Let me start by saying, my wife is not a “gun gal.” She appreciates me having them and sees the utility. She even enjoys the occasional trip to the range, but she’s certainly not as… we’ll say, passionate, about guns as this author.
Recently, she and I decided it would be best if she had her own firearm. I had been hinting at this for years, but I never wanted to force her into it and she had never really shown any interest or been completely comfortable with it. I was excited to say the least, and my mind immediately began scrolling through manufacturers and models. Then, I hit a hard pause and asked her what kind of gun she wanted.
Hand Fit, Qualifications
We began to develop a list of qualifications. Her main concern was that she didn’t want a gun that was too “chunky.” Full-size and even compact pistols work fine in her smaller hands, but they are not optimal. The thick grip and greater trigger reach are something that must be worked around, this is not something you want in a defensive situation. The pistol should fit your hand naturally. I explained that a smaller gun may recoil a bit more, but it was worth the tradeoff to her.
She also wanted to go with a 9mm or .38 Spl. She’s no ballistics expert, but she’s heard me gripe enough. Now, although we weren’t specifically looking for a concealed carry pistol, we agreed that having one that could serve in that role in the future would be beneficial, especially since it already met her general size requirements.
With this, we seemed to have narrowed down the options to slim/subcompact options. This is a popular category, so there’s no shortage of choices. We had to narrow things down.
Range Testing
Having an idea of what to look for, I selected some guns from my collection that fit these requirements to get a general idea of what she liked. Next, we went and handled a few more options at the store and decided on a final selection to test fire. She shot several pistols to determine which she felt most comfortable with and shot the best.
Test List:
- S&W Shield Plus
- Glock 43
- S&W Model 640
- SIG P365
- Springfield Hellcat
We warmed up by firing a few mags of .22 out of my M&P22 pistol to get a feel for things. Then, started by test firing the Springfield Hellcat, which she liked the grip texture. She fired well, but felt that the gun was very snappy and did not like the U-notch sights.
Next, she moved to the SIG P365, a natural comparison. These are two of the most popular carry pistols on the market. Again, she fired several solid groups, and was a big fan of SIG’s X-Ray night sights. She felt the P365 was a bit easier to shoot than the Hellcat, but it was still a bit snappy. I was beginning to sense a theme.
We then transitioned to the S&W Shield Plus Performance Center. This features a ported barrel to reduce muzzle rise and felt recoil. That is when her face lit up. She’s not the biggest fan of shooting, so this was great to see. The target results were also great to see. After a few mags, her group tightened up a bit, and I began to see her get more confident.
We began to round things out by stepping down to something a bit smaller for comparison, the Glock 43. This is my personal carry pistol, and I have it upgraded with an HD front night sight and blacked-out rear. She didn’t shoot this one much, it was mainly overshadowed by her good experience with the Shield Plus. However, she did mention that she felt it was too snappy and hard to get a firm grip, but she did like the sight setup.
Finally, she wanted to try out a revolver, so I pulled a J-Frame. She had fired an old ’60s Colt Agent with great success, but that was just casual slow fire in single-action. For defense, she was going to need to practice double-action. She tested a S&W 640 with .38s but found the long, heavy trigger pull and limited sights to be a deal breaker.
Final Results
In the end, she decided to go with the Smith and Wesson Shield Plus Performance Center. It seemed to provide the best balance of concealability and shootability for her. The ported barrel also helped reduce recoil — something she is clearly not a fan of. Additionally, although I’m not a fan of the green and red fiber-optic sights, my wife found them to be eye catching and natural to use. If she changes her mind later, these can always be swapped out for any number of other options — perhaps something similar to the Hackathorns she liked on my G43.
Although she knows the real safety is between your ears, and to keep her finger off the trigger unless she’s ready to fire, the manual thumb safety makes her more comfortable (more for loaded storage than anything else). I’m just glad she has a firearm she’s comfortable with. There’s also the option to use either the flush 10-round or extended 13-round mag. Her hands are small, so either way she gets a full grip. However, she just sacrifices some concealability with the longer magazine.
Carry Options
As I mentioned, for now, she doesn’t plan to carry it daily, if at all. Perhaps this will change in the future. It is mainly for emergency defense in the home. Although I have plenty of other options, it is important for her to have something she is comfortable and confident with. A gun that she has made ready and prepared herself — both physically and mentally. It’s also good for her to have a dedicated firearm that she can train with at the range and become familiar with using.
If she does decide to carry in the future, it would likely be off body in a bag or purse. Although her Shield Plus has a manual safety, she would still need some sort of holster setup to cover the trigger guard and keep the firearm from moving around in the bag. There are plenty of great bags with built in holsters that would work well.
Conclusion
It’s important you put as much effort into your partner’s CCW or defensive firearm as you do your own. Don’t just stick them with a pink pistol or your old backup’s backup. You want them to be as prepared as they can be in an emergency. Take the time to find out what works best for them.
What was your first gun? What was your partner’s? Share your answers in the comment section.