Need some education

[JoyfulJoker]

[Garv]

One thing to consider, may depend on why the wife will use a gun outside of you with her at the range.

Her racking technique may need to change.
It has been a while, but we have posted some videos on it here.
Discussion:

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=808137

Glocks and probably others have relatively inexpensive add-on devices that help racking so maybe a Glock 19 or 17.

The Glock Store has a few choices.

IIRC:

Single horn & Double horn https://www.glockstore.com/Longhorn-...harging-Handle
Circle ring https://www.glockstore.com/Slide-Pull-Charging-Handle

The M&P Shield is more of a carry gun than a plinker for the range, but used for both.

Good luck.

[0ddl0t]

You should be able to find Federal aluminum case ammo .40 for around $0.25/round at Walmart these days. If you're in the Sacramento area, there's a small tabletop FFL in folsom selling some brass case CCI for $0.24 ( https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1463269 )

If you want to go much cheaper than that, why not get a nice .22 for plinking?

[Garv]

If you want to go much cheaper than that, why not get a nice .22 for plinking?

Good call Oddl0t.
I usually warm up a bit with some .22 then move up in caliber.
Always good to have a .22 around.


OP:

Would the wife enjoy a revolver possibly?

[golfrj]

The Shield is really hard to rack the slide, Honey will NOT be Happy!

[TMB 1]

$345 https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...ornia+Approved

[aspenvalley]

Start reloading if you want to shoot more. I can reload 40 for under 15 cents a round.

If you want a 9mm and like you Sig I would recommend checking out a CZ 75 or a Sig 2022.

Bar-Sto makes a 9mm conversion barrel for the 229. I no nothing about them. Maybe someone here does.

[Garv]

Bar-Sto makes a 9mm conversion barrel for the 229. I know nothing about them. Maybe someone here does.

OP:
Start another thread if this sounds interesting. ^^^^

[DNA]

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/search.cfm/CurrentPage/1/kword/%20Sig%20Sauer%2022LR%20Conversion%20Kit

Under $200 and you get to still shoot your P229.

Dan

[Tehjosheh]

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperst...nversion%20Kit

Under $200 and you get to still shoot your P229.

Dan

Beat me to it

[JoyfulJoker]

Fantastic answers . Thank you all.
Gary: thank you , some good options and points to consider . I’m plinking to learn to use this correctly. My initial impetus was a nearby home invasion where the guy made several attempts to access a home . After repeated calls from the elderly occupant , the police arrived 2.5 hrs later. It’s me pushing my wife to learn to shoot for this reason. I don’t think she would be interested without my pushing. She just finished earning a degree so she’s burned out. My concern would be for her to rack the slide to use it for her own defense if I were not home . She’s open to coming with me to A.S.P. in Vacaville and trying different guns. I was hoping to kill 2 birds with 1 stone getting a gun we both could use. I have 7 surf boards , I could see ending up with 3 guns.

Oddlot: outstanding. That’s about an hr and 20 minutes from me in Vallejo depending on traffic. The .22 sounds like a great idea. The idea of a warm up. I still am thinking of this as a self defense tool that I didn’t expect to be so fun or take so much work to master.

Golfer: I know

TMB1: thanks

AspenValley: I’m a total novice but from what I’ve read the only problems with the P229 have been with reloaded ammo. Why , I have no idea.
I’ve watched some vids regarding the CZ 75 but never handled one. The SIG 9 mm conversion kit is brilliant! Check this vid! 3 in 1 ! https://youtu.be/qu2XiFmD3oo Found a thread saying the different slides will wear the frame differently. Not sure what that will mean over time. Sig says need the slide assembly and a different clip. Users say otherwise .

DNA: Yes!
“All you need is the Sig factory 9mm barrel. As long as you use good ammo you don't need to change the recoil spring. The 40 mags will work great. There are many threads about this.
For whats it worth take Sigs answer with a grain of salt and make sure to ask the right questions. Sig DOES NOT sell conversion barrels. They sell a complete 'kit'. Legally they may not be able to tell you that a gun sold in 357sig will work correctly with a .40 or 9mm barrel. They'll say to buy the kit because they sell the kit. The correct question to ask is .... 'What is the slide difference between a 229 that starts as a .40 and 357sig?' 9mm will normally have a different breech face. Hence why you can go from 40/357sig to 9mm but not the other way. I have an SP2022 with 40, 357sig and 9mm Sig factory barrels. They swap with no issues, but Sig told me they won't work because they are NOT conversion barrels. I also called Barsto (super nice people) and they even said what Sig says is BS about the barrels and its driven because Sig sells a 'kit'. They are all the same barrel blank and just drilled to a different caliber. Sig isn't going to make 3 different slides and 3 barrel blanks. They'll make one slide and barrel. The rest is marketing. I'm looking at a 229 for my next gun and planning to by a 40 or 357sig. After that I'll by the Sig 9mm threaded barrel and what ever barrel (40 or 357sig) didn't come with my gun. After my checking account recovers I'll buy a 357sig and 40 threaded barrel from Barsto. I'll most likely have Barsto do a fit on the barrel and make a trip out of it. They are not far from Denver and will schedule walk in service. The short answer is remember Sig has to answer to lawyers. Short ver is all you need is the factory Sig barrel because your gun started life as .40. Here is same thread for a 226. http://sigtalk.com/sig-sauer-pistols...7-sig-9mm.html”

From https://www.google.com/amp/sigtalk.c...m.html%3famp=1d

The thread has some differing opinions. Sigs conversion kit is as much a new gun.

[ZombieLivesMatter]

My friend has a P229 .40 and wanted to shoot 9mm, he bought aconversion barrel and it runs flawlessly, another route for you to consider.

[phdo]

[timbo399]

As stated by a couple people above, the Shield has a notoriously stiff slide-- while it does get easier as you shoot it more, it still is one of the most difficult slides to rack on any semi auto I've ever owned. My wife cannot consistently rack the slide on my Shield for the life of her.

Good luck with your decision OP, lots of good options stated in this thread for you.

[Solanaco]

You may want to look into the CZ 75 SP01. It's 9mm steel frame with a rail in case you later wanted to mount a light. It's a soft shooter, very accurate, it's my favorite gun, and my wife can rack the slide on it. The recoil is very manageable so she reaches for this one when we go to the range.

If you find you enjoy this platform, they make a. 22lr adapter for it called the Kadet, which allows you to swap out the slide and barrel and shoot .22. This also might interest your wife to practice with the same frame but sitting. 22. They even made the conversion kit the same weight so it feels like your regular gun. I just bought one, so if your interested in my review, PM me in a few weeks, otherwise there are lots of good reviews on the CZ Kadet.