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Getting a handgun for my wife.

kameak
No, I'm not talking about a trade...

I would like to purchase a handgun for my wife to carry for protection, but I have no idea what would be most appropriate/effective for her. She is a small woman with small hands and she isn't the strongest woman around either. Do any of you have any suggestions for a handgun that will offer her decent protection, but won't be impossible for her to control from a kick/recoil perspective?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

If God hadn't meant for us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them taste like meat.
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Comments

14 comments

Date Votes
  • gap1916
    Nothing smaller than the .380 and as large as she can handel. I would go to the nearest indoor range that allows you to try different typs of hand guns. Shoot as many as needed to find the right hand gun for her. My 2 cents [8D]

    Greg
    Former
    USMC
    ANGLICO
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  • k.stanonik
    i think the best thing you can do is take her to a gunstore and see what feels comfortable to her. Not knowing what kind of experience she has with a firearm i would suggest looking at a 2 or 3 inch revolver in 38 or if that is too much for her even a 32 cal. Most ranges have rental guns so take the time and rent a few to see what she likes and go from there.
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  • BlueTic
    My wife also has small hands and small frame, but nice[:D] - I got her a small stainless .357 Colt. She shoots .38s and sometimes .38 specials, but not .357 (way tooo much kick and noise for her - and hard to control with a 2" barrel). If it is her first time shooting - go try a few semi-autos also - but the smaller the firearm you get and still try to maintain some stopping power (.380 - or 9mm - I would not go any lower for self defense - or my wifes safety)the more recoil she will have to deal with. If she does not mind the recoil a good small .380 Walther or Colt or Beretta or....... choose your poison, will work - my wife likes her revolver better'n semi's because all you got to do is aim and pull the trigger - no slides/safety to fumble with in a serious situation!!!! Just my opinion...

    IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY RIGHTS - GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY (this includes politicians)
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  • PX15
    My wife is small, (5')[:D] and has had a small revolver since 1969. We purchased new a Charter Arms Undercover 38 spec. and that has been a wonderful little revolver for her. It's actually a bit smaller than the J-frame s/w line, and has a very nice trigger. It has a transfer bar so a round can be carried under the hammer safely. This is a first generation Charter Arms, no longer produced, but still available to purchase. Charter Arms changed into Charco, reissued the "Undercover", but I have read some less than flattering articles about the later models. If you can find a new original Charter Arms undercover your wife will be very pleased with it. Now, 34 years later we still have the Charter but my wife keeps a Colt Cobra with a tyler t-grip on it in her car. It's a little bulkier than the Charter, but offers 6 rounds, and is very light. Again it's a 1st issue Colt Cobra (exposed ejector rod model), no longer made, but available to purchase. We have a couple of small j-frame smiths, but they are harder to shoot than either the Charter or Colt. If you have small children, you might consider a Taurus. They are available now with a "lock" integrated in the frame, and are very good pistols. As a final suggestion, try and actually have your wife hold and "feel" each gun you are considering. Sometimes what might feel right for you, won't feel right for her. The more comfortable she is with her pistol the better. My wife feels very protected with either the Cobra and the Charter, altho for concealed situations the Charter is actually better. Also, have her shoot it enough to be comfortable with it. Then load it up with a quality SJHP round and you're set. Best Wishes, [:)]PX15
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  • v35
    My wife prefers my 2" Airweight S&W Chief because of it's handiness. The steel guns are a lot heavier to carry around.
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  • chumchum
    Hi, my wife is small to and I think that you will find a semi will be hard for her to work. However their are some with nice smooth actions that worked for my wife. She prefered the sig 230 in 380. The size was right and the action worked nice for her. I think you will find a lot more choices in revolvers. Probably a better choice if she is new with guns. As stated a 38 would probably be the choice. Going back to my wife again. The 357 had to much recoil. However if you buy a 357 you can practice with 38 and have the power of a 357 for carry. Shop around, don't jump into anything.
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  • kameak
    Thanks to one and all. Lots of great input and very helpful.

    If God hadn't meant for us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them taste like meat.
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  • Henry0Reilly
    S&W Chief's Special Model 60, 36, or 37

    Colt Detective Special

    H&R .32

    9 shot 22 mag revolver (if there is such a critter)

    The simplicity and sure-fire reliability of a revolver make it a no-brainer decision when arming a begining shooter or someone who can't or won't train sufficiently with an automatic.

    If your wife has never fired a handgun before, be sure to start her on a 22 and use the lightest target loads the first time in a .38 [I gave my sister a S&W Airweight and loaded it with 158 gr jhp the first time she shot it. DOH!]
    I sincerely hope your wife never has to use it.

    avitar.jpg
    Semper Fi

    Remember Ruby Ridge.

    Experience is the best teacher and usually charges accordingly.
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  • nmyers
    I've been through this several times.

    Absolutely follow K. Stanonik's advice! A lot of handguns today cannot be fired by many women. One of my lady friends (5'8") bought a Taurus revolver without trying it, & is unable to fire it DA; what a waste! A male friend (6') bought a Charco (against my advice) & has difficulty firing it DA; he CAN fire it, but only my yanking the trigger.

    I think the best choice is the (obsolete) S&W M36 or M60 Ladysmith; these were designed for women with small hands & less strength. (If she is already comfortable with autos, S&W also made some 9mm models in a Ladysmith version.) If unable to find one these, my second choice is any other S&W snubby, but have a gunsmith install Woolff springs, a wide trigger (if it doesn't already have one), & have him do an action job. For ammo, use either frangible ammo (like Magsafe) or factory wadcutters; a powerful round does no good if she is afraid to fire it.

    Neal
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  • select-fire
    Let her decide which gun is comfortable to her. May be a snub .38 or an automatic. Look at the Colt .380' Pony's in double action only. No brainer to shoot just pull the trigger. No safety, hammer ect to confuse. My wife shoots one easily and she is small. She can fire my Colt 9mm ( pocket nine ) but the reach to the trigger is on the upper limit. If she is going to carry in the purse get something as small as possible.
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  • remroc
    My elderly sister in law came to visit. she had bought a colt 380 auto that she had been carrying in her purse since she got mugged in Dallas. I suggested that we go out and shoot it. It took a lot of talking to get her to do it. At the range I found that she wasn't strong enough to pull the slide back, couldn't load the magazine and couldn't come close to hitting anything at ten feet. This brings to mind another story that a gun shop owner friend told me. A guy bought a Browning hi power from him. He told the new owner that it had a staggered magazine. The guy bought it back and said it would only fire the first shell. a trip to the basement range disclosed no problem with the gun. Then they had the guy load a clip and he put one shell pointing one way and the next the other way. some staggered magazine.
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  • bobski
    kick and recoil is an afterthought and a moot point in picking the right gun. if she has already fired it in self defense, the shot should have done its job. the kick and recoil comes after the bullet has left. kick and recoil is only a factor if your wife plans on engaging the perp.. at which point, the second and following shots are important for precision shots. most women should fire to break contact and retreat to a safer position because odds are, if youre carrying, and you get jumped, you are in the perps turf, giving him the advantage. thus, a defense gun, not an offensive gun should be picked. 25, 32, 380, cals were created for breaking contact. the noise and wound were enough to thwart attackers as one ran away to safety. i would recomend a small cal. (up to 38) revolver and allow her to shoot it with LOW RECOIL loads. get her to be comfortable with it to get over the fear of recoil, then load it with hot or normal loads when she walks the streets. her mind will be anticipating low recoil from the training making for a good trigger squeeze and then boom....a good perp stopper will actually go off and the purpose of the gun is fufilled. odds are, if she was actually attacked, she wouldnt know the difference btwn a low and a max load. she would be so pumped with fear, it wouldnt hurt at all. with all this said, 'in the home' is a whole different story. your home is your advantage and anything goes on caliber and gun choice. hope i helped.

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.
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  • Idahjo
    V35: Spoken like a true wiseman!
    SEMI-AUTO Pistols Are Best Left to Either the PROFICIENT or The Foolish.
    Sorry if that offends anyone, but probably only the "Proficient" will openly agree[8]

    fun.gif
    Some of Us Are Slow Learners!
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  • gotstolefrom
    You have gotten a snoot full of good advice, but I did not see anyone hammer on the point of GRIPS.

    My wife also has small hands, but shoots fairly well. If I have soft grips on any revolver, she has no problems. But give her the SAME gun with wood grips and it is too hard to hold, kicks too much, etc.

    Nobody can say this enough... If she will not go to the range periodically and stay in practice....forget it.

    If we do not hang together we will certainly hang separately.
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