So my wife picked out the gun she wants. I found out she likes stainless steel with black grips. And she likes the look of the 1911, which is cool I would be happy to buy her one.

The only thing I don't like is that it isn't DA/SA and I really want her to have a DA so there is one less step when taking the first shot if she would ever need to defend herself. She agrees with me on that point.

So what is available with a look similar to the 1911 but with a DA first shot?

Caliber isn't super important, but 9mm or .380 would be best.

Eaa or CZ

Eta:

Can she rack the slide? Does she have a strong grip?

The reason I ask this is that my wife doesn't have enough muscle to rack a slide. Not enough to do a press check. Not enough to do immediate action drills.

So she gets a revolver, heh. Nothin' wrong with that!

Para LDA

CZ75

Cocked and locked 1911?

Para LDA, Sig 220 Elite or NP3'd
 

If so, one step to shoot with 1911.  Disengage safety, fire.

Condition 1.  No hassles.

Stainless CZ-75b.
good luck finding one, though.

Mrs CP picked out her own Sig P225 after trying several

Yeah, we had to do a few small drills with a 1911 in our permit class. She did fine with it.

Hates the way revolvers look, she refuses to carry one.

I think a good alternative would be letting her pick out her gun.

Buy your wife what she wants, and teach her to use it.

or just get her a good 1911....

I still havnt seen the reason why shes not carrying the 1911 ?

When I pull my 1911 my grip naturally switches the safety off and im GTG..dont even have to think about it.
with some training, there is no reason she shouldnt be able to handle a 1911

Her gun, her choice?

3rd gen S&W auto?  39 or 69 series?

It is going to be in her purse most likely, she doesn't want the hammer cocked.

I just showed her the EAA Witness Steel compact and she likes it.

Now I have to see if I can find a NY legal version of it, it holds 15 rounds.

Para Ordnance (LDA)

Why has no one mentioned this???

1) Where are the pics of the wife?

2) Why are YOU specifying DA/SA when SHE wants a 1911?

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The 45 holds 8+1

She likes the "looks" of the 1911. I told her why she should have a DA/SA like the rest of the pistols.

She thought they all came with a DA trigger.

So we are searching for something with the beaverrtail stainless steel look, but the DA first shot.

EAA seems to be the answer, I am going to start looking for some locally for her to hold.

This is going to sound a mite harsh but I think you all have generated some SuperFucked criteria for handgun selection here.

Forget about looks.  They're irrelevant.  I think Glocks are ugly as fuck and they're my default handgun.

HOWEVER, if she shoots the 1911 well and likes the operation of it, by all means get her one, and then have her train to use it cocked and locked the way it was meant to be.  I have no idea why motherfuckers insist on trying to ice skate uphill with this design; there is no reason to ever have the hammer down on a live round in a 1911 and it's a very safe design if used as intended.  I can't advocate a 9mm since I don't have any firsthand experience with them and have heard widely varying things about their reliability but it's something to look at if .45ACP recoil is intimidating for her.

IMO, DA/SA designs are obsolete but obviously plenty of people disagree with me.  Beretta, CZ, Ruger, Walther, and others all make designs that answer your needs and if she likes the feel of one of them I say go for it.

I'd dissuade her from .380 for the following reasons:
-Not all loadings are optimal or even acceptable for defense whereas just about any quality 9x19 hollowpoint load will get the job done.
-Ammo will be more expensive and harder to find.
-A lot of .380 pistols are small, blowback-operated designs.  My dad's PPK actually recoils considerably harder than my G26.


...and last but in no way least, give her all the relevant information but let her have the final say.  Guns are like boots; they either fit an individual or they don't.  It's going to be her pistol and she'll do better with it if she's not being forced to use one she doesn't really like.

You could always opt for a Double Eagle

So get her a 1911.  When you started shooting, did you go buy the gun people told you to get because you were new or did you go buy the one you want?  If she wants the 1911 she will want to train with the 1911, she will want to shoot the 1911 and therefore she will probably get pretty good with the 1911.

Sure you aren't a little worried she might be out shooting you soon with it?

Let her choose any quality gun that she so desires. Make sure it fits her hands and she can shoot it well.Then take it in and get it Cerakoted or Duracoated to the color/s that she likes. A happy wife = a happy life.

Get here a 1911 and teach her to use it.

F5  ..... F5 .... F5 .... not working ...

Your reading comprehension is lacking.

edit

Find a good deal on a clean S&W 3913.  Stainless, DA/SA 8 shot 9mm.  I have rubber Hogues on mine, with set of wooden Hogues for when I want to dress it up a little.

Sig P238 in .380 or Sig P938 in 9mm. The P938 is identical to the P238 only very slightly larger.
Tomac

Wife's P238 w/night sights:

First of all, "looks" are out of the equation period.......

The gun hides in a holster 99% of it's life. Who cares what it looks like.

Second, get her a Glock 19.

BHP.

There are other types of handguns than a 1911? Huh........

Get her an account here and let her go to the lady's forum. They will steer her right as far as carry. There are many reasons not to purse carry, even in a purse that is designed for it. The gun needs to be on her body if at all possible. Purse carry is a liability in a lot of ways, purse snatchers taking it, or even if  she can hang on, struggling for it when she could be drawing for it., or being separated from it and leaving it due to habit. If she purse carries she needs a backup on her body somewhere.

The key to racking a slide is not racking the slide with just your hands. I rack it the same way I teach ladies to do it. Grab the slide with one hand , and I mean manhandle the thing, and with the firing hand on the grip, punch forward at the same time. My ex wife carried a Spingfield Micro Compact in .45 acp, and was 5'3" on a good day. Tiny girl, big hair. If she did purse carry, she had another gun on her for a backup, and usually a knife, or two. She bought a purse that was designed to hold a handgun, and it was big enough for her to fit her Desert Eagle, Beretta M9, or the 1911 in. She still carried either a .380 Kel Tech, or a .38 snubby on her body. If she really gets hooked, look for her to by more stuff than you. Mine bought new guns all the time, then had to have holsters for them, and then clothes to go with them, and shoes, etc etc etc.

But just remember that racking the slide doesn't have to be hard.

Hell, just show her this.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corneredcat.com%2Farticle%2Frunning-the-gun%2Frack-the-slide%2F&ei=qoSrUKXwJpSc8gTe5IH4Bw&usg=AFQjCNGmT1eBbpWGDNo3qbxeC1RaG8Y0mQ

As far as gun, the 1911 is fine, cocked and locked. Just like with any gun, every shooter regardless of gender should train a lot with them. Shoot them, malfunction drills, and just take it apart and put it back together a few dozen times, and watch a video of how the thing actually functions.

Get her with the ladies here, and let them talk. Let her get whatever she likes, but take her shooting a lot with it early on, and let her put a couple of hundred rounds through it on day one, then as soon as possible a couple of times after that. Take her shooting, then take her to dinner over the weekend a couple of times and let her get 500-1000 rounds in it.

Don't worry about caliber. Whatever she can shoot let her. .45acp is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Recoil is more of a push than a snap, and I like it better than a .40 S&W in the same gun because of that. A 9mm in a steel frame 1911 or any model will be very light and controllable but may not be her thing.

Biggest thing, is let her lead you in the direction she wants to go, and don't get in the way.

Colt 1991 Government Model Double Action:

Yes. I had the Elite Carry, very nice. Even had an extended beaver tail for that familiar 1911 feel. DA/SA with hammer drop and quick reset trigger.