Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Wife wants a pistol????

The Python requires a pretty good sized hand to operate comfortably, so I wouldn't recommend it, for most women.

Chris, your "ignore" is laughable.

This has nothing to do with politics, only the subject matter at hand.

What, exactly, does your wife carry or use for home defense and how was it chosen?

For myself, and many others who actually HAVE experience in this subject (I.e., have wives and wives who own/keep firearms), the real world advice is to let them choose.

As with anything else, the shooter is the one who has to find the fit for the firearm. It has to fit them, and what they want/need, or they won't be comfortable with it.

How many of you "fellows" would let someone else decide what you kept or carried for defense?
Yet, you assume that a woman/wife has to let her husband (or you, perhaps) choose for her? Why? Is she too stupid or superficial to take such a decision seriously? Or, do you just think her that way?

To the OP and others; take the woman to a decent range, let her try several different types of handguns, and let her choose. Let her get the experience handling and firing handguns, research the matter to her satisfaction, and pick HER own firearm.

That empowered decision-making will engender her desire to learn it, and if necessary, be comfortable and competent in using it.

Make the choice for her, and not only have you insulted her, but you set the table for her to not learn and then not use that weapon. Setting her or anyone else up for failure due to your own hubris is a damned shame. When it's a matter of life and death, it's far worse.

So, listen to those that have actual BT/DT experience vs those that only guess at it.

Chris, you've not a leg to stand on, nor experience to speak from, here.

Women make their own choices??? I don't know VA---ever since we let them start voting the country's gone to crap!!

I spent a couple years at Quantico training Marines to use the S&W M19. Serious combat shooting, not casual target shooting. We worked the hell out of those revolvers for five classes per year. Thousands of dry-fire and live fire per class, all DA.

When you are doing aggressive combat reloads any unburned powder in the cases/cylinder ends up under the star, and with the dirty ammo we used it was not uncommom to see a cylinder bind after only a couple combat reloads. This sort of jam would likely never happen to a casual target/recreational shooter who is taking his time reloading the weapon.

Yes a revolver is a viable defensive weapon. But like any weapon, it pays to know it's strengths and weaknesses, and how to overcome them. It goes back to the universal commitment to train with your chosen weapon I mentioned earlier.

I still suggest something like a Glock 19 as a very sensible personal defense weapon for a beginner, or a seasoned shooter for that matter. Easy to learn, easy to shoot, easy to maintain, good firepower, good ammo options.

...when was that MM?? Were they training for Embassy Duty?? I had an enlisted Marine in my unit (we also shot together in The Oceanside Combat Pistol League in 75-77) that went on to Embassy school and wound up in El Salvador. He said that they were issued Ruger Security Sixes but only allowed to load with 5 rounds!! Also had riotguns with extended magazine tubes but only allowed to load 3 rounds!! Sounded like people ran the training that didn't understand equipment very well. Hopefully you got them straightened out.

The Python itself is not a big gun, especially in a 2" configuration. The standard grips on many of them were pretty big, hence the caveat of her having large hands, if you'll re-read what I said. Grips are easily changed. Some 2" Pythons came from the factory with skinny grips akin to the Smith Magna's.

I took my wife to a few stores and had her handle several models, and shoot a few that other friends had, and then went and bought her one of the ones she said she liked best.

As others have said, it's the one SHE wants, not the one you want her to have.

The OP is talking about a home-defense handgun. Why would you suggest a G19 over a G17? I personally don't like Glocks - but of the lot of 'em, the G17 is the easiest to shoot well. If I were offering up a Glock as a possible choice for the OP, it would be the 17.

I fall somewhere in the middle of the "let her pick" and the "guide her" argument. First - for a house gun, I would rule out any compacts (as a first handgun). That gives you a list something like this, in no particular order...

Glock 19
Medium frame DA 4" revolver with non-magnum ammo (.38spl, .44spl, .45acp)
full size versions of below...
1911 Government size, .45acp or 9mm
Hi-Power 9mm
Springfield X-D 9mm
S&W M&P 9mm

Not an all-inclusive list - but all the above are simple to operate with reasonable training. Find examples of as many as you can for her to try with live ammo, and let her choose based on what she likes and is willing to learn.

My wife happens to have settled on a medium-frame revolver for the home, but that's just her. Others may like an auto.

....Takes the prize for the biggest BS answer in the thread so far.

gmoats,

Yes, It was training Marines for Embassy Duty. I had served as an Embassy Guard from 1982-1985 in Brazzaville, Congo, and San Salvador, El Salvador. I went back out on Embassy Duty as a Detachment Commander from 1992-1995, in Frankfurt, Germany, and Zagreb, Croatia. I was an Instructor/Chief Instructor at Marine Security Guard School at Quantico from 1995-1997.

I carried a Ruger Service Six in the Congo, and a S&W M10 in El Salvador. Carried S&W M19 in Germany and Croatia. In all cases we loaded six rounds.

A pic of me at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, 1984. Carrying an M16A1, and S&W M10. The M10 is not too visible, but on my right hip in a Sam Browne rig. We didn't have all the "tacticool" stuff back then.....grin,

Free Me, I personally use a G17, G22, and G21.

I think the smaller G19, G23 etc are probably a little better all-arounder if concealment might ever be an issue.

I just threw out the G19 as a well known standard, but any of the well made striker-fired autos would be good too, in my opinion.

+1.

Your suggested course of action mirrors mine and several others here. Of course your words/ advice are ones I would take to the bank without a doubt along with those of about 6 others here who clearly know of what they speak via primers popped.

Funny how some think the women in their lives can't choose a decent pistol. Maybe its because they chose louts like us to love.

Outside of my rule telling my girlfriend it was entirely her choice what she got as long as it was safe I only had one other rule. That rule was that she couldn't look at the price tags.

When she decided to go the 1911 route I sent her an email with links to Ed Brown, Les Baer, Wilson Combat, Nighthawk and a few other custom smiths. All I wrote was " these are top notch, if you find something you like or decide to spec your own, just do it and I will pay the tab when its due no questions asked"

My girlfriend knows what some of my guns cost and knew damn well that I could give 2 chits what her gun costs. I have the guns I like price be damned and would have gladly bought her whatever she wanted.

She decided to claim 2 of my guns that I didn't shoot or carry regularly so that was fine by me and if we ever part ways those pistols will go with her.

Like I said I don't want anyone ever telling me what to buy, shoot or carry so I won't do so to others.

Like the ones on mine.

Here's the points that folks like Chris miss...

We listen to people like RJM, and TLEE, and EvilTwin, and MontanaMarine, and a few others (TRH ain't in that group) because they have experience that supercedes ours. We take that guidance.

And, we trust our women/wives to be competent and intelligent enough to take the guidance we have through experience, as well as that of others that we consider our betters on experience.

Yet, through all the guidance, it is still their choice.

How "libertarian" of us, no?

That one is exactly what I was envisioning. An internet buddy of mine has that gun, but I'm not sure what grips he's got on his. He was a cop and I know he valued it highly for that type work. I'll have to ask him about the grips the next time I speak to him.

Cool pic. Nothing wrong with the M-16A1, which is what I got out of your post. They were rattly and old but still serviceable. I fired Expert with one the first time I fired for record in 1983, I think it was.

Many thanks for sharing the image with us.

Thanks for your service Master Gunnery Sgt. Rumor had it that a Star PD was passed around among the guards at the embassy in El Salavdor---may have still been there when you arrived???? What do you do in Montana--still in a training role??

No doubt. Could possibly bring concern over their decision making capabilities for sure.

When Mrs. RWE was considering the gun, on advice of myself and some other concerned spousal units, we sent three ladies to the range, sans husbands, to try out the battery of rentals, and after the fracas, she chose a Walther clone in 380. After a year with it, she stepped into to a vintage chiefs special with the 2.5 heavy barrel. A couple less shots, but she knows what to do with the 5 she's got.

Frankly self defense is one of the single most serious solo decisions someone can make, man, woman, or eunuch. If she trusts you enough to bring up the subject, then she's got to trust you enough when you tell her that she's got to be comfortable enough to choose her gun. Give her all the unbiased advice you can, but putting something in her hands she isn't one hundred percent confident in may be a deal killer when the chips are down.

Spring for some training too if needed.

Wife's choosing decent pistols:

gmoats,

I don't recall a Star PD. During my tour in El Salvador each Marine had a SW M10, Rem 870P, and an M16A1. We also had a couple of M60 machineguns that we kept at the embassy, and the ambassador's residence where we also provided 24hr security.

The State Dept trigger pullers carried XM177's (11" M16s), and had an array of uzi's, MP5's, snubby revolvers, and a Rem700 308 sniper rifle.

There is a bucket load of wisdom there. This quote should be a sticky at the top of this forum.



While working overseas, I have taken a fair number of female non shoooters who wanted to come down to the range to get their picture taken holding and shooting various weapons, standing amongst guys dressed in kit.

With a proper instruction (easier with most women then men) the women were firing handguns or whatever else into targets without too much issue. It is a matter proper instruction.

That being said, the vast majority of "instructors" I have seen were actually piss poor teachers. They simply regurgitated a course of fire.

Learning how adults learn and how adults learn differently takes time, observation and reflection.



Then again, Some just want to have fun.....

(yes I know she had no eye pro on, it was corrected shortly afterwards)