CCW for the wife

[OhioWhiteTails]

Red and I have a buddy in law enforcement and you should see him during gun season. He couldn't hit a barn door....

 

[Hedgelj]

Just because they’re not issued the rounds doesn’t mean they shouldn’t shoot on their own, especially after the post you made that I first responded too. They more so then anyone have the most too lose. My sil and daughter both shoot a lot. He doesn’t rely on the city to furnish his rounds for practice.

Not all LEO are shooters. From the LEO I know ithe exception not the rule on who shoots outside of mandated training.

 

[giles]

Red and I have a buddy in law enforcement and you should see him during gun season. He couldn't hit a barn door....

Mike join the law?

 

[jagermeister]

Your idea of self defense with a concealed handgun and mine are apparently light years apart. I will agree that the shooting sports are more male oriented but there is an entire market aspect dedicated to the female shooter.

Making a gun go bang in the proximity of the bad guy. So much wrong in this statement. 1.)There is a lawyer attached to every bullet you fire in a self defense situation. So where did that "proiximal" bullet go? Did it hit a bystander? Impact a building? Kill a child? 2.) If your gun clears leather/kydex its there to stop a threat with deadly force, what you described is tantamount a warning shot which is illegal.

Not to mention that she should have the knowledge and skill that she knows she can hit what she's amining at every time. Otherwise she's not going to pull it except under great relecutance and without the confidence to use it. Setting her up for a bad conclusion to the scenario.

How many law enforcement carry a long double action trigger pull revolver as their primary weapon? How many carry a DA/SA? How many carry a striker fire? Lets look at why next. Yes cost has something into play. But a 9mm (unless you reload) is one of the most cost efficient rounds to buy for practicing. The recoil impulse is much more manageable (even with training) than the other calibers. The stopping power with modern hollowpoint ammunition is comparable. You get more rounds in a similarly sized firearm. Heck even our armed forces which are switching away from a DA/SA (think long heavy first trigger pull) to a striker fire for their carry. I can also tell you that our special forces and black ops type guys are/were carrying glocks for quite some time. There's a reason for all this.

Now if you can follow the hints of modern law enforcement and our military why would you not give your wife every benefit you can between a firearm and the training so that on the day she has to use it, she has the best odds of coming back to you.

How much training have you or do you continue to do with your concealed carry piece? Lets think back to the church shooting a few months ago. Which of those armed church members will you be?The guy who flubbs his drawstroke and gets shot in the head? or the guy who actually has practiced beyond a random day at the range who draws will skill, efficiency and has the skill to hit a moving headshot at what Ithink was 10-15 yards under pressure? If you're going to carry then train so you're not a liability. We revert to our level of training under stress, so what level is that?

I believe (strongly as you may have picked up on) that carrying for self defense is not just having a gun on me. Its having the mindset and the training that if the day comes that I need it, I will be able to save myself (and family) from the threat. I continue to train to get better, more efficient. So until someone is ready to carry and be able to skillfully defend themselves with it, carrying a firearm is just that, its not a magic talisman. Not to mention carrying without training or the ability to engage a threat without endangering everyone around them is almost worse.

No, you and I view self defense much the same actually. The disagreement is you are reading into what I wrote way differently than it was intended, and in my opinion you're getting into too much (unrealistic) detail for a guy that's simply looking for a handgun his wife will like to carry with her. She's a wife and a mom, wanting a sense of security... Not a hopeful SWAT team, special forces, or LEO.

 

[Hedgelj]

No, you and I view self defense much the same actually. The disagreement is you are reading into what I wrote way differently than it was intended, and in my opinion you're getting into too much (unrealistic) detail for a guy that's simply looking for a handgun his wife will like to carry with her. She's a wife and a mom, wanting a sense of security... Not a hopeful SWAT team, special forces, or LEO.

It's definitely easy to misread the intent on forums.

I guess when it comes to carrying a firearm I can see the sense of security but I don't want it to be misplaced security.

My wife rarely wanted to carry even though she had her CHL because she felt that she wouldn't be able to perform to save her or the kids lives. After she received training she had a greater understanding and confidence that she can protect herself and she finds taking the occasional classes (one every year or so) to be empowering.

I have a lot of intenal debate on the subject. I feel training is needed to be competent but yet there is the aspect of it being a right regardless of training.

There's also the balance of most people who carry will never need it. If those who do, most of the time the visual of the firearm is enough to end things. However, of those who actually need to fire their firearm it's training and skill and luck at that point that determines who goes home. Where do you want to place your bets on that scale.

 

[Strizzi]

As everyone has already said take her to the range and have her shoot as many pistols as you can and find what she is confident with and shoots the best. I would like to add: try and keep her from carrying in her purse and have her keep it on her person, with a good belt and holster she will forget its there some women even wear belly bands with holsters attaches. Purses are the first thing someone will try to steal and it’s possible for her to accidentally leave it somewhere. Make sure she stays proficient with whatever she chooses and shoots it regularly. Training to draw from concealment is extremely important, it may be hard to find a range that would allow this if you don’t have your own properly to shoot on. The fundamentals of this can be done at the home with an unloaded pistol but “live fire” exercises should also be trained and practiced. I personally would never carry a pistol with a safety, in my opinion it’s one more thing to remember to do in a life or death situation. I also don’t recommend a revolver, they may seem “simple” to most but as someone else stated the double action trigger pull will cause inexperienced shooters to struggle with accuracy and they are very limited on capacity relative to their size/girth you can get a similar sized semi auto with much better capacity.

I would look at the Glock 43x, Glock 48(same gun as the 43x with a longer slide) smith and Wesson shield (the make an EZ version that easier to rack), sig 365/365xl, xds, Springfield hellcat. I believe a Glock 48 will become my new daily carry as soon as I can get my hands on one. Both the 43x & 48 come from the factory with 10 round magazines and if that’s not enough there’s a company called shield arms that makes 15 round flush mags for them with phenomenal reviews. I currently switch between a Glock 23/19 and a Glock 43, if I could do it again I’d trade the 43 for a 43x in a heartbeat but the 43 has its place for “deep” concealment. Making sure she has enough fingers on the grip of the pistol will help with her perceived recoil and make the pistol more enjoyable.

 

[RedCloud]

My wife has the Walther PK380 and she can shoot and control it very well. Slide is very easy to operate. Hers came with a laser already attached. Pretty cool little gun.

 

[Cogz]

Here’s my vote for the glock 42 or the glock 43. The 42 is snappier than the 43 or the 19 but is fine. My wife started carrying the 19 because of the three it recoils less. Pair any of then with a tier 1 concealed holster, appendix if you really want her to be able to pull the gun out and get shots on target in a timely manner. Dont overlook a red dot on a pistol. She can work the slide easier with it and like all of us, she will be threat focused with two eyes open during an encounter so a micro red dot is optimal. Simple, no safety to deal with and plenty of mag extensions for the 42. I’m getting a jpoint added to it and carrying that one myself.