curls over shooting hand thumb. Should put the support thumb out of the way of the laser, unless it is coming out of a different part of the grip than i remember them doing.

[BN]

If you want to fix that, you could try a more traditional revolver grip: shooting hand thumb curls down, support hand thumb curls over shooting hand thumb. Should put the support thumb out of the way of the laser, unless it is coming out of a different part of the grip than i remember them doing.

Thanks. That was a hastily posed picture. She is usually much higher on the grip than the picture shows. She mainly shoots auto loaders. I just wanted the OP to know about left handed shooters.

[Duelist]

Thanks. That was a hastily posed picture. She is usually much higher on the grip than the picture shows. She mainly shoots auto loaders. I just wanted the OP to know about left handed shooters.

No big. I learned to shoot with revolvers, but got seduced by the forward thumbs when I really got into shooting semiauto. I have long thumbs. It works well with most semiautos. I sold one that was too small - Tip of my thumb was scary close to the muzzle.

The cylinder gap on a .357 still laughs at my thumbs forward grip. Had to learn that it isn’t such a good idea for me to use on a revolver unless I like hot burning gasses bathing the end of my thumb. That was what lead me to conclude the little semiauto wasn’t going to work, either.

[peterb]

HK VP9/VP9 SK are my recommendations; they're excellent pistols, and the addition of the "charging supports" for gripping at the back of the slide can be a huge help in racking slides for those with weaker strength.

Just noticed that Vickers makes a “slide racker” for the G42 which is basically a striker retention plate with “wings” for gripping. You couldn’t use it with a Gadget — it’d have to be one or the other.

[Bigghoss]

What a coincidence. I have some friends that moved to the Portland Metro Area right before the riots and everything, and were messaging me about getting an AR15.


Never ever ever just buy a gun for someone to protect themselves with. Find a women's only shooting class or a women's only event like Well Armed Women or something. Once she has some trigger time and is reasonably comfortable and proficient with firearms she can pick one out for herself.

Once you get to the point of actually purchasing a gun, sit down and figure out how much you can afford to spend, keeping in mind that you also need to buy a holster, spare mags, ammo, ect. Sometimes you can get lucky on Gunbroker.com but right now is a seller's market.

Good video about guns for new shooters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Divg2ZFYf8E

[medmo]

The best value I’ve experienced recently is the Mossberg MC1sc. I picked one up with the optional safety just out of curiosity so I could check it out. I’ve found nothing not to like with the pistol. Accurate, ergonomic, excellent trigger,
reliable and easy to tote around. They are definitely priced in the very affordable category. A bonus is that the sight cuts in the slide fit the SIG #12 sights so you have plenty of aftermarket sight options. I found a good deal on a set of Ameriglos on eBay and installed them.

https://www.mossberg.com/category/series/mc1sc/

[Akc47]

I know the original poster has picked a gun, but wanted to support his / her choice.

My wife decided she wanted to carry a gun. I have lots for her to play with and try. She couldn’t rack the slide on a single one of my semi’s and most of my revolvers were too heavy and trigger pull also too heavy. So we went to several gun stores and talked with a lot of people and she tried a lot of guns. Some LGS’s rented guns and we tried some of those also.

In the end, the Smith M&P EZ shield 380 was the only one she could comfortably rack the slide and it had low recoil. It also had a safety which she liked. She also liked the Ruger LCR 38 special. I don’t know how they did it but the trigger on that little gun is light and smooth. I have S&W performance center revolvers that aren’t as good as the lcr trigger. We got both so she could shoot both a lot and get comfortable with both. After a lot of range time she carries the LCR and the 380 EZ is her house gun. Both of those are awesome for any new shooter or a person with small or weak hands. That is our experience.

[Bigghoss]

She also liked the Ruger LCR 38 special. I don’t know how they did it but the trigger on that little gun is light and smooth. I have S&W performance center revolvers that aren’t as good as the lcr trigger.

The triggers on the LCR are great. For the LCR I like Chris Barker's suggestion of getting the .357 version and running .38's in it. That or the .327 version to try the various .32 rounds that can be fired from it. Depends on the shooter, if they don't mind the recoil of the lighter .38 model and it makes it easier for them to carry then great.

[Bruce in WV]

This NRA research into womens' concealed carry interests seems like a well-designed project that produced credible results.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/9/8/results-american-rifleman-ladies-pistol-project-ii-concealed-carry-pistols/