Yesterday the wife turns to me and says...

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mt_dren

New member
that she would like a pistol. She doesn't like the 357 revolver and wants a semi. She is willing to use her own funds and I can get one as well.

I know nothing about semis and have reading up. I'm kind of a bit nervous about recoil for her. We did look at some a few years ago and she liked the feel of the Glock 23. I would like to get both pistols in the same caliber, but they don't have to be the same model.

It would strictly be for range use and I reload so I'm not concerned about finding ammo.

Any suggestions on where to start?

mt_dren
 
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45Gunner

New member
Probably the best place to start would be at a gun store with a good size inventory so she can try guns for grip fit in her hands. If you are concerned about recoil, which actually should not be a big deal if she grips the gun properly, you may want to avoid .40's, .45's and .357sig. That leaves you concentrating on either a .380 or 9 mm. You may want to try having her shoot a .45ACP to see how she deals with it. It's not as snappy as the .40 or .357sig.
 
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leigh

New member
I say go to a range where she can rent/fire a whole bunch of different guns before she decides what she likes best. (But for what it's worth, and consistent with 45Gunner's comment, I really like my 9mm for both defense and target shooting).

On the buying 2 of them front, (just to back up your plan to buy 2) my husband and I have enjoyed having some same caliber but different guns, rather than getting the same thing. Opens the door to really getting comfortable with a larger number of guns as we trade off occasionally, encourages friendly competition, while still making ammunition purchases simple.
 
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fisherman66

New member
Good advice so far. May I recommend our Moderator's home page too. http://www.corneredcat.com/ The article about "Trying on a Gun" is a good starting place, but there's a wealth of info for both genders. Not that I think gender is much of an influence, unless you are talking about cultural.
 
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FyredUp

Moderator
Why not go to a range that rents pistols and try out a few and see what both you and her like.

I find the comment to stay away from .45acp a little bizzare actually. My fiancee is 5'3" and shoots my Springfield Armory 1911A1 Loaded and when she was laid up after her breast cancer surgery she picked that as her self defense gun when I was gone She could have picked a 9mm semi-auto, .22LR semi-auto, or .38 revolver. Yet she picked my 1911A1 .45 because not only is she comfortable with it, she is a darn good shot with it at up to 15 yards.

Again, try out some rental guns and buy what feels good to both of you in whatever caliber you are comfortable shooting.
 
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Ken - Oh

New member
It depends on what she is shooting now, but a lot of .357 revolvers have as much or more recoil than decent sized 9mm or 45s. (I won't comment on the ultra small or ultra light guns).

Something like a CZ-75 or Sig 226/228/229 will have very light recoil in 9mm. Likewise a full sized 1911 or Sig P220 in.45 I'm only mentioning those guns because they are ones that I am familiar with, there are many more.

40SW guns tend to have "snappier" recoil.

I suggest that before putting down your money, you go to a range that rents guns and give a few a try.

Ken
 
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Atroxus

New member
I say go to a range where she can rent/fire a whole bunch of different guns before she decides what she likes best. (But for what it's worth, and consistent with 45Gunner's comment, I really like my 9mm for both defense and target shooting).
Click to expand...

+1000 to that. Best way to find out what she does/doesn't like is to take her shooting and try as many different guns as possible before making a purchase.
 
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mt_dren

New member
Wow...thanks for fast replies and good advice.

Unfortunately, we don't have a range where I live that rents well anything much less pistols. No one else I know has any semi-auto pistols to try.

We will make the rounds to the local stores again to see what feels best for her. Today is cold and snowy so it is a good day to go shopping and see what she likes.

Thx for the cornered cat website as it has some good info on it.

mt_dren
 
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ezriderga

New member
While you may not have a range that rents guns where you live, I would strongly suggest you go to the trouble/expense to find one you can use even if you have to travel. As someone else has already said,it is the only way you are going to know which gun is going to be the best for her. Good luck with your/her decision.
 
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AcridSaint

New member
I agree with renting the guns also. As far as Glocks go, I find both the 9mm and 40 cal medium and full sized versions to be very easy to shoot and not too snappy or recoiling. I have personally the mid-size Glocks to be the guns I prefer and if I bought one it would be a 19.
 
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dabigguns357

New member
Sounds exactly what my wife and i went through.She loved her snubbie 357 but wanted something better,newer and a semi-auto was a must.

We ended up going to several gun stores so she could try different guns out(we don't have a range with rentals either).In the end she picked out a Glock 23.She does like it but the recoil was a bit stiff so i bought her a 9mm conversion barrel,and now she is very happy.Later on on i'm back and buying her a 357 sig barrel to see which one she really likes.By the time it's over she will have 3 guns in one.:D

Oh and only offer her advice when she asks.
 
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amprecon

New member
I have Glocks, a 23 and 21 specifically. I've had other model Glocks also and the G19's are terrific too. I just prefer more power from the .40 caliber. For range use only the 9mm would be fine, recoil is mild and ammo is cheap. But if you ever decide to use it for HD, SD, CCW, I'd go with the .40 for the extra stopping capability. Recoil is more, but not much more and ammo is slightly more expensive, but you don't have to buy the more expensive +P ammo to have effective SD ammo, the .40 is powerful enough in it's standard loadings.
 
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christcorp

New member
Stay away from the 380's. It's a great caliber, but you can get modern 9mm loads that are just as soft if that's needed; yet won't be difficult or expensive to buy. Basically, 380 ammo is difficult to find and expensive. The guns and ammo of a 9mm are about the same size. Go with 9mm.
 
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leigh

New member
If you don't have a range with rentals, try getting her to sign up for an NRA CCW class. Not sure if my experience was typical, but our instructor showed up with about 6 different pistols of his from .22->.45 including some semi-exotic ones and generally let the class try them all out.
 
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rodwhaincamo

New member
The 380 ACP is marginal for HD/SD.
I think the advice to find a range that rents is a great idea. You have a much better idea of what both of you will like. My girlfriend has shot my 44 using Spl's and could handle it well. She's only 5'3". That's similar to 45 auto.
 
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mt_dren

New member
Thanks Everyone

Yesterday we spent about four plus hours and 5 stores later she narrowed the choice to a Glock and an XD.

Tonight she decided on the XD 40. The place that we are getting it from is willing to let us try it at the range in order to ensure recoil isn't an issue. If she doesn't like the recoil then they will allow us to swap it out no charge.

I really liked the Glock 22 and will probably pick one up if she keeps the XD 40.

mt_dren
 
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