Options for Wife's Personal Defense Pistol

[Esox]

at least take her to a large gun shop or range and let her pick it out herself.

That's what my wife did. She couldn't rack our 9mm EMP easily, but the .380 Sig P238 is effortless. If you can't smack and rack effortlessly and quickly, it really isn't the right PD gun to carry.

[pax]

Most women in know go for the S&W body guard..

Uh, no.

Like all other super-lightweight tiny guns, the BodyGuard -- both semi auto and revolver versions -- are experts' guns. They don't really belong in the hands of a beginner, unless that beginner is very committed to practicing a lot, and has a high pain tolerance.

Ditto for recommendations to go for a lightweight J-frame. That's a good carry gun for an expert shooter, which should never be handed to an inexperienced shooter.

pax

[Mrgunsngear]

Agreed. Lots of new shooters (male and female) show up at the range with ultralightweight/small guns with long and heavy triggers then wonder why they can't hit the paper at 10 yards.

[kahrguy]

cogito First let your wife deside on what she wants. Not you . Carry'n a handgun unchambered makes it a rock, a costly rock but thats what it is if needed.

You are try'n to cover to many wants and wishs in a handgun even desreguarding who its for.

Find a female instructor or avid female shooter to help your wife or a male that is use to working with ladies. small soft lady's have to learn a diffeent way to rack a slide than most us guys do. With the right help of just another season female shooter she may find the bersa becomes real easy to master. The man of the house many time is the worse person to help there better half.

[TailGator]

The remarks by Pax and plouffedaddy are accurate reflections of my experience with my wife and daughters shooting an Airweight J-frame. Not appreciated at all.

[jackpine]

1911 LW commander in 9mm tuned up to work with FED hi-shok ammo and slim grip panels.

[RiverCity.45]

I had my wife try out lots of options. She always came back to my S&W .38 special. I got her one with a CT laser and shrouded hammer. She loves the thing, and recently named her "Betty," which is her codeword for the gun. "Don't let me forget to take Betty to work with me today."

[lilcris]

I had the same question a few months ago and this forum helped me find an appropriate gun.

With that being said, I don't think that many people understand what it's like to be a truly petite female in the gun market. I am almost exactly the same size as your wife and have tiny hands (I wear a size 4 shoe, if that's any indication). Most guns are too large for me to shoot, including the XD9 subcompact and full size 1911s.

You need to look for a gun with a narrow grip AND a short distance between the backstop and the trigger. Not many guns offer that.

I ended up purchasing a Springfield 1911 EMP because that's the only gun I could find that was small enough for me to handle, but heavy enough to absorb recoil. I LOVE it! I can rack the slide much more easily than any other gun I've tried and I can reach the trigger just fine. Recoil is mild, accuracy is high. And it's a good-looking gun, which helps. It's expensive, though.

Size-wise, I also liked some of the Kahrs, like the T9.

[9mm]

Glock 17, my grandmother couldn't rack my 19, 26, had a trouble opening the revolvers cylinder[push buttons] I let her try a Glock 17(single spring guide rod) and it was easy for her.

[MARKDANIEL]

My daughter is the same size and and problems a Glock 34 works for her as well as a kel tec 32.

[redneck]

She has to pick for herself, but try and get a kahr K9 into her hands. I spent about a year trying to find a gun for my girlfriend and this is the best option we came up with. The grip is narrow/small without being too short for her to get a full grip on it. It has nice soft rubber panels so it isn't slippery (or overly abrasive) as some polymer guns can be. Trigger is a VERY smooth double action.
The CW9 from kahr has basically the same top end and trigger, but a polymer frame. Its close to a pound lighter than the K9. If she likes the feel of the grip it may be a good option too. I wanted the extra weight of the stainless frame to help with recoil, and the rubber grips are an added bonus.

[ferrarif1fan]

My wife just didn't want a semi-auto due to racking the slide, inserting mags, etc. We ended up getting her a Ruger LCR .22 revolver. However, that one's probably on the way out because of the strong pull required to cock the hammer and fire the gun.

So, you may want to check into a revolver. They really are probably a better choice for women who aren't going to become a "gun person" and be involved with firearms and shooting on a regular basis.

I also agree with others here that if she's set on carrying a semi-auto pistol, she needs to carry a round chambered. I carry only SA/DA hammer fired pistols and always have a round in the chamber. It takes a deliberate long 4-7 pound pull (depending on the pistol) to fire a round. That is a very good safety mechanism. In the heat of the moment, I think most people would be doing good to just draw and pull the trigger. You certainly shouldn't be having to rack the slide and flick the safety off.

Good luck on your search.

Robert

[plom]

After reading your criteria the first that come to my mind is the Walther PPQ.
There is no safety on it, but why does she want a safety on a pistol she is going to use with an empty chamber?
The pistol is easy to rack adaptable for small hands, very nice trigger and very good sights.
Otherwise the HK USP with a lighter recoil spring.

Compact and easy to rack?
Easy to rack and low recoil?
impossible task

[Pico]

Everyone should have a revolver as a first firearm. I think in this case all problems mentioned would be solved.

Pico

[jmortimer]

My wife took to the J Frame. It did have a heavy trigger which was lightened. No two people are going to start with the same platform. Some evolve from revolver to semi-auto and some from semi-auto to revolvers.