First handgun

[electstat]

We had a new sportmans warehouse open here in town and my wife surprised the hell out of me and said that we should get a handgun for the house. What should I get as a good "starter" handgun for her to learn on that she can handle?

[fmb]

I'm gonna suggest something many may think crazy: a .22 caliber revolver. Why? The gun is low dollar; also, recoil is non-existent. Another plus is the ammo is so cheap it should be free....

Again, the .22 is:
a) low cost
b) ammo is dirt cheap
c) no recoil; the wife will not be afraid of the gun.
d) all the above allow LOTS of time at the shooting range!

Another thing: If you want to move up the scale at a later date, see if your buddies have guns you and the wife can use. This way, you're only out the cost of ammo if you don't like the gun.

Keep us updated and let us know what was chosen!

[electstat]

The .22 was the first thing I was looking at, mostly because it was on sale and like you said...low cost. I had read somewhere on the Internet (so it must be true..lol) that a .22 would be a waste of money, so I was a bit hesitent.

[fmb]

I don't think the .22 is a waste of money; it's a great way to learn to shoot and the low ammo cost allows lots of range time to keep your skills up. Again, your wife will not have a problem when firing the gun; that alone is a big positive if she's interested in learning!

Also, the .22 isn't something to be sneezed at. The bullet is small, but travels at a very high velocity. This (in a hollow point) can be very deadly. Personally, I carry three weapons concealed carry: .22 Walther, .32 Keltec, and a 9mm Kahr. Mostly, I carry the smaller weapons; I'm small framed and have difficulty hiding the larger weapon, especially in spring and summer.

Enjoy!!

[jasefm]

Find a gun store that has a gun range. Both you and your wife should go there and see what fits your hands. If your hand is too large or small for the sidearm learning to use it will be difficult. With smaller hand guns I need to adjust my trigger finger or I will pull bullet placement low and left. Don't be afraid of any caliber. I carry 9mm and .45 acp, but every female family member I have (wife, mom, sister) carries a .45 acp on a 1911 frame, or a glock 36. I don't like the glock, but my wife loves it. I started on a sig p226 in 9mm. When my girl wanted her carry permit I put a shorter trigger on it so it would be more comfee for her. I went to qualify with it and failed! You might want to try to rent some guns or better yet take a class. The instructor will guide you though it. Nothing is better than training.

[LockDown]

My personal opinion, stay away from Keltec, I owned one and I hated it. They JAM like mad!
For a woman, I would suggest the Walther PPK, American Arms Guardian, or for even cheaper a Makarov.

But you can't go wrong with a 9mm Glock, there are various sizes to that.

BUT, I have owned a .357 Rossi with a ported barrel that had almost NO kick, I was surprized and wish I never traded it away!