Finally converted the wife

[mitchntx]

+1
My wife has finally decided to get a CHL, too.

She has shot both the Shield and 938. Seems to do OK with either.

 

[TinKnocker]

Congrats on converting the wife! It can sometimes be difficult. So far I've been able to convert wife (who will be taking her CHL course as soon as she has our baby boy in March), my step-dad and my mother. Still working on my father-in-law.

As has already been said and repeated, be sure to let her make the decision. If she's anything like my wife she'll be pretty picky about what she wants/likes.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Took the wife to the range today and put her through the CHL course of fire. She shot a 225.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

good deaL SO THAT MEANS SHE CAN HIT YOU

 

[RetArmySgt]

good deaL SO THAT MEANS SHE CAN HIT YOU

LOL ive known that since the first time i took her to the range.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

right !!!!! tell her good for her

 

[Texas42]

Congrats.

I have a glock 19 or a ria tactical 1911 9 mm she can test if you run through midland. Not ccw prices.

My wife really likes the .22's and doesn't like the service calibers. She also was ok with beretta 92.

 

[TheDan]

Lots of great sugestions in this thread, but you should look at the Sig P239 as well. There are lighter and more compact designs out there, but the little extra weight of the P239 helps with pericived recoil. Plus Sigs are just awesome

 

[jamesmrj]

Congrats on the convert! I've got a sig 226 9mm she could try for comparison sake if y'all wanted to meet up at the range. Been needing to get to the range anyway. Pm me if your interested. I'm in Bryan, so it wouldn't be out of the way.

 

[London]

Try a bunch of different things; handguns are quite subjective. You're kind of asking to have your cake and eat it too with the easy to conceal and light recoiling request. Smaller, lighter guns are almost always going to recoil more than their big brothers in the same caliber.

I'd start by trying a Glock 26. The wider grip and double recoil spring helps disperse more recoil than the single stack options out there (actually feels just like the larger Glock 19). It also accepts the larger Glock 9mm mags for reloads. Stick a 30 rounder in there at the range and turn some heads!

The PF9 is awesome for concealment but many find the recoil to be unpleasant. The heavy trigger pull of the P11 takes it out of consideration IMO.

 

[bootman]

I would start the wife out with a .380 and one of the best is the Bersa thunder .380...check out the reviews on Youtube...It also comes in a concealed carry version. I am mainly a 9mm and 45 shooter but the Bersa is a fine gun and low recoil...Google Best ..380s and Best 9mm handguns....

 

[bertizzie89]

xd9 sub compact, pretty small package, decent magazine capacity, manageable recoil.

 

[bootman]

The shield is a fine gun...I haven't fouond one in 9 yet but I have a Ruger LC9 that is about the same gun and smaller than the Shield...I will get a Shield as soon as I find one though...It would be a good EDC and lighter than the Defender....

 

[Ghostie]

My wife was in the same position as OP's, till last year when she took the CHL class. She became a convert as well.

I then took her to a few shops, and even a gun show to try out guns.

One thing that was a big issue for her, was the ease of pulling the slide back - She had difficulty working the slide on my full size XD9, so when we went shopping, she made sure to test for this on every handgun she handled. I recommend this for any ladies shopping for a handgun.

Good on you for taking her shooting the guns first, I can't say enough about how important this is. In our case, I initially recommended a PK380 for her, because of the slide and lighter recoil. But she really preferred the grip on Glock 26, so we thought we'd found her gun........until we rented and shot both. She DID NOT appreciate the recoil on the 26 at all, so back to the PK380 we went.

I would have preferred she stuck with the 26, since it would have saved me $$ on ammo, but I'll bear the costs to ensure she has an enjoyable shooting experience

 

[TheDan]

I would start the wife out with a .380 and one of the best is the Bersa thunder .380... the Bersa is a fine gun and low recoil...

That's the PPK clone, right? I find that small blowback operated .380s like that actually have more felt recoil than a lock-breach 9mm.

Probably best advice I can give for picking out a gun for your woman is to forget everything you would factor in (like recoil, capacity, practicality, etc...). Get her something she thinks is pretty and she'll adapt herself to the gun. Just like those little high heels they run around in