So recently my wife shot her BG380 and complained that it was "too" small (my wife is very tiny herself). She shot a G43 and was very comfortable with it, however my house is a S&W household so I suggested her the Shield 9mm. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

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M&PBG380/M&P15T/M&PFS40

The pocket guns are kind of hard for even experienced shooters to get used to. Took me a couple hundred rounds through my little TCP to get comfortable shooting it and even after nearly 500 rounds my wife isn't completely comfortable shooting her BG380 and still won't carry it. One thing for sure, if you can learn to shoot the tiny guns well you will be able to shoot anything!

As for your situation, let her shoot the Shield and the G43 back to back if possible to see which she likes better. Then, let her make that decision. Worst thing you can do is try and persuade her one way or the other because no matter what the outcome you won't win.

My wife has a glock 43, she is a bigger girl with smaller but chubby hands, she doesn't like the shield very much but she likes the Glock. I found the Glock 43, not bad for a Glock (no offense to Glock fans, they just don't fit my hand well), but the Shield fits my hand like they were made for each other. I wish she liked the Shield, but much more important that she shoots what she likes.

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Something really smart

Have her take a look at the Shield and then let her decide. They are both quality weapons although I tend to prefer Glocks for my semi-auto needs.

I don't really understand the brand loyalty thing. I have both Glock's and S&W's. I just pick whichever I think suits me best and is the best tool for the job.

Try the Shield. It's enough gun to fit in your hand. My wife's favorite is my 686 (downloaded) because she can hang on to it. She also likes revolvers.

If your wife wants to TRY a revolver the J frames are great. The alloy ones are light as a feather but they ain't no fun to shoot. I put a Hogue monogrip on ours and am getting ready to go try it out now. I have an all steel model 36 that is a little heavier, but it makes all the difference in being able to shoot it. It should even be better with the Pachmayr grips I have coming.

UPDATE: The Hogue Monogrip tamed that alloy model 38 so well that my wife was able to shoot some hot stuff with it.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I'm not a fan of it either. It serves it's purpose as a pocket gun. The Glock 42 is a world's better gun, and I wish S&W would release the shield in .380. I recently saw browning makes a compact 1911 in .380 that looks interesting.

I was just at a LGS and was comparing these two. Both felt pretty good in my hand, but I found the trigger on the Shield to be absolutely horrible. I have trouble believing something wasn't broke in it. It literally felt like a staple gun. It also seemed harder to rack than the Glock 43 which might be an issue for a petite woman. For me, there just isn't enough size difference between the G43 and my G26 for me to see a need for the 43, but someone with smaller hands might. I also looked at a Ruger LC9. It actually felt good overall and had a pretty nice trigger, which surprised me for some reason. That could be another one to consider. If the trigger on that Shield is typical of all of them, I would go with the Glock.

I forgot about this, yes that was also a deciding factor on the Glock, easier to rack for my wife.

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Something really smart

Out of all the 380's the women hate the BG380 the worst. The Glock was their first choice. Also the sig P238 is also another one but not as easy to use as the Glock 42

My wife has a mental block about carrying one in the chamber on her BG380 (I can't convince her any difference)
She's a great shot no matter what but I just bought her a S&W 637 for a daily carry and no more worries about "is the safety on? is there one in the chamber? She loves it..

My wife prefers the G43 over the 9mm Shield. She considered the Ruger LCP 380 too small.

If she likes the G43 why not get that?

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Freedom isn't free.

I don't care for Glocks personally but I have shot a Glock 43 extensively and it feels like a .22 compared to my daily carry BG .380.
Your best .380 options are
Glock 43
Ruger LC380
SIG 938 or similar 1911 style 380

I would be all over a Shield in 380 if it was just a little smaller than the 9mm.

These things are easy to carry, not so much for easy to shoot.

If this is a self defense weapon, her comfort and ability with it is far more important than brand loyalty.

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Just Say No - To Social Media

I love EDC my BG.380 and have no problems shooting her either I like the features like second shot capable,stainless steel slide,build in laser and safety.

Trade it for a J frame. Then you can easily make the grips "Goldilocks just right"

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Dave

I love my BG380 and i have big
/average size hands (i wear lrg sized gloves). I would only consider a shield 380 if it had a 10 round magazine.

Has your wife checked out the LC9 or LC9s?

My wife has an LCP GENII she likes it better than the G42she just doesn't like racking,so I'm going to get her a J frame and give the LCP to my daughter.

Absolutely.

OP, you would help your wife by exposing her to more choices to find what fits her needs best. The Shield would be on my list to try. Perhaps the LC9s, XDS, PPS, etc.

The bottom line is to find what she shoots well and would be comfortable carrying. You may be brand loyal. Sometimes wives think a bit differently from us.

My wife had all 3. Likes the Shield the best.

let her choose

That's easy, load it with one in the tube then top off the mag. Make sure it's in a holster and you're all set. I have a LCP Custom myself. Of course if you don't mind the bulk a J frame is a better choice for folks who want simplicity.


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What about a Walther?

A Walther PPK?

A shield in 380 would be tempting! I think a 9/10 round magazine would not be beyond the realm of possiblity....that would be nice!

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

With the BG my wife really disliked the trigger pull. WAY too long. Pull the trigger on Friday and it fires on Sat.

My wife carries the 642-2 shown below every day. She asked me for different grips than the ones pictured. After letting her try everything from rubber Uncle Mikes, Ahrends and a few others, the ones she felt most comfortable with are the old S&W "Banana" style wood grips.


She is training with the Browning Black Label 1911-380 I got her for a present last year. The pistol has three major advantages over the J- Frame; it is more comfortable to shoot, has tritium night sights plus the Crimson Trace laser I added and holds 10 rounds of ammo. The slide on the Browning is very easy to manipulate and the magazines are pretty easy to load too. Price is the only drawback.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

With proper wardrobe, a small person can easily carry a full-size fighting pistol.

I carry the BG380 because it is small.

It's not "too small." It's just right for the application to which I apply it.

If the lady wants a larger gun, that's her choice for her application.
No problem.

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WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

J-frame pistols are actually MUCH larger than the interwebz want to admit.

Here, a model 60 compared to a Glock 26.

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WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

Kel-Tec P-32 (about same size as BG380) on the left.

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WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

There I go, not paying attention to the OP date

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I too would recommend the P32. I realize KelTek has had a few "stinkers" over the years, but the P32 is an absolute gem. We know several women shooters who love them

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John

The first determination it needs to be made is what is the purpose of the handgun, my wife hates My Bodyguard she doesn't like anything about it however I love it because it's so concealable and I can shoot it accurately especially with an XS Big dots late on it however your needs will dictate the type of firearms, trigger,ect... and if she's just using it for home defense it can be a bigger full size firearm for her but if she's going to carry it or put it in a purse it's going to have to be something small that she can use but hopefully never have to and none of the small guns are fun at the range

I must say I feel your pain I'm in the middle of this at the moment with my wife as well, with a grin I say she's been ruined after falling in love with my CZ SP01 tacticle/Cajun gun works trigger job.
But now we are moving on to her carry options and frankly she isn't willing to dress differently, soooo, that will put her in the bodyguard, rm380, lcp, kahr no good for her due to the terrible hard slide rack, sheild's to big, even lc9s is to big.

it's tough, so buy her two guns!!! one to love shooting and one to carry for safety, and for she likes purple buy her purple lol

Actually, the Sig P938 is a 9mm. I believe you meant Sig P238. This is an excellent shooting 380. Traded in my BG380 for the Sig P238 Equinox and never looked back.