Recommend for wife

[charles p]

Wife wants to take the concealed carry class.  Which would you suggest for her for the class.

S&W Revolver in 38 cal, 4" barrel
Mod 92F Beretta 9mm

She is not afraid to shoot, just has very little experience.

[squirrellluck]

My wife will not shoot an automatic. She doesn't like them. She will and has shot every wheel gun I have except the 44 mag. That being said let her decide. She's the one that will be using it so if you want her to become comfortable with it and enjoy the experience that would be my suggestion.

[Victor3]

 I agree that you should let her decide. Take her to the range with both guns and let her try them out. If she has small hands, the 92 might not be best for her. If she's not apt to want to fiddle with the controls on an auto, a revolver might be better for her.

 My Wife has zero interest in guns past being able to blast an intruder at home if need be. To keep it simple and comfortable, I got her a .38 S&W 640 (5 shot hammerless snubbie) with a Pachmayer grip. Only device on the gun she needs to think about is the trigger. The grip fits her smallish hand and is comfortable for her to shoot with.

[oneounceload]

What does SHE want to use??

She might want to try something different that might fit her hand better. Let HER pick out her gun- keeps peace better that way

[45-70.gov]

I agree that you should let her decide. Take her to the range with both guns and let her try them out. If she has small hands, the 92 might not be best for her. If she's not apt to want to fiddle with the controls on an auto, a revolver might be better for her.

 My Wife has zero interest in guns past being able to blast an intruder at home if need be. To keep it simple and comfortable, I got her a .38 S&W 640 (5 shot hammerless snubbie) with a Pachmayer grip. Only device on the gun she needs to think about is the trigger. The grip fits her smallish hand and is comfortable for her to shoot with.

the  perfect  choice

also  if  you  have to  ask  the  auto  is  out

the  auto  is  better at  the  range  and on  the  bench...kick  less  and quieter  for  same power levels
they  hold more bullets  reload  easier.....whats  not to  like

until  it  jambs  or  worse  ...goes  off by accedent
your wife  has  to  operate  it  under extreem stress
chamber  loaded  false allarm.....which  way  did  that  safety  go??
i   don't  remember  what  button was  the  safety what  one to take out the magazine?
do  i  have to undo the safety to take out the bullets??
my  hands  are  shaking

you  can't even cock  the  640   good  choice
if  you  have  to ask  it  is the only choise  except  the model 642

[bulletstuffer]

My wife just took the class yesterday   She had the same options.  The 9mm is better for the class as 50 rounds were shot in 10 round increments.  While shooter was on the line the second shooter loaded the other magazine.  50+ people in this class and 2 weeks before I was told they had over 100!  Very efficient and safe.  As far as shooting for practice and protection that would definitely be up to the preference of the shooter.  Hope that helps.

Bulletstuffer

[LouisianaMan]

By all means, make sure the gun you choose is one that fits her hand and for which she has sufficient hand strength. Also, if she's willing to spend the time to master the auto's mechanics, that's fine; if she's not, there's your answer. In short, I agree with everyone above: take her to the store, have her handle the guns extensively, and see what that shows you.
My wife is very handy with tools and unafraid to shoot, but a K-frame revolver is almost too large for her to pull the trigger. A J-frame S&W or D-frame Colt, however, is fine. Rugers bring a different frame size & often a tougher trigger pull--my daughter couldn't pull the DA trigger on a new SP-101. . .until I replaced the mainspring with a Wolff spring ($10, 10 minutes). My Beretta 92F was too large for both wife & daughter to handle, and I saw many females in the Army for whom it was a difficult fit, too. Also, my wife & daughter can barely work the action on the 92F, and it is far tougher to handle the auto than the revolver.
As they say, your mileage may vary. I've simply learned--the HARD way--that my theoretical analysis tends to overlook something unexpectedly critical, and I will never again invest in a gun for them without having them check it out.
As far as effectiveness goes, .38SPL and 9mm are effectively equal.

[user]

My wife's revolver is a 4" S&W model 67 in .38 special, and she loves it.  She doesn't have the grip strength to overcome the recoil spring in a semiautomatic.  I find a lot of women are the same way, though I recently sold a KelTec p-11 to a woman who loved that one and shot it really well.

[BBF]

I agree with a revolver, hammerless if she has no problems with the trigger pull. If so then a snubbie with an exposed hammer.


BTW. Have you ever thought of a Derringer? Very very simple.

OK only two shots, but" Slimeballs who wants to get it first and who wants it next" ??  heh heh heh.

If they were legal to buy and carry in this place, this would be my choice for the Missus.

[charles p]

She shot both handguns this weekend and prefers the 92 to the S&W revolver in 38 sp.  She shoots it well.  I was pleasantly surprised.

[Devy55]

There are 2 issues being discussed in this thread, both of which are separate.

In my state, you must fire both a revolver and an automatic during the class, in order to qualify for a CCW license.

After that, it is your choice what you want to carry.

My wife fired a .357 loaded with .38 special ammo, and a Bersa Thunder .380 during the class.  However, she likes the simplicity of the revolver, so carries the same gun loaded with .38 +P ammo.

Now she wants something smaller and likes the Kel Tec, but not sure whether she wants the .380 or 9mm.

Just my 2 cents.

[teamnelson]

My wife likes the SP-101 in .32 H&R 3" with Crimson Trace grips. I may lighten the DA pull as mentioned on this thread, but the SA pull is nice. Uses .32 longs for plinking. Keep it loaded hot plus a speed loader. I hear the .327 Mag is even better.

She has a Taurus 606 .357 2" ported, Bersa .380, and an IMI Baby 9 to chose from, but the Ruger wins. For SD we like revolvers because they're always in Condition 1, and there's no need to clear a jam - just pull the trigger. Laser is both intimidating to the target, and keeps her focus on the target not the sites. Rugers are rugged IMO.

I may trade off the Taurus or the Bersa to get my soon to be in college daughter an SP101 as well.

[BBF]

Can you find a college that doesn't loose their liberal mind if your daughter is packin' heat?

[Empty Quiver]

Get a box of ammo for both, get out to the range and let her decide for herself. You wouldn't try to tell your buddy which to use. They are both fine weapons with no wrong choice that I see. I thought I would pick a pistol for my wife, well, now I have a p239 that is replacing the p225 she decided she likes better. She didn't like the smaller size of the p239. If you have a favorite don't let her see it, just my experience.

[mcwoodduck]

If she is familiar with both and has shot a little bit or more then either.
if she is new to shooting I would say the revolver.
While the recoil of the 92 would be less there are more moving parts and some that can not move for the gun to work.  But if you have the oppertunity to let her shoot both before the class do so.  With the 92.  Leave the slide back when you are showing her how to hold the auto with both hands.  It helps to cement the idea that the slide is going to come back in a big hurry and will cut anything it touches.
Remember to keep the thumbs together and let her dry fire the guns a little.  Pick a spot on the wall and have her 1) MAKE SURE THE GUN IS EMPTY and 2) have her try to keep the spot in the sights all the way through the dry fire.  Smooth trigger pull.

[SHOOTALL]

my wife likes a revolver and the lady i work with likes an auto . seems they are much like men in that they differ as to what they like with the exception they seem to really see if gun fits their hand , how much it weighs , how they will carry it etc.
They really get into it .