9mm vs. 380 for women's CCW gun

[MMH]

I have a friend who just started carrying and his wife is thinking about it (but is not carrying yet). Neither one of them are that familiar with guns. He got her a 380 M&P Shield. Is 9mm recoil that much worse for new shooters (especially women)? I know that defense ammo has really improved, but still would be much more comfortable w/ a 9mm over a 380. I know that it is about placement, but even so...

[father-of-five]

It depends on the gun....and the woman. A friend of mine is 6'1" and she has a full size Beretta.

It is probably better to "try before you buy," given the circumstances.

[widgetman101]

9MM all day, I don't think they'll find the recoil is much more than the 380. I bought my wife a Kimber Micro 9 and has no problems shooting it. I'd say the first handful of shots it felt snappy to her until she got used to the recoil. Maybe I'm crazy but I feel like 380 is a dead round that not a lot of people use anymore unless it's because they're typically cheaper than the 9mm counterpart.

[Walleye Hunter]

9MM all day, I don't think they'll find the recoil is much more than the 380. I bought my wife a Kimber Micro 9 and has no problems shooting it. I'd say the first handful of shots it felt snappy to her until she got used to the recoil. Maybe I'm crazy but I feel like 380 is a dead round that not a lot of people use anymore unless it's because they're typically cheaper than the 9mm counterpart.

Maybe they used to be and based on size should be but that is contrary to my observations lately. .380 prices look obscene to me.

[340M&P]

The largest caliber you can comfortably and accurately shoot. If that means a 380, so be it. I prefer to stay at a 9 minimum.

[Emptymag]

The felt recoil and overall ability to manage it has far more to do with the type/size of handgun than the caliber.

A small .380 can be brutal, while a mid-size or large 9mm can be a pleasure to shoot.

It's a little more complex than "three eighty's for the ladies."

[Ilikebuckets]

The try before you buy is the best advice.

My wife can shoot 9mm. She like her .380 Bodyguard for carry though better than any of the 9mm she has shot over the years. It*s small and light so she will carry it, the recoil does not bother her, plus she likes the long trigger pull. She is also very accurate with it.

[MMH]

I agree with most reply's. I do not want to be too forceful with them, but feel that a 9mm is a significantly superior defense round and not much more recoil. Even with compact 9mm the recoil is not bad. My 938 does not feel much worse than my Hi-Power.

One other advantage of a 9mm is much cheaper practice ammo. You can pick up 1000 rounds of FMJ for less than $300.

[bluetrane2028]

To be honest I think there's a cart being placed before the horse here. The Shield will be fine to carry, but even small .380s can be snappy to shoot, especially for newbies, and newbies probably shouldn't jump straight to carry... although I won't tell them not to as it is 100% their right to do so.

Let's keep them in the S&W family to keep things somewhat consistent and suggest a M&P M2.0 Compact. Glock 19 equivalent, will have a trigger that's similar ish to the Shield, cheaper ammunition to train with and a lot of confidence to hit with it. If someday that .380 gets upgraded to a 9mm Shield, all the better IMO, but let's get those rounds down range and build familiarity.

[JDA58]

My wife tried to rack the slide on a number of different 9mm & 380 pistols with no luck.. She broke both wrist and had surgery on both in the past few years..that along with lack of strength.. and recoil did seem to bother her a bit more.. that saying, she went with the S&W EZ 380, she can rack the slide and recoil doesn't seem as bad .
It has a grip safety that some do not like.. but she has not had a problem with it..