Suggestions needed for wife's CC

[SammyL]

My wife received her concealed carry permit years ago but I would not allow her to buy a gun until she went through a safety course and practice with my P 26 a little. That is now completed and I am trying to help her decide which type, cal., etc. would be good for her.

Any suggestions?

She is small build and is only 5'2" if that helps.

I was thinking of possible a Bersa Thunder 380.

[kel ruger man]

bersa would work, a poly 38 would work, anything she can control

[rkrcpa]

I think maybe a Ruger Alaskan, that way she learns not to trust you and you learn to let her pick her own gun.

Seriously, take her to a well stocked shop (dare I say Cabelas) and let her handle as many as she can. If she's gonna carry it, she should pick it.

[1:7twist]

My wife is only 5 ft. and she was able to handle a Glock 22. It took a while, but after getting her to sqeeze off a bunch she was finally dialed in. I picked upa used Kel-Tec p3at .380 auto and it is a great little gun. You can see the hammer about to drop on the double-action-so no suprises (and only $215)

[Steve_NEPhila]

I think maybe a Ruger Alaskan, that way she learns not to trust you and you learn to let her pick her own gun.

Seriously, take her to a well stocked shop (dare I say Cabelas) and let her handle as many as she can. If she's gonna carry it, she should pick it.

The above is right on, yet missing one small suggestion. Go to a range that rents guns and try out as many as you can in an hour or two... let her try before she buys.

BTW, snub nosed revolvers are not guns for beginners or "girls." Snub nosed revolvers are hard to shoot well, difficult to reload and recoil very briskly. Short barreled revolvers are for experts, not beginners irrespective of gender.

[mythaeus]

"Feeling" guns out as a gun shop to decide which one to buy makes as much sense as sitting in a car without test driving it to decide if you will buy. Even if you're lucky enough to find a shop/range that has some of the gun she maybe interested in carrying for test firing, which is unlikely, the most you can do is find out how well she can handle it, but hardly anything about whether or not she can/will carry it comfortably.

My suggestion is to do some research and get some female perspectives on what (types of) guns they carry. Check out http://corneredcat.com for some advice regarding women and carrying in general. Women needs additional time and effort into getting used to a gun that she can carry.

Most importantly, she will probably like what she can't carry and hate what she can carry on the first few times shooting it. My wife literally went through 4 different guns before settling on her current carry, which is a Ruger LCP. She went through the Beretta Tomcat, the NAA Guardian 380, and the Walther PPK/S. All in all, the most important factor was concealability. It took her 5 or 6 trips to the range before she liked the LCP and become proficient with it. At 9oz empty and compact, it's very ideal for her 5'5/100lbs frame.

If you can get someone near you who has a Bersa (with a holster), and LCP (with a holster), and any other gun she may be interested in, see if you two can take one or two trips to the local range with them. The key thing is for her to have patience and KNOW that it will take practice. Chances are she'll go through a few guns before settling on one that best suited her.

Good luck,
Al

[Orive 8]

SammyL,

My wife replied to a post similar to this a while back (and several other times before, on this and other forums), here is her reply, it might help your wife with her decision.

__________________________________________________ ____________

I am responding to your post on my husband's sign in. I have answered this same style question on different posts/forums so maybe it will be of help to you:

Here are my suggestions for anyone deciding to carry a firearm for self-defense; it does not really matter if they are female or male.

1. Training
2. Training
3. Training

4. Try to get to a range that has some rentals so they can try several different guns under the direction of someone that can steer them towards the “right” kind of gun. (Don’t let them go willy nilly, they end up picking something like a Jennings 22 or such, cuz its cute and little.)

5. Stick with a 9mm, no real GOOD reason for a new shooter to pick any other caliber. Again, no real GOOD reason. It doesn’t matter what reason they think they have, its probably not a real GOOD one.

6. Have them take a hard look at the following guns:
• The Glock 9mm, the 19 or 26. The 19 is great as an all around gun, the 26 is slightly better for concealment.
• The S&W M&P compact 9mm. This gun has a great grip size, with interchangeable back straps. (a big + for smaller handed individuals, though if the person looks at the new 4th Gen Glocks, they will also have this option)
• The XD 9mm sub-compact, another good reliable gun with a good size grip.

I don’t think that a new shooter male or female can go wrong with any of the above listed. They provide very reliable guns with one-trigger pull systems. No safety levers or decockers that have to be manipulated (some extra work to learn these properly & instinctively). All three have been around enough that there are numerous holster options for them.

7. When the person decides that he/she wants’ to carry, they need to make a life style decision. (Have her read "In the Gravest Extreme", I believe that it is a must read for anyone that is going to carry a firearm.)

8. I carry in an inside the waistband holster, if you’re going to carry 24/7/365 this is the best option. Women in particular hate to try this, mainly because they want to wear Size 4 on their Size 6 or 8 build. When you decide to be serious about carrying, you find yourself buying your clothes with concealed carry in mind. Given time, the right clothing choices, and the right holster & belt combination; women can carry full time just like men.

DeAnne

[coble]

I'd say a Bersa 380acp loaded with Remington Golden Sabers.

Tmygun:-)

AGREED! You can find them pretty cheap used. Not sure what new one cost.

[mrnyman]

Sammy , like the others have mentioned the Bersa in .380 is a nice inexpensive Gun, but the problem is the Bersa is a Blowback gun it has quite a stiff recoil which your wife might not like, dont let the .380 fool you . blowback .380's kick like a mule, remember its only a short 9mm.

I would suggest the Kahr CW9 , if your wife do not like it i will eat my hat.

But the best thing to do as the others have suggested is to take her to a Funstore and have her choose what she likes.

And i'm Glad that nothing happened to your wife all those years that you didnt allow her to own a gun, that would have been embarrassing , LTCF but no GUN.

Good luck.

Mike

[Grillman]

Oh women My wife has Glock 26,Lady Smith 357 (shoots 38+P out of it ) and
a Taurus Judge.She carries the S&W with her all the time.She likes the judge
too shoots 45 colts out of it.Now the Glock 26 she dosn't like that much because she like revolvers better than semi-autos.But today at the range
someone had a S&W Bodygaurd 380.She shot that and just loves it.Now
she would like to get one.So i guess go to the range and let her check them
out and most important let her choose what she wants.And that may change
at anytime Good Luck.