Seeking Suggestions for Wife-friendly .380 handgun

[inerlogic]

CZ-82, steel, good weight, light recoil, more zip than a .380 but less than 9mm luger

i've got one and one in pieces (should be together wednesday)

if you're near New Bedford you're both welcome to try 'em.....

people have also suggested a full sized steel 9mm, i have access to a Beretta 92FS...
but... yeh... *i* don't like shooting that thing so she probably wouldn't either

 

[Business]

my wife carries a BG 380 because she likes the size and feel in her hands. that being said 380 costs more than 9mm and honestly unless your 9 is a full size its probably going to feel the same kick wise for her

 

[mctrinket]

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in. I'm gonna go give you all some rep points.

 

[123]

My girlfriend got a Walther PK380 after not liking the recoil of any 9mm that weighed less than a 9mm 1911. It is a great little gun, fits small hands perfectly, no recoil, accurate, and you can find used ones for a little over $200. 380 is pretty expensive to shoot though, and she eventually "moved up" to a SR9c to save some money on range trips.

 

[Another_David]

like the others already said, a 380 will be harder to control and much harder to rack the slide--there have been numerous posts about wives not being able to rack small blow back autos

try a glock 17 or Hi Power 9 mm, which neither is on the MA list but you can find them used. Both are relatively narrow griped 9 mm. Ruger SR9 (not the compact one) would be worth considering too and is on the MA list so you can buy one new and relatively cheaply.

It may take some practice if she's flinching with the 9 mm but with the right training (dry firing the 9 mm a lot, loading live ammo and snap caps randomly, etc.) I bet she will be able to handle the 9 mm eventually. And to be clear, this isn't a "woman" problem. I've had flinching issues myself. I know people that have shot for years and then suddenly started flinching after purchasing a new pistol/caliber and had to work through those issues.

And just for kicks, let her shoot a full size 1911 in 45. I had a lady friend that was having control issues on her SR9C and then she shot my 1911 fantastically. It just goes to show that some weight to the pistol really helps and it was a real morale booster for her. A lot newbs have a mental block going to larger calibers but if you use a full size metal pistol with proper grip and stance it's not so hard.

 

[dcmdon]

David,
My 9mm 1911 with reduced power handloaded ammo (4.6 gr AA5 over a 147gr bullet) is such a pussy cat. The low recoil, easy trigger and long sight radius makes everyone a hero. It really is the easiest centerfire handgun I've ever fired.

The woman who shot my Dan Wesson PM9 in the video above had shot the glock for a couple of months. On a lark, mainly because my wife was going to be shooting th glock at the same match and didn't want the two of them to be sharing a gun, I had her try the pointman 9. She asked me why I was "holding back the good stuff" from her. Ha. She hasn't shot the glock since.

My wife likes the Glock. She says it points well for her. I'll be picking up a Gen 4 34 soon, so she can try it with the slimmer grip.

Don

 

[ColdDayInHell]

CM9 or PM9. Don't risk her life on a .380! Sure it might do the job but it's a very underpowered cartridge, you'll be much safer giving her a 9mm in a subcompact frame. I'll link you to ballistic data if you need reasoning behind this.

 

[Another_David]

David,
My 9mm 1911 with reduced power handloaded ammo (4.6 gr AA5 over a 147gr bullet) is such a pussy cat...

I don't doubt it. When I referenced my 1911 I was talking about a 45 (I just edited my post). I just didn't mention the 1911 9 mm because they are hard to come by in Mass. For straight range use, with the right pistol I think any able bodied person should be able to learn to shoot a 9 mm. I don't claim to be an expert in these matters or even a trained coach but that's just my opinion. Coaching is a tricky thing--sometimes you need to push the student just a little outside of their comfort zone just enough that they can gain confidence in their ability but not so far that they fail and it backfires.

The OP may want to try letting his wife shoot with shooting gloves--as thin as you can find. It's more of a mental thing but it might build her confidence. The downside is she might become dependent on it and then you need to ween her off it. Also, how many rounds is she shooting at the range? On a range trip using the 9 mm I'd let her shoot 100 dry fires and just 33 live rounds. Start with a lot of dry firing, if she can't balance a quarter on the slide and pull the trigger, just keep dry firing. Then load like 2 live and 2 snap caps, alternating. I know that doesn't sound like fun necessarily but if you want to train and get results then you need to work a little and build some skills and that's not always fun. But trust me, when you start hitting the metal plates it WILL be fun!

 

[fencer]

Sig 229 in 9mm has very little recoil and is a joy to shoot with some Hogue rubber grips

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Let me know what you decide on. I'm in the same boat... trying to find that perfect piece for the better half.

 

[dcmdon]

CM9 or PM9. Don't risk her life on a .380! Sure it might do the job but it's a very underpowered cartridge, you'll be much safer giving her a 9mm in a subcompact frame. I'll link you to ballistic data if you need reasoning behind this.

Why would he do that when he can get a P9 or a CW9 that allows her to use her whole hand and has a longer bbl? This is my whole point. Little guns are not necessarily better for women. They're harder to shoot well and they recoil more. Actually, they're not better for any of us. I got a PM9 when it first came out for pocket and IWB carry. I never carried it that way. so I went back to the larger P9. It sits better in a holster with a longer slide and is easier to shoot well. It also holds 1 more round for what its worth.

I don't doubt it. When I referenced my 1911 I was talking about a 45 (I just edited my post). I just didn't mention the 1911 9 mm because they are hard to come by in Mass. For straight range use, with the right pistol I think any able bodied person should be able to learn to shoot a 9 mm. I don't claim to be an expert in these matters or even a trained coach but that's just my opinion. Coaching is a tricky thing--sometimes you need to push the student just a little outside of their comfort zone just enough that they can gain confidence in their ability but not so far that they fail and it backfires.

I've done well by teaching people with .22s then having them shoot a limited number of higher power rounds. Then next time having them shoot a few more, then working my way up.

I've come up with some very light loads for my .45 Les Baer. (3.9gr Clays under a 200gr coated swc from precision bullets)
Its another real easy shooting load. I can run it with a 11 lb recoil spring rather than the 16# standard spring. If that gives you any perspective on how light it is.
Its great for shooting steel. I've had a couple of people come up to me and ask where I got the 38 super gun based on how flat shooting it was.

I don't claim to be an expert shooter, but I have a knack for instructing. Every student I've ever had has said that. I think I have a good feeling for what its like to be completely new to shooting.
I learned when I was in my late teens, so I still remember how strange it was to have this explosion going on in your hand. I'm also a pretty analytical person who loves newtonian physics.

Don

 

[Sinitron]

The OP mentioned .380acp, and we ended up with full size IDPA guns somehow.

Try the P238, anyone here who has not shot one has no idea how much of a pussycat it is.

If you are looking for another zero-recoil option, try to test-drive a S&W 351PD in 22 magnum.

 

[Wade]

I bought a Sig 232 for my lady and she likes to shoot it but she too is in the smaller side and racking the slide was tough for her. I use it as a summer carry because I love the thing it shoots like a dream and hits what you aim at. That said she now carries a snubby that I bought years ago I'm not sure of the model but it's a Taurus Titanium thats ported real light and very tame for a snubby. The 232 is loosening up as I put more rounds thru it but I like it so much I'm not going to tell her as I might loose that one too.

 

[greeniron]

Got mine a Ruger SR9c last year and she loves it. She is not a small woman (5' 9" and built for power not speed) so it fits her hands good, her only complaint is its limited capacity.

 

[winter]

She just needs more range time with the 9mm. She needs to learn how to properly grip and shoot. Getting more range time is the only way for her to build confidence. Because with the proper grip even a small framed, fairly inexperienced female shooter can easily handle the recoil of the 9mm.

 

[fencer]

Let me know what you decide on. I'm in the same boat... trying to find that perfect piece for the better half.

Trying real hard not to reply with an off color comment. I could go on all day.... Ha!

The OP mentioned .380acp, and we ended up with full size IDPA guns somehow.

Try the P238, anyone here who has not shot one has no idea how much of a pussycat it is.

If you are looking for another zero-recoil option, try to test-drive a S&W 351PD in 22 magnum.

These are both really good options. 22 magnum deserves some serious consideration. I just read the details of this round and think it might be more effective that 380.

I bought a Sig 232 for my lady and she likes to shoot it but she too is in the smaller side and racking the slide was tough for her. I use it as a summer carry because I love the thing it shoots like a dream and hits what you aim at...... The 232 is loosening up as I put more rounds thru it but I like it so much I'm not going to tell her as I might loose that one too.

If I absolutely had to pick a 380, this would be the one. The Sig 232 is a beautiful little gun. Well made and accurate, reliable and good looking. Similar to the Walther but a bit more expensive, and made better

 

[mac67]

I agree that .22./.380 for personal defense is marginal at best. BUT with modern ammo it certainly narrows the margin's and it's better than nothing if that's what you shoot well and are comfortable with. It's been said before. Only hits count....

http://www.hornady.com/store/22-WMR-45gr-Critical-Defense/

 

[Coyote33]

CM9 or PM9. Don't risk her life on a .380! Sure it might do the job but it's a very underpowered cartridge, you'll be much safer giving her a 9mm in a subcompact frame. I'll link you to ballistic data if you need reasoning behind this.

I thought this was for a range gun.

 

[dcmdon]

I thought this was for a range gun.

It is a range gun. Typically, most responses are falling into the "get a small gun for the little lady" hole.

 

[TBalls]

The OP mentioned .380acp, and we ended up with full size IDPA guns somehow.

The OP mentioned 380 because his wife is petite, with small hands and is looking for a good, non-.22 gun that she'll enjoy shooting. Some threads drift pretty quickly, but in this case I think we're doing a disservice by simply answering his question as he posed it. As several people have already mentioned, there are a whole host of factors that contribute to how "easy" a gun is to shoot, and generally speaking a gun chambered in 380 is going to fall short.

You simply can't get around physics, and a smaller gun will tend to recoil more. On a certain level there is far too much subjectivity to how we perceive it, but a "pussycat" to an experienced shooter (male or female) could just as easily be unpleasant for a newbie. What dcmdon, myself, & others are suggesting is taking as much guesswork and subjectivity out of the equation as possible and going with what is pretty much an objective truth: A larger, heavier, recoil-operated gun in a relatively small caliber (say, 9mm) will be softer shooting and easier to manipulate.

It may not be the answer that the OP wants, but I think it's the right one.

 

[carbuncle]

I loved my BG380, I thought it had very ligh recoil and was surprisingly accurate. Others have had problems, but mine was pretty much perfect (one misfire out of 350 rounds, hard primer on S&B ammo).
Posted from my busted old G2 on T-mobile's sorry network.

 

[Nicole]

The OP mentioned 380 because his wife is petite, with small hands and is looking for a good, non-.22 gun that she'll enjoy shooting. Some threads drift pretty quickly, but in this case I think we're doing a disservice by simply answering his question as he posed it. As several people have already mentioned, there are a whole host of factors that contribute to how "easy" a gun is to shoot, and generally speaking a gun chambered in 380 is going to fall short.

You simply can't get around physics, and a smaller gun will tend to recoil more. On a certain level there is far too much subjectivity to how we perceive it, but a "pussycat" to an experienced shooter (male or female) could just as easily be unpleasant for a newbie. What dcmdon, myself, & others are suggesting is taking as much guesswork and subjectivity out of the equation as possible and going with what is pretty much an objective truth: A larger, heavier, recoil-operated gun in a relatively small caliber (say, 9mm) will be softer shooting and easier to manipulate.

It may not be the answer that the OP wants, but I think it's the right one.

+1

 

[FrugalFannie]

Took the wife shooting this past weekend. She's a petite woman and did not care for the 9 mm. Too much for her, she said.

I'd like to get her something she can shoot and enjoy that's not a .22, so I thought I'd look into getting her a .38.

Can anyone recommend a smooth-shooting .380 that would fit her small hands? I will consider revolvers but I think she prefers semi-autos.

Thank you.

I have to say that in my experience the Beretta 92fs has been one of the funnest and easiest guns for me to shoot.

I have owned and carried M&P9c, 1911's, and Sig 239. I also have shot and/or owned many others (Glock 26 comes to mind and some380's) but if I was to put a gun in anyone's hands, after maybe a 22 which I usually do first, it will be the beretta. Very easy to operate the slide and very little felt recoil, longer site radius and manual safety.

On the smaller side I really like the Sig239, mine is in 9mm.

This may not be their gun choice after a while but it should be a very pleasant day of shooting for the new shooter. And it may not be something she chooses to carry down the road but for the range or those action sports .


I took the GOAL 'Intro to IDPA' yesterday and this is what I shot. It was really the first time I shot it. (I had to borrow a holster for the class!) I have shoulder issues and usually get into some real pain after a bit of shooting but yesterday I had NO PROBLEMS (with my shoulders).

 

[Sinitron]

The OP mentioned 380 because his wife is petite, with small hands and is looking for a good, non-.22 gun that she'll enjoy shooting. Some threads drift pretty quickly, but in this case I think we're doing a disservice by simply answering his question as he posed it. As several people have already mentioned, there are a whole host of factors that contribute to how "easy" a gun is to shoot, and generally speaking a gun chambered in 380 is going to fall short.

You simply can't get around physics, and a smaller gun will tend to recoil more. On a certain level there is far too much subjectivity to how we perceive it, but a "pussycat" to an experienced shooter (male or female) could just as easily be unpleasant for a newbie. What dcmdon, myself, & others are suggesting is taking as much guesswork and subjectivity out of the equation as possible and going with what is pretty much an objective truth: A larger, heavier, recoil-operated gun in a relatively small caliber (say, 9mm) will be softer shooting and easier to manipulate.

It may not be the answer that the OP wants, but I think it's the right one.

Eventually, this is what I try to coax out of every "What should I get" thread. In all prior discussions I always say go somewhere and rent everything you can. It's like sports equipment, go with what fits and feels "right".

 

[dcmdon]

I don't know where the OP is from, but Hoffmans in Newington, CT rents a ton of guns out.

I don't believe you need a CT permit to rent. Best to check with them before making the drive from MA.

 

[Ernest]

get her a .380 auto (9mm) the recoil is non-existent, if it is just for fun she will love the accuracy. I carry one as a back-up in an ankle holster. Very handy, DA/SA, stainless steel (Inox) is durable and safe to handle.

 

[dcmdon]

This is a very old thread. But there is a new gun on the CC scene. Its the LC380. I think thats the name. Its a Ruger LC9 thats chambered in .380. Bigger gun, it should recoil much less and have a bigger grip so women can get their pinky on it.

Don

 

[Kisspik002]

Sig 238 nice pistol, small and well made

 

[LR308_GNR]

I don't understand why men insist on putting small, short, light handguns into the hands of women.

All of those factors work against them.

A recoil shy shooter will do much better with a gun that has a:

Full length grip - allows the whole hand to control recoil.
Longer bbl/slide - makes recoil more of a push back than a flip.
more weight - mitigates recoil overall.

Agree for the most part.

My girlfriend seems to prefer my full size .45's over any other handguns in my collection. She is 5' nothing and 92-95 lbs, they dont get much more smaller and she loves the hell outta my USP Match .45

 

[dcmdon]

Thats equally impressive when you consider the grip size and reach of the USP. If she can shoot the USP, she can shoot a Glock. A G19 is the perfect size for a purse gun. Ideally, it would be heavier, but it works fine as is.

My 9mm Dan Wesson has about the same recoil as .38 wadcutters out of a 6" Python.