What is a good gun for my wife??

Question

I recently bought a 9mm pistol so that my wife and I could go out to the range and practice with it. She does well in shooting it but has a very hard time pulling back on the slide to chamber the first round. She doesn't really have the strength needed to do this. I heard that revolvers are good guns for women.. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate it.

Answer 1

Hi Fixxer,

Ignore the clearly dumb answers above. Most the guys on this site are going to say go with a revolver as you stated. If she is going to end up carrying the firearm then I would also say the same.

Some good choices would be,

Taurus Titainum series in .38
http://www.taurususa.com/products/gunselector-results.cfm?series=UL2

Ruger SP101
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Revolver&subtype=Double%20Action&famlst=9&variation=Satin%20Stainless

I am not a fan of Smith & Wesson so I dont give props to them. The .38 is surely the caliber she will want and I wish you luck, she will more than likely out shoot you with one !

Good Luck & Happy Shooting !


*** I dont like S&W because of the many firearms they have made with less than good quality. Yes they make good firearms aswell as some of the best however, I dont stand behind their product anymore along with many many others who feel the same !

In my opinon the lady smith is way over priced at $650.00+, when many others are more respected and much cheaper.

Answer 2

I have bought guns for my two former wives and the current one. Each had a different use for the gun and chose different weapons based on that.
Wife #1: A casual shooter with no interest in concealed carry or competition. She just wanted to shoot something. She claimed my 4 inch S&W model 28, .357 mag. This is a large six shot, double action revolver. She liked firing .38 Spl out of it because the gun pretty much soaked up any recoil.
Wife #2: Ranch gal who still runs her own horse ranch. Experienced hunter and shooter. Wanted a carry gun. Did not like autos. Chose a .357 Ruger SP101 snubby. Loads it with .38 +p, 125 Gr. hollow point. Practices a lot and is a fearsomely accurate shooter with the little gun. I try not to piss her off.
Wife #3 (current model): Tall woman with lots of upper body strength. Wanted a "house" gun and a "car" gun. Weapons that would be in those two places. She does not carry. She chose a Taurus model 66 .357 revolver for the house gun and a Smith and Wesson model 411, .40 cal. for her car gun. She has no problem with the stiff slide on the 411 because she uses a proper technique to operate the gun.

One of the replies you got recommended you read the web site www.corneredcat.com/rungun/rack
This is a excellent resourse and shows the proper way to rack the slide on a gun.

Hope all this helped.

Answer 3

I don't understand the above answer with severe objection to the S&W. I've been shooting them for a while and have been pleased with both revolvers and Semi autos.

SMITH AND WESSON 36 LADY SMITH REVOLVER
Caliber: .38 S&W Special +P
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 1-7/8"
Front Sight: Serrated Ramp
Rear Sight: Fixed Notch
Firing System: N/A
Grip: Combat Dymondwood® Grip
Trigger: .312" Smooth Target
Hammer: .240" Semi-Target
External Safety: N/A
Frame: Small
Finish: Blue
Overall length: 6-3/16"
Material: Carbon Steel
Weight Empty: 20 ounces

Answer 4

I would get her a 357 mag revolver
You can still shoot 38 specials out of it
You can now get 357 with 7 or 8 shot cyliders
Very reliable

There are 3 brands that I would buy my self

Taurus 608 357 mag ( own one ) 8 shot cylider, ported,full under lug barrel, affordable..Great pistol....

Smith&Wesson 686 and Colt Python.....But here lies the problem.........

YES it's the whole is the money worth the gun issue......Smith and Colt ARE great guns but 4 us working men it's not possible to get one of these high Dollar pistols.......

This is why I went with the Taurus, and to be honest I have had both the 686 and the Python and my 608 is every bit as good as they are.....The Taurus is a WORKING MANS gun at a WORKING MANS PRICE.......I payed 400.00 4 mine .......Stainless 6 1/2 inch barrel........I use mine 4 home deffence and hunting and in 2 yrs I have taken down 3 deer ....So in my eyes the 608 has all ready payed 4 itself......

Answer 5

She is lacking the technique required to open the slide on your pistol. Once she gets it right, it won't be a problem.

Grasp the grip in her right hand, as if shooting. Finger off the trigger of course.

Turn the gun sideways so the top of the slide points to the left.

Grab the top of the slide with her left hand.

With both arms straight, twist the shoulders counter clockwise. This will push the frame forward and pull the slide back.

That way she is using her shoulders on the slide, not her arm muscles. There is NO WAY she is lacking the strength in her torso to do this, especially with a 9mm.

Other than that, get a .38 revolver, I guess. You don't need to, though.

Answer 6

In my opinion you need to buy two additional revolvers.

One a Smith & Wesson Model 617 .22 LR target revolver. It is lots of fun to shoot, and is cheap to feed. Shooting it will help both of you improve your marksmanship.

For your wife, I recommend a .38 S&W SPL revolver. If she is going to carry it, a J-frame revolver with a 2" or 3" will be the best bet. I highly recommend the Models 36, 60, 49, 649, and 640. I especially recommend the Model 49 and Model 649 Bodyguard models.

Recently, S&W, Taurus and some other makers have come out with ultra lightweight revolvers made of titanium or scandium. Avoid them like the plague. They are very light, which means they kick harder, and are harder to shoot well.

Answer 7

best thing isn't change the gun, it's changing the level of knowledge about the gun. a compact auto is a good choice for the ladies. the Smith MP9C or P99C is a real fine arm to start with. if you get a big clunky Beretta or 1911 1st thing you'll notice the hand won't fit around the grip. Opt for a smaller frame. Then get her comfortable with shooting it.

Might be best to opt to get her in a greencross or NRA training pistol training. A day on the range with a certified instructor can mean the difference between life of death or shooting oneself in the foot.

Answer 8

Find another 9mm shooter and ask that your wife's shooting profile be critiqued. When pulling back the slide does she do it with her fingers? I always tell people and demonstrate to them that you use the three bottom fingers and the palm of your hand, giving you a much longer gripping area on the slide. Right handed she would grip the slide and push the weapon forward with her right hand. Have her practice this; and have another 9mm shooter observe and comment.

Answer 9

It is a common mistake for a women to think she cannot pull back the slide. The fact is she CAN do it she is just not using the correct technique. Get out your pistol and go to this website.

http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx

Take comfort in the fact that this site is made by a women, not some guy acting like he knows what he is talking about. \

Answer 10

First of all you need to ask yourself if she really loves you a bunch. That will help you decide it she needs easy to load or easy to stage. Small frame revolvers with small grips are ideal for women. Stay away from large calibers. No body can enjoy shooting if you get pounded a every shot. 22 long rifle is cheap and enjoyable to shoot