Question about buying a gun for my wife to use.

jeffie7 · Dec 27, 2015

Allium said:
Best advise came from a shop on Kent island. I had taken her out a couple times firing my guns. We were out for a drive so we stopped into the shop. As I started going over teh various handguns they gentleman behind teh counter kicked me out! He was right to as each selection was tainted my if it were mine. A while later she came out with an idea of what felt good for her - she chose it not me. So find a shop you trust and turn her over to teh "experts" Oh and she chose an FNP 9

I've found many shops to also be biased on guns.

As for my wife a little background. I've been with her for 10? Years. We use to shoot a lot many years ago and she shot a lot before we met. She is NOT new to guns. She doesn't own one but has shot many. She's put her share of rounds thru my p229 .40 Sadly over time we've run out of time to shoot but are now over the last year really trying to make it happen. Even more so with hopefully moving and the world still turning south with random shootings so it's time to step up our training and use of guns.

However subcompact guns are new to her. Odds are I'll end up getting a glock 43 because I want one. And I'll push the point if she doesn't like it no biggy let's try some more guns. Again. It's a win win. She likes it I get to shoot it she doesn't like it I get to shoot it as with another gun we've yet to pick out.

RoadDawg · Dec 28, 2015

jeffie7 said:
Glock 42 has a lot of praise for very little recoil and being fun to shoot. Glock 43 has a lot of snappy reviews but I do agree 9mm is a much better round. I have zero .380 rounds but have more 9mm than I can remember.

Only reason I'd consider the 42 is for a better easier shooter based on reviews.

I have the G17, G26 and G42...

I have thousands of rounds through the first two and hundreds through the G42. (newly acquired this fall.) I found the G42 to be a very pleasant shooter. And it was a lot more accurate than I am. I could easily fire several hundred rounds through it and still go back for more. (I also have a Ruger LCP and I have found that it is not so pleasant to shoot. It is very snappy and due to its narrow size, it tends to dig into the web of the hand a bit more aggressively. Although a reasonably accurate piece... the sights are nearly not there.)

I have no problem finding .380 ammunition and I also have never found anyone who will volunteer to stand in front of any .380 while I pull the trigger. In reality... a .22LR that one is confident/comfortable in firing is better than a 1911 .45 that they are not confident with. The trick is mostly shot placement under duress. After running out of ammo for his rifle, Sgt Alvin York killed a squad of enemy soldiers with his 1911 at one shot per enemy combatant.

.380 =

Also... I tested and found worthy... MagGuts replacement springs and followers for my magazines. The 6 round magazines are now 7 round magazines. Carry count is 7 + 1.
MagGuts

Borrow or rent a G42 and have her shoot several mags full. I think she will be pleased. Now... of course a twelve gauge slug gun will do a better job... But she may be a better shooter with something that she is more relaxed with if/when she ever needs to rely on it.

Schipperke · Dec 28, 2015

I never shot one of them there G42 things. My experience with .380 is in a very small, light gun, the recoil is no less annoying than a 9mm of same size. A .380 in a Walther PPK or Bersa Thunder is very fun to shoot, those guns have more size and heft.

dgapilot · Dec 28, 2015

If you are worried about your wife not having an HQL, why not look at C&R guns? Lots of nice 50+ year old guns available and exempt from needing the HQL. Kind of like getting her a nice piece of estate jewelry.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mark75H · Dec 28, 2015

Schipperke said:
I never shot one of them there G42 things. My experience with .380 is in a very small, light gun, the recoil is no less annoying than a 9mm of same size. A .380 in a Walther PPK or Bersa Thunder is very fun to shoot, those guns have more size and heft.

Correct, the smaller the gun is the more recoil is transmitted to the shooter. Add to that the fact that many .380's are direct blowback design rather than some locked barrel action (in almost all 9mm) - .380's generally have MORE felt recoil than a 9mm.

The shooter's hand physiology and the size and shape of the grip are also involved, so THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to have the shooter try the gun themselves. Just like no one can tell you which ammo will shoot most accurately in any particular 10/22, no one can tell another person what gun shoots comfortably, or even acceptably in thier hand.

jrumann59 · Dec 28, 2015

My wife is 5'3" 100lbs soaking wet. She actually hates the smaller compacts like my PT111, she prefers my full size guns like the SR9 and my Beretta 92FS, her words, "It doesn't jump around as much as the smaller gun does." All my pistols are chambered in 9mm

jeffie7 · Dec 28, 2015

I bought a G43 today, by bought I mean I added myself to the MD waiting list.

I know it fits her hand well, if she enjoys shooting it or not will be another thing, either way I'm open to buying another one for her if she doesnt like it.

jeffie7 · Dec 28, 2015

RoadDawg said:
I have the G17, G26 and G42...

I have thousands of rounds through the first two and hundreds through the G42. (newly acquired this fall.) I found the G42 to be a very pleasant shooter. And it was a lot more accurate than I am. I could easily fire several hundred rounds through it and still go back for more. (I also have a Ruger LCP and I have found that it is not so pleasant to shoot. It is very snappy and due to its narrow size, it tends to dig into the web of the hand a bit more aggressively. Although a reasonably accurate piece... the sights are nearly not there.)

I have no problem finding .380 ammunition and I also have never found anyone who will volunteer to stand in front of any .380 while I pull the trigger. In reality... a .22LR that one is confident/comfortable in firing is better than a 1911 .45 that they are not confident with. The trick is mostly shot placement under duress. After running out of ammo for his rifle, Sgt Alvin York killed a squad of enemy soldiers with his 1911 at one shot per enemy combatant.

.380 =

Also... I tested and found worthy... MagGuts replacement springs and followers for my magazines. The 6 round magazines are now 7 round magazines. Carry count is 7 + 1.
MagGuts

Borrow or rent a G42 and have her shoot several mags full. I think she will be pleased. Now... of course a twelve gauge slug gun will do a better job... But she may be a better shooter with something that she is more relaxed with if/when she ever needs to rely on it.

If the G43 jumps around too much for her, we'll give the G42 a shot. As for the shotgun, its in the closet, but hard to CCW when the time comes that we can CCW.

RoadDawg · Dec 29, 2015

jeffie7 said:
If the G43 jumps around too much for her, we'll give the G42 a shot. As for the shotgun, its in the closet, but hard to CCW when the time comes that we can CCW.

If you can find the two for rent or loan and let her do a one on one comparison... She will likely get a better feel for both. And that way be better able to choose which one fits her best. Have fun shopping. :thumbsup:

kraftyone · Jan 3, 2016

Schipperke said:
Get her this, and share your ammo...

I am in the same boat as the OP wife is getting into shooting and we are looking for her first gun. She has taken the HQL course so I am not buying the gun for her. We spent about an hour at cabelas the other day with her handling darn near every gun they had in the case. Being petit she was having difficulty with manipulating the slides on most of the guns even using the push method. Then we came across the ruger LCR9 she really liked it so we are looking to find a range that has one to rent so she can give it a try.

daggo66 · Jan 3, 2016

ruarkkustomz said:
She has tried all the methods for the most part looks more like she just doesn't have the grip strength to hold the slide. And has a bigger problem when loaded with ammo.

Pinecone's method will work. I'm willing to bet she is rotating her weak hand and trying to grab the slide with her thumb and forefinger inside out. She should put her weak hand over the slide with her entire thumb and bottom of her palm along the inside of the slide and her 4 fingers on the other side. All she heeds to do is "hold" the slide, the push forward with her strong hand.
If she's too weak for that then no way she's even strong enough to hold a loaded handgun.

daggo66 · Jan 3, 2016

jeffie7 said:
Debating on buying a gun that my wife can train with in MD and for future CCW once we are out of state. Clearly I cannot buy a gun for her in the state of Maryland. However if I buy a gun in Maryland for her to train with at the range with me there I know that's fine. It's my gun not hers id be buying it for her to train with, not to own in Maryland. When the time comes, when we leave Maryland, can she use it/carry it or would that fall under a straw purchase. If we move to a state like VA what would we need to do to add her name to it? Assuming a transfer but then if I use it to CCW would I run into issues?

Cliff notes. Guess the question comes down to if in VA or TX can a husband and wife share a gun for CCW or do both people need to be registered with the gun. If that is even possible.

This is a complete misconception. There is no need for you to be present.

lsw · Jan 4, 2016

One of the suggested revolvers seems like a good solution, but if she prefers a .380 semi-auto, you might look for a Beretta 86. Taurus made some tip-ups too but I'm not sure if they ever made a .380.

G29guy · Feb 3, 2016

VA DOES NOT require registration and a lot don't...i am a VA resident, I believe a straw purchase is a 6month window. So if you purchased a gun and gave it to her next day that would be, if you gave it to her 9mos later because you got a better gun then nope..also, the 21yr requirement is only a FFL requirement (as another example). In VA the age to carry a handgun is 18 (21 for CCW), so if you gave your 18yo child a gun thats legit, or if it was a private purchase. you could not go to a gun store and buy and give to them for their b-day...there are 49 other states in the country and they all have different laws, and as of now there's no federal or national gun registration. VA only keeps a record for 30days after a purchase is called into VASP for release, so on day 31 no one knows you have a legal right to that handgun, so you need to have documentation (pic of serial #, original receipt, etc) if it were ever stolen to prove that its yours...oh, and VT, you can carry a pistol at 16 (unless that changed in last 5yrs)...so as w/ anything, you need to educate yourself on the local state laws anywhere you go

G29guy · Feb 3, 2016

save your $...both the g42 and g43 are too big for single stack mags, true they are exactly like any other glock...i have a keltic PF-9 for "ultra subcompact" carry, it is significantly smaller than the new glocks, so if I'm going to sacrifice capacity then I want maximum concealability

G29guy · Feb 3, 2016

user error

jrumann59 said:
My wife is 5'3" 100lbs soaking wet. She actually hates the smaller compacts like my PT111, she prefers my full size guns like the SR9 and my Beretta 92FS, her words, "It doesn't jump around as much as the smaller gun does." All my pistols are chambered in 9mm

it's not the gun that jumps around, it's not the gun's fault. It's user error...proper platform will fix...contact me if you would like help, i guarantee I'll have her firing my G29 very effectively by the end of the day

Kilroy · Feb 3, 2016

I'd stay away from tiny guns. They won't be fun to shoot, which means she won't want to practice. My wife likes compact, but not sub-compact guns. Most new women shooters I've taught like full-size guns, because they're easier to control.

Pinecone · Feb 3, 2016

G29guy said:
VA DOES NOT require registration and a lot don't...i am a VA resident, I believe a straw purchase is a 6month window. So if you purchased a gun and gave it to her next day that would be, if you gave it to her 9mos later because you got a better gun then nope..also, the 21yr requirement is only a FFL requirement (as another example). In VA the age to carry a handgun is 18 (21 for CCW), so if you gave your 18yo child a gun thats legit, or if it was a private purchase. you could not go to a gun store and buy and give to them for their b-day...there are 49 other states in the country and they all have different laws, and as of now there's no federal or national gun registration. VA only keeps a record for 30days after a purchase is called into VASP for release, so on day 31 no one knows you have a legal right to that handgun, so you need to have documentation (pic of serial #, original receipt, etc) if it were ever stolen to prove that its yours...oh, and VT, you can carry a pistol at 16 (unless that changed in last 5yrs)...so as w/ anything, you need to educate yourself on the local state laws anywhere you go

There is nothing written about 6 months and straw purchases. A straw purchase is where the actual person getting the firearm has someone else purchase it for them for the purpose of evading any of the checks or record keeping required on a purchase. If doesn't matter if the final transfer occurs 1 minute, 1 month, 1 year, etc, later. It has to do with the intent of the transaction.

21 years old for handguns is a Federal law on purchasing from an FFL.

Oh, and if you believe that all records disappear after some set time, you probably also still believe in Santa.

And don't forget, the 4473 is forever.

RoadDawg · Feb 3, 2016

Pinecone said:
There is nothing written about 6 months and straw purchases. A straw purchase is where the actual person getting the firearm has someone else purchase it for them for the purpose of evading any of the checks or record keeping required on a purchase. If doesn't matter if the final transfer occurs 1 minute, 1 month, 1 year, etc, later. It has to do with the intent of the transaction.

21 years old for handguns is a Federal law on purchasing from an FFL.

Oh, and if you believe that all records disappear after some set time, you probably also still believe in Santa.

And don't forget, the 4473 is forever.

When you're right... You're right. :thumbsup:

RoadDawg · Feb 4, 2016

G29guy said:
it's not the gun that jumps around, it's not the gun's fault. It's user error...proper platform will fix...contact me if you would like help, i guarantee I'll have her firing my G29 very effectively by the end of the day

Different pistols do perform differently in the hands of different folks. I prefer the G42 over the LCP. And I've been shooting since I was eight years old. So, at 60... I've learned a few things about the variations in the skill sets of different people. It's rather bold to "guarantee" that you can solve everyone's or even anyone's shooting issues. And a bit overboard to blame all issues on the shooters before you know a damn thing about them.

Micro pistols, AKA mouse guns, can be downright painful for some folks to shoot. So, don't arbitrarily blame the shooters for not liking them, or for preferring one over the other.

Question about buying a gun for my wife to use.

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