Sorry its another gun thread, but I need help

MLSDUKE1

Live from Mom's basement
Registered
Aight, I have a 2010 HK USP .40 SA/DA and I love it.

I want to get my wife a gun and we went out looking for the past couple of days.

Yesterday, she found the Ruger that's attached as a picture and then today the S&W Airweight attached.

She has SEVERELY limited shooting experience and really wants something that she is comfortable with and that is HERS.

What would you gun guys recommend?

She likes the feel of the Ruger because it fits her hand EXCEPT her pinky has no place to be.

She likes the S&W but its way more expensive.

Is there a compromise we should be looking at? Gratzi!

Ruger_LCP_lasermax_02.jpg


Model-637-Airweight-Pink.jpg
 
I like the Ruger and have that with the Crimson Trace. The floor plates on my mags have pinky extension and would help her out with the grip. Mine came with the gun. I'm sure the S&W is a great gun as well and either would be a reliable CCW.
 
I'm gonna go ahead and be that guy to answer a question which was not asked.

First off, I'd like to offer this video. I certainly don't mean it personally, but I've seen SO MANY dufus guys pulling this crap in gun shops.


Next, I'd like to recommend a compromise. It's my opinion that a .380 is under-powered, and the .38 lacks capacity and is cumbersome to reload. If she likes the LCP, but needs more grip, then the LC9 may be a better fit. It's also better than both of the above choices with respect to capacity and power, and it stil very easy to handle and conceal. Oh, and it's available in pink.

Just thinking aloud... or atext. :beerchug:
 
Let her shoot each of them, and go from there. My wife likes my LC9 but hates the LCR we got her. It kicks like a mule.

The LCP pinky is very easy to fix. Skip the factory pinky extension and get a Pearce grip extension. I have decent sized hands, and can grab an LCP with the Pearce extension with a full grip.

I don't agree with the 380 being "underpowered" but that's a whole new thread. I'd take a .22 over a stick..
 
One more question. Is this a carry piece, or just a shooter/bedside gun?

If it isn't a carry piece, look for something heavier. The heavier it is, the more she'll like shooting it.. Sounds dumb, but its true.

Also make sure she can "rack" the slide on an auto. My wife struggles with that, which is why she got the LCR. For what its worth, she likes shooting my SP101 with .357 loads more than she likes shooting her LCR with .38s... :beerchug:

There's more to it than what "fits" in her hands..
 
I still think that the point is that she is very inexperienced, better to start with something simple. Lots of guys carry J frame 38's and the +P ammo will mess u up.
 
A normal J frame would be fine, but the Airweight that he pictured is going to kick substantially more than a full steel version. That's all I meant.. :beerchug:
 
The Ruger LCR is chambered for 357. She could load it with 38s for plinking and 357 for service duty. Light, small, simple.

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Some point to consider

1) I have taught a few women to shoot and they always gravitate toward the smaller guns which is usually counterproductive. They also pick out small guns and that seems to work against them. (and we won’t even get into the attraction of “pink”) When they pick these smaller guns, combined with effective ammo, the recoil scares the hell out of them and they are never comfortable shooting it.
2) I don’t agree with practicing with low power and then carrying high power ammo for self defense unless you get enough practice with the high power ammo and are effective with it. 38 vs 357 is a very large difference and even more so when used in a J frame size hand gun.
3) An airweight J frame kicks pretty hard with 38+P ammo. I used to have to qualify with one using +p+ gold dot ammo. Two 20 rounds groups would wear me out and I shot a bunch of ammo a month in those days. More than most will in a year.
4) If you do choose a J frame, you might think about a concealed hammer model if it is going to be carried concealed. That style trigger is bad about snagging in a purse or under clothing. Also you don’t want the trigger being “cocked” anyhow in a self-defense situation.
5) If she is not going to carry concealed, I would put her in a full size handgun that fits here.
6) That is a LCP you have pictured. I would push her toward a LC380 instead in the Ruger line as the smallest.
7) A 380 with the correct ammo can be a decent defensive handgun. Three quick rounds in the center of the mass will be much more effective than one round of a larger caliber while you are flinching and taking too much time to get subsequent rounds off.
8) I'm not a fan of lasers for self-defense although they are great for law enforcement duty. My Sig 226 has had a laser max since 1995 or so. Worked fantastic while working LE duties. As much as I trained with it, I could still hit faster with the conventional 3-dots (tritium) I’d say 4 shots in the same time as 2 with the laser. However as a LE, the intimidation factor was there! In the civilian world, if you have to pull it, you need to be squeezing rounds off.
9) I would prefer to get her into a 9, but with an adequate size handgun to absorb the recoil of good self-defense ammo. Most I have been to the range with perform similar. With casual shooters, as you go smaller in the gun’s size, you really need to reduce caliber/power accordingly.
 
I dont have alot to add on after the other posts here. One thing about wheel guns is if you pull the trigger and it goes click just keep pulling until it goes bang. With a auto you have to chamber one before you shoot and if it misfires you need to know how to clear the jam or the chamber before your going to get off another shot. If she is uncomfortable with knowing her gun completely including field stripping and cleaning then I would go for the wheel gun. I would hate to get shot with anything including a pellet gun but honestly .380 is pretty poor in my opinion. .40 is a fantastic round and you can find a pretty nice shooter in the Kahr .40. What kind of price range are you in?
 
get the hammerless airweight. it will shoot .38 or .357. I wud suggest the .38 round cause the muzzle flash from the .357 is quite bright and the kick is rough but doable. practice with whatever round ur gonna carry. if the recoil scares her too much with a .38 then she should not be carrying a weapon period. shooting at a human being is a hell of a lot different then shooting at a paper target that aint shootn or fightn back.

the chance of her shooting anyone more then a couple feet away is slim to none! it would either be a street robbery or car jacking likely outside of the home. thinkn she is gonna walk in on a bank robbery is pure fantasy.

some refer to it as a gut gun but its pretty dead nutz accurate at 10 feet. average cop shootings nationwide are at a distance of about 4-5 feet. taking 3-4 seconds with 3-4 shots fired. you dont need a chit load of rounds. and it wont jam. if the round is dead the next one is coming. ppl are far more likely under stress to keep pulling the trigger vs. tap, rack blablabla...:whistle:

the trigger pull is heavy but that's not a bad thing imo. it will force her to practice with it to be more comfortable. ive seen plenty of accidental discharges and they are often from guns with very light trigger pulls.

buy what is most comfortable and lightweight. if its not both its unlikely she will carry it ever. the novelty of a larger gun will wear off. the gun is expensive but worth every penny due to its main function which is size, weight and stopping power. and with no hammer its very easy to retrieve from a purse.

not a fan of the .380 but two each his own.
 
Some folks forget the .327 Federal magnum. Beautiful cartridge. Six shot hammer less revo. She'd be good to go.

.327 Federal Magnum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The .327 offers more 'real-world' energy than the .357 Mag., (at least in my test), better penetration and one more shot per gun load. It does all this with substantially less recoil and noticeably less muzzle blast than the .357 Mag
 
i think the ruger is too smaller mary needed little bigger. i went with a tauras 9. she is happy with it but i dont like it... i dont like the hammerless style its like you have to pull hard to get it to strike hard...
 
She has to have something that she is comfortable with and is not afraid to handle. If she likes the Ruger, then get an extended clip with a grip extender on it and the problem is solved. Check out the Bodyguard 380 as well, it is a nice little carry gun. My wife has a 22 revolver and I carry a Kahr CM9 9mm.
 
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