CCW for women - Page 2

ripnbst · March 2, 2013, 11:21 AM

To the guy who started this thread, don't be put off by the minor [spitting] match you got into with one member.

Everything read on here must be taken with a grain of salt as no one knows you and your wife like you do.

Guns I'd look at are:

Semi auto:
G23 Glock
Walther PPS
Walther PPK
Versa Thunder
S&W Shield 9mm( Sucks that this is such an awesome gun that's so hard to find)
S&W M&P 40c

The reason I recommend the .40 in the M&P and Glock is they can be converted by a simple barrel change an different mags between 9mm and .40. If you want to run .40 you can, or you can also run 9mm.

Revolver:
S&W anything in .38 SPL/.357 Mag
Ruger LCR
Charter Arms .38 SPL

I say the mag because you are able to shoot both .38 and .357 safely without making any changes to the firearm in a .357.

basilisk4 · March 2, 2013, 10:34 PM

Definitely have her go out to the shooting range and try out a few different guns. Many combination gun shop-ranges have different guns they will let you "rent" to go shoot at their range for a few minutes. If you can't do that, they're at least let her hold the gun and get into a shooting stance with it. That won't tell her about the recoil but it will help her at least get an idea of comfort level with the particular gun.

I'd recommend a look at one of the small Rugers. The compact Kel-Tecs I've shot have really tough trigger pulls that might not be ideal for a woman.

Or if you want to spend about a thousand bucks, get her a Colt Mustang or Government Pocketlite.

steveNChunter · March 3, 2013, 08:05 PM

ripnbst- Thanks for the suggestions. She got a chance to handle a Bersa Thunder .380 and she likes it a little better than my LCP but I think she's a revolver girl. We are going to go to the lgs here soon and she wants to handle a LCR .22mag or .38 spl, a S&W bodyguard .38, and a Charter arms .38 spl. I have a Blackhawk .357 w/a 6.5" barrel that she has shot .38 spl loads through but thats not a good indicator of recoil in a much lighter, smalller revolver. I need to find somebody around here with a small .38 that will let her shoot it to see if the recoil is tolerable for her. If not she may go the .22mag LCR route. I know alot of women shoot .38s but she's only 5'1" and about 105 pounds so it may be a little much for her in a CCW.

steveNChunter · March 3, 2013, 08:19 PM

I wish RIA would chamber a small revolver in their new little .22tcm round. Its basically 9mm brass necked down for a 55gr .224 bullet. I think it would make a great CCW with very little recoil. They say it has about 2,100 fps MV out of their 1911. Yea it may be a small bullet but it would be the rough equivalent (in velocity) of being hit with a .223rem rifle at 300 yards.

Cesure · March 3, 2013, 08:46 PM

Charter Arms has a 5-shot .32 H&R Magnum revolver called the Undercoverette. It has the added benefit of being able to shoot .32 S&W Long so she has an almost-no-recoil load to train with, backed up by a reasonable equivalent to .380 ACP as her self-defense round. I think Ruger and Smith are missing out on a market segment by not making a light, short barreled, 6-shot in either .32 H&R Mag or .327 Federal Mag (which could shoot all 3 of those rounds). The LCR or the Bodyguard would be an ideal platform.

ltc444 · March 4, 2013, 06:05 AM

After 30 plus years of marriage I have some experience on dealing with a wife and trying to teach her.

My advice is:

Get her to an instructor who works with women. When my bride came to me and asked about learning to shoot, I took her to Caswells of Mesa. Then i left her with the instructors and browsed the selection of merchandise. They evaluated her level and developed a program for her.

Purchasing a gun is a very personal activity. The weapon must fit her. Have her try as many as possible. Your pieces probably fit you very well. They may not fit her.

Caliber is also another issue. We generally look at the lighter calibers for women. That is not all ways the case. Once again let her decide. Some women can handle the big calibers than men.

My instructor was complaining one day that his wife had stolen his Model 29. It seems that she ( a very Petite lady) had been after him to shoot his snub nosed 44mag. He had refused believing that it was to big for her. She picked it up on the range one day and out shot him on her first try. She now carries it in her car as her primary defense weapon.

pax · March 4, 2013, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewSchiller

After the first time she shot she became upset and began to cry. Before you think less of her, it turns out that's not an unusual reaction for women. Another woman in the class had the same reaction - the instructor said in his experience that's not uncommon. Girl thing...go figure. She couldn't explain it - she wasn't afraid if it - it just was.

Please share this with her: http://www.corneredcat.com/tears/

pax

Chris Van · March 5, 2013, 06:25 AM

Steven, hopefully this will be back on track and more of what you were looking for in this thread. My wife carries an LCR and for the simplicity and dependability she can't beat it. But, it is by no means her favorite gun to shoot. After a day at the range, she complains about it making her hand sore. A larger framed gun such as a 9mm (Glock 26 or PT111) like I carry does not make her hand hurt after a day of shooting. But she can also have trouble loading the magazines or working the slide on a semi auto. Hence the reason for her sticking to the LCR for carry.
I'm pretty new to this board (posting anyway) so I know exactly how you feel. When others see that you are new here and assume that you have never seen a firearm before. But like all internet forums, you gotta weed through a little BS to get lots of really good info that plenty of people out there have to offer.

Peregrinus · March 10, 2013, 09:05 PM

My CCW of choice is my Walther PPK. I had a Beretta 85, which was mostly concealable, but a little bulkier than I wanted. My Beretta 92FS is a pleasure to shoot, but when I carry it, I look like I have some kind of tumor. The Walther is not as fun to shoot as the 92FS, but it slips just about anywhere, and I feel more comfortable having a safety. The only drawback to the Walther, which I have had for a year now and put app. 500 rounds through, is that the slide is quite stiff, and it's not as easy to field strip as my Beretta.

mnhntr · March 11, 2013, 12:00 PM

Ruger LCR, S&W 642 or 442. The 22WMR is better than a rock or a sharp stick. I learned that if the wife doesn't like it she won't carry it. Anything is better than nothing.

ChrisTx · March 13, 2013, 02:03 AM

My wife just went through this. She was adamant that she was not going to carry a revolver. She has small hands, but every gun she liked was a big full-size like the 92FS, a P226, 1911, guns like that. She did not like the feel of the smaller carry guns. She finally settled on a gun called a SCCY. It has a thicker grip, but is still quite small. I taught her to shoot with the only box of 9mm I had left, and she qualified for her CHL last weekend.

March 2, 2013, 11:21 AM	#26
ripnbst Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 1,552	CCW for women To the guy who started this thread, don't be put off by the minor [spitting] match you got into with one member. Everything read on here must be taken with a grain of salt as no one knows you and your wife like you do. Guns I'd look at are: Semi auto: G23 Glock Walther PPS Walther PPK Versa Thunder S&W Shield 9mm( Sucks that this is such an awesome gun that's so hard to find) S&W M&P 40c The reason I recommend the .40 in the M&P and Glock is they can be converted by a simple barrel change an different mags between 9mm and .40. If you want to run .40 you can, or you can also run 9mm. Revolver: S&W anything in .38 SPL/.357 Mag Ruger LCR Charter Arms .38 SPL I say the mag because you are able to shoot both .38 and .357 safely without making any changes to the firearm in a .357. Last edited by Spats McGee; March 11, 2013 at 02:23 PM. Reason: Removing language-filter-induced asterisks

March 3, 2013, 08:05 PM	#28
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	ripnbst- Thanks for the suggestions. She got a chance to handle a Bersa Thunder .380 and she likes it a little better than my LCP but I think she's a revolver girl. We are going to go to the lgs here soon and she wants to handle a LCR .22mag or .38 spl, a S&W bodyguard .38, and a Charter arms .38 spl. I have a Blackhawk .357 w/a 6.5" barrel that she has shot .38 spl loads through but thats not a good indicator of recoil in a much lighter, smalller revolver. I need to find somebody around here with a small .38 that will let her shoot it to see if the recoil is tolerable for her. If not she may go the .22mag LCR route. I know alot of women shoot .38s but she's only 5'1" and about 105 pounds so it may be a little much for her in a CCW. __________________ DEO VINDICE

March 3, 2013, 08:19 PM	#29
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	I wish RIA would chamber a small revolver in their new little .22tcm round. Its basically 9mm brass necked down for a 55gr .224 bullet. I think it would make a great CCW with very little recoil. They say it has about 2,100 fps MV out of their 1911. Yea it may be a small bullet but it would be the rough equivalent (in velocity) of being hit with a .223rem rifle at 300 yards. __________________ DEO VINDICE Last edited by steveNChunter; March 3, 2013 at 09:58 PM.

March 3, 2013, 08:46 PM	#30
Cesure Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2013 Posts: 132	Charter Arms has a 5-shot .32 H&R Magnum revolver called the Undercoverette. It has the added benefit of being able to shoot .32 S&W Long so she has an almost-no-recoil load to train with, backed up by a reasonable equivalent to .380 ACP as her self-defense round. I think Ruger and Smith are missing out on a market segment by not making a light, short barreled, 6-shot in either .32 H&R Mag or .327 Federal Mag (which could shoot all 3 of those rounds). The LCR or the Bodyguard would be an ideal platform. Last edited by Cesure; March 3, 2013 at 08:59 PM.

March 10, 2013, 09:05 PM	#34
Peregrinus Junior Member Join Date: March 10, 2013 Posts: 1	My CCW of choice is my Walther PPK. I had a Beretta 85, which was mostly concealable, but a little bulkier than I wanted. My Beretta 92FS is a pleasure to shoot, but when I carry it, I look like I have some kind of tumor. The Walther is not as fun to shoot as the 92FS, but it slips just about anywhere, and I feel more comfortable having a safety. The only drawback to the Walther, which I have had for a year now and put app. 500 rounds through, is that the slide is quite stiff, and it's not as easy to field strip as my Beretta. __________________ Bridget "We have met the enemy, and he is us." Pogo Possum

March 2, 2013, 10:34 PM	#27
basilisk4 Member Join Date: February 10, 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 38	Definitely have her go out to the shooting range and try out a few different guns. Many combination gun shop-ranges have different guns they will let you "rent" to go shoot at their range for a few minutes. If you can't do that, they're at least let her hold the gun and get into a shooting stance with it. That won't tell her about the recoil but it will help her at least get an idea of comfort level with the particular gun. I'd recommend a look at one of the small Rugers. The compact Kel-Tecs I've shot have really tough trigger pulls that might not be ideal for a woman. Or if you want to spend about a thousand bucks, get her a Colt Mustang or Government Pocketlite.

March 4, 2013, 06:05 AM	#31
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	After 30 plus years of marriage I have some experience on dealing with a wife and trying to teach her. My advice is: Get her to an instructor who works with women. When my bride came to me and asked about learning to shoot, I took her to Caswells of Mesa. Then i left her with the instructors and browsed the selection of merchandise. They evaluated her level and developed a program for her. Purchasing a gun is a very personal activity. The weapon must fit her. Have her try as many as possible. Your pieces probably fit you very well. They may not fit her. Caliber is also another issue. We generally look at the lighter calibers for women. That is not all ways the case. Once again let her decide. Some women can handle the big calibers than men. My instructor was complaining one day that his wife had stolen his Model 29. It seems that she ( a very Petite lady) had been after him to shoot his snub nosed 44mag. He had refused believing that it was to big for her. She picked it up on the range one day and out shot him on her first try. She now carries it in her car as her primary defense weapon.

March 5, 2013, 06:25 AM	#33
Chris Van Member Join Date: March 4, 2013 Location: Middle Ga. Posts: 33	Steven, hopefully this will be back on track and more of what you were looking for in this thread. My wife carries an LCR and for the simplicity and dependability she can't beat it. But, it is by no means her favorite gun to shoot. After a day at the range, she complains about it making her hand sore. A larger framed gun such as a 9mm (Glock 26 or PT111) like I carry does not make her hand hurt after a day of shooting. But she can also have trouble loading the magazines or working the slide on a semi auto. Hence the reason for her sticking to the LCR for carry. I'm pretty new to this board (posting anyway) so I know exactly how you feel. When others see that you are new here and assume that you have never seen a firearm before. But like all internet forums, you gotta weed through a little BS to get lots of really good info that plenty of people out there have to offer.

March 11, 2013, 12:00 PM	#35
mnhntr Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2008 Posts: 972	Ruger LCR, S&W 642 or 442. The 22WMR is better than a rock or a sharp stick. I learned that if the wife doesn't like it she won't carry it. Anything is better than nothing.

March 13, 2013, 02:03 AM	#36
ChrisTx Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 147	My wife just went through this. She was adamant that she was not going to carry a revolver. She has small hands, but every gun she liked was a big full-size like the 92FS, a P226, 1911, guns like that. She did not like the feel of the smaller carry guns. She finally settled on a gun called a SCCY. It has a thicker grip, but is still quite small. I taught her to shoot with the only box of 9mm I had left, and she qualified for her CHL last weekend.