Wife wants to carry

[dvarmit]

Well, now that we are in Alaska and the wife is out and about hiking etc.. she wants a side arm.

She has killed deer with a rifle and was in the military so she's not foreign to guns. She has however never owned a pistol. I have never bought or even considered a pistol for her so quite honestly I am at a loss as to what a good gun for her would be.

So, I would appreciate some suggestions. She will be carrying mostly when she is hiking, berry picking etc.. She is more concerned about the loonies than bears. I am thinking an auto but not sure what a good caliber would be. Obviously I would like her to have the largest she can comfortably shoot. I am thinking that something is better than nothing if she would surprise a sow or a moose decided it wanted to make a taco of her or the dog.

I can look at ballistic charts all night but I would like to hear from some of you who have experience in this arena.

She is a medium build and could probably handle some of the medium calibers pretty easily. The larger calibers she could probably shoot but I am not sure how well she would react to the recoil. I know for sure she would not do well with my 44 mag and buffalo loads for bear.

[Vince]

well first of.. consider this..

when i bought my wife her first hand gun.... the card read... please remember how much i love you and don't hold this against me......


nothing says trust like buying her a dangerious weapon....


for a lady in a large cal.. i like the Para. small frames.. my second wife has a P-10 that fits nice with little recoil.. my current wife is 5-9" and tough she can haddle the red hawk she has but it is at the top end of her ability.

have her pick the one that fits her hand.. go to a range that rents them. and let her try several cal.. then be willing to spring the cash when hers cost more then yours....

[dvarmit]

well first of.. consider this..

when i bought my wife her first hand gun.... the card read... please remember how much i love you and don't hold this against me......


nothing says trust like buying her a dangerious weapon....


for a lady in a large cal.. i like the Para. small frames.. my second wife has a P-10 that fits nice with little recoil.. my current wife is 5-9" and tough she can haddle the red hawk she has but it is at the top end of her ability.

have her pick the one that fits her hand.. go to a range that rents them. and let her try several cal.. then be willing to spring the cash when hers cost more then yours....

That does bring up an interesting point. Does anyone know of a place in the Mat-Su area that has a range were she can try some out?

The P-10 is a nice compact frame and apparently the 380's now pack a pretty good punch compared to the loads of the past. I was thinking something a little bigger though like a 10 mil? Maybe that is asking to much..

[Vince]

ours was the .45 p-10... NICE!!!! 8 rounds

[danattherock]

Depends on the lady, but most would be safer with a revolver. Less to think about. I got my wife a S&W Ladysmith .357. Nice slim grip and it is "pretty"

Perfect for two legged critters.

Times of stress, adrenaline flowing, I like revolvers for all but the most experienced shooters.

[Lost Sheep]

Nobody flinches on the FIRST shot

Well, now that we are in Alaska and the wife is out and about hiking etc.. she wants a side arm.

She has killed deer with a rifle and was in the military so she's not foreign to guns. She has however never owned a pistol. I have never bought or even considered a pistol for her so quite honestly I am at a loss as to what a good gun for her would be.

So, I would appreciate some suggestions. She will be carrying mostly when she is hiking, berry picking etc.. She is more concerned about the loonies than bears. I am thinking an auto but not sure what a good caliber would be. Obviously I would like her to have the largest she can comfortably shoot. I am thinking that something is better than nothing if she would surprise a sow or a moose decided it wanted to make a taco of her or the dog.

I can look at ballistic charts all night but I would like to hear from some of you who have experience in this arena.

She is a medium build and could probably handle some of the medium calibers pretty easily. The larger calibers she could probably shoot but I am not sure how well she would react to the recoil. I know for sure she would not do well with my 44 mag and buffalo loads for bear.

A handgun is a poor, poor choice for protection against bears or even moose. The only legitimate reason it is so popular it that they are easy to carry and not often left leaning against a tree 15 yards away, when where you want an emergency firearm is WITH YOU.

So, handgun to do double duty as protection against dangerous animals and against threatening people.

10mm is nice, but most of the bullets available are far too lignt to be effective on bear. 9mm and 45ACP are ok for people, but also not so good on bears or moose. 357 mag is likewise marginal on moose (even in the heaviest loadings) and the bullet construction good against people is not good for any large animal.

Large bullets work best on both types of threat. Since they are already "pre-expanded" to a large diameter, you don't need hollow point construction to be effective on a person. 44 Magnum is good. 45 Colt is 10 percent larger frontal area and the 500 S&W is 23% larger than the 45 The gun itself is a pain in the hip to carry, though. It's heavy.

If you handload, a 5" Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt is a good compromise. The 45 Colt loads that approach 44 Magnum energy levels have less felt recoil than the 44 Magnum loads (don't ask me why - heavier bullets, lower speed having good momentum for effectiveness, the 45 Colt at 1000 fps and above in the heavier bullet weights can do as well as 44 mag.

Caveat: I am not a hunter. I just have done a lot of listening to guys who know what they are talking about. And what they say makes sense. Energy shreds flesh. Momentum breaks bone. To stop a large, well-muscled animal intent on doing you harm, you need to break bones to stop them. Then you can take a kill shot from a safe position.

Whatever caliber she gets, she will need a lot of practice. Use light loads and shoot A LOT! With a few full-power loads for acclimation. If it is necessary to plug a bear, it will happen very fast, the target will be moving (If it is standing still, it may not be necessary to shoot.) and she/you will be depending on that muscle memory and training to put the bullet where it needs to go.

A viable alternative to an anti-bear sidearm is bear spray. I carry both. The 454 Casull is there if the spray does not work.

Spray is easier to aim and does not require you to go through all the "Defense of Life or Property" red tape and all that. $50 for a large can of OC is less than a box of decent bullets.

Lost Sheep

[ret25yo]

my wife carried a 32 tomcat until it was stolen by our house movers.

[Amigo Will]

Take her to the range and let her shoot out a bunch of guns then let her pick her own.Best not to buy her shoes or her gun

[Jack49]

My wife had a choice of anything she wanted and has shot all of my guns from 38 special to 44 magnum. She settled on the Lady Smith .357.

For in town self protection she carries 125 grain loads. For walking the woods she loads it up with the Federal cast precision haradcast lead loads.

She carries this easily and is confident with it. Certainly not the best choice for bear but 5 180 grain hard cast bullets are better than nothing. Given that the odds of bear attack are so small she understands the trade off and accepts it.

[dvarmit]

Take her to the range and let her shoot out a bunch of guns then let her pick her own.Best not to buy her shoes or her gun

That's a good thing to remember

[dvarmit]

Thanks for all the input folks!

Still open to anyone who has additional suggestions! I plan on getting her lessons so she doesn't learn my bad shooting habits. :rolleyes:

[ADfields]

One more vote for let her pick it! Mine also has a 357 Lady Smith and takes it every place with her. I hate the little thing as it's a hand crusher with 357s but the wife shoots them all the time in it.:eek:

[Smitty of the North]

She is a medium build and could probably handle some of the medium calibers pretty easily. The larger calibers she could probably shoot but I am not sure how well she would react to the recoil. I know for sure she would not do well with my 44 mag and buffalo loads for bear.

So there, is your approach. Let her choose. Just suggest to her, what NOT to get.

No 44 Mag. or above. No Short Barrel. No tiny grip. Etc. Etc.

You're probably talking about a 357, or possibly a 44 Special, or even a 45 ACP revolver.

I got my wife a 38 Special with a 4" barrel, which she likes. It's loaded with 125 grain JHP FLs at home and I've loaded 158 grain Hard Cast +P Handloads for the woods and berry patches.

Yeah, that's mighty light for a Moose, or Bear, but remember what YOU said. "I am thinking that something is better than nothing".

I agree, and I know my wife, and I knew what she might like and what she wouldn't even deal with. I believe she is better off with this revolver, than nothing.

She's not a gun-nut like me, and she doesn't look for an excuse to shoot or pack a gun around, like I do.

The important thing to me, is that she can shoot her Bolt Action Rifle, and a Revolver SA or DA. She likes this gun, and she will carry it.

It's a good and positive thing, that your wife wants to carry. She'll be safer, and you'll feel better about it.

Smitty of the North

[danattherock]

Mine also has a 357 Lady Smith and takes it every place with her. I hate the little thing as it's a hand crusher with 357s but the wife shoots them all the time in it.:eek:

Same here. I hate the gun in my hands, but she loves it. Could be the name, "Ladysmith" in a market dominated by male interest, not sure. But she loves it. Pretty wood grain grips, nice finish, "Ladysmith" on the side. She runs 38s through it and keeps it by the bedside with .357 hollowpoints. Great gun (for a chic)

[big_dog60]

I agree with several other posters about the 357. My 44 mag is too big for my wife and she is pretty tough.
I know there are lots of arguments regarding safe carry, but I just don't feel safe carring around an automatic with a round in the chamber. So I carry revolvers. Just to be on the safe side I even leave the cylinder under the hammer empy even though I know they have the new passive saftys.

But maybe I am paranoid.