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Old December 8, 2012, 02:02 AM   #1
loademwell
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What would you get your wife for Protection?

I have a friend that I work with with that wants to get herself a handgun for carry.

Don't know too much about her regarding guns, but I can tell you this:
She has shot two handguns before, She described a Mark II Ruger and a revolver with close to same kick (I think it would be a .22 as well)
She will take the Concealed Carry classes that is needed.
Average sized women.

She wants a gun that will stop a 280 lb man hoped up on drugs if needed, but would be a little scared if she would shoot through 7 walls after the fact (so not a .44 mag then).

She asked me what gun I would recommended for her.
I tried thinking about it and figured I would ask myself;
What gun would I buy my wife?

Personally, I keep leaning to the .410 revolver. I have never shot one. what do they kick like? 9MM? .40? 44 mag? ***forget this part***

MAIN QUESTION> What would you buy your wife to carry???????
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Old December 8, 2012, 02:27 AM   #2
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I would choose the highest caliber that she can shoot well enough, and one that she will practice shooting with. If there is too much gun for her, she will shy away from it and not want to practice her shooting skills. Bullet placement is important. Is there a rental range nearby she can rent different types from? (this taken from what my wife went through)
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Old December 8, 2012, 02:35 AM   #3
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Quote:
I keep leaning to the .410 revolver
I'll wager you've never actually seen or held one... They're HUGE and not appropriate for conceal carry, especially for an average-size woman.

Anything over 9mm is also, generally speaking, not a good idea for a woman's first carry gun due to recoil.

I'll suggest one of the single-stack 9mm's such as Kahr CW9, S&W M&P Shield, Walther PPS, Ruger LC9, Bersa BP9cc, or, if heavier metal is desired, something along the lines of the Kahr K9.

Another often-suggested option for a newbie CC'er is a 5-shot .38 revolver.

Threads like this come around like clockwork. A dozen will say to get her to a well-stocked range and have her try out a bunch and find out what SHE likes.

It's good advice.
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Old December 8, 2012, 02:41 AM   #4
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None of the above.

The first thing I would buy anyone who wants a concealed carry gun: a firearms training class. Yes, this comes before buying a gun.

The second thing I would buy her would be a gift certificate to the local range that rents firearms, and (of course!) a date to go with it. You're not trying to narrow her choices yet at this point. Instead, your goal is to encourage her to sample a nice wide variety of reliable guns that would be acceptable for self-defense. Somewhere in there, she'll start to develop her own opinions about what will work well for her.

The third thing I'd buy her? Well... self-serving it may sound, but I spent two years of my life writing a book just for her. It would be a shame if she never saw it.

After that, you can start talking about specific makes and models of guns with her. But not until then.

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Old December 8, 2012, 04:48 AM   #5
bonefamily
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Aah, I should have waited for Kathy to reply before replying myself. You can get a ton of great advice from her!

BTW, I ordered the book above and it will be sitting under the Christmas tree waiting for my wife to open...
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Old December 8, 2012, 07:04 AM   #6
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Bring her to the range and rent a couple of .380, 9mm and .38's

Whichever caliber she is most accurate with get it. As her skills improve with practice you can add to her inventory or go up in caliber.

FWIW my wife loves her Walther PPS and hates the kick of my PF-9.
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:02 AM   #7
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The two guns that I've got my eyes on are the Kimber Solo & Sig 238.
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:16 AM   #8
lapetrarca53
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My $.02.......

There's no such thing as a "guaranteed man stopper"......except in Hollywood. Shot placement reigns supreme.

If you're going to have her try renting let her determine which caliber and size gun she's comfortable with. Otherwise, if she's afraid of it, she won't carry it and/or if she does, she may hesitate in a time of dire need.

Last edited by lapetrarca53; December 8, 2012 at 08:22 AM.
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:19 AM   #9
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If the main question is "What would I buy my wife" not some hypothetical female, but my wife, the answer is easy, a semi-auto .22. I know the .22 is under powered and not recommended by most knowledgeable shooters for self-defense, but as Jim Quinn of gunblast.com likes to say "a .22 is better than a sharp stick" when it comes SD. And if a .22 is the only gun she will shoot and practice with on a regular basis, then a .22 it shall be.
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:29 AM   #10
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I would buy her the one she picks out, myself
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:39 AM   #11
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Years ago I made the mistake of buying a gun for my wife (S&W M36). She hated the trigger and the recoil. After spending the better part of the summer at the range with me and shooting every gun I owned and every gun someone was willing to let her shoot she decided on my 2 3/4" Ruger Security Six .357 as her ccw! The moral of the story, let her shoot a bunch of handguns and have her decide
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:47 AM   #12
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I think Kathy offers great advice.....
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Old December 8, 2012, 09:06 AM   #13
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Quote:
What would you buy your wife to carry???????
Not a gun. She has said several times that she "just could not shoot someone, probably not even to save (herself)".
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Old December 8, 2012, 09:06 AM   #14
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I went through this with my wife. She tried all my guns, I bought her a 9mm snubby, a .38 snubby, a 9mm auto - she liked the revolvers for their simplicity but everything was too heavy, too much recoil, too loud etc. Because of those things she didn't want to shoot because she didn't enjoy it. Finally we stumbled on a S&W 317 8 shot .22LR snubby, which she absolutely loves. It is very light, easy to handle, easy to operate, and best of all, she enjoys shooting it. All of that means that it is a gun she has confidence in and will actually carry. Would I prefer a bigger caliber for her? Of course, but I accept it as it is and I'm just glad she's armed and confident with her ability to use her gun.
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Old December 8, 2012, 09:15 AM   #15
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WC145- That .22 snubby satifies the first rule of a fight: Have a gun. Beats harsh words.....
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Old December 8, 2012, 11:11 AM   #16
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Our pal Pax is too modest to say so, but her website corneredcat.com is one of the best informational sites on the web, regardless of a shooter's gender. If a class is step one, a visit to Kathy's site is step 1/2.

And her book makes a great stocking stuffer for a wife, daughter, or significant other who is open and interested in self defense.
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Old December 8, 2012, 06:58 PM   #17
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My wife has a Ruger LCR in 22lr. 8 shots. I am content with her using it. She grew up hunting and is not "afraid" of a larger caliber. She just does not shoot or train much (I hope that changes, but mother of 3, full time job and just doesn't like shooting) and that is what she is comfortable with. A 8 shot 22 is a better option if that is what she can shoot better.

If a 280 lb man on drugs is after her, the most important factor is going to be her composure.
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Old December 8, 2012, 07:46 PM   #18
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My wife wouldn't ever carry . . . but I have a friend I shoot with - she's petite and about 5' tall. She has a Sig .380 and is deadly accurate with it. Thee are lots of good .380 pocket guns out there - S & W Bodyguard, Kahr, Ruger LCP . . . and as has already been said . . . shot placement is everything along with practice, practice, practice . . . .
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Old December 8, 2012, 08:53 PM   #19
mordis
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You shouldnt buy your wife anything. You need to listen to pax, send her to the class, get her the book. Then send her to the LGS with a couple grand in cash(with out you, we dont want her feeling pressure to please you) and let HER pick out the gun that best fits HER.

Seriously why would any man go out and buy there girl a gun, the girl needs to do it. We dont buy there clothing or jewlery or makeup, we dont know what they like or how it fits them individualy. Why impose our feelings on there gun buying decision?
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Old December 8, 2012, 11:54 PM   #20
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Well of course Kathy is right... a person has to choose their own self defense weapon, man or woman.

My wife could have chosen anything she wanted. cost was not an issue. After trying a lot of different handguns, she chose a snub hammerless ruger sp101 with a crimson trace laser grip sight, and loaded it with 38+p. I was a bit suprised because she was shooting the small auto pistols so well, and she has always shot my Glocks like a champ.

Fast forward a couple of years, and she wants something lighter and thinner. After shooting a lot of options (including my walther pps) it was a toss up between the Kahr CW9 and the Ruger LC9. She shot the bersa 380 and the LCP, but was not confident in the potency of the 380 cartridge. I thought the Kahr was the nicer weapon, but she had a stovepipe on the second mag, and later a failure to return to battery. The LC9 was flawless. So that is what she got, and she carries it every day.
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Old December 9, 2012, 12:36 AM   #21
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Beretta 92FS for home. S&W Bodyguard for out & about.
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Old December 9, 2012, 12:36 AM   #22
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38 special snubby revolver
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Old December 9, 2012, 12:56 AM   #23
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Quote:
She wants a gun that will stop a 280 lb man hoped up on drugs if needed, but would be a little scared if she would shoot through 7 walls after the fact (so not a .44 mag then).
I's be thinking Ruger SP101 with a lightend trigger pull shooting wadcutters.
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Old December 9, 2012, 04:02 AM   #24
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I don't need to get her anything, she already owns a Sig P220.
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Old December 9, 2012, 10:58 AM   #25
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Get her a .38 Special. It'll be as much as as new shooter can handle. The revolver is also safer for a new shooter. Some women don't have the strength to rack the slide on the autos.
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