So after 20 years of marriage, my wife decides now that she wants a handgun, she has had a LTCH , for all 20 years but she has never even shot a gun, just not her thing.
She decided it would be in her best interest to have her own gun, and to start carrying.
I have many full size guns and she says "too big"
I gave her a Kahr PM-40 to try to pull the slide back and she can't do it.
This is my number one concern with an auto for her, my thoughts are if she can't pull the slide back she doesn't need to be carrying it.
So I am trying to find something she can safely handle , and something in a suitable caliber.
I've always took the approach nothing smaller than a .380 or a .38 in a revolver
One guy at work has recommended a Ruger LCR and says it has a great trigger, I am just not so convinced on revolvers, due to the capacity issue.
We have plenty of property to shoot at, so it's not an issue of a place to teach her how to handle a gun as I can set up a range in a few minutes.
Someone also suggested a Beretta tomcat , and stated she won't have to pull the slide back to load it, but again , in a FTF or FTE , she will be in a position where she will be forced to do so, and if she can't , then that is a problem, and I am not to impressed with the idea of her carrying a .32
Any ideas, suggestions, or tips that might help me go in the right direction ???
I don't own a J frame or any small revolver, but have access to a J frame to let her shoot one , but I think I need to start small, like .22 small and then go up after a month or so.
I've seen answers going to the Sig 238 and 938, I am not wanting her to go toward a 1911 style, I want her to get some experience carrying and handling a firearm first, plus she will be mainly carrying in her purse , I really doubt you will ever see my wife OC , and if you do it will just be on our property, simply because she gets upset if I go out and OC , she always tells me to find a way to conceal carry because she doesn't like the attention it draws.
UPDATE 5-17-15
I went into a gunshop yesterday and was looking at several pistols, trying to find one she could rack the slide on, and the guy at the counter told her to position the gun sideways, so the muzzle was pointed to her left , and to push the slide, I have always pointed the gun in front of me so I could visually check the chamber, and it just seems easier. here are the problems I noted by this guys methods
1. with the gun sideways it is aimed at her forearm
2. with the small compact guns she could not see the chamber
3. he told her to ride the slide forward, I was taught to let it fly forward never to ride it forward.
4. if it is pointed to the side, and you are at a local gun range, you are essentially pointing a firearm at another person.
5. just seems "un-natural" and it is just too easy for the barrel to be pointed at yourself, and while my problem is not with her loading the gun, it is only clearing a malfunction, this is when she needs to be able to see the chamber and manipulate the mag release, seems to hard with the gun sideways and almost pointed right at herself.
She decided it would be in her best interest to have her own gun, and to start carrying.
I have many full size guns and she says "too big"
I gave her a Kahr PM-40 to try to pull the slide back and she can't do it.
This is my number one concern with an auto for her, my thoughts are if she can't pull the slide back she doesn't need to be carrying it.
So I am trying to find something she can safely handle , and something in a suitable caliber.
I've always took the approach nothing smaller than a .380 or a .38 in a revolver
One guy at work has recommended a Ruger LCR and says it has a great trigger, I am just not so convinced on revolvers, due to the capacity issue.
We have plenty of property to shoot at, so it's not an issue of a place to teach her how to handle a gun as I can set up a range in a few minutes.
Someone also suggested a Beretta tomcat , and stated she won't have to pull the slide back to load it, but again , in a FTF or FTE , she will be in a position where she will be forced to do so, and if she can't , then that is a problem, and I am not to impressed with the idea of her carrying a .32
Any ideas, suggestions, or tips that might help me go in the right direction ???
I don't own a J frame or any small revolver, but have access to a J frame to let her shoot one , but I think I need to start small, like .22 small and then go up after a month or so.
I've seen answers going to the Sig 238 and 938, I am not wanting her to go toward a 1911 style, I want her to get some experience carrying and handling a firearm first, plus she will be mainly carrying in her purse , I really doubt you will ever see my wife OC , and if you do it will just be on our property, simply because she gets upset if I go out and OC , she always tells me to find a way to conceal carry because she doesn't like the attention it draws.
UPDATE 5-17-15
I went into a gunshop yesterday and was looking at several pistols, trying to find one she could rack the slide on, and the guy at the counter told her to position the gun sideways, so the muzzle was pointed to her left , and to push the slide, I have always pointed the gun in front of me so I could visually check the chamber, and it just seems easier. here are the problems I noted by this guys methods
1. with the gun sideways it is aimed at her forearm
2. with the small compact guns she could not see the chamber
3. he told her to ride the slide forward, I was taught to let it fly forward never to ride it forward.
4. if it is pointed to the side, and you are at a local gun range, you are essentially pointing a firearm at another person.
5. just seems "un-natural" and it is just too easy for the barrel to be pointed at yourself, and while my problem is not with her loading the gun, it is only clearing a malfunction, this is when she needs to be able to see the chamber and manipulate the mag release, seems to hard with the gun sideways and almost pointed right at herself.
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