Best handgun to get my wife into shooting?

[aaron.foulk]

PPQ and S&W M&P are pretty good for small hands. If hand strength is an issue, a slide racker like the one in the link can help. A K or L frame smith and wesson in .357 would be great for small hands as well, but you'll need and action job to make it run well. Single action guns such as a Ruger Vaquero or Uberti Cattleman in .357/.38 are fun and very shootable, too. They also do very well with a little action work from the right gunsmith.

https://www.wrightshooting.com/products.html

 

[-Z/28-]

Why is a rimfire better for beginners? Not being a smart ass, honestly interested in why that is

Honestly, I don't think its better. I usually start people with a 9mm. I load 1 round for them. Then after they shoot that I load 2. After those 3, they usually have a good grasp of the recoil and I can go right into getting them on target.

 

[BigSteve57]

Why is a rimfire better for beginners? Not being a smart ass, honestly interested in why that is

Interesting observation. My wife started with a Beretta 92FS 9mm and feels very comfortable with it. We acquired a Browning BuckMark 22 pistol which we both love his past year. Much later in our hand-gunning experience.

But my wife was an accomplished rifle shooter and hunter of many years. So, a handgun of modest recoil like a 9mm was no issue for her. What was of greatest issue for her was the hold: did the handgun feel good to her.

So your question is quite relevant. It's the hold in my observation. Most people take to a .22 easily - i.e. no recoil. Start there if the shooter is new to handguns.

 

[Mark75H]

There is no recoil to learn to flinch from with rimfire. You learn confidence in your ability to control a handgun from the first shot. Beginners get to learn the operating controls of a handgun without worry or fear of something jumping out of their hand. Once they have become familiar with the parts and controls, then move them up to something more powerful. I don't know of any NRA Training Counselor (second tier of instructors) that disagrees.

Habits, good or bad start at the beginning.

 

[traveller]

Bought my Wife a Ruger SR-22 .. Small and light and fits perfect in her hands . The grips are changeable also .. We tried the Walther P22 and the Sig Mosquito before deciding on the Ruger.

Thats what I bought to get my wife started. The DA pull is a bit stiff but the small grip works well for her hands.

 

[-Z/28-]

There is no recoil to learn to flinch from with rimfire. You learn confidence in your ability to control a handgun from the first shot. Beginners get to learn the operating controls of a handgun without worry or fear of something jumping out of their hand. Once they have become familiar with the parts and controls, then move them up to something more powerful. I don't know of any NRA Training Counselor (second tier of instructors) that disagrees.

Habits, good or bad start at the beginning.

I guess to expand on my above post, while I start people with 9mm, there is usually an instruction session before ever going to a range with airsoft replicas at home. That's how I make sure my friends are comfortable with the controls and manipulation of the gun.

 

[j_h_smith]

I have started new shooters off with 22LR, 38 wad cutters, 9mm, 45acp, and 44 mag.
I have had a new shooter fire 6 out of the 44 mag and then tell them that if they can shoot that, they can shoot anything. Other's I've slowly started with 22LR and not gone to a centerfire round for 2 or 3 visits to the range. You really need to read your shooter and see what they are comfortable with. Many women are comfortable with 38 spl wad cutters. The long barrel (686 with a 6.5" barrel) and the favorable grip that a revolver offers seems to work well with them. I know my wife would rather shoot this one more than any other handgun and she's really good with it.

 

[Immersion]

.22 silenced if possible. If it's a first time shooter the lack of loud noise will aid in them concentrating on the shot instead of getting distracted by the report of the muzzle. Hope this helps.

 

[jimbobborg]

How about a CZ-75 with the Cadet .22 upper conversion? Start with the .22 upper, then move to 9mm. Gets her used to the grip and general handling of the full sized pistol with .22 then when she's got that down, drop the 9mm bits back on and she's shooting SD ammunition.

 

[F-Stop]

.22 silenced if possible. If it's a first time shooter the lack of loud noise will aid in them concentrating on the shot instead of getting distracted by the report of the muzzle. Hope this helps.

This is what I did. Started with Ruger 22/45 suppressed at private range. She had a blast. Then went through NRA basic pistol with her using the Ruger unsuppressed. Now she is having fun shooting 9mm and we added 15/22. Next centerfire rifles.

 

[Immersion]

This is what I did. Started with Ruger 22/45 suppressed at private range. She had a blast. Then went through NRA basic pistol with her using the Ruger unsuppressed. Now she is having fun shooting 9mm and we added 15/22. Next centerfire rifles.

Very nice and well done, sir!

 

[Pretoria78]

My wife has a full sized M&P 9 that she enjoys shooting and has no problem staying on target with. Her first range session with it she was making short work of 2 inch dots at 3 and 5 yards, and she hadn't shot a handgun in months.

 

[wlc]

full size .380 or 38 special

 

[Machodoc]

First, the suggestions about getting a new shooter -- especially one who is concerned about noise and recoil -- started with a .22 pistol, are great advice. That said, it sounds like you have gotten past that point, and are looking for something that will appeal to her and will fit a smaller hand than most of the guns that were designed for men.

Another big consideration with a semi-auto is how hard it is to grip and rack the slide.

I strongly urge you to take a look at the EAA / Tanfoglio Pavona model. It was designed by one of the women who is an upper-level executive in that company, and is built exclusively for women. I recently got one of these for my wife, and she really likes it. Hers is in 9 mm.

I've been down a long road getting my wife into shooting and comfortable with hand guns. She initially had strong reactions to loud noises, and fears of recoil. I won't give you the long story, but we started with a Browning Buckmark .22. That took care of getting her comfortable shooting. She then tried a number of different guns, including a "ladies' model" Sig in .380 that was beautiful to look at, but not fun for her to shoot. She got sufficiently used to noise and recoil that she was able to enjoy shooting a Tokarev like an old pro, but it just didn't fit her small hands.

The Pavona not only fits her hands, but it's made so that it's easy to rack, the trigger is very smooth, and it's light. In fact, the only drawback is that they come in "girl" colors that may be attractive to many women, but are a bit too bright and glittery for her. The black with small gold flakes wasn't too bad, though, and she likes that. Your wife may be more attracted to the bright colors, though. If so, there are plenty from which she may choose.

Let me also point out that you can get far better pricing than those shown on the EAA website. Look at places like J&G and Bud's.

In case there's still a male here who hasn't noticed, not all women are the same. Some are shy about noise and recoil, while others would love to have a Ma Deuce. My suggestions are for those who have women in their lives who are clearly not comfortable with "man sized" guns that rattle their bones and shoot fireballs halfway down the range. The Pavona seems to be the most ideal gun on the market today for women who don't want a hand cannon. It comes in .380, 9 mm, and .40 cal. I think that the 9 mm is the best compromise for having a bit of "ooomph!" without too much recoil, so that's what I got my wife.

 

[Melnic]

Depending on the "timid factor" +1 on a .22LR

What ever you start them on, put 1 round in the mag to start if its a semi auto.
YOU fire the gun a few times with them by your side so they can see what to do and they hear the shot before they are the one shooting it. It also shows them that the gun can shoot if handled properly and there is not a problem with the gun.

My wife's first is a Ruger 22/45 Lite, but honestly, I don't like the slide release on it for small hands.
Ruger SR22? My dad has this and people have commented (including a female who then got one) that it is easy to shoot.

If you get a semi auto, buy up some CCI ammo cause its likely to be the most reliable in nearly any 22LR semi auto.

 

[Sundazes]

I agree starting with a 22. Then move up. My wife who is petite,(read small hands) love shooting a 92FS Compact. As soon as she picked it up, it felt right in her hands.
She had tried a G19 which was too snappy. A full size 92 was too big for her hands. She also enjoys shooting a 22/45 threaded.
She put 2 rounds through an Anaconda with full loads and set it down on the bench. She was smiling though. This was after many range trips...

 

[OrbitalEllipses]

Thanks, all! She has shot a .22 and is comfortable with it. As long as I load and unload it, etc. the problem with renting is a gun range with a lot of other people shooting and a lot of guns to choose from overwhelms her a bit. She's much more comfortable when she and I can target shoot on her uncle'a farm. A 9-mm semi auto was what I had in mind, so glad to hear that suggestion. What are some good ones to start looking at? I want something decent, but not looking to spend more than $800-900, at most.

GF loves my Ruger 22/45 Lite. The first 9mm she shot was a P239 we rented - I can barely get my hands on it since the gun's pretty small, but for her hands she was able to get a full purchase and really enjoyed it.

I'd consider my Dan Wesson Pointman 9 (9mm 1911, ~2.5lbs) to be an exceptionally soft-shooting gun and very ergonomic due to the single stack design, but she thought it was too heavy and didn't enjoy shooting it at all. She didn't feel like she got a good purchase and as I watched her shoot it really seemed to flip a lot.

 

[photoracer]

Why is a rimfire better for beginners? Not being a smart ass, honestly interested in why that is

Because its always easier to become accurate when you have little or no recoil verses trying to be accurate while having to overcome recoil. Helps eliminate bad starting habits like squinting or closing your eyes momentarily when the gun goes off. Once you have the correct mechanics, moving up is easy. Too many don't start out well and then have to spend time correctly themselves to get better. One reason why it is often easier to teach a rank novice than a person with a little experience that was not taught correctly.
Take a look at Mel Gibson in the 1st Lethal Weapon movie at the firing range. Even shooting blanks you can see him squint and blink on just about every round. If he was really shooting at that target he would not of hit it at all, much less put a smiley on it (probably somebody like Jerry stood there and did the actual shooting off camera at a guess).

 

[Easyjk]

I was thinking of the Glock 42 for my wife.

 

[Biggfoot44]

I can't decide which statement to make first.

*There is no such thing as a women's gun*

* whatever SHE Likes , and can shoot well *


Let her try both revolvers and semis without any preconceptions.


The idea of (new shooters generally) starting out with .22lr is minimal recoil and modest noise and blast. Not just to "learn to work the controls" , but enough to gain basic marksnmanship skill ( trigger control , sight picture , trigger control , stance ).