4" Model29 with a full load of .44 Mag 240 grainers. That way when she's pissed off at you; she will miss you completely or kill you dead and not wound you . JUST KIDDING !!!!
My wife and daughter will shoot +P .38's or a .32 H&R in a J-Frame

My daughter stated off with a Taurus .38 revolver,after a couple years she got a Taurus PT140 G2 40.

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Life is short,live it fully.

I did not read all the posts, I did see lots of great advice.

I have taught many to shoot, I use my Dad's old Ruger Single six in 22 for pistols and a Marlin M 25 for rifles. No recoil and no noise with ear plugs.

I teach safety more than shooting with new shooters, no finger on the trigger until ready to shoot, muzzle awareness. My wife said it was the same training she received in hunter safety. I said yep.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

When you have a first time shooter you will find they do not have any bad habits that need corrected. This is good.

Work on technique and the basics of trigger squeeze etc and explain this to them. It does work. I have trained multiple girls who out shot their brother day one at the range because bro had shot BB guns or air soft or toy guns or Uncle bubba had let him blast a way at the dump.

New shooters are a blank canvas, paint the right picture.

Every other Monday night is Ladies night at my indoor range that's hosted by a women's shooting club.

It's women talking and teaching to other women with no men involved.

On Sunday it's Suppressor Night and only suppressed firearms allowed.It's the only time hearing protection is not required.Many women take advantage of this and use range rentals(free for members)

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Took a young lady out to the range around 1976. She really wanted to learn to shoot and I really wanted Her. Gave Her about an hour of instruction with a revolver and then had Her shoot the 17. She had fun while I was watching and when I felt She was ok and I could shoot My own I broke out the 8 3/8 29. She wanted to shoot it so I let Her figuring one and done. She fell in love and ended up with a 8 3/8 57. Started shooting the magnum handgun matches and was soon outdoing most of the Men. She fell in love with one of the other shooters and married Him and They both shot the magnum matches for 15 or so years and She won many many many matches. And of course I didn't get the Girl.

My daughter learned with 22 autos (she never really liked the long DA pull on a revolver). When it came time to pick, she tried an assortment of revolvers and semi-autos.

She liked the 1911, having been shooting it since she was about 10 or so, but she just didn't want the Condition One carry mode.

In the end, she opted for a Glock 17. It fit her hand perfectly, the recoil was very controllable, the pistol was wide enough to dissipate the "blow" to the web of her hand, but thin enough to be comfortable, the trigger was more manageable than a DA revolver trigger, and it held three times as many rounds, yet took up the same "real estate" as a 2 1/2 inch K frame Model 66. She also liked the lack of levers, etc., to remember. Point pistol, pull trigger. If you don't want to fire, do not pull trigger. And, unlike a cocked DA revolver, no need to learn to safely decock like with a revolver. Just remove the finger from the trigger, and all safety mechanisms are re-activated. She has never found a reason to switch. The M&P 9 series was not available then.

Cami's first gun was my Ruger Single Six. Her second a Taurus 85, her third an AR 7, and her fourth a Model 60. My granddaughter has shot several and prefers a third gen S&W 9mm. So..........your guess is as good as mine buddy!

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Even older, even crankier....

M&P Shield 9mm
Glock 42
Glock 43

What's the groups opinion on an old J frame in a 32 magnum for the ladies? My local gun shop has one, it's not the lady smith and even I'm tempted to pick it up. My wife currently carries a model 37 with Hornady's "pink" box, (the 90 gr. Jhp)

Cal30m1- I see no problem with using a .32 for self defense. It ain't no power house, but its better than nothing.
I've mentioned a number of times that my late wife had to give up her .38 due to arthritis in her hands. She found a nice Model 30-1 in .32 Long and fell in love with it.
The point being that any gun is better than no gun and a small gun she can shoot well is better than any "man stopper" she can't hit with.

A few years ago several of us guys were shooting out behind a friends house when his 18 year old sister came out to watch us. After a bit she wanted to shoot my gun. I told her it would be too much for her but her brother said go on and let her do it. So she steps up and out shoots all of us. She fired around 24 rounds before I was out of ammo. She then told her brother that she wanted a S&W M29 like mine. The ammo I was using was full power 44mag. Goes to show you that you can never judge what a woman can or can not do.

I've started a couple new shooters by teaching the basics of sight alignment, grip and trigger control using my Beeman P-1 pellet pistol. Once I have them smacking pop cans and crackers with that single shot, I move to a C02 revolver which allows 10 shots either single or double action. They get the basics without loud noise or hearing protection.

When we go to the gun range, the bag has a 4 inch 617 .22, 4.5 inch Ruger Mark III, a 4 inch 686 and a 1911 in 9MM.
It is truly amazing how fast women can learn to shoot well.

One issue is the decibel reduction of hearing protection for women should be at least 26db. I have a matched set of 21db electronic earmuffs and I'm good with them until I get to magnums, then I need plugs and muffs together. My wife-who has worse hearing than mine- starts to flinch from noise at .38 special. If I give her 26db plugs, she does much better. Recoil doesn't faze her, but noise does.

One thing, if you have any new shooter trying out several semi-auto pistols, make sure they either all have no external safety or a safety which operates-up is ON safe, down is OFF safe-ready to fire. It is confusing if you throw in a decocker gun-up is fire, down is safe or an older S&W auto which has the reversed safety also (One reason I moved to all 1911 style carry guns). John Browning had it right on the 1911

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

Somewhere in this thread was a gem, he said to let her decide. Couldn't say it any better than that!. After 32 years, I've learned something. My wife started with a M63, then moved up to a M64, and now has a M60LS. Of course, she shoots anything I take to the range. I bought a M31 off a Forum member, and she really likes that. Give her a bunch to try, she will tell you what she wants.

My significant other just moved from my 9MM Shield because she could not rack it. Bought her a Sig Sauer P238 that she racks with 2 fingers. Cleans it herself. Fits her hand like a fine leather glove. LOVES the firearm. her groupings are nice and tight.

My wife has arthritis in her hands. She is small and not too strong. Can nearly pull the trigger on .38 spl but not quite. Took her to range and got her a good female instructor. I told them to decide on the gun and I left. They fired a variety from their rental pool and finally chose a S&W .380 bodyguard. Fits her small hands and one of the few she could rack the slide. The gun fits her and she is improving g and proud of that. I am proud of her. Do I like the gun? Not for me....but it fits her and she shoots it pretty well.

As an NRA certified instructor I have assisted in the training for CCW here and would advise a double/single action revolver for new shooters. Go with a caliber that the shooter can deal with and shoot accurately.

The best handguns for women training to be profficient with shall follow the "KISS" rule, a DA revolver!!!!!.. and you must consider the best,a .38 Special caliber with 4" barrel!!!,as Model 10,Model 15, Colt Diamondback!!!!...
Roberto

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"Off we go..."

we are all very different............only your wife will know what firearm she is comfortable with and learns to shoot proficiently.. it takes awhile and renting/shooting several handguns before she will be able to decide.....

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There's nowt so queer as folk

As my wife put it, after shooting a 550/600 PPC course her first time using a center-fire weapon of any kind (4" Mod. 15), "Most men are born thinking they know all about driving trucks, shooting pistols, and making love. On a good day, maybe one out of three, buddy!"

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de minimus non curat lex

Buy her whatever gun SHE likes and as similar a .22 that you can find.

Then stand back.

There are numerous opinions about what pistol your wife or girlfriend should get. My suggestion is to get "The Handgun Guide For Women" by Tara Dixon Engel. The book goes through, in detail, in what to look for in buying a gun. I found this book to be most informative and would serve well for those men starting out in the sport as well. It could very easily reduce the number of guns purchased that wind up in the gun cabinet or closet never to be used again because they weren't comfortable to shoot. Purchasing a gun is an investment and worth the time to do proper research at your local gun store.

I suggest starting with a .22 S&W and the Ruger firearms company both have a nice selection of .22 caliber handguns.

My wife recently shot a variety of pistols and prefers semis, out of a G19, xd9 subcompact, and the 9mm shield, she felt the xd felt best, with a good grip and milder recoil. But what she insists on carrying is what she shoots best with, her walther P22. We just had to find the right ammo that functions best in that gun. Lesson learned: women are more concerned with ergonomics and recoil than power and size. And if they insist on the gun being a funky color, then God bless them for it, if that's what it takes for them to take it out and practice. Remember pride in ownership. There are guns that are bad in every way, but we love to take them out there any way just to show them off. Most important, let them choose their gun. Us men will never get it right, like buying them shoes.

I posted the following in a similar thread if your interested in a semi auto for your wife.

***************************************************************
My wife already has 2 revolvers and I know she likes shooting a semi auto but struggles with loading it. So I ended up getting her a Walther CCP 9mm. Another choice was the PK380 - but it lacked a slide release.

PROS

• easy to the rack slide
• light recoil due to the blow back design
• excellent grip design
• manual safety
• accurate
• light trigger pull

CONS

• tricky take down

Let her choose her own gun. I would not let someone else choose my gun why would I choose my wifes?

I would let her shoot anything and everything she can. She will gravitate to one or another based on purely subjective criteria. I would suggest that she take the lead if she wants to learn to shoot. Again let her pick the gun she wants.

I recommend providing her with the following link. https://www.corneredcat.com/

The site is called the Cornered Cat and is owned and run by Kathy Jackson aka PAX on many gun boards like TFL and THR. She is a certified trainer based in Seattle. She does onsite training there as well as traveling all over the country. She brings a women's perspective to training, education and guns in general.

Her site has tons of great advice. In the article section there are a few articles about how to choose a gun. https://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

After reading this site your significant other should have enough knowledge to start her own search with you as a wingman.

Good luck!

PS Did not realize this was a necrothread. LOL Also my wife chose a Sig P228.

A couple of years ago, I suggested my wife get a concealed carry permit, because I always have a gun in the cars, and didn't want her to have any problems because of the guns. I have a couple of revolvers in the house because she thought she preferred them to semiauto. I say "thought" because she has yet to go to the range and shoot; except once more than 50 years ago.

Today, she expressed an interest in doing some shooting; wants to shoot something she can handle. With 50+ plus guns in the house, including four Ruger Mark ii's and Mark iii's, two S&W Model 41's, two S&W Model 422's, a Hammerli Xesse Sport and several .22lr conversion kits the .22lr's are well represented. Plus, we have an assortment of .38 Special, 9mm, .45ACP in revolvers and semiauto. If they don't fit her, I'll bet my LGS will have something.

Whatever she wants, within reason, including Wilson Combat and etc., she can have. She's a hard person to buy for; claims to be cheap. But, really means she won't pay full price; no matter what the price is.

You make a good point. I guess it depends on the relationship you have with you spouse. My wife didn't mind at all that I found this for her. Actually, I was trying to get her back into shooting more regularly with something she would like. She's not up on the firearms like I am. She struggles racking the slide and has a weak trigger finger. Both issues now resolved with the little Walther ccp. The pk380 is even easier to rack but I know she likes the 9mm. I ended up getting it as a b-day gift for her. Yeah I know - could be a "we" gift.

PS I should add I always try to get her involved to pick it out - whatever it is. Last 2 cars we purchased she told me to pick and she test drove them to see if she could handle them. Only requirement - as long as we can pay for them without eating beans.