Somehow I have convinced my wife to take the TN carry class and would also like her to pick out a "new" pistol that she likes.  

She already owns a S&W Model 66 .357 Mag and a S&W Model 649 .357 Mag.  She is comfortable using .38 Specials or .357 Magnums.

While at my local gunshop she asked to look at a Glock 26.  She immediately loved the size and the weight.  I also had her handle a G36 which is justy a little longer.  She liked it too.

We plan on going back to test shoot them tomorrow.  

Any opnions or experiences with either of these handguns and the women in your lives ?

LB

To each their own but if it were my wife, I'd rather see her with a G26.

1) More bullets.
2) Less recoil.

Just my .02

Quoted: To each their own but if it were my wife, I'd rather see her with a G26. 1) More bullets. 2) Less recoil. Just my .02

+1

+1 with the G26

Now there's three people in a row recommeding the G26.  

great minds?

I like the Kahr P9 a lot better than the Glocks.

What about the .45ACP being a better manstopper ? ?
Like I mentioned before, she has no problem shooting .357 mags from a 2 1/2" barrel revolver.

I like that the G26 gives her 10 rounds of 9mm.  But, even I would feel more secure with
6 rounds of .45ACP...

Anyone have a woman that has shot a G36 ?

LB

I bought my wife a G30 ,but it was just a little to much for her. She really likes her G19. If your wife can handle the .45acp look at the G30. 10 rounds of 45 in a nice little package. My G30 is fine little pistol. Very smooth and accurate.
Milhouse

just picked up my g38 today......
i like it cause it's the same size as my g19, and shoots a .45 bullet. modified .45acp.
Your wifey's hands are prolly the same size as mine... yes, i have lil girly hands....
dying to shoot it...... let ya know how she handles.


meat

Quoted: What about the .45ACP being a better manstopper ? ? I like that the G26 gives her 10 rounds of 9mm.  But, even I would feel more secure with 6 rounds of .45ACP...

Now you've done it!

Any of the practical defensive handgun calibers are about as good as the others. A bad guy isn't going to know the difference between a 9mm Gold Dot and a .45 Gold Dot. The latter has a tiny statistical edge round-for-round, but on the other hand 10 rounds are lots better than 6. (Cartridges are like tokens at the arcade. The more you have, the longer you can play.)

According to DR's Roberts and Fackler, the .45 is NOT a better manstopper than 9mm.  With a 147 grain Ranger Talon  or Gold Dot round, you're expanding to about the same size as a .45 expands to.  Plus, you have more rounds.  Not to mention, what really matters is shot placement and 9mm is cheaper for practice loads so you can make your shots go where you want them every time.

Quoted: According to DR's Roberts and Fackler, the .45 is NOT a better manstopper than 9mm.  With a 147 grain Ranger Talon  or Gold Dot round, you're expanding to about the same size as a .45 expands to.  Plus, you have more rounds.  Not to mention, what really matters is shot placement and 9mm is cheaper for practice loads so you can make your shots go where you want them every time.

here we go again...
do what i did get both!!!!

Quoted: ...you can make your shots go where you want them every time.

Not when it's dark and the adrenaline's flowing and your target won't stand still, but I get your point.

More is better, that's why I carry a nine, too.

"is the .45acp a better manstopper?" all HG cartriges, of course, are underpowered for 1 shot stops on people (now that is outta the way)....i believe that with the right loads (JHPs) that expand consitantly will work fine on people
as to caliber--9mm-45acps and the .357mag would be the ideal, fast-shooting, antipersonal HG cartriges (the .357mag has an edge over both the .45acp and 9mm and is rated as the #1 man stopper by a lot of 'studies')

personally, i go w/ the .45acp; almost anyone can agree that the wider the bullet (w/ adequate penetration), the higher your chances of it damaging something vital--pick the biggest, most comfortable shooting cargtrige/gun you can shoot

shot placement IS everything, h/w, there are other factors to consider imo...such as body size, mussle mass, clothing (material, thickness, etc), jewlery, drugs (natural/unnatural) that may give someone an 'edge', etc that factor in an oponenent;
then there is the bullet itself--NO JHP can guarrentee a 100% expansion rate, expecially through crap in the way of your vital targets

"a 9mm MIGHT expand, but  a .45acp will NEVER shrink"

h/w, thats just me; as to ammo capacity, i just carry more mags

i dont carry a .357mag only b/c there are no practical sized ones in an auto, and revolvers dont carry enough for me; i dont like shooting the .40sw; the .357sig, while nice shooting is a tad harder to find ammo locally; 9mm--cheap, easy to get, hi-cap, etc is great for practice
.45acp--love shooting it, avaialble, more energy, less chamber pressure than .40sw, not usually potrayed as a "poor manstopper"

regardless, its a gun/ammo combo that will work whenever, 100% of the time that will be the best

a G26 would be fine

I own both a G30 and now a G26... i love both and trust both.  For a lady , id rather see her with something very controlable more then a larger round. I love both and can shoot either fine, but the G30 is too much for my girlfriend.

As for the .45 ACP being a better stopper. Check out this post in GD about the CCW holder who saved a officers life. However the officer shot the guy once in the belly with a .40, and the CCW holder shot the perp 4 times in the torso with a .45 and the guy was still fighting the officer. It took a .45 to the head to drop the guy for good.  All in all , shot placement is key.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=439151

Let me fan the flames.  Seriously though, there is not going to be a huge difference between the two.

Quoted: img70.imageshack.us/img70/1323/45acp9tf.jpg Let me fan the flames.  Seriously though, there is not going to be a huge difference between the two.

Man, I love seeing that picture.  It's like the Fonz or Mork.  So cool back when it was new.  

G

I have taken my wife to look at guns and she likes the feel of the baby glocks. As far as recoil, Im going to go with the 9mm for her as follow up shots will be easier for her to make. I trust my 17 to take a bad guy down just as much as my 23. I shoot both equally as much and although the .40S&W recoil isnt bad at all to me Im much faster with the 9MM to get back on target.

This debate of bullet caliber has been beaten to death, and as long as the BG isnt wearing 4 pairs of jeans and 10 t-shirts, Im very confident in the 9mm getting the job done.

Get the 26, It is all about the shot placement. Then get her a 1911 for target practice.

Ok here is the test. Have her fire six rounds from each in arental gun, at 7 yards as fast as she can hit anything. Time it, and let that be the deciding vote.

Quoted: Quoted: img70.imageshack.us/img70/1323/45acp9tf.jpg</a> Let me fan the flames.  Seriously though, there is not going to be a huge difference between the two. Man, I love seeing that picture.  It's like the Fonz or Mork.  So cool back when it was new.   G

Haha.

Glock 26 all the way.

26 or 19

I will stick with my .45 Hornandy +P 200gr XTP HPs. Will a 9MM work? I think so. However you can not convince me that a 200gr bullet going as fast as a 147gr bullet of a smaller dia does not have more stopping power. I carry a Glock 19 very often though. Just my opinion.  

Shot placement is more important then size. Just like sex....

She should carry whatever she shoots the best with.

I have 5 glocks, 17,19,26,30,and21. My wife is small statured, not particularly gunny and has tried them all.
She has the 17,19, and 26 on her CCW. The 19 is the best all around gun for her. She shoots it way better than the 26, the 17 is too big for everyday carry. She is neutral on the 21, too big to carry.
She HATES the 30. It pinches her finger where the magazine meets the grip. It's the only gun in the house she claims is not hers.

Get your wife what she is comfortable carrying and shooting effectively. Caliber choice may be important, shot placement is CRITICAL!

The BEST man stopper is the one she can control and hit consistantly with...
It might be a .22///.25///.32///or a 500S&W.
My wife likes a walther P22 with stingers or a Taurus 650CIA .357mag snubby loaded with +p .38spl Gold dots...
But my wife really likes the little Walther and she REALLY knows how to use it..Weight and control.
I feel better knowing that if it gets bad....There will be some sorry ass with 10 stingers in his body..
She usally triple taps head ...triple center mass and finally groin
Let your wife decide...

My CCW is a G19. I've got 15 JHP tries to hit someone where it counts. Put a couple of bullets into someones head or Central nervous system and they will go down fast enough.

Quoted: The People should not have to fear there government, the government should fear the People!

The government should fear the spelling of the people.  

accuracy is the best man stopper, caliber is a distant second.

Rose Mech

Quoted: To each their own but if it were my wife, I'd rather see her with a G26. 1) More bullets. 2) Less recoil. Just my .02

+2

"a 9mm MIGHT expand, but  a .45acp will NEVER shrink"


+1

teamroper

How's the 45 GAP load for a small pkg?  Never fired one.

I've had a G 30 loved it.  Now I carry a 27 dept regs sometimes get in the way.
I carried a 19  loved it.  Shot the snot out of it and I loan it out to my buddies for their wives, moms, girlfriends and people who have never shot before.  I have an advantage arms 22 conversion that they start with and then they usually run a box or 2 of the WW white box from wally world through it.  

All that being said I would go with a S&W Scandium in 357.  With some CT laser grips on it for just a handy carry gun.   She likes the revolver I take it.   It's got to be light or she'll get tired of lugging it around.  

Just my .02

Quoted: We plan on going back to test shoot them tomorrow.   Any opnions or experiences with either of these handguns and the women in your lives ? LB

Shooting them is the way to go, let her decide.

My gal really likes her G19.  

Let her try all the lady smith models you can find.  My reasoning is any gun she will carry is a good gun.  My gal is more likely to carry a "pretty" gun that says "lady" on the side, so I am more than wililng to oblige.  

She needs to carry and shoot what she can hit with quickly and accurately. My wife carries  a Glock 26. She found that it fit her hands the best and that she shot it better than anything else. You may find that it will take several tries before she settles on what works for her the best.

As far as caliber I would rather my wife shoot what she can make hits with. Only hits count. All you did with a miss from a .45, was fill up alittle more air space as it went by. For obvious reasons women have more problems than men with concealment. Wardrobe and work enviroment, children etc. will play a big part in her carry gear. My wife uses a Glock 26 in a Mitch Rosen ARG IWB and a spare mag carrier with matching Rosen belt. Hope this helps both of you out. If your wife has questions IM me, I'm sure my wife would answer any questions for her that she could.