.357 kick?

[MrsPickle]

Pickle wants a new gun... (the kind that fires bullets, you pervs)...

I've never fired a handgun in my life. That will change when we are the owners of one.

If you were going to get a handgun, and you wanted one with "stopping power", BUT your wife needed to be able to fire it, what would you think about getting?

It can be a revolver, or a pistol. I'm a smart girl, I can learn how to load either.

And, YES, it will be for home protection. This is not to be a debate on gun control vs. calling cops, etc. I want real ansers to my question...

Thanks guys!

 

[MIDNJAC]

If you are shooting magnum rounds, it kicks back a decent amount but nothing that a reasonably able person couldn't handle. IIRC you can opt for the .38 rounds as well which might be a good compromise if you are really "petite"

 

[navy09]

A shotgun is probably a much better choice seeing as you have children.

 

[MrsPickle]

If you are shooting magnum rounds, it kicks back a decent amount but nothing that a reasonably able person couldn't handle. IIRC you can opt for the .38 rounds as well which might be a good compromise if you are really "petite"

I'm definitely not petite. (6'0" and probably weigh more than you) But, that's good info. That's what I was looking for...

We have a shotgun. Someone on here (dunno where, Pickle just gave me the jist of the thread) recommended putting it up high, on the wall, in the closet. Very smart idea.

He wants a handgun as well. I want to be able to fire it. Something about a lockbox... etc... I stopped listening 45 min into the brief about why he "needs" a handgun.

Thanks guys.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I'm definitely not petite. (6'0" and probably weigh more than you) But, that's good info. That's what I was looking for....

I know better than to get into a "weight" conversation with a member of the fairer sex, but let's just say that I'm fairly close to the minimum end of the ejection seat / safe nude weight envelope while standing @ 5'10 so if it worked for me, you should have no problems.

 

[MasterBates]

The Manatee(tm) was able to fire most any normal handgun round short of 44Magnum. She's about 6' and was 150-160 pounds when she used to shoot. And she's a "recoil wimp". So you should be fine.

So any normal defensive round at your size should be OK. 357 Mag, 45ACP, 357 Sig, 40S&W are all good. 9mm is OK, but you should be using REALLY good ammo if you are using that for self defense.

 

[Wingnut172N]

I'd go with 9mm or .45

If you were going to get a handgun, and you wanted one with "stopping power", BUT your wife needed to be able to fire it, what would you think about getting?

I think in that case for a semi-automatic I would look at 9mm or .45ACP. The 9mm has pretty mild recoil especially in full-size pistols such as the Beretta 92, USP or the SIG 226. For home defense use hollow point ammunition and you'll have plenty of 'stopping power'. Generally speaking, you'll also have enough ammo to fight a small war (15+1)

.45ACP has a harder kick than 9mm, but it's more of a firm push, which makes it manageable. I own a Government Size (5") 1911 in .45 ACP that is pretty mid as far as recoil goes. Usually, your capacity goes down from 15+1 to around 8+1 with a .45, but there are those who would argue that the increased power of the round merits the lower capacity. Recently there are some handguns that have 14+1 capacity in .45ACP, those being the FNP45 and the Springfield XD.

I'd stay away from .357SIG and .40S&W. These tend to have a very snappy recoil, that I'm personally not a fan of. There are those who would disagree with me, YMMV.

If there are any local ranges, I'd go rent one of each caliber you're considering and throw some rounds downrange, and see what you think for yourself

For reference sake, I am 6'1" and 185 pounds.

 

[Flugelman]

I'm definitely not petite. (6'0" and probably weigh more than you) But, that's good info. That's what I was looking for...

We have a shotgun. Someone on here (dunno where, Pickle just gave me the jist of the thread) recommended putting it up high, on the wall, in the closet. Very smart idea.

He wants a handgun as well. I want to be able to fire it. Something about a lockbox... etc... I stopped listening 45 min into the brief about why he "needs" a handgun.

Thanks guys.

Heh... Mine usually stops listening at about 45 SECONDS... and she ain't usually nodding her head YES...

 

[MrsPickle]

The Manatee(tm) was able to fire most any normal handgun round short of 44Magnum. She's about 6' and was 150-160 pounds when she used to shoot. And she's a "recoil wimp". So you should be fine.

So any normal defensive round at your size should be OK. 357 Mag, 45ACP, 357 Sig, 40S&W are all good. 9mm is OK, but you should be using REALLY good ammo if you are using that for self defense.

The 44Mag is too much for me. Just holding it, I could tell that... Pickle is a fan of 357 Colt or 40 Sig.

I think in that case for a semi-automatic I would look at 9mm or .45ACP. The 9mm has pretty mild recoil especially in full-size pistols such as the Beretta 92, USP or the SIG 226. For home defense use hollow point ammunition and you'll have plenty of 'stopping power'. Generally speaking, you'll also have enough ammo to fight a small war (15+1)

.45ACP has a harder kick than 9mm, but it's more of a firm push, which makes it manageable. I own a Government Size (5") 1911 in .45 ACP that is pretty mid as far as recoil goes.

I'd stay away from .357SIG and .40S&W. These tend to have a very snappy recoil, that I'm personally not a fan of. There are those who would disagree with me, YMMV.

If there are any local ranges, I'd go rent one of each caliber you're considering and throw some rounds downrange, and see what you think for yourself

Good point on the range idea. We also have a friend with several of the "finalists," so we might hit him up for a test run.

Personally, I kind of liked the 9mm Beretta. Maybe, we just need to get 2. (or I can just suck it up, and use the shotgun...)

The Manatee(tm) was able to fire most any normal handgun round short of 44Magnum. She's about 6' and was 150-160 pounds when she used to shoot. And she's a "recoil wimp". So you should be fine.

Please, please tell me that she's gained tons of weight since then. I shudder to think what my nickname would be...

 

[MasterBates]

She was 150 when we got married. Last known weight was 317 about 2 weeks before we divorced.

 

[Bevo16]

Mrs. Pickle,

3 weeks ago, Mrs. Bevo announced to me that she wanted to get a handgun, learn to use it, and get qualified to carry said weapon IAW Tennessee law.

As anyone who has read the handgun forums knows, I am a big fan of Smith and Wesson's M&P series. Even with that in mind, I knew that if I tried to steer her toward that gun, she would pick something else just to spite me (she is a woman after all). She shot the Springfield Armory XD, Glock, Walther PPK, and Smith and Wesson (all in 9mm except the .380 PPK). After firing about 30 rounds from each, she decided to go with the Smith and Wesson 9mm subcompact.

If recoil is a concern, the 9mm is not going to intimidate you. Don't let anyone tell you that a 9mm does not have enough "stopping power". Any 9mm personal defense round properly placed is going to put an end to the day of any problems you might have. Here is a review of some high quality 9mm ammo.
http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/tap_101405/index2.html

Mrs. Bevo has been to the range shooting her own gun exactly twice. I have her shooting at 5 yards, and she is putting the entire mag (12 rounds) in a 5 in group (with a subcompact, that's really good). Either she has some serious shooting talent, or I am one hell of a coach.

Regardless of what you pick, don't decide on something because someone on the internet said it was great. It is also impossible to describe recoil in the printed word. It's different for everyone, and light recoil for me might be heavy for you. Pick a variety of guns that you want to test drive, and then turn pickle upside down and shake some range/ammo fees out of him.

 

[navy09]

Don't let anyone tell you that a 9mm does not have enough "stopping power". Any 9mm personal defense round properly placed is going to put an end to the day of any problems you might have.

Agreed. I went with 9mm because it's cheap and that's what I had the most experience with. After spending a day in the desert blowing my Federal HSTs through a bunch of random shit (tires, TVs, phonebooks, etc) I feel very comfortable carrying it.

 

[Pugs]

Pickle wants a new gun... (the kind that fires bullets, you pervs)...

I've never fired a handgun in my life. That will change when we are the owners of one.

If you were going to get a handgun, and you wanted one with "stopping power", BUT your wife needed to be able to fire it, what would you think about getting?

It can be a revolver, or a pistol. I'm a smart girl, I can learn how to load either.

And, YES, it will be for home protection. This is not to be a debate on gun control vs. calling cops, etc. I want real ansers to my question...

Thanks guys!

My wife was a complete gun newby when we got married and has since gotten quite familiar with both revolvers and semi-autos. That being said she prefers a revolver. If in the middle of the night she has occasion to reach for the house gun she prefers the simplicity of the revolver. Of course, with young kids in the house you have an obligation to add either the locker or a trigger lock but that's not an issue for us.

Our house gun is a S&W 586 .357. It's a full size frame revolver and that makes the .357 loads easy to shoot. For practice I load light loads. If you're not a reloader .38 loads are very pleasant and pretty cheap.

Lots of choices out there and you should get whatever you're comfortable with. The trip to the range to try a few is a good idea. FWIW I have few qualms about the 9mm as a personal defense weapon. The best one is one you shoot well and if it turns out to the the 9mm then buy that.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I fear putting a large cal handgun in my girl's hands........I think it might end up a bit like this:

Aside from the FL panhandle trailerpark attire

 

[FMRAM]

I fear putting a large cal handgun in my girl's hands........I think it might end up a bit like this:


Aside from the FL panhandle trailerpark attire

Wow aside from looking like white-trash, she at least kept the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and indexed her finger.