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Wife is ready for her own CC piece. ultimately it will be her decision on what she wants to get. I see it as my job to help her be an informed consumer. but as a large handed guy, i've never really studied up on smaller autos. she has narrowed it down to a 380, as she does not like the kick of a smaller 9mm, and anything that kicks more than that is not in the running.

so, small .380 it is.

she has shot the bersa and LCP and held the PPK. naturally the PPK feels the best in her hands, as the finish and fitment is dictated by price. i don't know anyone who will lend me one, so she has not shot it, although we both image it behaves similarly to that of the bersa (size and weight)

she does not like the double action only/kick of the small 38 snubbys,,, but that is what she is caring now, as it's simple to operate; but like anyone, she wants her own, not what I had on hand that "will work"

what else should i try to borrow for her to shoot?

should i let the cost of the bersa scare me? i don't hear many bad things about them, but worry about quality.

CJATE wrote: i don't know anyone who will lend me one

CJATE , if you tell what area you are in, some nice person may let you try theirs.

CJATE wrote: should i let the cost of the bersa scare me? i don't hear many bad things about them, but worry about quality.

From my experience with Bersa, they are great guns for the money. I've had two so far and both have been reliable and have stood up to a whole bunch of shooting. My wife has one and really enjoys shooting it because it does have some weight to it to help reduce the felt recoil.

Also, it can be carried with one in the pipe, safety off and decocked. The first shot will be double action and all following shots will be single action.

Check out this video..

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=y5bXyzkNkp0[/youtube]

Where are you located?
If you post that. those in your area that may have the weapon(s) you want her to use, may offer to meet you.

Similar reasons for my wife. She ended up with the Sig P238. Easier to operate, better trigger. I bit more weight for better recoil, small and easy to carry. Fits hand well.

Gary

I have a Sig P238 as well. That said, small .380's are pretty snappy too.

While I don't have the small hands problem, my best feeling and shooting pistol for concealed carry is my Sig P230 in stainless. Same size as the P232, just a little older and to me, smoother.

The LCP definitely has some snap to it, what did the wife think about it? They are very reliable, inexpensive, and extremely lightweight. Love mine.

please let us know what area you are in. Lots of people will gladly help you out with what they have to try at a range.

The only .380 I own is a Diamondback .380, so I can't offer opinions on anything you're asking about.
But, as others have said, if you'd like to try someones .380, a location would be helpful.

For whatever it's worth, my opinion is that if the OP's wife is sensitive to recoil, she's not going to really like either the LCP or the P3AT. If it is a .380 she wants, then the Bersa Thunder is a better choice. Other pistols in roughly the class would include the Taurus 58, the Taurus Slim 708, the Taurus Millenium Pro .380... and that's just Taurus.

Just a tad smaller is the S&W Bodyguard 380.

There's the Walther PK380.

I'm sure there are others, but the point is that there are plenty of pistols in .380 caliber that will likely handle more easily than either the LCP or the P3AT.

My wife has a Sig P-230. Reliability has been perfect. She has had it for about 15 years and never malfunctioned. If I had to come up with a complaint, the grip screws used to back out. Locktite fixed that.

I have a Kel-tec .380 and it stings way worse than the recoil of my 9mm or .38 spl snubby. Actually, I'd rather shoot either of the others over the.380, it's just more concealable for me. (I really like carrying the revolver, but it's a bit too heavy for me for daily carry)

Have her keep an open mind and try a variety of other firearms. I'd be happy to let her try mine out if you are in the area.

Tass

I also have a few firearms that if she wants to try
Springfield XD9sc
Glock 19
Tauras PT111
All are 9mm's.
If you are in the Houston area, we can plan to meet at PSC Range on 528.
PM Me if interested

Also, if you want to try various other weapons, I am sure more PSC Members are on here that may have what you are looking for, we can plan a bit bigger meet?

.380s
sounds like you are on the right track, check the Bersa
I'll sorta review a few of my 380s pros/cons etc

North American Arms Guardian 380
Pro:
Stainless
Extended mag can hold 10 rounds flat single stack
Cons:
Heavy
snappy recoil
Putting the CT laser grip makes it thick/lumpy/tougher to use a holster
Overpriced IMHO
I would not buy it again, but it's a good gun to keep in a bathroom.

Taurus PT58 (Newer models are better/now have decocker
Pros
reliable
Aluminum allow frame
capacity/double stack
almost no recoil
good accuracy
cons:
size is large for a 380

(Look at Bernetta, both single/double stack)


Diamondback DB380
pros
Less recoil that many single stack
light weight
thin
cons
Overpriced IMHO
trigger pull is ok, might could be better


AMT/OMT backup single action
pro:
small size
good safeties for purse/pocket (grip/thumb safeties)
pretty cheap if you find a good one
aluminum frame
cons
actually finding a "good" one
hard to clean, need a hammer and a drill punch to disassemble

Walther PPK/S (Interarms)
pros
accurate
concralable
cons
Interarms ones are tough to find since S&W started handling them
bites my hand with slide bite

Grendel P11
pros
it fired usually when it was new
it got $50.00 at the gun buyback I think
cons
it was a pain to load
I gave it away to a guy who couldn't get it to work either after the whole underside of the slide became one with the barrel... rust. (It was stored improperly by someone else, and returned to me after being stored in a shed in a bucket containing water)

I seriously considered a Sig P-238 with Advantage Tactical Sights, and a LCP Texas Edition ... but I have too many 380s already... I need to get some sold or traded probably.

I'm in Waco, and will update my profile,,, i read here much more then i post...


she did not like the snap of the LCP, and it's to small for my hands, and although this is hers, it's silly to get one i don't like,,, should she not carry it.

I'll for sure check out the others sugestions, but i think she is happy with the size and weight of the bersa thunder in 380,,, so i'll take her to a bigger store with more options to look at what else is about the same size.

i don't ever say "money is no object" but I'm a fan of fine arms, as they last forever, and don't mind buying a nicer piece, the bersa just seems so cheap... not saying i won't get one because it's too cheap or i demand to spend more,,, just fear quality in a gun my wife will depend on...

but we will for sure break it in before i let her carry what ever it is we get...