Concealed carry gun for a woman

I have no bone in this, so not interested in debating. But it does have a very proven record. I went from a .38 j frame to a Glock 21 and now I prefer my 9mm. With a hydro shock or a similar round it is very capable.
My .02 only and I get that this is one of those debates as old as John Browning.

 

It is effective. And a 9mm that hits where she aims it is a lot more effective than the .357 mag round from a 1 7/8'' barrel that goes wild because it's too much recoil for her. Bring her to a range where they rent guns. Find a few that she likes the feel of, and let her shoot them. Try a few in different calibers and frame sizes. You'd be surprised by what may recoil more than others. For instance, an LCP in .380 may recoil more than a full size 1911 in .45 due to the smaller frame size. Once she finds one she likes, bring it home!

I have a lot of friends that have bought guns for their wives, usually something tiny and pink because it's "cute". Then they go to the range and realize that they either can't hit anything because the smaller guns usually have like a 12 lb trigger, or they hate shooting it because it recoils too much. And if they won't shoot it, they won't become proficient with it. Then they end up coming to me to let their wives try stuff, and then we go shopping. My wife loves her Glock 19 and 43, and shoots them regularly. She hates the tiny guns like the LCPs and Keltechs.

As for caliber, any modern defensive cartridge should be fine in any caliber, but to each their own. I guess the biggest thing to remember is this gun is for HER, not YOU, and she needs toe comfortable with it. Enjoy the search!

*Disclaimer: I generally carry a .45, as that is what I carry for work, but when I do carry a 9mm, I don't feel undergunned by any means. But the caliber debate can and will go on for years, and that is half the fun.

 

Holsters is the biggest issue with my wife. She hasn't found a method to carry that is comfortable yet. I just bought a Crossbreed for her the other day to try for her 43, we'll she how she likes it.

 

if. 380 is an option, Walther PK380 is pretty easy to rack and fits well in most smaller hands. external safety as well just backwards ass to what us 1911 guys are use to.

 

In for the inevitable

 

^^ This ^^

 

I'm of the opinion that if you have to ask for advice a revolver is the better choice. I prefer semi's and my wife and I both carry Sig 365's. But semi's are a better choice only for those with a little more experience.

 

I’m a Glock fanboy however just picked up a few sigs imho out of the box are a better quality weapon.
My vote is the p365 or the xl version of it very accurate for its size and a thinner grip. Capacity is 10/12 flush fit or perhaps a G43 with the extension and pinky grip. I had a 43x it was to girthy for the wife.

 

Ballistics of a 9mm and a 38 spc are effectively the same. It all depends what load is being used.

 

We made the mistake of just holding a gun in the store and not firing it. Wife liked the feel of the Ruger LC380. Firing it was a different story. I let her fire my Shield 9mm. She liked it, much better trigger pull. Ended up getting her the Shield. 380 EZ. External safety and grip safety. Easy to load and rack. Out of the box her shooting was much better. She has more confidence now.

 

My wife and I both carry the Sig p365 9mm. Very smooth gun to shoot. Trigger pull is very smooth and easy. Comes with a 10 round mag but we got the 12 round mags and doesnt make the gun much bigger at all.. Actually gives you just a little more room to grip onto. Definitely have her shoot a few different guns. You maybe surprised on what she feels more comfortable with.

 

Guns are like underwear; they all have different feels, and no one wants to carry a shitty one.

It’s all about figuring out your needs. What fits the bill and is the most comfortable. It’s best to leave it up to the person who’s the one in need to figure it out for themselves. Go and check everything out and review your options.

Obviously now is a tough time to buy as inventory is depleted, little to no ammo is available and prices are through the roof in a lot of cases.

 

My wife has and loves her Glock 19. She plans on getting the 43 for carry.

 

I used to recommend a "tiny" pistol, but they are quite "snappy." I now recommend something with a little more mass, such as a "mid-size" (3.5-4" barrel) pistol. Although larger than the sub-compacts, they aren't that large, and will be far more comfortable to shoot. I have a PPQ and a p365. I can shoot thousands of 9mm rounds through my PPQ, but I really don't want to shoot more than ~100 rounds out of the 365 during one range trip. The 9mm 365 is about as "snappy" as my larger G23 (.40).

There are pistols like the Walther CCP that are easier to rack (the slide), and are less "snappy" than a similar size pistol.

For any new shooter, my #1 recommendation will, always be the XD-E. It is a hammer fired gun that you can shoot SA or you can decock it to shoot DA. It also has a manual thumb safety if the shooter prefers that feature. They now offer three different barrel lengths. The trigger is also pretty decent.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/xd-series-handguns/xd-e-handguns

As others have said, she needs to pick our what she likes. She definitely needs to shoot before buying, and not buy on "looks" alone.

 

Anything on her hip is better than nothing. I am a Glock fan, and my wife and I have identical 19's. Modern 9mm hollow points will do the job, there is research out there to prove it. I'm not loyal to any handgun caliber because they are all ineffective compared to a rifle or shot gun. MODERN 9mm seems to offer the most advantages for social work with adequate power and availability.

The 19 is way too big for my wife to carry. We also had a Walther PPS and that was still too big. She isn't real serious about carrying, but if she gets there we might have to look at some .32's or something, maybe even a .22 derringer. Not my first choice, but anything is better than nothing.

Just let her shoot some stuff before you buy. Women tend to want the smallest gun possible but people in general don't seem to understand that it will recoil more severely than it's larger counterparts. Carry comfort is usually inverse to shooting comfort.

 

My wife had the XD, she is a great shooter but could not shoot worth a crap with the gun. Everything was set right on the gun and I shot just fine with it. Then when we went to a level 1 self defense class our damn safe would not open, go figure. ( that issue has been resolved since) She had taken our son's XD to class and I rented the p365. Again her shooting was not great so she started shooting with the p365 and what a difference. My son also shoots fine with his XD. Just goes to show one gun may work great for one person but not for the other. I had Glock 19, loved the gun shot pretty good with it. We also got a Sig P320 X- Carry, and I shoot better with it.
Bottom line for anyone, shoot, shoot, shoot as many different guns as you can before making a decision.

 

My wife has a pretty good selection to choose from. For decades she carried the same Taurus 2" 38. When I bought a Glock 42 she immediately decided it was her's so I had to buy another. So, my suggestion is to let her decide.

 

My wife has 2 M&P Shields and Loves them. Something about the grip seems to be better for ladies hands. M&P Shield for the WIN! Caliper of your choice!

 

My wife carried a M&P Shield 9mm for years before we got together. Fit perfectly in her hands and worked well for her. Her new-found favorite is the Sig P938 that I got her a couple years ago though lol.