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Recommendation for SD Pistol For Wife to Take While Walking

5K views 45 replies 29 participants last post by  Minkman555 
#1 ·
Looking for a recommendation for a smaller SD pistol for my wife who takes long walks for her health.

Last spring we bought a pocket .380 for this purpose. Unfortunately it never functioned correctly and after multiple returns to the vendor they have finally decided to replace it. When it arrives I am seriously thinking about trading it for something else. Not worried about caliber, but mainly size, weight and reliability. In addition my wife won’t budge from wearing knit shorts on her walks (before you say it you’re preaching to the choir and in her defense jean shorts have caused her problems on these walks in the past) but she will wear a fanny pack.

We shoot on a almost weekly basis and she is very familiar with pistols in the .380, 9 mm and 45 cal range so she is not a newebie. Thinking to get away from the Kel-Tec variations we rented a Glock 42 and a Kahr P380 at a local range. Both were extremely filthy and unfortunately I failed to see what ammo they required us to buy. She spent most of her time clearing jams (FTE, FTF) out of each. When they did shoot they were great. Not sure if it was their condition, the ammo, she was limp-wristing, or what. She is familiar with .380’s close to that size range but unfamiliar with these models so limp-wristing is a possibility but I did not see anything obvious. I also did not fire them because their prices were ridiculous (just shy of $50 for her alone to shoot 25 round total, only range with both guns) so I can’t add anything else . Wish I had now.

Looking for ideas. Obviously my first choice is an XDS but it’s a bit heavy, same with the Shield. Any thoughts or recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

Please, no caliber or brand wars. Just looking for some good facts from real users , not internet ninjas, to work with and this site seems to be one of the most civil sites to get info.

Also, any really good fanny pack recommendations would also be appreciated.


My thanks in advance……………………..D
 
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#7 · (Edited)
I agree with cuda on a j frame Smith as a solid option. Im currently carrying a G42 with pearce grip extensions and the size is perfecto. Not too small with a good amount of area to rack the slide. So far my G42 has been 100% even digesting several boxes of Tula ammo. In addition ive been using a Talon iwb holster which has been nice and comfortable for everyday carry. The quality of these holsters is excellent at a affordable price.
 
#8 ·
We have a Kahr CW380 that is a very good size for my wife, and if your wife is familiar with the operation of a semi-auto and can work the slide etc, I'd recommend that. I was having some occasional failure to return to battery, but after finding a "lip" that was not finished properly, that was taken care of and the little Kahr is very reliable. It is also VERY easily hidden, and smaller than the G-4.

The Glock 42 was a little too big for my personal needs, but it does seem to be a good size to get a grip on, and I would recommend those to people looking for a small / light semi-auto, and seems to be sized in between the Kahr CW380 and the Shield/XDS.

A small wheel gun like a LCR or something may be something to think about as well.

Those ideas assuming that the goal is a very light, very small & easily hidden gun.
 
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#10 ·
Lots of great suggestions here. You are on the right track tract though. Trying before you buy. She will find the "perfect" pistol soon enough.
 
#11 ·
I concur with the others, a J-frame 38sp, or 9mm..
Ruger makes a 9mm LCR, but it uses moon clips..
I want a j-frame, I used to own a S&W 642.
But I think I'd go with Ruger this time around.

I own a Kahr CM9 and CW380, great pistols but can be a little hard to rack the slide.
I also have an LCP I've pocket carried for several years, but my daughter and wife want no part of it..
I actually bought the CW380 to replace my LCP.
 
#13 ·
I was on a quest to help a disabled neighbor get a pistol last year, and tried out a lot of options in the process. My daughter and wife got involved, too.

The end result for the neighbor is still undecided (she's not as interested as she used to be), but my daughter found the Sig P238 to be her "perfect" gun. This after trying the Shield 9mm, XD9SC, G42, Ruger LCP, and a couple of others. We didn't try a Kahr, couldn't find one, but everything I've heard about them would make them a contender.

FWIW, I had some FTE when I first tried the G42. Definitely a grip/limp wrist problem. Correcting the grip and getting the mag extension solved that.

The points that settled her on the P238:
- she can rack the slide easily.
- she can load the magazines easily.
- concealability in all kinds of outfits.
- almost as easy on felt recoil as the G42 (lightest we found), but hard to rack the slide for her, and trigger not as nice.
- didn't want a revolver because of reloading time and slightly bigger to conceal.
- really likes the Sig extended mag and Hogue grip, fits her small hands perfectly.

My .02
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all the replies so far. Its so hard getting usable, unbiased info from the 'net.

To answer a few of the responses. She has no interest in revolvers (I think this came from a dumba** salesman who tried to sell her a pink gun and told her she would never need more than 5 shots, guess he also thinks racking a shotgun causes criminals to soil their pants and run away). I do wish she would body carry, that way she could easily carry her Shield that she replaced with an XDS as her EDC. However I know better than to push her into something she doesn't want or isn't ready to do yet. She really did like the G42 but the reviews are all over the place on it. Same with the Kahr's. Again do the bad reviews really reflect on the majority of the pistols or only on a few. Also, I guess when you get up to these sizes maybe a 9mm makes better sense than the .380. Was just hoping for something more lightweight and and easily pocketable.

Anyways, we're still looking. Once our replacement pistol arrives we will find out what our LGS will give us for its trade-in value. Maybe carry what she already has and get a tactical shotgun for the house instead? We'll figure it out.

Again, thanks for your help and thoughts. Always open to any ideas you might have.
 
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#16 ·
However I know better than to push her into something she doesn't want or isn't ready to do yet.
Smart man :)

She really did like the G42 but the reviews are all over the place on it. Same with the Kahr's. Again do the bad reviews really reflect on the majority of the pistols or only on a few.
Bad reviews are usually someone whining without taking time to understand the actual problem, and often don't give you enough background on the problem variables to mean anything. Nothing wrong with the newest releases of the G42 (anything built since spring of 2014) or the Kahr after 200 round break-in period.

Also, I guess when you get up to these sizes maybe a 9mm makes better sense than the .380. Was just hoping for something more lightweight and and easily pocketable.
The .380 round has its limits, but not the only factor. Psychological comfort with the pistol is most important, because one she doesn't have confidence in won't be carried. My daughter subconsciously committed to the Sig P238 once she knew SHE could break it down, load it, rack it, reload the mags, without anyone else helping her. Recoil was important to her, too, and she liked the P238 way better than the XDS-9 and Shield-9. For her, the Ruger LCP 380 was the worst of the bunch. Speed of getting back on target for followup shots is more important than bullet grain size, IMHO, and 7+1 rounds of .380 can do some damage.

Anyways, we're still looking. Once our replacement pistol arrives we will find out what our LGS will give us for its trade-in value. Maybe carry what she already has and get a tactical shotgun for the house instead? We'll figure it out.
I'm sure you will, you're asking good questions! The shotty is a different category than the EDC. I carry mine from the time I get up to the time I go to bed, and I ALWAYS know where it is. I don't have to think about being unarmed from where I encounter an intruder to where the shotgun or rifle is located. I don't have to worry about who has access to the shotgun or rifle when I'm not there. I can use my pistol to fight my way to one of those, if necessary.
 
#18 ·
Here is my opinion, I just bought 2 Taurus 380 TCPs for my girls in the family. They are a copy of the Kel-Tec except with upgrades. Only 10.2 oz Ns 6 plus 1 capacity. They come with a fitted fanny pack that is the size of a cell phone case. Ratings are very good for personal defense. Price is only in the $250 range and the come black, stainless, pink and now WHITE. Hammer fired, no external safety or and no magazine lockout. They also have a lock open slide on the empty mag. Check them out on the web at Taurus International Manufacturing Inc
 
#23 ·
#22 ·
Well I would agree the S&W J frame is a great little revolver but is not a lot of fun to shoot and the 38 airweight loaded feels about the same weight as a 9mm shield loaded the shield is a much nicer shooting gun. I would weight them but the battery in my scale is dead.
 
#33 ·
Looking for a recommendation for a smaller SD pistol for my wife who takes long walks for her health.

Last spring we bought a pocket .380 for this purpose. Unfortunately it never functioned correctly and after multiple returns to the vendor they have finally decided to replace it. When it arrives I am seriously thinking about trading it for something else. Not worried about caliber, but mainly size, weight and reliability. In addition my wife won’t budge from wearing knit shorts on her walks (before you say it you’re preaching to the choir and in her defense jean shorts have caused her problems on these walks in the past) but she will wear a fanny pack.

We shoot on a almost weekly basis and she is very familiar with pistols in the .380, 9 mm and 45 cal range so she is not a newebie. Thinking to get away from the Kel-Tec variations we rented a Glock 42 and a Kahr P380 at a local range. Both were extremely filthy and unfortunately I failed to see what ammo they required us to buy. She spent most of her time clearing jams (FTE, FTF) out of each. When they did shoot they were great. Not sure if it was their condition, the ammo, she was limp-wristing, or what. She is familiar with .380’s close to that size range but unfamiliar with these models so limp-wristing is a possibility but I did not see anything obvious. I also did not fire them because their prices were ridiculous (just shy of $50 for her alone to shoot 25 round total, only range with both guns) so I can’t add anything else . Wish I had now.

Looking for ideas. Obviously my first choice is an XDS but it’s a bit heavy, same with the Shield. Any thoughts or recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

Please, no caliber or brand wars. Just looking for some good facts from real users , not internet ninjas, to work with and this site seems to be one of the most civil sites to get info.

Also, any really good fanny pack recommendations would also be appreciated.


My thanks in advance……………………..D
Seriously a nice post to read. I'm so happy finding how many woman are carrying regular now days. I'm thankful to read your wife does carry. I feel my girlfriend walking the dogs is even seen as a target. She has a leash in each hand so she looks like a target I would imagine. I carry as much as possible. Although my girlfriend wants nothing to do with carrying (she leaves that to me) she is 100% ready for her own gun for the home we live in. She is recoil sensitive and sensitive to racking slides. She held a lc380 and a ruger lc9s. Could rack the slide on the lc380 but found the lc9s harder to rack. After more range time she wants a ruger sr22. That's plenty for her right now. She is very comfortable with it.
 
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