Good Pistol for my wife?

[Mr_Monkeywrench]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if this would be a good pistol for my wife. Its the Smith & Wesson 642 .38 Spl+P. She has pretty small hands and I was thinking this would be good for her if she was to apply for a CCW in the future. any info will be helpful

[rubber duckie]

here is a new review if you havent read it yet. http://www.snubnose.info/docs/m642.htm

[ColdDeadHands1]

I have a 642 and my wife has shot it numerous times. Honestly, even when loaded with light loads and 38sp wadcutters, it isn't very pleasant or controllable for her. Personal defense 38sp loads are far more unpleasant.

I also have a Kahr PM-9 that is smaller and more concealable than the 642 but MUCH easier for her to handle and shoot accurately. She greatly prefers the PM-9 over the 642. Also the 642 carries 5 rounds and the PM-9 is 6+1.

If you look hard enough, you can pick up a used PM-9 for $500 - $600.

[rubber duckie]

how about something in a 9mm or .380?

[Mr_Monkeywrench]

Yeah, I was thinking the S&W because of the small size and the smaller round. But I was considering maybe getting her a G19 or a sig 229. How would these options work? I know they would both be much more manageable then the .38. She would most likely be purse carrying, so size isnt a MAJOR issue, relevantly speaking.

[Rivers]

If you're looking for a .38/.357 snubbie, check out the Ruger SP101. It's built like a tank, very concealable, 5-shot and NOT superlight. The weight (which is very manageable) serves to absorb a lot of recoil. Shooting 38+P is very comfortable. (I have one of the first SP101's, bought before Ruger offered them in any other calibers.) The only work I've done is a trigger job and springs to drop the double-action pull to 8#, single-action to about 3.5#. Never a light strike, always fires.

BUT, whatever you do, do NOT pick a gun for your wife. She needs to choose what feels best for her. You might pick something entirely logical and she might not like it for reasons you don't understand. The result will be that she won't carry it. Kind of undermines the whole purpose, doesn't it?

[glockman19]

I have a 642 and my wife has shot it numerous times. Honestly, even when loaded with light loads and 38sp wadcutters, it isn't very pleasant or controllable for her. Personal defense 38sp loads are far more unpleasant.

I also have a Kahr PM-9 that is smaller and more concealable than the 642 but MUCH easier for her to handle and shoot accurately. She greatly prefers the PM-9 over the 642. Also the 642 carries 5 rounds and the PM-9 is 6+1.

If you look hard enough, you can pick up a used PM-9 for $500 - $600.

Mine too. I bought her a Bersa Thunder .380 that she feels more comfortable with.

[SpringfieldEMP]

My girl loves the Bersa as well...

[Ultimate]

Springfield XD, in service or subcompact. They really do have nice ergos for small hands.

[PyroFox79]

I bought my woman a Bersa Thunder.380. She liked that over any of the other sub-compacts she has held.

[ivanimal]

Sounds like a good trade......


OK, I like the CZ 75 with Aluma grips it is my wife's favorite pistol so far.

[bsg]

if you like the P229... consider the P225 for your wife; great grips for smaller hands, and comfortable to shoot.

i own a w german P225 and have owned others in the past. I have no complaints whatsoever regarding this gun.

[OneSevenDeuce]

Short barreled revolvers seem like a good choice for a woman due to their small size. However whenever something is small you are giving up recoil management for size. I know a lot of men who don't like shooting snubbies because of the snap, to say nothing of women who are generally smaller. There are a lot of better options if your wife is small, or if she has trouble managing recoil. A compact or sub compact semi auto would be a better choice.

[yasushi]

My wife also has small hands and loves her 1911 Commander her dad gave her but didn't like shooting 45's. In hopes of finding the perfect gun for her, I've picked various guns in 9mm (Sig P226, Sig P225, CZ 75, Kimber 1911, BHP) and I've even tried different grip panels on Sig, CZ and BHP to thin down the grip sizes and also tried various rentals the the local ranges but she still prefers the feel of single stack 1911.

She likes shooting my Kimber 9mm but she's not too crazy about the weight of the government model so looks like I'll be in the market for a Commander size 1911 just like the gun she always had, but this time in 9mm.

[cpt_majestic]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if this would be a good pistol for my wife. Its the Smith & Wesson 642 .38 Spl+P. She has pretty small hands and I was thinking this would be good for her if she was to apply for a CCW in the future. any info will be helpful

I have a 642 and my wife doesn't like it, she says it hurts her palm. She also has small hands.

Have you thought more of a G19 or something similar? I am most likely going to get my wife a G19 for xmas.