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Okay folks, I need your help. I have read and researched until I was blue in the face so what I need is personal, hands on experience, to help me out here.

My wife and I are both CHLers. I carry a Glock 23 and she has a S&W Model 36 that mostly sits in the van when she has it. She very rarely carries (size and weight issues). We had a North American .22 mag that she would actually carry but the house ate it. She liked it cause she could drop it in a pocket or clip it into her cleavage. Mechanically it was reliable, definitely a close in weapon but it was single action and had no trigger guard.

Now I am operating on the principle, the best defense weapon is the on you will carry. So I am asking for advice.

Should I replace the NAA .22 or is there another model that is small (maybe small enough to clip on a bra) and reliable to get her?

Just for insight sake, she hates the Glock though she qualified with it; she loves my 1911 though she could never carry it.

I have a little experience with the Browning .22. I have bought one for my son-in-law. I had gotten it, dressed the feed ramp and fired a couple hundred rounds with good reliability.

Please lend me your experience.

Kyle

Dragonfighter wrote:We had a North American .22 mag that she would actually carry but the house ate it.

Sounds like a story there!

While not the size of her NA mini, a S&W 642 would be light weight and an excellent alternative.

I too wish my wife would carry a little heavier.
The one she WILL carry is the best for her & your wife too. She carries a Kel-Tec P32. they make a clip for it that should work on a bra as you stated. Kel-Tec has had some trouble with their P3AT modle but I know of no issues from anyone who owns a .32. Ours has been totally reliable.
Not a bag full of money either.

Myself and my wife will both praise the sig p232 that we have, its a SWEET little .380 auto. It is VERY easy to carry...and no matter what people say, with the right ammo its a great self-defense round.

I have put over 1k rounds through my all blued sig and only had 2 ftf's and that was within the first 50 rounds, since then it has been a super-accurate and reliable weapon. Not to mention you can get one for about $400.

The first gun that we bought for me was a P3AT, and it just has too much recoil, though it is small and cute, and I will carry it. It's a .380, but it really hurts my hand.

Then, I fired a Browning BDA that belonged to my gun instructor's sister and fell in love. Also, a .380, but the design and size absorb the recoil nicely. They don't make that any more, but Beretta bought the patent and makes the Cheetah off that design, with a few modifications. We bought the Cheetah, and it is a great gun.

Last weekend, we found a BDA at the Pasadena Gun Show, bought it, and went out and fired 82 rounds in the pouring rain. It was made in 1983. That will always be my gun. I even bought new wood handles for it this week. It's a .380 and fires like a dream.

The sights on the BDA are not as good as the ones on the Beretta, but I'm putting white dots on them, so there should be no problem. Both guns are well worth the money: $330 for the BDA and almost $600 for the Beretta.

Now, hubby has a "new" gun, too, as I gave him my Beretta. Is there anything that I need to do in TX to be able to do that?

The BDA doesn't fit in my skirt pocket as well as the KelTec, but I'm a lot more comfortable firing it.

My 2 cents.

G-Ma,
You do not have to do anything in Texas to give Hubby a gun. Just ask him to take you out for supper.

Only supper?

You mean I couldn't get a new dress out of it, too?

We're going to the Gun Show at the George R. Brown, tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe something to carry BD in.

Thanks for the info.

Tell him LT said you are worth a new dress for sure.
Gallaria after the gun show.

Well, my B'Day's the 9th. Don't want to seem too greedy. I got the B'Day check from his Mom, today, so now I can go buy Christmas presents for Larry and the kids. Yipee!!

Okay, now I need to sort this out. I finally broke down and discussed with her whether she would carry a small auto if it was light enough and small enough. I want her to not have to think about cocking for every shot should she need it.

The KT's are within a couple of ounces of her beloved NAA .22 mag and virtually the same size. I was looking at the P3AT and read with great interest the thread on it. So here is my questions that I have formed now:

1)She has a weak wrist and complains that it still aches sometimes from the last time we were down at the range using my Glock. Is the recoil so "snappy" as to make the P3AT prohibitive for such a person?

2)If I chose to go with the .32, is there decent defense rounds for that caliber and is its recoil more manageable?

3)What about .22, is there any reliable lightweight SA's out there chambered for either LR or .22 Mag?

Thanks again,
Kyle

Dragonfighter,

If you live anywhere close to Houston/Galveston, you and your wife are welcome to shoot our P3AT (G-Ma is my wife) and see what you think.

But, if your wife has a weak wrist, she probably will hate the P3AT as much as Shirley does. She refuses to practice fire it any more. I still fire a magazine-full through it each time we go to the range, but pay VERY careful attention to my grip -- if you don't, it'll whack the "webbing" between thumb and forefinger every time. Ours has been rather temperamental, to say the least. Not sure how much of the problems she has experienced are limp-wrist-related.

Can't speak to the .32, but it's my impression that you'd be better off with a good .22 than a .25; not sure if that would extend to the .32, also, though. Beretta makes a .32, called the Tomcat; the Bobcat is available in .22LR and .25Auto, according to http://www.berettausa.com/product/produ ... s_main.htm

I have seen .32 rounds compared to a .380 and there isnt a huge difference, however, I believe the extra power of the .380 is more than worth it for self defense. You should have her check out the sig/bersa/walther style .380's, they are cheap, easy to conceal and while the recoil is a tiny bit more than you would expect from a small gun like that, it is more than managable for my tiny little wife. Plus with the .380 you can buy Federal Hydra-Shoks and its always a plus to have a little faith in the round your trusting your life to.

Every women I have ever showed the Sig p232 to has instantly fallen in love with it, heck my mom, sister and mother-in-law even went out and bought one.

Dragonfighter,
Small lightweight guns have two inherant problems.
1) Small. They are hard to get a good grip on and hard to hold on to.
2) Lightweight. No mass there to absorb the recoil. So your hand takes it.

My wife shoots 9mm, 38 spl, 40S&W, 357SIG and 45acp. Her carry gun is a SIG P239/40S&W.(she can handle the 40S&W because the P239 is a heavy gun) She won't shoot a G23 or a G27. She has a Kel-Tec P32 for a back up.

She does not like to shoot the P32. She says it's hard to hold on to and the recoil hurts. I can get her to fire about 25 rounds through the P32 a couple of times a year. Just enough so she could use it if she had to. She put 15 rounds through it last time out and said that's enough. That was after 200+ rounds of 9mm.

Now for my suggestion: Get your wife a P32 or a Berretta Tomcat (32acp) but don't expect her to run 50 rounds through it to practice. Get a Glock 17 or 19 or any mid or full size 9mm for her to shoot and practice with. Something she can practice loading, sight alignment, trigger control, etc. Even a full size .22 cal, Browning BuckMark, Ruger, Walther P22, S&W.

Just have her shoot the P32 enough to be able to use it if she has to. Shooting a 9mm once a month will help her get comfortable with recoil and marksmanship. The Kel-Tec P32 is a fine choice for carry, but it is not a fun gun to spend the day at the range with.

I hope this has been some help to you. Regards, OE

Thanks for the feedback. Size and weight are the premier factors for her. So I'll have to find a good balance between power and hand ability.

LarryH, thank you for the offer but we live in Flower Mound, just South of Denton.

Any other females with input? I would really appreciate it.

I agree with the bigger guns absorb more recoil the main thing is whether i's a 22 or a 45 is firearm basics , sight alignment ,breath , and trigger squeeze.if you can shoot bullseyes with a 22 you can shoot em with a larger calibre , and the sig 232 is a sweet weapon my range has 1 available for rent , and sometimes it helps to shoot before you buy . I bout a S&W 639 9mm compact for off duty years ago and when i shot it normal grip my skin on my finger woud pinch behind the trigger and to get the shot off had to pinch my skin . I had to learn to put the very tip of trigger finger on trigge to keep from pinching my skin , i hated that gun and traded it for a 39 problem solved .