Carry pistol for wife

[jaytwillerham]

so what's wrong with the tried and true rolling pin?

[Daniel44114]

My wife carried a Kahr P9 for years but pulled it down/left unless she concentrated extremely hard (something that is not going to happen in a stress situation). I got her a G43 as soon as they came out and it was a match made in heaven. Center mass every time all the time. The bottom line is different guns for different people - she has to find the one she is comfortable with.

[hurricanecharlie]

Kel tec PMR-30
Critical defense is low flash and recoil ammo.
With 30 rounds and she doesn't get out of a jam she will need to call in an air strike.
Very light and thin.

[Ben V.]

i still suggest a DA/SA revolver

[Deputydave]

Any chance that there is a range near you that rents handguns? Let her try several and ask HER what she feels comfortable with.
Just a thought.

Yeah, like I said a few times above, I wasn't just going to surprise her with something. We had been going out to different places and looking at different pistols and had already ruled a bunch of different ones out. Unfortunately not every gun is available to rent or demo, so I was just trying to do some additional leg work on what all is out there and take advantage of members' experience here.

She ended up going with an LC380 and loves it. Recoil is minimal and she has no problem with repeated shots hitting the target, and doesn't even need the grip extension. She likes that it has a manual safety and adapted to the DAO trigger right away. Lighter and smaller than the Bersa, it was a winner for her all the way around.

After having an LC9, I was surprised at how smooth the trigger is and didn't have any problems with the reset, which seems to be the major complaint on the webs. Re-acquiring the target between shots is super easy, and the sights are easy to see and maintain a good sight picture. Despite being the same gun as the LC9, it is an entirely different gun to shoot. And she is happy and comfortable with it, which is the important thing.

Thanks for the input guys. We did check out everything mentioned.

I think she made an excellent choice. The LC9(s) and LC380 are excellent pistols. Small, light, thin and have a decent capacity for a single stack design. I have a couple of LC9s pistols and they are fantastic shooters. I use to carry one off-duty until I got the Sig P365. Still like the melted-edge design of the LC series though. And the option of the manual safety is a big positive in my opinion.

My wife carries the LC9s in her purse and she likes it. However, due to some issues she is recoil sensitive. I've thought about going with the LC380 for her. Since you have/had both, how would you compare the recoil between the LC9 and the LC380? I know ammo selection is a consideration, but generally speaking is the reduction in felt recoil worth getting the LC380 over the LC9?

[chester field]

hey Dave, been away for a bit. The difference in the recoil is significant. There is nowhere near the hand slap that you get with the LC9 (the original LC9 is the only one I have shot). My wife hated the LC9 and would only reluctantly shoot the LCP. She is quite happy with the LC380, her biggest complaint at first being the trigger pull, which she then quickly got used to.

[Deputydave]

hey Dave, been away for a bit. The difference in the recoil is significant. There is nowhere near the hand slap that you get with the LC9 (the original LC9 is the only one I have shot). My wife hated the LC9 and would only reluctantly shoot the LCP. She is quite happy with the LC380, her biggest complaint at first being the trigger pull, which she then quickly got used to.

Last Monday my wife tried the S&W 380EZ at the range. She loved it. Due to issues she has limited hand strength when it comes to racking the slide and also recoil sensitive. To the point she simply can't shoot enough to gain/stay proficient. However, the 380EZ was a big hit with her. She shot a box of 50 and said she could easily have shot another box of 50. So we are off to a gun show in a bit. Hoping to find a deal on one.

[wsitgm]

Have you tried a Keltec p32? Perhaps their lightest and most reliable model.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Deputydave]

hey Dave, been away for a bit. The difference in the recoil is significant. There is nowhere near the hand slap that you get with the LC9 (the original LC9 is the only one I have shot). My wife hated the LC9 and would only reluctantly shoot the LCP. She is quite happy with the LC380, her biggest complaint at first being the trigger pull, which she then quickly got used to.

How is the L380 working for her?

We purchased the S&W 380EZ for my wife and she loves it. But it isn't a pistol she carries on her person. Most often it is in her purse and sometimes it's in the purse she doesn't have with her. Not the best option of course. So now I'm looking for a smaller carry pistol for her. Something that has a slide she can easily rack. Been thinking about a S&W 380 Bodyguard or LCP II maybe. Something that is easily carried.

As a side note, you mentioned a while back that you EDC an LCP. Since this thread started I picked up another LCP (after selling the first). This one was a deal I couldn't pass up. It's the one in Muddy Girl Camo in this link:

http://sepboard.us/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=105&start=20

In the photos you'll see the Hogue Handall grip I talked about earlier. It helps with taking a bit of the sting out of this little pistol. Also, you'll notice the really long base plate. I got the idea from a 380 Bodyguard I had a few months back (and traded for an HK actually). It had the long extension and at first I thought it was stupidly long and would absolutely defeat the purpose of a small pocket pistol. I was wrong! After shooting the BG I was really impressed. So I ordered one for the LCP, they're very inexpensive and I think I got it off Amazon or Ebay. Yes, it adds height to the pistol but when it's actually in the pocket you just don't see the difference between it and an LCP with flush mag. And I carried it in dress slacks to a wedding and there was no difference. But when shooting the LCP it gives a definite 3-finger grip on the pistol that helps a lot with accuracy as well as reducing felt recoil. It was an inexpensive and totally worthwhile mod.

[Deputydave]

Have you tried a Keltec p32? Perhaps their lightest and most reliable model.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I've never tried one but I've been curious about how reliable they are and what the recoil is like.