Gun shopping with my wife

[dburkhead]

I took my wife to Pop Guns yesterday to try a number of guns, preparatory to finding something that she would be comfortable with as a practice and carry gun. I was a little concerned when we first went gun shopping, she gravitated toward high-end 1911's (can't fault her taste ) and large revolvers and I had a pretty good idea that she'd find the recoil of those a bit much to handle.

When we went there, I started her on a 9 mm (Glock 17) from the rental wall. (Pop Gun's lets you switch between guns with only paying one rental fee.) She found the recoil of that one scary and said she thought the gun was going to come back and hit her. (She also limp-wristed causing the gun to short-cycle). I think this was a mistake, because the next gun I tried, a Bersa Thunder .380, she also found intimidating. I think this was a psychological reaction. I should have started small (.22 perhaps) and worked up rather than starting in the middle. She ended up comfortable with a .22 (Beretta Neos). Well, a .22 you'll practice with and carry is better than a .45 you won't. I could, I suppose, just let her use the Jennings J22, but I have some concerns about its reliability (my experience so far in plinking with this particular gun is that the first magazine or two is good, then things start to go south. Could be that it's just highly affected by fouling and I need more practice with it to determine if that's a solid rule) and the safety on the thing worries me. OTOH, it's got such a long, heavy trigger pull that, so long as the gun is kept holstered (and the trigger guard covered) the safety is probably superfluous.

So it looks like I'll be shopping for two .22LR handguns--one as my practice gun and one as my wife's carry piece (until she gets more comfortable with that and I can get her into some more effective defensive calibers).

The Jennings can then serve as it's primary duty, to be the only survivor from the tragic boating accident where I lost all my guns. "Here you go, officer."

 

[Yamaha]

if you go .22, go with a WMR.....

for the longest time, with most murders wasn't a jennings .22 involved? that would be long before the time of the glock 9 on the streets yo.... *runs and hides*

 

[indyjoe]

Yep. Always start with a .22. Then explain that this does not kick much, but is poor for defense, to justify the increase in recoil. That has been my experience anyway.

 

[spasmo]

I have heard nothing good about the Neos. When it first came out, I wanted one because of the cute colors. But I hear over and over what a piece of junk they are. We have a Walther P22 which is a lot of fun to shoot. I can't see carrying a .22 because even if you do hit the BG with it and he's doped up, you're just going to tick him off.. In the winter time, the .22 may not even penetrate a heavy coat. Just my two cents. I personally have a Glock 26 but I don't carry right now. I just sold a PF9 and I don't recommend that for your wife either. I would definitely think the .22 over though for using as a carry gun.

 

[JetGirl]

...large revolvers and I had a pretty good idea that she'd find the recoil of those a bit much to handle.

What?
Did you mean bigger caliber in little guns like snubby airweights?
Because the heavier the frame and longer the barrel, the *less* recoil...
I guess I'm not understanding you here. Can you clarify?

 

[Scutter01]

I would definitely think the .22 over though for using as a carry gun.

I agree with everything you said. The only thing I would add is that a .22 in your hand is better than a .45 in the safe. If a .22 is the only thing she can/will carry (for whatever reason), it's better than nothing.

Oh, and definitely a on the Walther P22. Plus, it's threaded so you can put a suppressor on there.

 

[elaw555]

My experience with my wife ended up with her saying her favorite gun to shoot was the Beretta 92FS out of a list that included a G17 and G19, Sig P228, and XD9c, and a Sig P225. She said the recoil was the lightest of all, but this info might not fit your needs. JMHO

 

[Bubbajms]

I have a buddy in Ohio that CCWs a Neos.. I'd rather have a Neos than nothing, I guess, but I'd rather a caliber start with 3 at least, in a defensive round..

o'course, there's a bajillion of you defending yourselves from ebil squirrels with .22s, so what do I know??

 

[dburkhead]

If a .22 is the only thing she can/will carry (for whatever reason), it's better than nothing.

Funny. I seem to have heard that before.

I figure to get her started on something and encourage her to move up as she gets more comfortable with it.

I would have preferred the heavier gun for her even with the lighter bullets (recoil issues--I'm a physicist I understand what's involved). To check, I fired each gun myself first to see that the felt recoil actually was less in each step "down".

Remember, in demonstration, I was limited to what was available for rent. I would have liked to try her on a full frame in the .380 before moving down to the .22. And in the .22 I picked, basically, the largest one they had so as to reduce the felt recoil as much as possible.

 

[karlsgunbunker]

a .22 Revolver w/2" Barrel would be better as a carry gun than a .22 auto.
.22lr is a rimmed cartridge and will eventualy jam in any auto.
A revolver goes bang first time everytime.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Gosh, your wife didn't have any problem at all when I took her gun shopping...

HAHAH!!! I kid, I kid.

Seriously. I'm kidding.

My wife would kill all three of us if the above were true.

Then my wife's brothers and mother would kill all three of us again.

-J-

 

[gglass]

My wife loves her Walther P22 so much that she drags me to the range anymore. Gotta love that.

The .22LR is not the optimal choice for a self defense round, but it beats scratching and kicking. As for not being able to penetrate a coat in the winter... hogwash! Go review ballistics facts to see how far a 22LR can penetrate ballistics gel to test that theory. The .22 caliber round kills more people in the U.S. than any other bullet caliber. (Maybe slow, maybe fast. It all depends on placement.) A .22 high velocity bullet, like the CCI Stinger, traveling at 1640 fps will give anybody a bad hair day.

If you only get one chance to make a first impression, then a .22LR might be a little hairy. But, if you do as I taught my wife, (EMPTY THE MAGAZINE) you will probably be OK. The little Walther can be emptied in 2 seconds, and my wife (not under duress) can keep a 3" cluster in center mass at 25'.

My wife's equalizer:

 

[gglass]

Last Point on .22LR

Intelligence agencies and military special forces have used suppressed 22LR pistols for assassinations and for eliminating guard dogs or sentries. Some examples include the use of suppressed High Standard HDM pistols by the American OSS, which was the predecessor organization of the CIA. Gary Powers was issued a suppressed High Standard for the flight in which he was shot down. Suppressed Ruger MK II pistols are in current use by the US Navy SEALs.

The .22 LR has also seen limited usage by police and military snipers. Its main advantage in this role is its low noise, but it is usually limited to urban operations because of its short range.

** See the Walther P22 ballistic gel testing at brassfetcher.com.
Link: Walther P22 versus ballistic gelatin block

Man I hope those dogs and sentries aren't wearing coats.

 

[Joe Williams]

A couple other suggestions:

Try her out with a .38 Special Revolver, with standard pressure ammo. Actually, start her out with wadcutters. Until she's ready to step up to more powerful ammo, the wadcutters are liable to be much more effective than any .22. DON'T start her with an ultra-lightweight snubby. I know very few people who consider them easy or fun to shoot. The smallest I would go is something like my 3" barrelled Ruger SP101. It's heavier than most snubbies, and the extra barrel length makes a real difference in ease of shooting. The rubber grips and weight soaks up a bunch of recoil, and with light target loads mine feels almost like shooting a .22. My favorite target/practice .38 handload will put five rounds into one hole all day long at 10 yards out of this gun. If you want something bigger, a Ruger GP100 or Smith 686 .357 might be worth considering, and the recoil is non-existent with light .38 target loads, and so light with .38 +P ammo that she may be willing to carry effective personal defense rounds. When she's ready to move up to more powerful ammo, she's already got the gun.

If she likes the Government Model platform, Springfield Armory makes a neat 9mm version of theirs. You'd be hard pressed to find a more soft shooting centerfire defensive handgun.

 

[dburkhead]

Next time I can get with her to the range (my daughter is going through a rambunctious phase so getting both of us to the range without another adult on hand to ride herd is a bit difficult at the moment) I plan to have her try the Nagant. If she likes that, we'll see how she does with a .357 loaded with .38 special.

 

[dice dealer]

one thing about the .22
There has been in history more people killed with the .22 caliber bullet than any other round EVER produced ..

A 45 or a 9 mm to the stomach chances are it goes straight through ..

the .22 goes in bounces around and bounces around some more hitting any and all vital organs ......


The other way i look at it


I would rather shoot you in the face with a .22 the shoot you in the foot with a .44