What to buy my wife?

[TommyGlock]

My wife wants her own gun and she wants to get a CHL. I want to buy her something for personal protection that is easy to use and reliable. I've thought about giving her my Glock 26, but if she ever has to deal with a malfunction, I don't think she'll be quick enough on her feet to solve the problem. I'm thinking along the lines of a .38 snubbie. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[pbwalker]

I got my wife a compact Taurus Model 25 .25 ACP. She wanted something small and not very powerful. It's loaded with MagSafe ammo.

But alas, she can't shoot it right now...She's preggy. She's itching to go shoot though.

[razoraggie]

I'd stick with the Glock. Malfunctions with Glocks are few and far between ensuring that you have quality ammo in the magazine. If you (she) are dead set on getting a wheel gun, the 85 line from Taurus is hard to beat for the price. You can get an Ultralite .38spl for under $350 brand new. Great gun, but the sights aren't fantastic and you only have 5 slugs compared to your 10-13 with a Glock. Just my two cents, but my wife went from a Taurus 85 to a Glock 23 about 3 months ago and loves it. I quote her....."It's a great purse gun."

[jc_conn]

Here's my advice:

1. Take your wife to gun store.
2. Offer her guidance in picking a weapon she likes, is comfortable with, and most importantly, is of a size and sort that she will carry rather than just leaving it at home.
3. Teach her to use said weapon.

Is your wife capable of driving a motor vehicle on a crowded highway at 70+ MPH? If so, then she can clear malfunctions on an autopistol, so don't rule them out.

If she's incapable of doing those things, then consider buying her a sling shot or a pointy stick.

[WildBill]

Has your wife shot the Glock 26 and can she shoot it well? Can she work the slide? If so that's a good gun for her. As for malfunctions, she should do what everyone should do - practice failure drills until they are automatic.

I would caution against her buying any gun without shooting it. Especially the snubbies. They are light and feel good in the hand, but when you shoot them it is a different story. The small revolvers have a bit of a bark and kick. They are hard to shoot accurately without a lot of practice. If the gun is painful to shoot, your wife won't practice.

My recommendation is to not give your wife your gun or buy her a gun. Let her choose it, buy it, clean it, shoot it, pratice. Let it be hers.

[Sarah81]

Your wife might surprise you. We're all different, so you never really know what she'll end up liking until she finds The Gun. :)

My best advice would be to pick a day when you and your wife can go to the shooting range. I'd let her look at a few of the rental guns and try whichever ones she thinks she might like. I'd try both revolvers and semi-autos. She just might find The Gun there in the rentals, which would make shopping really easy later. :)

[Crossfire]

Has your wife shot the Glock 26 and can she shoot it well? Can she work the slide? If so that's a good gun for her. As for malfunctions, she should do what everyone should do - practice failure drills until they are automatic.

I would caution against her buying any gun without shooting it. Especially the snubbies. They are light and feel good in the hand, but when you shoot them it is a different story. The small revolvers have a bit of a bark and kick. They are hard to shoot accurately without a lot of practice. If the gun is painful to shoot, your wife won't practice.

My recommendation is to not give your wife your gun or buy her a gun. Let her choose it, buy it, clean it, shoot it, pratice. Let it be hers.

What he said. 100%

You won't believe how many Basic Pistol classes I do for women where their significant other bought them a handgun and they can't seem to shoot it. And most of them have a little S&W airweight revolver, and hate it. Not that it's a bad gun. It's a fine little revolver, but it's not for everybody.

Either try to get her into a basic pistol class where she can shoot a few different models, or take her to a range where she can rent a few to try. A little money spent on range fees or classes now will save a whole lot on a gun that is never carried.

[BigDan]

Take a look at the Kahr line. I own the original K9 (although now I wish I had gone with the K40 instead). It is my daily carry pistol and I consider it my Baby Glock (I also own a G23), as they look and function so similarly.

They now have a Concealed Weapon line including a .45, a .40, and a 9mm. These new polymer models are not only lighter, but quite a bit cheaper, as the K9 is solid steel (unloaded - 25oz Current MSRP $985.00). The .45 CW is 21.7oz unloaded MSRP $566 (no night sights available) and the .40 CW is 18.7oz unloaded MSRP $533.

[longhorn_92]

My recommendation is to not give your wife your gun or buy her a gun. Let her choose it, buy it, clean it, shoot it, pratice. Let it be hers.

Be there with her (at the gun shop) for support - however, let it be HER decision and HER gun.

[anygunanywhere]

Mrs. Anygun picked out her S&W 642. She shot a range Glock so she has SA on her CHL. Your spouse needs to pick out her firearms.

If she has the opportunity to fire multiple weapons it would be to her advantage.

Consider bringing her to the PSC gun range Ladies class. Women often respond more to other women in this regard. Your handle does not state where you hang your hat.

Now, if I can just make her understand that I want to pick out my next truck we will be making real progress.

Anygunanywhere

[DoubleActionCHL]

I guess I need glasses. When I first glanced at the subject line, I thought it said "Want to buy my wife?" Nevermind...

First, I agree that your wife should pick out her own carry weapon. Let her try an array of weapons before deciding on one.

Don't automatically discount the semi-automatics. While revolvers are simple, they're not always the best choice for a woman. Give her some credit. Most women can learn to effectively operate many semi-automatics with just a little training. My wife carries a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm compact. It's much like a Glock, but comes with three interchangeable grip inserts so she can adjust the grip size.

My wife is the Texas State Coordinator for SAS (Second Amendment Sisters). They held a Lady's Shoot this past weekend where we taught 23 women to shoot. We had a large selection of handguns to choose from. Most women wanted to start with the small revolvers (S&W Airweight) because they were intimidated by the semi-automatics. After shooting the little Airweight, we moved them to a Glock or S&W M&P. It took a little getting used to, but the vast majority of them shot much better with the semi-auto, and enjoyed shooting it much better than the small revolvers. Some of the women didn't have enough hand strength to operate the semi-autos, but that was rare.

We should be putting together a similar Lady's Shoot in the Houston area in another month or so.

[lws380]

My wife has applied for her CHL and of course is waiting like everyone else. I thought she would like the S&W 442 as it is light and easier to operate.

Well she qualified with my XD-9mm service and shot very well for someone with not much experience. I was very proud of her shooting. Was leaving the house the other day and she said leave me a gun. I asked if she wanted the wheel gun (442) and she said no, I want the XD 9mm I used for my CHL class.

So I agree. Show her many guns and let her pick!

[BigDan]

And don't forget that many ranges will let you rent guns. Bring yours and let her pick out 2 or 3 and let her fire them all. That way, she can feel how each one is different. Make sure that the big 3 calibers are present so she can feel the difference in the BANG. =-]

[BobCat]

Not to be too boring, jumping late on the bandwagon, but 1) it is her gun, her life, she picks; 2) info specifically for women, written by a woman, at http://www.corneredcat.com ; 3) a friend (rifle shooter who only ownd one handgun, a Blackhawk in .30 carbine) asked me to bring handguns to the range for his wife and grown daughter to try. Between Ruger Security 6 (4"), Smith Model 13 (3") both loaded with light .38 special loads, and a Browning Highpower, and a Springfield 1911 loaded with light .45 ACP loads - both women liked the 1911 best by far. Both shot it best and liked the way it pointed; recoil was not an issue with target loads, would have been smart to ask them to shoot some factory rounds too.

Ask her to handle / try as many as possible and see what she likes. Supportive is great, but the decision is hers. Best wishes.


edited once for spelling

[red2000vette]

I bought my wife a Sig Sauer P232 in stainlass. It is a lady sized .380 with night sights and Hogue rubber grips. It points straight and is deadly accurate. Very easy for her to rack. It is touted as the number 1 police off duty weapon and I know why after shooting it. Actually, I used it to qualify for my CHL. You can't beat Sig quality. Flawless after 500 rounds.

A bit pricy but worth every dollar - especially if you are intending for it to protect your wife!