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My wife is moving up in her shooting and now no longer wants to use her Bersa .380 as her CCW. She's wants a .40 or .45 (I'm so proud!)

Now, she's loved the Glock Subcompacts but I have heard some bad things on G30's. She's held (but not fired) a Walther PPS .40 and liked the feel of it. I've recommended that we check out the G36. Aside from that, I don't know what other small frame .40 or .45 are worth checking out. Does anyone have any suggestions on what she / I should check out? There seem to be so many, so we'd like to narrow it down to 5 or so and then rent them to try 'em out. I know it's probably been discussed ad nauseum, so I apologize.

Thanks!!

For a .45, have her try the compact Kimber's. My wife shoots very good with mine.

Unless she is looking for a polymer gun, I would point her toward a 1911 style 3". If that is too heavy, why not a 9mm like the XD sub-compact or a Kahr PM (love my PM9 for concealability, and they make a .40 and .45.) A 9mm with +P+ loads is a great weapon! A little smaller holes than a .45, but lighter usually.

I find .45's are generally easier to shoot than the .40's (the recoil isn't as subjectively "sharp"), especially in the small guns. YMMV.

If she likes the Glocks, a Model 36 single stack compact model might be just the ticket. They're a little hard to find, but they're great, light, easy carrying and easy shooting guns.

If a little more grip thickness isn't an issue, the Springfield XD Compact .45 is very easy to shoot with it's single action trigger and a manual of arms almost identical to the Glock.

The Kahr PM45 is also a very nice carry gun. To me, the recoil seems a bit more noticeable than with a compact 1911, but the manual of arms is simpler and it's a great shooter. The PM40 has had some significant issues, so I wouldn't advise looking in that direction.

If she's going to carry in a holster on her person, a Kimber UltraCarry or one of the Springfield compacts is hard to beat.

I'll echo the 3" 1911s (I have the Colt Defender). Carries well, not all that heavy and the recoil is more of a push than a snap.

I also have the XD9SC. A little thicker but carries fine. Springfield also has it in a .40.

I have always thought 40s had much more of a snappy recoil than anything else I've shot. But YMMV.

Happy hunting

You won't go wrong with a XD subcompact in 9mm or a XD compact .45 acp. Both are around $500 and both are in short supply. I'd love to have a short barreled 1911, but they cost $3-500 more than a XD and hold fewer bullets.

S&W M&P in 9, 40, and 45 all come in compact versions. I really like mine. It is easy to shoot and quite accurate. Similar to Glocks but easier on the hand.

Really the best answer is to go to a gun show and have her pick up everything and develop a list of what she likes and then beg, borrow, or rent them to shoot. All the recomendations are really personal to the person making them. Only your lady will know what fits and feels the best and is easiest for her to shoot.

My wife carries a Colt New Agent in .45 and is very happy with it. She carried an XD.40 sub compact for a year or so prior and has retired it to backup. Her New Agent carries flatter less bulky, and lighter in her purse than the XD40 sub. (Too much stuff in her purse squeezing her gun pocket down ). She finds the little Colt much easier to get to, get a proper grip, and draw. The New Agent was around $850, but she's worth it. At least, that's what she keeps telling me.

My sister just upgraded her carry to a Colt Night Agent in .45 from a Colt .38+p special revolver based on shooting Mrs. RiverRat's New Agent at the range in December. Same reasons as above.....and she is not comfortable without sights as in the New Agent so got the Night Agent.

They both found that the slower, heavier round in .45 was more controllable and less "snappy" than the ones they were shooting. The recoil not an issue. The wife and sister are experienced but by no means expert handgun shooters just to qualify. I don't know your situation.

I had been carrying a Springfield Ultra (3.5") Compact in .45 until I found a Colt Night Agent willing to follow me home last month. The Springer was all steel and I was impressed with the weight savings and flatness (IWB) of the Night Agent.

I know it's all opinion. There are many good choices out there. Any of the major manufacturers is a good choice. It's just Fords and Chevy's, power steering, auto or A/C. Good Luck.

In regards to the Glock compact .45's, my understanding is that you have it backwards. The double-stack model 30 is generally considered to be completely reliable by all accounts I have heard, while the single-stack model 36 has been somewhat problematic for some owners. Glock knows how to make ugly and, for many, uncomfortable double-stack pistols that just plain work, but the model 36 was their first release (I won't venture to say it was their first attempt) of a single-stack design. It would follow that the new design would be more problematic. All that being said, there are many very happy owners of both models. If the model 30 is a bit too large for your wife's hands, Glock has released the 30SF, which has a little bit less girth in the grip. I don't own any of these models of Glock pistols, so take what I have written with a grain of salt, but my wife and I are very happy with our model 19 and 23, respectively.

You might want to look at the model 23 or 27, if your wife likes the Glock line and is considering the .40SW cartridge. It is noticeably smaller in the grip that the model 30. It is a somewhat snappy cartridge, but the 23 handles it nicely, IMHO. The 27 has an excellent reputation for doing the same and having Glock's usual reliability. Also, the 27 will take the larger 23 and 22 mags (I would recommend them as backup or secondary mags for concealability purposes); the 23 will take the larger model 22 mags; and the model 30 will take the larger model 21 mags, in case capacity is a concern of yours and/or your wife's.

I'm not knocking any of the other suggestions already given, but you mentioned the Glocks in the OP. Actually, if I were going to buy a large capacity .45, I would get the XD .45, because it just plain fits my hand better than the Glock .45's. I also have a 5" 1911 that I'm breaking in, so I can move it into my carry rotation. What can I say, I love all sorts of guns (I just hate my budget ). The most important thing is to let your wife pick what fits her best within reason.

barres wrote:In regards to the Glock compact .45's, my understanding is that you have it backwards. The double-stack model 30 is generally considered to be completely reliable by all accounts I have heard, while the single-stack model 36 has been somewhat problematic for some owners. Glock knows how to make ugly and, for many, uncomfortable double-stack pistols that just plain work, but the model 36 was their first release (I won't venture to say it was their first attempt) of a single-stack design. It would follow that the new design would be more problematic. All that being said, there are many very happy owners of both models. If the model 30 is a bit too large for your wife's hands, Glock has released the 30SF, which has a little bit less girth in the grip. I don't own any of these models of Glock pistols, so take what I have written with a grain of salt, but my wife and I are very happy with our model 19 and 23, respectively.

I have owned a Glock 36 and I carried and shot it extensively for about 5 years. There may be other folks whose experience is different, but reliability was never an issue with mine. It was every bit as good as with the several double stack Glocks I have owned in 9mm, .40 and .45. Everyone I know who has the Glock Model 30 is equally happy with that as well.

If you have the money Kimber Ultra carry (there are threads on this board about it). Mine is barely larger than the wife's Bersa as a size comparison. It does kick though.

Alternatively, Walther, Taurus etc. have a new range of thin 9mms. I've heard good things about the newer Walther. If i had a do over I'd have gotten one for the wife before she fell in love with her "baby" bersa.

You may want to look at the Para LDA 45 as well. Very nice weapon and doesn't HAVE to carry it condition 1 like a regular 1911.

Excaliber wrote:

barres wrote:In regards to the Glock compact .45's, my understanding is that you have it backwards. The double-stack model 30 is generally considered to be completely reliable by all accounts I have heard, while the single-stack model 36 has been somewhat problematic for some owners. Glock knows how to make ugly and, for many, uncomfortable double-stack pistols that just plain work, but the model 36 was their first release (I won't venture to say it was their first attempt) of a single-stack design. It would follow that the new design would be more problematic. All that being said, there are many very happy owners of both models. If the model 30 is a bit too large for your wife's hands, Glock has released the 30SF, which has a little bit less girth in the grip. I don't own any of these models of Glock pistols, so take what I have written with a grain of salt, but my wife and I are very happy with our model 19 and 23, respectively.

I have owned a Glock 36 and I carried and shot it extensively for about 5 years. There may be other folks whose experience is different, but reliability was never an issue with mine. It was every bit as good as with the several double stack Glocks I have owned in 9mm, .40 and .45. Everyone I know who has the Glock Model 30 is equally happy with that as well.

Your experience, and a lot of other very happy G36 owners', is exactly why I underlined some in my original post. I was posting second-hand info from other gun boards and folks I've talked to, and I've always heard/read about more problems with the G36 than the G30. I'm not saying that I've heard that more G36's have problems than don't. Most of them just plain work, like the vast majority of Glock pistols. My apologies if I stepped on any toes.

Suggest you also consider the Springfield EMP in .40

barres wrote:My apologies if I stepped on any toes.

My toes are fine. I just sent along my experience with the G36 as a "for what it's worth".

I maintain my guns carefully and clean and lubricate them religiously after each range session, and they work first time every time. Not everybody follows the same regimen, but this could very well have a bearing on my good experience with the G36.

Even though Glocks will take a lot of abuse, sooner or later an unlubricated gun with a lot of crud in it will do something that wouldn't be helpful in a firefight. Same thing if the recoil spring isn't changed periodically - once it's past its service life it will cause reliability problems at an increasing rate. One or the other of these two issues may underly some of the negative posts you've read.