Best handgun to get my wife into shooting?

[Pinecone]

When we were actively instructing (wife and I are both NRA Pistol and Personal Protective Instructors), we started women, at the range, with .22 semi auto. Easy to shoot, not intimadating, light recoil, low noise and muzzle blast.

We then moved them up to 9mm, .38 Special (in a .357 pistol), and .45 ACP. All in the same range session. No requirement that they shoot anything other than the .22, but virtually every one wanted to try them, after a few mags of .22.

Last we would have them shoot .380, to show how a lighter round, in a light pistol, was NASTY. Several women ended upi buying .45s, many bouth 9mm.

As for which gun, LET HER CHOOSE. It is her gun, so let her pick.

 

[BigDaddy]

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

Less noise, muzzle blast and recoil. Ammo is cheap when you can find it and takes up little space.

 

[aaron.foulk]

First Steps and NRA pistol courses taught by competent instructors like what Pinecone offered are much cheaper than gun buying mistakes. I agree with his approach. Not sure someone would buy a .22 first if stepped through the calibers like that.

Ruger MK3's bite and will draw blood if one makes a mistake in loading. That makes for a very unpleasant experience. That is not a gun I would put in a complete noob's hands if I wanted them to enjoy shooting.

 

[Pinecone]

Actually most people we taught, that went on and purchased, ended up with a .22 and a centerfire pistol. At LEAST.

.22 cheaper to shoot. Centerfire for serious use.

Several went on to own a number of firearms.

We used a Mitchell High Standard clone for the rimfire. I did not own a Ruger rimfire pistol until Lou made me buy one, but his stupidly low price.

 

[daNattyFatty]

My wife had fired a handgun on two occasions prior to us meeting. On our trips together, she's handled both 9 and 40. On a later trip, I decided to rent an M&P22, as I was considering buying one. After a couple mags, I asked her how she liked it. She said she hated it because it didn't "feel like a real gun." I was instantly mind f*cked because she loves the10/22. Go figure.

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[ground chuck]

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.

I rented a smith m&p 9 and glock had her shoot both she like the smith better. Save the money and buy ammo and training.

 

[Long1MD]

Try a Beretta 85 next, then maybe to a Beretta 92?...

If you need smaller, maybe try the Ruger LC9s or LC9s Pro...9mm, not a lot of recoil for the size. Glock 42 is nice . Maybe go from the 42 to the LC9, but I have both and can't tell much difference in the recoil. Besides they offer the LC9 in colors now.

 

[md123]

My wife shot a Rutgers sr22 and then my glock 17.

Thread http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=146324


Good luck!

 

[Jack5j]

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.

Where is her uncle's farm? I have a 22 semi, 38sp revolver snubby, 9mm semi, 357 revolver and a 1911 45ACP. ALL of them are favorites for different reasons (the least of which is the snubby).
I usually bring them all when we go shooting and I have found that women seem to feel comfortable quickly with the higher calibers, but EVERYONE likes the Ruger .22 simply because it's fun. A nicely balanced higher caliber is still very comfortable. (If the farm is near me, I'd gladly let her try the ones I have.)

 

[Nodak Kid]

Ruger Mark I, II, or III. My wife loves them.

Same for my wife except for the Mark I which we don't have. Even after moving up to the 9mm she always seems to shoot Mark II & III the most.

 

[sxs]

Actually most people we taught, that went on and purchased, ended up with a .22 and a centerfire pistol. At LEAST.

.22 cheaper to shoot. Centerfire for serious use.

Several went on to own a number of firearms.

We used a Mitchell High Standard clone for the rimfire. I did not own a Ruger rimfire pistol until Lou made me buy one, but his stupidly low price.

Darn! The poor guy just got outta da hospital and you have to go making him feel guilty and all.....

 

[Machodoc]

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

I used to think that was true until I saw the EAA / Tanfoglio "Pavona" model. It's definitely built with women in mind. Not only is it (perhaps too) stylish, it's designed to fit smaller hands, be easy to grip and rack the slide, and it has a very smooth trigger action. The company states that one of their (female) senior officers worked to design this handgun specifically for women, and it shows.

I bought a Henry .22LR lever-action carbine for my wife first, then got a Browning Buckmark as her first handgun. We're talking about someone who used to run away if an air hose was about to be disconnected from a compressor. Loud noises just freaked her out.

The Henry taught her that shooting didn't have to be about loud noise and a violent punch to the shoulder. It made her comfortable, and allowed her to see that she's actually got a knack for shooting. She keeps it at the ready in case she sees a fox going after her free-range chickens.

The Buckmark did the same thing for her confidence with handguns. It was easy to operate and shoot, not too loud, and virtually no perceived recoil. Again, it showed her that she's actually a good shot. No matter what she's going to shoot now, she still usually takes the Buckmark with her to the range. She'll run a few mags through that, then shoot something larger -- usually either her Romanian Tokarev, or her new Pavona 9mm.

 

[rico903]

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.

I can fully understand the range comfort issue. I'd have started here on a .22 revolver and let her load and unload it then moved to a .22 SA. She has to learn to load and unload on her own. Once someone gets a flinch from shooting too much gun in the beginning it's hard to fix. Plenty of 9MM in your price range. All personal choice. S&W M&P, Glock, CZ compacts, lots of choices. This is when she should rent some at a range as it's all personal comfort with the gun. A .380 could be a good compromise but being a blow back gun the slides can be hard to rack. Good luck and happy shooting.

 

[outrider58]

Ruger Mark I, II, or III. My wife loves them.

Great shooters though, I hate the mag dumps.

 

[Mark75H]

A .380 could be a good compromise but being a blow back gun the slides can be hard to rack.

And blowback recoil is generally higher than guns with a locking mechanism - makes .380 undesierable for newbies

 

[Pinecone]

Also blowback means a stiffer recoil spring, making it hard for some people to rack the slide.

Browning Hi Power is a good one for smaller hands.

 

[ShoreShooter]

Have been there, and done that.

I agree with comments about a focus on ease of managing the slide. A lot. It is a big issue with many women. Not all, but many.

Second, I also agree with the comments about getting her to understand why bigger and heavier means less recoil and actually easier to manage. She now likes big. She feels like it is a "real gun" that can have a real impact if she ever has to use it in defense.

Herself wanted to begin with a PPK/S, so I got one for her. You can't find these at a range to rent, so I just bought one. She likes it, but while she CAN rack the slide, it is hard for her. And, it has more felt recoil than a 9mm. So she still shoots it, sometimes, but it isn't fun for her.

In one sense, the PPK/S became a waste of money. In another, not so, because I like it and kept it, and shoot it from time to time.

So the next step was to take her to a large gun show where she could pick up and try a lot of possible choices. By now, she better understood what she was looking for.

Her choice was a HK P30, 9mm. It has the most adjustable grip options. It was easiest to rack of anything she picked up. She loves it. I do too, though I prefer my own Sig. Fitted with the smallest grip panels, it has the smallest and most comfortable grip for her of anything out there that I am aware of.

She is still afraid to disassemble and clean it herself. Which is fine. Perhaps the only downside to the HK is that it is a tad harder to disassemble than some. Not hard as far as I am concerned. But harder.

For that matter, I load her mags too. I don't mind. As someone said, baby steps.

Lastly, I would also insist that you invest in good ear protection for her. Whatever style she wants, but be sure it is effective. Not just for the all important protection, but also by quieting the noise factor for her will be a big help for ease and comfort. Don't rely on range rentals, make hers, hers.


Edited to add: if she wants to load her own mags, spend the $20 for an Uplulu mag loader. Its a wonderful gizmo and makes it much easier for her to do herself.

 

[JMintzer]

I bought a Sig 226 .22lr to teach my daughters (the wife still won't go to the range...)

Once they were comfortable, I picked up a 9mm conversion set for it. (I also have the .40 cal conversion set if anyone is interested... [/shamless plug] )

So, if I want to plink, it's a simple slide/barrel switch... 2 guns for barely ore than the price of one...