CCW for my wife: Smaller caliber/handgun or larger caliber/handgun?


C

Clint James

New member
I am on the hunt for the right ccw for my wife. I am trying to balance caliber, concealability, recoil, accuracy & stopping power. I had a Ruger LC9 for her and it was perfect in regards to size, concealability & effective stopping power, but due to it's very compact, light frame, the recoil was very snappy and had a big effect on her accuracy. She has shot my Glock 27 in .40 S&W and was more accurate with it than the LC9 (9mm) due to a slightly larger/heavier frame. She managed the recoil better & didn't find it as snappy. She didn't like the larger grip on it though. I'm considering the Ruger LCP as it is almost identical in size to the LC9 with what I would imagine is considerably less recoil & snap with the .380 round. I just don't know how I feel about .380 when it comes to stopping power.

What are your thought? I know the opinions will likely be all over the board, but I'm interested in hearing personal experience from women who carry concealed. Thank you!!
 

I have a Ruger LCR 38 Spl+p that I really like. It fits my hands, I am accurate with it, and I think it is plenty powerful and easy to conceal. I also have a M & P 9c that I love but I seem to find it more difficult to conceal.
I have a Crossbreed Supertuck holster for the LCR that I am very happy with but I also just made myself a bellyband for it that I am really loving and finding to be extremely comfortable for appendix carry. It's especially handy for wearing with clothes other than jeans. Recoil doesn't seem to be too much of a problem for me as long as the gun has a small enough grip. That always seems to be the problem with me and handguns.

I had a Taurus Millenium .45 at one time but traded it for a Springfield XD 9mm that I eventually traded for the M&P.

Most likely she'll just have to try different guns until she finds "the one" that works. Good luck!
 
I hated the LC9 that I bought. I was talked into it by a salesmen. Husband now carries it since he can put it in his pocket. I found I really like the Walther P22. It's very comfortable to hold and I enjoyed shooting it. 9mm has to big of kick for me. I have small weak hands but I love 22's. Hope this helps.:)
 
My husband first got a Sig P238 for me to carry but decided later to get a 9mm in a similar size for more stopping power. We ended up picking the Kahr PM9. I liked it over a couple others I tried out at the local range. It has some kick but not near as much as you would expect for something so small. I would recommend having her try out a few different ones at your local range if you have one you can rent guns at. It's makes the decision a lot easier.
 
My wife loves her pink lady. .38 Cal. from charter arms. She's shot my 9 & .45's but loves that. 38 it will work on perpetual in her hand but that is her choice everybody is different.
 
I own an LCP and a LC9. Both are decent carry guns. I often carry the LCP in my pocket as a BUG.

However, the OP said his wife handles a Glock 27 recoil well. That being the case, I'd recommend a Glock 26 for her. It's a bit less snappy than the 27. If she feels good with the 27, the 26 will be perfect.

Full disclosure: I carry the 26 all the time.
 
Clint,
We still have the P238 and shoot it at the range sometimes, though not too often as it's a carry weapon not a range pistol. I like shooting it. I don't feel like it has that much recoil. I haven't had any problems with it. I had rented the 9m version to try, (I forget the name at the moment) but did not like it at all as within just a few minutes it had several failure to extract. Part of the reason we got the Kahr for a small 9m carry pistol. Also I have small hands and the grip on the P238 is a good size for me, and I don't have any problems racking the slide.
 
Just bought a Sig Sauer P238. It has now become my favorite gun, over my Bersa 380 and Ruger 357.
.380 has plenty of power, no need to go for loud, jerky, expensive ammo guns.
The Sig has a very small profile, but is hefty enough you know you're carrying a deadly weapon, very easy to conceal anywhere you want to put it, front, back, thigh, ankle, purse, hat, bra, belt,,,, no recoil, or at least I don't notice it. I personally like a larger handle, but the one that comes on it sufficient.
 
Has any one pointed out that the wife needs to go pick out the right gun for her herself?
 
I would suggest letting her try out as many different guns as she can and let her decide what works for her.

I have an LCP and I would much rather shoot my XD Compact 45 or my 1911. I hate the LCP. It is so small that the recoil feels worse to me than any of the 45s I've shot. Remember the smaller guns don't have the weight to counter balance the recoil so they can be more uncomfortable to shoot in some cases.
 
Treo said:
Has any one pointed out that the wife needs to go pick out the right gun for her herself?
Click to expand...

Treo,
Thanks for adding to the conversation... I'm aware that a CCW is an extremely personal choice & needs to be made after hands-on experience. That being said, I'm looking for some suggestions as to what I might want to get our hands on.
 
Just go to the range and rent 5 to 6 different types of guns with different calibers and find which is the best it's cheaper than what most people think
 
Howdy,

Treo said:
Has any one pointed out that the wife needs to go pick out the right gun for her herself?
Click to expand...

Great advice!

It she doesn't like how it feels in her hands she will not carry it.

One problem with the tiny .380 blow back pistols is that they tend to have a lot of recoil considering their power level.

I'm an old 1911 .45 hardball, .357 & .44mag, 10mm, .45 Super shooter so recoil doesn't bother me but to some people, like women, the recoil bothers them.

For recoil sensitive a mid size 9mm or a .38 revolver is a better choice.

Paul
 
My wife's main carry gun is a Ruger LCP. She has a Hogue Handall grip sleeve that helps to make the gun comfortable for her to shoot. She carries it in either a Crossbreed Mini-Tuck or in a Flashbang holster. She also has a Charter Arms Undercover Lite .38 revolver. She can't tolerate the recoil from that one. Its lightweight and easy to carry, but it has a small grip that delivers a kick. I have since put on a full hand grip, but she loves her LCP.
 
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