[Chance]

Ok, I finally got her out to a local gun show to pick up and handle a bunch of different guns. Here is what I have to work with.

She liked the Beretta Tomcat .32 for the size and feel of the grip.
She liked the overall feel of the Walther PPK but thought it was too heavy.
She loved the feel and weight of a SW 642 with the CT grips. She even made the comment that it pointed well, better than a few of the Taurus wheelguns we tried.

Right now I would lean towards the 642 to get her the most bang for the smaller sized gun. However I have read some about the kick of the 642.

Any recommendations or suggestions? Is there any lightweight/titanium sort of Walther style pistols out there that I have not yet seen?

 

[Bud White]

No lightweight of the Walther i have seen.

Try any of the Small tupperware for her? glock ,26 kahr, XD etc

 

[Chance]

She didn't like the grip on the XD, said it just didn't feel comfortable. I haven't seen too many Kahrs around here, I'll have to try again at the shops.

As for the Glocks...well, sorry to you Glock types, but when I pointed out a display case full of Glocks she asked if they were toys because they loked 'Wierd' to her.

 

[P95Carry]

Be interesting to see her try the feel of Bersa .380 - my wife likes hers (mine!). Good value gun too even if a bit mouse in caliber.

Otherwise as Bud suggests - several small 9mm's around like Kahr. Even the new Skyy maybe and the new KelTec small 9.

I do suspect she may find the 642 category a bit brutal for good control.

 

[Bud White]

She didn't like the grip on the XD, said it just didn't feel comfortable. I haven't seen too many Kahrs around here, I'll have to try again at the shops.

As for the Glocks...well, sorry to you Glock types, but when I pointed out a display case full of Glocks she asked if they were toys because they loked 'Wierd' to her.

Well that sums it up

Forgot the Skyy that and try the Kahr if you can find one

 

[fed_wif_a_sig]

Im waiting to see more and handle the new comming Kel-Tec 9.

 

[Roadrunner]

If she liked the PPK, ditto on the suggestion to look at a Bersa. Sig also makes the P232 with an alloy frame.

 

[jarhead79]

+2 on the Bersa .380. If she gets the chance to shoot one, I think she'll be hooked. BONUS, I'll make her some sweet grips for it.

 

[maclean3]

There's quite a few of us 642 fans out here too, only one way to find out if she likes it or not though.

The Bersa or higher priced Sig 232 would be worth looking into.
Jack

 

[WorldPax]

+1 on the Bersa, or if you're concerned about recoil, have her shoot some rentals in progressively larger calibers. I've found when introducing someone new to firearms that once they get used to the noise and get more comfortable actually shooting, recoil becomes more of a novelty and less of a scary thing. Hope that makes sense.

The worst thing you could do is freak her out in any way at this early stage, but it sounds like you already have that in mind.

Good luck, and no matter what she ends up with, at least she's carrying and shooting. Being a woman, she'll change her mind about what to carry as often as she changes purses. :JOKE:

 

[AKsrule]

There's quite a few of us 642 fans out here too, only one way to find out if she likes it or not though.

The Bersa or higher priced Sig 232 would be worth looking into.
Jack

Dude , If she likes the snubby she needs to try one out.
If she is comfortable with standard .38 loads she will
enjoy shooting it and will feel good about carrying it.

She can always step up to something more potent later.

 

[maclean3]

Keep in mind the longer "combat grip" are available for the J-frames too. That pinky extension adds a bit more control. I bought mine with std. Uncle Mike's boot grips so changing them out isn't such a price consideration - meaning I didn't pay for a set of $200 grips that I'm not using. I think the LadySmiths come with extended wood grips, might see if those feel any different to her.
Jack

 

[Chance]

Looks like the 642 is leading the race for now. The one she held yesterday had the Crimson Trace grips that were a bit longer than the standard ones. She was able to get her pinky around the last bit and said that she barely had to think about it and the laser would pop on. Now I know some people have issues with the lasers but I'm also considering the added confidence factor for someone who is new to guns in general. I would just have to hope that with practice and the right ammo the kick would be acceptable.

I'm definately going to have to check out the rental section at the shop again to see what they have to offer. I'm not sure if they have a Kahr that she could check out but we will see. Sig makes a lighter weight P232 in some form of aluminium. The more I see of the Bersas the more I want a Thunder in .45 but thats a different thread alltogether.

So much to consider, so much research.
Thanks for all the help so far! Any more suggestions or comments, keep em coming.

 

[los]

If she always carries a big Purse with her, like my girlfriend, ....I'd recommend a Suppressed .22 Ruger.

 

[frankmako]

The big question is how will she carry the gun? In her purse, a day planner, or what? I have seen over 20 plus year with my wife the gun goes in the purse along with the rest of the female stuff. It does not matter if it is in a holster or not. All kinds of crap will get into the gun. For years my wife went with a Beretta Jetfire .25 auto in a Bianchi holster. I would check the gun sometimes and would find all type of stuff in it. I wonder if the auto would fire a second round with the junk in the action. So after several times of seeing this I changed her over to an S&W model 36. Now it does not matter how much junk get into the action the old 36 will shoot. Today most peoples will say the 25 autos are too small, but don't see anyone volunteering to get shot with one. Find a gun that she will shoot and shoot and shoot some more. If she cannot shoot it or does not like it then it is no good to her. Also keep it simple, that is the reason I like a Model 36 and/or 60. Yes I know S&W has many more models out, but you can pickup a used Model 36/60 for a song and a dance and you will not feel bad/sad/mad when it get dropped, wet, etc.... You can clean them up and they made nice guns. Range ammo is cheap and she can carry the +P+ ammo for daily use. You only need to fire five round then run as fast as you can and call 911. It is only on TV where you have the big gun fights where you need several reloads. And I know from experience five rounds of +P+ will not hurt the gun. No matter what gun she gets, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot some more at targets at five feet or less.

 

[Chance]

The holster question has come up a few times actually. She wears mostly elastic waisted skirts and loose pants. No belt at all and usually nothing with any sort of solid waistband. We took a long look at the Galco website over the past couple of nights and so far have a couple decent ideas.

First off we are not focusng just on Galco, they just have a decent range of leather for a wide array of guns. An excellent place to start.

She was thinking of two holsters. First an over the shoulder with a clip type tie down on the opposite side and second one of their thigh band type holsters. I would post links but the Galco site isn't cooperating tonight.

My wife is very fond of loose flowing clothing that could easily conceal either of these types of holster with a smaller gun. Smart carry/Thunderwear whatever its called these days is also a posibility. Now the Smartcarry and thigh band would be a bit slower but would completely dissapear under the clothes she wears. The shoulder holster would be a bit better in my opinion, but not always practical depending on the weather and all that. She is also very ambidexterous so that helps all the way around.

She is not...NOT...going to just toss a loaded gun in her purse. If she decides to carry that way we can get a pocket holster and attach it inside her purse but she is not going to toss a revolver in with her mascara and change. No way.

 

[Chance]

As far as what type of gun, well, I have said it before and I'll say it again. If it is what she feels comfortable with then I would rather she carry a .32 Beretta everyday than have a 9mm paperweight sitting in a safe somewhere.

 

[P95Carry]

Chance - I'll follow your rig choice with interest. My dear wife will not use a belt - despite encouragement!!

She can use a fanny pack but prefers purse and I hate that!!! I am convinced if I can find her a better carry choice she can get on with, she'll carry more often, tho I doubt I will ever get her to my 16/7 condition!

 

[BlueLion]

You just can't go wrong with a SW Snub.... small, powerful package, and she does not have to worry about any feeding problems. I would get it for her.

 

[bubbygator]

I love my J-frame 442.... but the gun that's in my pocket most is my Keltec P3AT. As long as you don't get one of the early serial #'s that needed fluff & buff, these are good to go out of the box. If she liked the Walther, let her try the Keltec - - the .32 is OK too.