# First gun for my wife



## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

Hi all. Looking for your expert opinions thinking of getting her first gun and having her take carry classes. She has never shot a gun but is now interested what I a good entry level gun for her to learn on and carry and yes cost is an issue. Thanks in advance. FG 

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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Based on what you said above I think I'd go w/ a revolver over a small auto. S&W has nice sized women reolvers as does Taurus. Can't go wrong w/ a snubnose 38.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I vote revolver too. I wanted my wife to carry a revolver but there was no convincing her. She had to have a semi auto. After handleing nearly every weapon in the store, she chose a S&W M&P 9mm Compact. It has been an extremely reliable weapon. Thousands of rounds down range now without a single malfunction and she shoots it extremely well because it fits her hands. I would take her to a gun store and let her handle various weapons and then see what she likes.

Caliber is another thing to consider. My wife loves to shoot my .40 but can only put 100 or so rounds through it before it starts to hurt her wrists and it isnt fun for her to shoot anymore. She can shoot that 9 as long as I can afford to buy ammo for it. Granted, in a situation where the weapon is going to be used to protect life, it isnt going to be fired more than what it takes to stop the threat but range time should be considered. If she isnt gonna want to spend time shooting on the range because it isnt a fun weapon to shoot then stay away from it.

Lastly, brand should be considered. I would rather my wife carry a used weapon that I trust to go bang when she needs it too over a brand new weapon that I'm not sure about. I guess it even goes deeper than brand. She carries a S&W but there are certain models that Smith makes that are just junk. Do your homework!


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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

I've "heard" the Hi-Points firearms made in Mansfield are good guns for the price..??

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/index.html


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

crappiewacka said:


> I've "heard" the Hi-Points firearms made in Mansfield are good guns for the price..??
> 
> http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/index.html



I wont get into the infamous Hi Point arguments but he's said that his wife is new to guns, I think even the most die hard Hi Point fans can say that they are not a very good option for a person new to guns. They are bulky and even though some dont have a minutes problem out of them too many people have had problems in my opinon for them to something that I'd want to trust my wife with.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

Weve had the Hi Point discussion. Like I said in my first post, do your homework, especially if this is something she may be defending her life with.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

Let her make the decision. Go to the range and spend some time with various weapons and let her make the choice based on what she can SAFELY manipulate. If it's a semi, can she run the slide and slide stop and safety? If it's a revolver, can she overcome the heavy double action trigger pull to accurately put rounds on target? Grip size, recoil, etc, etc all come into play. Don't make the decision for her, you'll very likely loose that one. lol

My wife has 2 primary carry guns, one is an Air-weight J frame 38, the other a S&W Bodyguard .380. She would prefer to carry my Kimber Ultra CDP in 45 if she could easily conceal it with her clothing choices. She also absolutely hates my Glocks. Doesn't matter what size or caliber, they don't feel right in her hand.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

H2O Mellon said:


> Based on what you said above I think I'd go w/ a revolver over a small auto. S&W has nice sized women reolvers as does Taurus. Can't go wrong w/ a snubnose 38.


I think the important thing here is, it's her first gun. Can't go wrong with the DA revolver. Point, squeeze and it goes bang. No safety's, no racking slides.


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## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

When my girl friedn said she wanted to start shooting with me i was shocked and so the next gun show i went to I came across a beretta u 22 neos set it up with a red dot for her to have fun with. then she wanted to get her cc so we did that with the gun. Now we started shooting more guns she can shoot my glock and 38 special but she just dont like the kick. So for christmas i bought her a new taurus 22 mag 8 shot. The reason i chose this was because of the new 22 mag hornday critical defence round is just and powerful if not more than a 380 and it has no kick what so ever shot it today and it is a tack driver.


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## LEJoe (Jun 27, 2006)

My wife has a Charter Arms Undercover .38 snubby. I put some Crimsen Trace Laser grips on it and she loves it. Bud's Guns has them for $296.00.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

A good quality hammerless .38 snubby. You don't want the hammer getting caught on something in her purse on the way out. Simple,reliable and they always go bang.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i would always reccomend a small revolver for anyones carry gun, just because they are dependable. but if your willing to spend alittle more money there is some very dependable autos out there. my wife chose the beretta 380 for her gun. it has the staggard clip, and holds 13 rounds. and it fits her hand like a glove. its never jammed or messed up in any way. but they are alittle on the pricey side. but it was what she wanted. and it was a one time expence. and if she wanted an auto the berettas are just hard to beat. and her safety and being confortable with the gun was my most important factors.
sherman


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## dinkcatcher (Jul 4, 2009)

My wife loves the ruger lcr, great lightweight snub


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## PITCHNIT (Nov 2, 2004)

I would not have her learn on what she needs to carry. It really depends on the lady. Is she getting it because she wants it or because you want her to have it. Do you think she will be sound or recoil sensative. I agree with the others above that a revolver preferably a .38 is a good choice BUT a lightweight compact 38 snub can kick like a full sized 45 and that may really put her off. This was the case with my wife. I have shot a fullsized S&W 357 with low load 38 spls and it just goes POP instead of KERPOW and hardly any recoil. I would start her on a 22 or a pelet pistol and work your way up depending on her. But like I mentioned, It all depends on the lady. Choose wisely.


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## olwhitee (Apr 10, 2004)

My first advice is to take her somewhere that she can shoot multiple guns and make a decision from there. Just because a gun feels good in your hand does not mean you will shoot it good. You may buy a gun she likes only to find that she cannot shoot well with it, which will turn her off of shooting in a second.

My wife carries either a Glock 19 or a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard.

Good luck


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Take your time with her when it comes to Shooting and Selecting her first Handgun. Have her hold and point a variety of Handguns at a Store. Then go to a Range and Rent whatever she likes - starting with the .22s on up. Let her Shoot as much as she wants to. Eventually, she will be Shooting some Guns more than others. Buy the most powerful Handgun that she actually enjoys Shooting. Her Clothing and Purse size may need to be adjusted to make her Carry Gun more practical.


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