Gun Reviews allowed??

[AZLineman]

If you want some thing in the 1911 platform (which is my favorite and main edc) go with an officers size 9 mm. 9 mm ammo has come way down on price you can practice with what you carry as said above the EAA/Girsan is a nice package. I am going to pick one up soon. I also have a 1st gen Springfield XD which is modeled after the 1911 ergonomics you can get it in the standard and compact and it has the grip pressure safety which is a nice feature as well. Very comfortable. Great pricing. For an inexpensive platform look at the Taurus G3C. Nice lil sidearm.

 

[bilz]

Funny, my wife's first gun was so she'd be safer in Cali when I was here, working on the house. It was a .357, because she was more comfortable with the revolver. That said, she was around firearms at a young age.

If we had guns, I think she'd probably carry a .40 now

My wife prefers a 357 with a 4in barrel. Simple to use, she calls it the real gun or my cowboy gun. She did start out with a 22.
Buy the way, none of these caliber firearms float.

 

[Backlash]

I may be biased, but I love the way the Sig 320 in 9mm shoots. A friend has one that he put together, and that gun shoots as smooth as butter and is extremely accurate. The size is perfect and you can get a smaller frame size that fits her hand more comfortably. If I weren't so scared of guns, I would probably buy one of those. It's that nice.

 

[MPHSystems]

guns kill people.

 

[monkeyswrench]

guns kill people.

Rarely...bullets on the otherhand...

 

[jetboatperformance]

Highly recommend any wife or GF give thought to NRA "Women on target" courses (to attend by themselves) I have been a firearms owner /advocate/shooter/hunter since childhood . I have my "ways" and have done my best to teach Rhonda, but the most confidence she developed was without me at her first range course . Not only did she learn safe handling , laws , rules etc but also a multitude of other Gun skills Shes a very good shooter and confident with her weapon . As for her piece She drove the Gun shop nuts I think but they were patient when she shopped . She had 7 handguns out and "worked them" , pointed , gripped etc She settled on her Barretta 9mm PX4 Storm , super safe easy to operate needs a mag loader (for small hand) Her groups are very tight , Shes fast becoming what I term an "instinctive shooter"

PS she has yet to fire her RI 45acp RE any .22 (and I own a few) maybe a good "starter" to learn , but for self defense .... Likely not going to stop a grown man or marauding animal , might just piss them off IMO

 

[MPHSystems]

9mm is for people who pee sitting down.

 

[MR HARLEY]

9mm is for people who pee sitting down.

 

[MPHSystems]

Highly recommend any wife or GF give thought to NRA "Women on target" courses (to attend by themselves) I have been a firearms owner /advocate/shooter/hunter since childhood . I have my "ways" and have done my best to teach Rhonda, but the most confidence she developed was without me at her first range course . Not only did she learn safe handling , laws , rules etc but also a multitude of other Gun skills Shes a very good shooter and confident with her weapon . As for her piece She drove the Gun shop nuts I think but they were patient when she shopped . She had 7 handguns out and "worked them" , pointed , gripped etc She settled on her Barretta 9mm PX4 Storm , super safe easy to operate needs a mag loader (for small hand) Her groups are very tight , Shes fast becoming what I term an "instinctive shooter"

PS she has yet to fire her RI 45acp RE any .22 (and I own a few) maybe a good "starter" to learn , but for self defense .... Likely not going to stop a grown man or marauding animal , might just piss them off IMO

firearms is something i never even attempted to teach my wife. I’ve always just paid other people to argue with her about guns.

 

[Fastdadtsmith]

@LHC30 to the white courtesy phone

 

[bilz]

NRA and CRPA have excellent training programs. My wife did the CRPA rifle and shotgun class. With the Scout moms, we didn't train our own wives. Our Troop had many NRA trained Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun instructors and several RSOs.

 

[LHC30]

@LHC30 to the white courtesy phone

You rang? Lol

 

[Your ad here]

Start with a Ruger SR22 then just get her a Glock 19. A 1911 has to much bullshit going with it to fire in a I need a gun to fire now situation. As long as a Glock is loaded it will fire with the pull of the trigger. No safety's or anything to hold it up. Grab and shoot.
Revolvers are only good if the cylinder is cut for moon clips, and you are loading it with moon clips. If not, be real good at "bunny ears" loading. A drawback of a revolver is you'll probably drop the gun the first time you fire it without ear protection. They are really effin loud.
Pocket size revolvers are dumb. They're only good for like 10 feet then the bullet goes whizzing off somewhere else. Always carry the biggest gun you possibly can.

 

[v6toy4x]

firearms is something i never even attempted to teach my wife. I’ve always just paid other people to argue with her about guns.

Something to consider!!!

 

[v6toy4x]

So much good info THX!! Now I dont have to start another thread

"what gun to get my wife"

Going to the local store/range next week, I am going to suggest a training class.

THX

 

[Flyinbowtie]

v6toy4x,

A couple of things, or ideas.
I have trained a fair number of shooters over the years, women, men, folks who were friends and in an official cacpity at work, training new officers in the FTO program. When my wife decided she wanted to get deeper into this and ultimately get her CCW I went with her and guided her choices, but she made them...and then, I had a fellow retired cop I worked with for decades, whom I trusted, train her.
In return, I trained his wife.
I would never teach my wife to shoot. For some reason, it doesn't work...or at ;least it doesn't work very often.
If her ultimate goal is a CCW deal, then beware, many (all) agencies I am aware of do not allow anything smaller than .380 ACP, we didn't allow anything smaller than .380 for a backup or off duty weapon, and the agency does not approve smaller than .380 for CCW.

That said there is nothing wrong with learning some basics with a .22LR. I would find a gun store close to home that has a good reputation, and has an onsite indoor range where the rents guns. She needs to handle a few and put some rounds down range. .22 is a trainer, but I don't have one around for shooting anything but pests and snakes...
All of the caliber talk boils down to this.
You want her to ultimately wind up with the largest caliber handgun that she can regularly hit the target with, in the kill zone, that she is comfortable with.
Hits with a .380 are far more likely to have the desired effect than misses with a .40, 45ACP, etc, IMHO there is not enough emphasis on this...hits matter, big booms ain't worth a damn if she can't hit the target. And, failure can put her off from shooting, develop bad habits, etc.
The firearm needs to feel good in her hand, she needs to be able to get a good effective grip on it, get a good sight picture, and get a good trigger press. She needs to be comfortable with the mechanical function of the weapon, she needs to be able to reach all the buttons and gizmos that make the thing work.
The best way to do this is go to that local gun store, rent some guns, buy some rounds, and have at it. If she is brand new to shooting, some instruction and training are worth the time and $.
Narrow it down to a couple she likes, and let her choose.
My wife is 5-2 and about 125lbs. For her first she chose a Sig P238. She qualified with it the first time and we shot a lot for 6 months and then she was ready to up her game.
He daily carry is now a Sig Sauer P229 Enhanced Elite in 9mm. She qualified with it first time out too. She is a damn good shot. Do not be surprised if your wife develops into a better shot than you are, LOL. Something about women, they listen to instruction better than men do, when trained their hand-eye is at least as good, and they don't have to get around their egos to see the target like we do. LOL.

 

[v6toy4x]

v6toy4x,

A couple of things, or ideas.
I have trained a fair number of shooters over the years, women, men, folks who were friends and in an official cacpity at work, training new officers in the FTO program. When my wife decided she wanted to get deeper into this and ultimately get her CCW I went with her and guided her choices, but she made them...and then, I had a fellow retired cop I worked with for decades, whom I trusted, train her.
In return, I trained his wife.
I would never teach my wife to shoot. For some reason, it doesn't work...or at ;least it doesn't work very often.
If her ultimate goal is a CCW deal, then beware, many (all) agencies I am aware of do not allow anything smaller than .380 ACP, we didn't allow anything smaller than .380 for a backup or off duty weapon, and the agency does not approve smaller than .380 for CCW.

That said there is nothing wrong with learning some basics with a .22LR. I would find a gun store close to home that has a good reputation, and has an onsite indoor range where the rents guns. She needs to handle a few and put some rounds down range. .22 is a trainer, but I don't have one around for shooting anything but pests and snakes...
All of the caliber talk boils down to this.
You want her to ultimately wind up with the largest caliber handgun that she can regularly hit the target with, in the kill zone, that she is comfortable with.
Hits with a .380 are far more likely to have the desired effect than misses with a .40, 45ACP, etc, IMHO there is not enough emphasis on this...hits matter, big booms ain't worth a damn if she can't hit the target. And, failure can put her off from shooting, develop bad habits, etc.
The firearm needs to feel good in her hand, she needs to be able to get a good effective grip on it, get a good sight picture, and get a good trigger press. She needs to be comfortable with the mechanical function of the weapon, she needs to be able to reach all the buttons and gizmos that make the thing work.
The best way to do this is go to that local gun store, rent some guns, buy some rounds, and have at it. If she is brand new to shooting, some instruction and training are worth the time and $.
Narrow it down to a couple she likes, and let her choose.
My wife is 5-2 and about 125lbs. For her first she chose a Sig P238. She qualified with it the first time and we shot a lot for 6 months and then she was ready to up her game.
He daily carry is now a Sig Sauer P229 Enhanced Elite in 9mm. She qualified with it first time out too. She is a damn good shot. Do not be surprised if your wife develops into a better shot than you are, LOL. Something about women, they listen to instruction better than men do, when trained their hand-eye is at least as good, and they don't have to get around their egos to see the target like we do. LOL.

Thank You, much information here.
I do think someone else teaching her is best for many reasons, one being I make no claim to be a big time gun aficionado, I just have some and enjoy blowing up a few old shak'n up beer cans once in a while, great therapy!

 

[MPHSystems]

v6toy4x,

A couple of things, or ideas.
I have trained a fair number of shooters over the years, women, men, folks who were friends and in an official cacpity at work, training new officers in the FTO program. When my wife decided she wanted to get deeper into this and ultimately get her CCW I went with her and guided her choices, but she made them...and then,

I'm not LE but our experience thus far is fairly similar.

I had a fellow retired cop I worked with for decades, whom I trusted, train her.
In return, I trained his wife.

I’m just going to leave that one alone…

I would never teach my wife to shoot. For some reason, it doesn't work...or at ;least it doesn't work very often.
If her ultimate goal is a CCW deal, then beware, many (all) agencies I am aware of do not allow anything smaller than .380 ACP, we didn't allow anything smaller than .380 for a backup or off duty weapon, and the agency does not approve smaller than .380 for CCW.

That said there is nothing wrong with learning some basics with a .22LR. I would find a gun store close to home that has a good reputation, and has an onsite indoor range where the rents guns. She needs to handle a few and put some rounds down range. .22 is a trainer, but I don't have one around for shooting anything but pests and snakes...
All of the caliber talk boils down to this.

IMO, in many ways .22lr is even better for training. It’s not that difficult to make 1 hole with 10 rounds of .45ACP, try that with .22LR and it’s a whole different level. Not to mention, you don’t have anticipation to deal with in .22LR

You want her to ultimately wind up with the largest caliber handgun that she can regularly hit the target with, in the kill zone, that she is comfortable with.
Hits with a .380 are far more likely to have the desired effect than misses with a .40, 45ACP, etc, IMHO there is not enough emphasis on this...hits matter, big booms ain't worth a damn if she can't hit the target. And, failure can put her off from shooting, develop bad habits, etc.

My EDC is a .380ACP. It‘s just so comfortable and easy to conceal Yes, bigger is better but .380 6+1 in my waste-band is better than the .45 10+1 I left at home.

The firearm needs to feel good in her hand, she needs to be able to get a good effective grip on it, get a good sight picture, and get a good trigger press. She needs to be comfortable with the mechanical function of the weapon, she needs to be able to reach all the buttons and gizmos that make the thing work.
The best way to do this is go to that local gun store, rent some guns, buy some rounds, and have at it. If she is brand new to shooting, some instruction and training are worth the time and $.
Narrow it down to a couple she likes, and let her choose.
My wife is 5-2 and about 125lbs. For her first she chose a Sig P238. She qualified with it the first time and we shot a lot for 6 months and then she was ready to up her game.
He daily carry is now an Sig Sauer P229 Enhanced Elite in 9mm. She qualified with it first time out too. She is a damn good shot. Do not be surprised if your wife develops into a better shot than you are, LOL. Something about women, they listen to instruction better than men do, when trained their hand-eye is at least as good, and they don't have to get around their egos to see the target like we do. LOL.

I carried a 229 in .40S&W for a few months and that thing is heavy! I was really glad to get my .380 back from the shop.

If I could find a comfortable way to carry my 229, it would be my EDC because that thing almost puts the holes in the 10 ring all by itself.

 

[pronstar]

firearms is something i never even attempted to teach my wife. I’ve always just paid other people to argue with her about guns.

A bit like teaching someone to drive a manual…there will be yelling and you’ll be the asshole

 

[Warlock1]

Highly recommend any wife or GF give thought to NRA "Women on target" courses (to attend by themselves) I have been a firearms owner /advocate/shooter/hunter since childhood . I have my "ways" and have done my best to teach Rhonda, but the most confidence she developed was without me at her first range course . Not only did she learn safe handling , laws , rules etc but also a multitude of other Gun skills Shes a very good shooter and confident with her weapon . As for her piece She drove the Gun shop nuts I think but they were patient when she shopped . She had 7 handguns out and "worked them" , pointed , gripped etc She settled on her Barretta 9mm PX4 Storm , super safe easy to operate needs a mag loader (for small hand) Her groups are very tight , Shes fast becoming what I term an "instinctive shooter"

PS she has yet to fire her RI 45acp RE any .22 (and I own a few) maybe a good "starter" to learn , but for self defense .... Likely not going to stop a grown man or marauding animal , might just piss them off IMO

Same one I used to have. Silky smooth, easy to handle and it looks sexy...lol

 

[jetboatperformance]

NRA and CRPA have excellent training programs. My wife did the CRPA rifle and shotgun class. With the Scout moms, we didn't train our own wives. Our Troop had many NRA trained Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun instructors and several RSOs.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This