OMG I never thought this would happen ...

[GregVa]

... My wife is considering concealed carry. I am thinking a 9mm or a .380. I know its a huge topic but what recommendations in the sub $400 market? After some of the recent criminal activity in the prince william area its tipped her over the edge. I also know a lot of people say a .380 is too small and not worth carrying, but I need something that she would be comfortable with. We will go try some out at a rental range, but wanted to see who has experience with the small 380s. I tend to like rugers but open to ideas.

[Snakester]

I 'm not a big fan of the .380....Never really considered one. I shot one a few years back that my brother in law had .....Not sure what it was , all I know was it was light weight and very snappy. My only thought was it was better than not having any weapon at all . About a month ago I got to shoot a Rock Island Baby Rock .380 that was "very fine and shot great ...Would highly recommend one and I have even been thinking about one for our collection. My wife carried a Ruger sp101 .357 mag . for several years and loves it to this day. My favorite flavor is 9mm and especially like them in 1911 . There's a lot of choices ....Choose wisely and shoot many and find something she really likes.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[dusterdude]

Love my bersa thunder

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[allingeneral]

I personally think that a nice .38 Special revolver is a good starter gun for a lady. The simple design helps build trust and comfort handling a firearm. No magazines to drop, no slide to rack...just pop out the cylinder, insert 5 rounds, pop it back in and pew-pew-pew.

[Snakester]

You are exactly right Rick ...Carol loved her SP101 just because it was so simple to handle . I liked I'd because it was a .357 mag. And could shoot .38 specials loads all day long. Then she starting shooting our 1911's and only shoots her Ruger enough to stay good with it. It is still her EDC weapon of choice .

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[GregVa]

Thanks guys, I actually have a sp101 in .22. It was more for a fun target pistol and it has a 4 inch barrel so not that ideal for conceal carry. I might have to look at those ruger LCR in 38

[FiremanBob]

Greg, we have some Rossi revolvers in the $300 range, and some Taurus M85 revolvers coming in a few days.

The pocket .380s such as S&W Bodyguard and Ruger LCP have their place but they are NOT pleasant to shoot. In 9mm, Ruger LC9S is nice and so is the Beretta Nano - both under $400. The SCCY 9mm has the advantage of a 12-rd mag but as a double-stack it might not fit her hand. Or it might - have to try to tell.

But the most popular handgun in America today is the S&W M&P9 Shield. It's very comfortable to shoot and under $400.

[dorminWS]

There's a lot to be said for giving a lady a revolver. SWMBO has gotten interested in perhaps getting her CCW and having a pistol, but I worry she'd have trouble holding on her target with the trigger pull on a double-action revolver. On the other hand, I also worry about her racking a semiauto slide safely. I'm also going to get her to take a firearms safety and handling class from somebody else. I took her to my pet FFL a while back to look at pistols and she merrily muzzle-swept me and everybody else in the place multiple times; taking my cautioning of her as unjustified criticism. I had to do the same thing when she started driving. Won't take instruction from her rightful Lord & Master, you know. (that last was a cynical joke, folks)

The sweetest .380 I've gotten my hands on is the SIG P238. It is very manageable and well behaved little pistol, and if you want such fluff, you can even get it in girly-girl colors. But it does run a little over your budget at $480-$575 depending on where and with what bells & whistles you buy it.

[Reverenddel]

Hey! I'm a big boi, and I carry a stainless Colt Mustang as an EDC... With the right ammo? It's comparable to a low recoil 9mm in performance, but much smaller package.

[GregVa]

Thanks for the ideas, lots of options out there. Not sure what we will do, but hoping to get to a range sometime with her so she can try out a few options

have a good one

[Swampman]

Stay away from the Ruger LCP. Hammer fired, and the trigger pull is about a mile long. Also not a pleasant shooting gun. If you're gonna go with a semi-auto, I'd probably go with striker fired.

[Ironbear]

A .380 in those small, lightweight, pocket pistols can be harsh. In a full-size pistol it is mellow. If you don't need "bright and shiny" and don't mind a bit of cold war ambience, places like Aim Surplus have Radons (.380) and CZ99's (9mm) for not much over $200. CDISales on Gunbroker has Surplus CZ99's (9mm), CZ-83's (.380), CZ-75's (9mm), and Tangfoglio's often for well under $400. Not new-fashioned, not fancy, but build quality better than most anything in that price range!

Anyway, just a thought.

[RO73]

I would have to agree that a 380 in a small gun is uncomfortable. However the only exception is the Glock 42. It is by far the smoothest little gun I've ever shot. Very mild recoil. Try it out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rualert]

Love my bersa thunder

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

I too have an older one of these, and the wife likes it well enough, but prefers her Sig 9mm. I do carry the Bersa when I need something smaller than my Commander sized 45 for some of those special dress up affairs. I personally enjoy my 45, and my 16 yo daughter loves to shoot my 1911 as long as I'll hand over ammo. Sister in Law picked up one of the small S&W 357 revolvers, and carries 38 SPl +P loads for her EDC, and practices with 38 spl almost every weekend, but does mix in some of the +p's just so she is used to shooting those too.

Casey

[Reverenddel]

Anyone played with the Sig 928's? The itty bitty 9mm the size of a Colt Mustang?

[FiremanBob]

Rev, you mean the 938? We have had a couple come through the shop.

The good: great trigger - basically a mini-1911. Slide is easy to rack because of the steel-framed pistol's weight; you don't need such a heavy spring to absorb the recoil. Beautiful fit and finish. Small size makes it disappear for concealment.

The bad: short grip makes it barely a two-finger hold. I wouldn't want to shoot it one-handed, but you can get a solid 4-sided grip on it with two hands and it shoots well. Nobody makes magazine extensions for it, so you're stuck with 6 rounds and that short grip. Wicked high price.

For my money, I'd rather have a G43 or an M&P Shield.