with deployments probably starting soon i wanna make sure my wife has something good for defense while im gone for months at a time. i dont want her relying on a .22 for defense but shes not comfortable shooting bird shot out of a 12 gauge, let alone a deer slug or 3" magnum 00. i definitely wanna get her in a concealed carry class but also saw a 9mm carbine (also available in .40 and .45) that looked like it would work seeing as my wife is pretty small framed and cant handle much recoil. shes not a fan of the semi auto handguns (cant pull the slide back on mine) but loves shooting the .22 revolver my grandpa left me so shes def leaning towards a revolver for CC class. the carbine came with a front and rear grip, flashlight, and laser sight which i think would be much better inside a dark room if the need would arise. any thoughts esp from anyone that has/has shot a carbine?
Ill get the popcorn.
This topic has been around before and everyone has an opinion. I took my wife who is also 5’1" tall and 105# soaking wet to the range to let her try multiple guns. She tried a 22, two 9mm, a 38, 357 chambered with 38 and a 1911 45. After shooting all she settled on a Colt Cobra snub nosed 38 with light loads. The gun fit her hand due to the small grip and she was just more comfortable with it. I was a criminal justice major at USC and in one of our classes the professor who also was the firearms instructor at the Academy said the snub nose was the ideal gun for women, especially petite ones for the following reasons:
First a snub nose is ideal because most women would be hesitant to actually pull the trigger so if the weapon has a long barrel it gives the bad guy something to grab hold of and take the gun away from her. With a snub nose there’s no “handle” so if he makes a grab and she pulls the trigger he’ll at leats get a hole through his hand and hopefully will back off. Secondly most snub nosed 38s are smaller frame guns so they fit a women’s hand better. Thirdly a revolver is much less complicated to operate so in a stressful situation little thought is required to aim and squeeze as opposed to racking a semi auto or having to load a clip and lastly if she practices with lighter loads there will be little recoil and she will be more likely to practice more. In the end I would recommend you take her to a range that offers rental guns and let her try as many as it takes until she finds one that is comfortable. As a side note my wife’s second choice was my Springfield XD9 but I told her you could not get pink grips to go on a Springfield 
Curly dog makes a very good point about taking her to a range and let her shoot till she finds the one she likes. The next biggest mistake is that people make is that after they by a hand gun to conceal they don’t practice enough. Range time at a minimum should be monthly. Also practice is not just in the range also practice drawing the weapon from the concealed spot you will keep it on you. If you struggle drawing that weapon normally what is going to happen under pressure. You can never be to quick from the holster.
Chad
Cobia 256 Express
Pulled by a Dodge Ram 3500
Find a revolver she is happy with, something that is either hammerless or has a shrouded hammer. As CD said, uncomplicated and easy to use. I don’t care how much she practices on a range, when the stuff hits the fan, she will not want to have to think about anything but pulling the trigger. Ruger and S&W both have small, airweights that would work for her.
“Apathy is the Glove in Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
After several varieties, my wife settled on a S&W hammer less “lady pink” in .38. Her hand strength and coordination just did not suit me to let her carry a semi-auto. My feelings are the only thing she needs to worry about in a panic situation is pulling the trigger and pointing in the right direction.
Trigger pull is always a double pull, but not bad if you are not competition shooting and it will handle +P. She groups 4-5" at 15 yards with it.
7cs said it… get the popcorn! The above is my opinion and it came from several years and several hand guns with the wife.
quote:
Originally posted by Fred67After several varieties, my wife settled on a S&W hammer less “lady pink” in .38. Her hand strength and coordination just did not suit me to let her carry a semi-auto. My feelings are the only thing she needs to worry about in a panic situation is pulling the trigger and pointing in the right direction.
Trigger pull is always a double pull, but not bad if you are not competition shooting and it will handle +P. She groups 4-5" at 15 yards with it.
7cs said it… get the popcorn! The above is my opinion and it came from several years and several hand guns with the wife.
That ain’t bad.
Revolver chambered for .357mag, let her choose what she wants. As said, she can practice with .38 wadcutters and squibs until she is proficient and step up to some +P rounds or full on .357 cartridges. Smith makes the best revolvers around, can’t go wrong there. A revolver is simple, safe and reliable. Add a few speedloaders and she can repel all boarders and get to the shotgun for mop up action.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
quote:
Originally posted by 7csquote:
Originally posted by Fred67After several varieties, my wife settled on a S&W hammer less “lady pink” in .38. Her hand strength and coordination just did not suit me to let her carry a semi-auto. My feelings are the only thing she needs to worry about in a panic situation is pulling the trigger and pointing in the right direction.
Trigger pull is always a double pull, but not bad if you are not competition shooting and it will handle +P. She groups 4-5" at 15 yards with it.
7cs said it… get the popcorn! The above is my opinion and it came from several years and several hand guns with the wife.
That ain’t bad.
She’s a better shot than me, I’ve got a bad shake I have to control. I’ve seen her do a 1" group with my mark III @ 20 yards.
thanks for the input and i figured the popcorn would be needed for a topic like this…got plenty. i like the idea of snubnose being more concealable and less for a bad guy to try to grab. i also like the idea of .38/.357 since .38 would be sufficient knockdown power but not too much recoil for her and once she gets comfortable she could bump up top .357 if desired. any thoughts on a carbine for her to use for home defense? as i said before shes not comfortable with target loads let alone slugs or magnum 00 from the shotgun but wondering how much recoil one of those would actual have if any and how much shed be comfortable with a carbine. i may get one eventually anyways simply because it would be fun to shoot.
If .357 rounds are too hot for her, you could always try a .38 +P.
“Apathy is the Glove in Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
I would personally skip the carbine (except for fun:smiley:)and downsize the shotgun to a 20 ga. She could handle a 20, maybe even a youth model pump would fit her well. A shotgun to me is a better home defense weapon than a rifle, unless you have a lot of training.
Hard to beat a 38/357 revolver for simplicity and reliability. My wife carried a Keltec .380 for a long time, but she didn’t have a strong enough grip for the gun to always cycle properly, causing ejection jams. She likes shooting my XD9, but doesn’t have the strength to work the slide. We recently switched her over to a Lady Smith, all problems solved.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I said it before and I’ll say it again, a handgun has one purpose, to defend yourself long enough to get away or to a long gun. CL is right, get her a 20ga shotgun with high brass #5’s or #4 Buck at most for home use. The confines of a normal house where most rooms are no more than 16-20ft in a single direction mean the pattern isn’t going to open up all that much. High brass #5’s or lower are normally so tight at that range they make finely ground hamburger out of meat and pack a punch. If a carbine is just something you have settled on find a Ruger Deerfield and get it but the shotgun is a much better choice.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
x2 on the 20 GA.
quote:
Originally posted by Bolbie…the harbor was slick as an eel pecker.
quote:
I said it before and I'll say it again, a handgun has one purpose, to defend yourself long enough to get away or to a long gun.
I agree completely. I carry a handgun on the street, because I can’t walk around in public with a shotgun:smiley: But there is always a shotgun in the truck.
A turkey load in a 20ga with an open choke at close distance is devastating, and you don’t have to aim it too well. If she really needs to use it, her stress level is going to be very high at the time. It needs to be simple and effective.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
According to Obiden, a shotgun is all they need…
Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc
Double barreled 
Just shoot it off your front balcony if you hear something:smiley:
Idiot. Him not you. Spoken by a man who has 20 secret service agents protecting him and his wife 24/7, armed with everything from full auto shotguns to rocket launchers,
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
When you said “Idiot”, I had no doubt you were talking about him!! LOL
Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc
A great addition to a 12 or 20 ga. pump would be a Blackhawk Knoxx Spec Ops recoil reducing stock. 2nd edition reduces recoil up to 85%. Has pistol grip, and adjustable stock, very good addition!
Remington 870 pump home ddfense (9-shot cap) in 20-guage with turkey rounds or heavy fowl loads… same thing I’m getting for my gf. She’ll shoot the 12-gauge, but is scared to use it all the time cause of the kick.
I’m not getting her a revolver when 3-4 people are entering the house and roguing stuff nowadays. At least with the 20-gauge she’ll have 9 chances to shoot in the vicinity to hit someone, and I dare see someone walk through turkey load at less than 10 yards. If they do, they’re all coked up…
Turkey… the other white meat.