[Kenny256]

My wife will be getting her Masters degree next year, and will be going to a city with a population of 250-300 thousand people.

She wants to carry a gun, but I did not really know what to get her?

LCP?
one of those p22?

She does not like revolvers... but when I asked her "do you want to mace a guy and hurt him? Or just put him down?" She said put him down...

So what do you guys have your wifes using?

 

[Keltyke]

For your wife:

The "best" gun is the one YOU like, not anyone else. It will be a compromise of:

1. Fit - It should fit in your hand like you were born with it there.
2. Reliability - It should go BANG about 99.8% of the time you pull the trigger.
3. Accuracy - In YOUR hand. It's how well YOU shoot it.
4. Concealability - It should be comfortable enough to wear and easy enough to conceal so you won't leave it laying on the dresser at home.
5. Cost - You don't want to scrimp on your "life protector" weapon, but you probably don't need a $1,000 Kimber, either.

My wife carries a Keltec P-32 and she's damned good with it.

 

[RETSUPT99]

Word to the wise...let her pick out her own gun...:yup:
I bought my wife a S&W 637 and put a laser on it...it sat in the safe. She found a KelTec P-3AT in the safe an liked that better.
Now she has discovered the Glock-26...it's hers.:wave:

 

[gdm320]

My fiancee refuses to carry... but we're working on it. She's not a sheep in the sense that she thinks the police can protect her or that nothing bad will ever happen to her she is just flat out not comfortable with guns. Unfortunately, that is a product of her up bringing. She lived in a 100% gun free home growing up... where as my house (as well as my grandparent's and great uncle's) had plenty of them.

That said, we're working on breaking the fear of the beast. The two guns that have felt good in her hands are the Ruger LCP and a .38 Special S&W Revolver (yes... one of the girlie ones with pink grips... it was the only way I could get her to pick it up the first time). Now its just time to drag her to the range and make her shoot them.

 

[goawayfarm]

Let her pick what she wants........

My wife has different carry guns.........I don't know which one she picks or how she decides.....

The ones she uses:
-Glock 23
-Sig 239
-Kimber Ultra Carry
-NAA Guardian

 

[Kenny256]

Ya, I get to let her pick....

Just need to kind of point her in the right direction.

 

[pax]

I don't have a wife. :wink:

My favorite carry gun is a Glock 26, but that doesn't mean a lot -- your wife will have to do her own research to find out what she likes and what fits her hand.

You can't really pick the best gun for her because

1. your hands are not the same size as her hands (and gun fit really is a personal thing),
   
   
2. you cannot climb inside her skin and feel what she feels when she pulls the trigger (and everybody has different perceptions of and tolerance for recoil), and
   
   
3. you can't feel what she feels when she pulls the trigger (and everyone has a different perception of and tolerance for different trigger weights and pull sensations), and
   
   
4. you can't feel what she feels as she tries to reach and manipulate the firearm's controls, and finally,
   
   
5. looks matter (and the chances are that what's attractive to you may not be attractive to her).

So don't try to select her gun for her or even narrow down the choices on her behalf. You cannot narrow her choices down for her, because you do not have the physical equipment to do it. She's the only one who really can.

Instead, present her with big-picture choices first ("revolver or semi-auto?" -- "with or without external safeties and decocking levers?") and then encourage her to narrow down the choices from there based on her feedback and perception of the guns she has handled in the store.

Help her to understand that smaller guns are generally easier to carry but less pleasant to shoot, while larger / heavier guns are generally more pleasant to shoot but more difficult to carry. Explain that "pleasant to shoot" isn't just a hobbyists' concern, but a vital question for someone who intends to defend herself using the firearm, because she'll need to practice with it. The less enthusiastic about practice she generally is, the more necessary it becomes that her carry gun is not unpleasant to shoot.

When it is time to make the final determination, get her out to a range with a rental version of the firearm type she is most interested in. It does no good for her to select a "cute" little lightweight snubby or a tiny little plastic .380 if she cannot tolerate the recoil or finds the controls too difficult to manipulate or the slide too stiff for her hands.

Hope this helps.

Oh, edited to add a link: www.corneredcat.com/Men/buywifegun.aspx

pax

 

[old grunt]

A Mossberg 930SPX.......just kiddin":banana: Her permit ...got to get her shooting. Hell, if my wife shot as good as she cleans the house she'd be on the Glock or Smith factory team!!!!!:smile:

 

[gglass]

My wife loves her little snubby... And yes, I'm talking about her gun.

She says that the LCR is little black dress approved.

 

[Kenny256]

Ya, She has shot my relver .38 and hates it.

That why I was just curious as to what your guys lady freidns were using.

 

[Rcher]

My wife carries a Taurus Millenium Pro 9mm. It fits her hands well and has been extremely dependable. Make sure you let her pick her own gun.

 

[BlueNinjaGo]

Consider arming her with several things if she can carry them...

Pepper spray
Flashlight
Stun gun
AND a firearm.

They also have devices that emit loud noises to help attract other people to the scene.

 

[JoJoGunn]

My wife is the proud new owner of a Ruger LCP .380. That is what she will be carrying.

She picked it out herself because it felt good in her hand, was easy to opperate and will be small enough to conceal, just recently getting her permit. She has fired the calibers from .22 all the way to .45 so she knows about recoil and such.

Let her pick the gun herself and give her advice on the need and use for it, but it should be her choice.

 

[limatunes]

I agree with everyone who said it's not about what you choose for your wife or "have her carry" but what she chooses for herself.

Picking a gun is a lot like trying on shoes. You can't just get what someone else wants you to get but it has to fit and feel right or you aren't going to like it in the long run.

Take her out to a place with rentals and let her try her hand at a few and see what she likes. Let her pick her own.

 

[Ram Rod]

Mine carries my former EDC G27 in my former EDC DeSantis Scorpion holster.

 

[searcher 45]

My wife carries a Kel Tec P3AT and really likes it for carry, and the best part is it goes every where she goes. I bought the gun for me as BUG and sometime carry. We went to range and she shot a box of ammo thought it and looked at me and said "NICE, MINE" and she took it. Bought me another P3AT different color grip and said "mine" unless she wants it too. Life is Good!!!!

 

[Keltyke]

Ya, I get to let her pick....

Just need to kind of point her in the right direction.

Take her to the gun shop and let her handle everything they have. If they have rentals, let her shoot everything, too.

 

[Rugergirl]

I am a wife, and a typical woman, you know the ones that just can't decide?
What do I carry? Well that depends on whim, wardrobe and weather.
My favorite carry gun, my S&W 686+, but I do carry a few others on occasion, a S&W Model 36, S&W Model 29, Kimber Pro Crimson Carry II and on very rare occasions a Ruger GP100(6" barrel, on the rare occasions my clothes will hide it).
The Kimber is my main carry in warmer weather with lighter weight clothing, come cooler weather I'm back to the 686.

 

[Slim_45]

My wife carries a "Kahr PM9"
Its a very small single stack 9mm holding 6+1 rounds & she can shoot that little sucker good too :image035:
I did have a set of XS Big Dot sight's installed on it though (real fast sight picture). Its very easy to conceal by the way, she prefers her CompTac C-Tac holster & carries at about 5:00 & if it helps your understanding she's 5'8 almost 120 lbs .............. Good luck :wave:

 

[jbum]

Rugergirl you are far from typical that's why we adore you. My wife carries a 638 but you must let her chose otherwise it'll stay in the safe IMHO.