Good gun for a petite women to carry

[das]

OK my wife is a petite woman. Im trying to figure out a good little pistol for her to carry. She shoots my S&W 38 better than me but right now I cant afford a S&W. I would like her to have a 38special or compact 9mm. I need suggestions on a good 38 or compact 9mm. Please throw some suggestions my way. Thanks. das

[CHEMICAL]

OK my wife is a petite woman. Im trying to figure out a good little pistol for her to carry. She shoots my S&W 38 better than me but right now I cant afford a S&W. I would like her to have a 38special or compact 9mm. I need suggestions on a good 38 or compact 9mm. Please throw some suggestions my way. Thanks. das

hmmm...maybe if we had a picture of her to go on............

seriously there are so many.......kahr makes an awesome gun, as does springfield armory. some people like keltec, and others will swear by glock.

best thing you can do is google "compact 9mm" or ".38 special" and compare pros/cons of everything that comes up, then see what fits her hand the best.

regardless of what she chooses, practice, practice, practice and I'm sure it will work out just fine!

here's a little starter: http://www.best9mm.com/compact9mm.html
http://www.gundirectory.com/body.asp...Wesson+Special

then there's always the "pink lady":http://www.charterfirearms.com/produ...DAO_53831.html

[pacrimescode5904]

The Smith M & P has "adjustable" grips small, med, and large. Might be worth a look. I love mine.

[Azzy]

There are a ton of new .380s out there, and I hear the new SR9 compact 9mm is pretty slim.

[27hand]

Whatever you do, don't choose it for her.

Get some ideas from this site, have her hold, shoot and see how she might conceal (or openly carry ) this new weapon.

If she is not going to practice much with it ( this seems to be the norm), I would suggest a revolver.

Very important for her to shoot something before selecting it. If it is uncomfortable for her to shoot, she won't practice with it.
If she has no or little knowledge about the pistol manipulations, get her enrolled in a basic firearm handling class. Perhaps a one day class for basic manipulation FOLLOWED by a 3 day course taught by a professional trainer. I understand money being tight but few people realize the importance of professional training. An NRA certed instructor can review the basics but most don't know how to correctly diagnose shooter problems.

" if you don't know what to do, you won't do it"

Just a few 27 thoughts and good luck.

[462-SERV]

OK my wife is a petite woman. Im trying to figure out a good little pistol for her to carry. She shoots my S&W 38 better than me but right now I cant afford a S&W. I would like her to have a 38special or compact 9mm. I need suggestions on a good 38 or compact 9mm. Please throw some suggestions my way. Thanks. das

Most of my students are women of all shapes and sizes.
Let her try out a buncha choices for feel at a big store.
And then shoot some at a range if possible.

The good thing we know from what you said is that
she couldn't hide a bigger compact 9mm on her
body. I think a subcompact 9mm is a good choice
and probably better than a micro unless she is
recoil immune. Your budget and her frame probably
means that the ultralights are off the table.

The big questions we need answers to are:

Does she have any disabilities?
How is her arm and hand strength?
Does she dress in a way that would
let her carry on her person (good) or would
she carry in a purse (less good)?

At the minimum you want to
put the Glock Subcompact model 26
in 9mm on your list.

My favorite micros for smaller people
and for back up guns for LE are the
Keltec P3AT in .380 and the Ruger
LCP also in .380. This gun is small
enough that even a very small framed
person can carry it in their pocket
or hide it practically anywhere.
The .380 is a fine stopper for a close up
gun with a high performance defense bullet/load.
The trick is making sure she gets to shoot enough
to be accurate.
The problem is that .380 ammo is expensive now.

If a revolver is needed there
are lots of snubbie choices
including surplus pd trade ins
but they can be expensive
depending on brand or condition.
I would look at Rugers as being
good and less expensive
but not very light.
Light= harder to control and shoot comfortably and more expensive.

I hope this helps.


Aloha

[RandomTask]

My money's on the Desert Eagle.

[Nic]

Look into a Taurus or Rossi .38, as they are less expensive than the S&W.

[Robert Kayland]

Since even the .38 snubbies and compact 9mms out there can be bulky, especially in the summer months, I'd give serious consideration to a .380, like the Ruger LCP or the equivalent Kel-Tec... much tinier, and more apt to be carried under all conditions... especially if absolute total concealment under nearly every type of clothing (or lack thereof) is desired.

And don't let anyone kid you... a .380 can be a very deadly round within the usual "personal defense zone" of 5 to 20 feet.

Of course, if it's strictly a purse gun, then the .38 snubbies and compact 9mms will do... somebody mentioned the new Ruger SR 9mm compact and the Taurus and Rossi snubbies... I've had good luck with my Taurus 85 ultralites.

Just as an aside: I and several other guys I know have had issues with the Kahr compact 9mms... and I don't think they're worth the higher price they cost over some other makers.

[LorDiego01]

Bersa in .380 might do the trick.