Tex: Has she shot the P239 in .40 yet? It's got quite a snappy recoil. I have one and even with Hogue finger grips it's still snappy, and my GF likes to shoot and she HATES THAT GUN. Claims it recoils more than my 1911A1 .45 (which she LOVES to shoot) and just as much as my 357 (she doesn't like that one either). Have her try it first if she hasn't. You might want to look at that in 9MM, however if you DO buy the .40 you can always get a 357Sig conversion for it. If you buy the 9MM, you're stuck with 9MM. BTW, my P239 is my carry weapon 98% of the time. I love it, and it's quite accurate for a small handgun.
Firearms aquisitions for 2004? Hmmm... the GF says NO MORE GUNS (right[rolleyes]) so I may have to concentrate on mods for what I already have, though she knows if I ever see a Savage lever action in 300Savage I'm gonna buy it. (model 49?) I'm about handgunned out but SHE used to own a Python and I think if the price was right on one of those, we'd go for it as well. We've landed a few good contracts for 2004 and if things pan out ($-wise) I may go for a "sniper rifle" set-up. Something I can dial in for 500+yds and keep it there, instead of jacking around with one of my hunting rifles. Thinking also of having some custom work done to my HiPower. Time will tell.