CCW gun for my wife

It reads like you already have your answer. If she is not going to carry on her person then in my opinion she should either have a revolver which is not fun to shoot but fits the job or a semi auto with a decocker. If you want to stay in the 4" barrel semi auto range 9mm check out the Bersa 9mm.

If she will carry on her I would still look at the Bersa. It is a great size gun for a 9mm. They also have a 45 in the same size. Kahr also has a few options but I am not Kahr fan.

Of course this is just one of many opinions.

Good luck.

 

Neat little chart here: http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

The new Kel-Tec single stack 9 isn't on it, but it is one skinny little 9.

For purse carry, a shrouded hammer J frame might be the way to go.
You need to go gun shopping with the wife---it needs to be HER
decision!

 

I have 3 Kahrs and I like them all, they are a tad pricey though. If my wife ever saw this one, I'd never see it again - a Sig P232 in .380. Even though many consider this underpowered, it is one of my favorite carries as it just disappears. It's also very accurate and fun to shoot - and it's a Sig...

 

I'd go with a Commander sized 1911 in a Galco purse.

 

As a former gun shop owner who has seen his share of heartache (from both the husband and wife) and trade-ins...my advise is to take a class together and rent or borrow some firearms and let her select what works best for her! If you both have already attended the CCW course then attend the next level where you train and practice fighting together with handguns (as opposed to learning about safety and the laws). Attend an 8 hour or longer class where you train seriously for self defense (as opposed to just range shooting) and consumme 300 rounds or more in a day. At the conclusion of the class she in particular will have a much better understanding what is fully involved in handgun self defense and what handgun will help her be successful in a lethal confrontation. After attending a class and practicing, for example, clearing a Phase Two Malfunction she will have a much better understanding what she needs in a defensive handgun to clear a handgun under stress.

We guys generally don't pick shoes out for our ladies so why would we buy them a personal defense handgun? Selecting a handgun is very personal and not something one person can buy for another....and do we really want our ladies to buy and use a handgun based upon the recommendation of a chat room commando by the name of "Six Shooter Extreme or Master Blaster 45" on some forum? No offense...but this is a very personal and important decision - potentially life saving and altering..she needs to be involved in this decision and not us!

When consulting with her for a selection you should weigh these variables in this particular order:

1st Consideration: Narrow the selection down to "proven reliable" fireams (this means firearms that have consistantly proven themselves on the street in all situations, weather conditions, and fighting situations). Keep our opinions and bias's too ourselves but give her some choices based upon what LEO's are using and have a proven track record of reliablity and stopping bad people...i.e.GLOCKS, Sigs, H&K, S&W, Kahr, & Kimber just to name a few.

2nd Consideration: Encourage her to select from handgun choices that "fits" her (not you or any of the other fellas on this site). Fit must mean she can reach & manipulate the controls with the master hand, reach the trigger without compromising her master grip, and sits well in her hand. Selection also means a handgun which will support her in mastering the "C&C's" meaning she can shoot and fight Competently and with Confidence. Of the two "C's" confidence breeds competence. If she selects it and likes it, and has confidence in it (vis 'a vis 'ownership') then training and creating conpetence now becomes considerably easier and faster.

Final Consideration: Caliber - anything above a 9mm gives her a fighting chance since all handgun cartridges are largely ineffective in stopping motivated human beings. Today we see 98 pound (soaking wet) 23 year old female recruits successfully completing Police Academies with no choice of what they carry, train with, or use...generally they are issued a full size GLOCK in 9, 40 or 45 and have no say or input into their choice of duty weapon. Literally hundreds of women graduate weekly after successfully training and qualifing with a full size defensive handgun...training and using a handgun is more mental than physical...if we tell our ladies "honey, that is too much gun for you to handle" then IT IS. If you tell them "honey, you can easily master any of these calibers with no problem...female LEO's and those in the miltary are doing it every day" then they will have the assurance and confidence they can master this technology.

Ah, but what the heck do I know?

 

(I cut most of the post out to save space)

Excellent post. More male shooters would face less frustration if they followed this advice. I see the same problems while conducting Concealed Carry classes. As far as your comment "but what the heck do I know?" -- it appears Plenty. Good job.

 

wife

just got my wife new S&W Mod. 10 she like's it.

 

My wife carrys the new bersa 380 concealed carry. She loves it, I carry her old bersa 380 as my bug.. Landor is rightabout the bersa 9mm. Thats what my son carries. If you insist on a big call weapon; get her a glock 33, compact, light accurate, and shoots a .357. My daughter carries one, shes 4'10' 115. and can handle it fine.

 

My wife likes her Colt Officers ACP .45, but thinks it too heavy for steady carry. Haven't seen the Springfield EMP but it sounds like it has possibilities. I have a NAA Guardian .380 that I like. Carrys nicely in a hip pocket, you can sit on it and it doesn't look like you're stealing turnips. Trigger pull is brutal tho. Want to see one of those new Ruger .380s. Luck.

 

My wife likes my CZ82 so well I might get her one of her own. They're built like a tank but are plenty accurate and easy to handle.

 

you need to try a whole bunch of different firearms for you wife and whichever one she feels the most comfortable with and the one she is going to be the most proficient with that's the one you'll need to buy her

 

Morning Hillbilly
If it helps any my wife is about the same size as yours an she carries a Taurus Pt140 40 S&W in her purse or on her person in a (iwb)rig she has never had a problem with her carry style or her clothing its a good weapon an fits her hands well.
Hope this helps

 

What I would buy and did for my wife was a small "J" frme Smith (M-637).If she ever gets in a situation needing to use it, I want it to be a simple as possible for her. In the excitement what if the auto jams on her?She shoots my autos well, But what if it jams will she know what to do in this scenario.The revolver is next to fool proof so that's what I went with for her.