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handgun for the little lady

3K views 20 replies 19 participants last post by  WJN 
#1 ·
Some of you may have seen my earlier post about open carry in MI. My wife wants to carry a handgun in the woods when she is out 'shroomin', berry pickin' and such. She is all for getting a cpl, so that is the route we are going. My question is this: What is a good caliber for her? I'm a novice when it comes to handguns. We want some knockdown power without carrying a big piece of iron. any suggestions? thanks Bill
 
#3 ·
I have an odd suggestion here.

Much less on the pistol, but on the round chambered for...

I'd look into 357 Sig.

With a 125 grain bullet it has the same performance characteristics as 357 Mag (basically built on a 40 S & W casing necked down to a 9 mm bullet). VERY mild recoil for what it is. Great accuracy too.

The round is a bit expensive to shoot all the time, but the performance pay back is amazing. I think it would handle anything (or anyone) she might run into in the woods.

Sig started it, but it can be had in Glock (a good, light choice) and a host of others...
 
#6 ·
I'm a Glock owner and fan myself but for a newbie a Glock is a bad choice. Get her a snub nose revolver in .357 and load it with .38's. Come on guys. It's his wife and he even admits himself he's not real up on handguns. K.I.S.S. Method
 
#8 ·
Grntitan has it right. If the gun is huge, heavy and has the recoil of a howitzer, she probably won't carry it for long and certainly won't enjoy shooting it. If the primary purpose of the firearm is to afford her peace of mind and reasonable protection, any of the +P rated, Airweight Smith & Wesson snubbies loaded with Speer's Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection 135 grain JHP or Remington's .38 Special +P Remington Golden Saber 125 Grain JHP would serve her well.

The concealed hammer Model 442 in black matte finish would be one to look at but you can view them all at the link above.
 
#9 ·
How little is she? More importantly, how strong is she? Many women I know have trouble loading a double stack magazine. Some have trouble operating the slide on some larger caliber weapons. If she is not terribly strong, you might look at something like the Walther PK380 with something like the Federal Personal Defense round. The PK380 also has a smaller grip but not as small as the LCP type so she can shoot it much more comfortably. She needs to have something she can operate.

Bob
 
#15 ·
The Ruger LCR revolver in 38+P is the way to go. Better than s mod. 60 because of the trigger pull which is lighter and smoother. Pluse the cusion grip is excellent and absorbs recoil which will lead to more practice. Let her try both and the Ruger will win out.

I've taught, shot, and sold guns for 40 years and I really like this gun.

Rick
 
#16 ·
I know everyone will bad mouth but , my gun for the wife is a S&W 317, ok its a 22 lr, but loaded with Aquilla hyper max it hits with 204 ft.lbs & has 8 rds.

By the way I just picked up aSpringfield XDS for my day time cary-- will stick with my S&W 642 for night car because it has a Crimson Trace.

Phil Berkowitz
 
#19 ·
Ruger SP101 3" in .327 Fed Magnum. Good grips, good balance, good sights. Manageable recoil. Better performance than .38spcl without the recoil of +P. With some practice she should be quite comfortable with it. "One shot stop" ballistics generally require a handgun with more performance than most women are comfortable with.

The most difficult part of carrying a firearm is the will to use it if necessary. Until she is convinced she is willing to shoot and if necessary kill an attacker, man or beast, I'd practice but not carry.

RCH
 
#20 ·
I am in agreement with the rest of the revolver guys/gals. J-frame Smith or something similar. IMHO, Plus-P and 357 is to much for most women and they will quickly hate them. Slide action guns are also usually to stiff for most women to safely operate.
I carry a Glock 27 for my job and my wife (5ft 115lbs) wanted to learn to shoot it. She could shoot it fine, once loaded but had trouble loading the mag and pulling the slide. I just didn't feel she could run the gun safely. She has tried other semi's, but was uncomfortable with them as well.

She has found that a Lady Smith in 38 special is best for her because its easy to load/unload and operate (lighter springs) and she has carried one for awhile now. As you guys know, you need confidence in what ever you shoot in order to shoot your best.
 
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