My wife is wanting a small semi pistol to possibly pocket carry. She is new to shooting and wants one with a thumb safety. Considering the M&P bodyguard. Opinions if you think this is a good choice for her regarding recoil management, racking the slide, I wanted her to have the double strike capability. She does not like carrying a revolver
M&P bodyguard for a woman. Opinions please
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Fleshwound
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I would go with the Shield as well. 9mm can be a bit snappy. Or make it a 380. Good luck
USAF385
US Veteran
My wife is unable to keep a BG or LCP properly on target due to the long, heavy trigger. She also could not rack the slide on either very well / at all. She's 29 and fit, so it's not like it's an arthritis or lack of strength issue. Granted, she does need help opening jars but she can rack the slide on other guns.
She went with a Sig P238. Larger, but best for her. Far superior trigger, manual safety, and the slide is easy to rack. Single action only though.
In all my years shooting (and thousands of rounds fired), I've only encountered one center fire round that failed to fire the first time but did the second... meaning second strike isn't a requirement for me. I personally prefer to clear the round immediately instead of trying another trigger pull.
Also, she finds the P238 much more manageable as far as recoil is concerned. She actually enjoys shooting it.
I have a Kahr CW380 which she can keep on target better because it is striker fired and the trigger pull is manageable for her. However, the slide is just as hard for her to operate.
Best bet, try to get a BG in her hand and let her get a feel for it. I owned an older style BG and liked it for the most part.
She went with a Sig P238. Larger, but best for her. Far superior trigger, manual safety, and the slide is easy to rack. Single action only though.
In all my years shooting (and thousands of rounds fired), I've only encountered one center fire round that failed to fire the first time but did the second... meaning second strike isn't a requirement for me. I personally prefer to clear the round immediately instead of trying another trigger pull.
Also, she finds the P238 much more manageable as far as recoil is concerned. She actually enjoys shooting it.
I have a Kahr CW380 which she can keep on target better because it is striker fired and the trigger pull is manageable for her. However, the slide is just as hard for her to operate.
Best bet, try to get a BG in her hand and let her get a feel for it. I owned an older style BG and liked it for the most part.
Yes I agree the Shield 9mm is a better option. She needs to understand that light guns have more recoil and you need to be experienced to shoot the BG properly. My friend's wife just got her first gun a Colt New Agent in 9mm, she had problems racking the slide of other guns but the Colt is a lot more expensive.
CaptRon956
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I tried getting my wife to load the magazines on my BG380 & Shield 9, she had difficulty with the shield but was able to load up the BG 380's mag's however she was unable to rack the slide on both pistols (using snap caps of course) , the whole thing made her feel uncomfortable.... After showing her various pistols at the store she settled on a Taurus Protector poly .38 spl +p revolver. She was able to open the cylinder, close it and said it felt better in her hand... to me that was more important than looks or brand name.
mark32812
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Teach her the push/pull method of racking the slide. Here is a link to a lady instructor showing a way to rack a slide .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8ZRlkdWVc
Next make sure she shoots both guns more than one and on different days. The shield has a better trigger than the BG380. If the 9mm is too much, they have some liter loadsthat are close to a 380 to try out at first then after a few boxes work her way up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8ZRlkdWVc
Next make sure she shoots both guns more than one and on different days. The shield has a better trigger than the BG380. If the 9mm is too much, they have some liter loadsthat are close to a 380 to try out at first then after a few boxes work her way up.
My wife, sister and mother all chose the P238 over the others mentioned here. To arrive at that decision I put 9 different weapons in their hands and let them choose over a month of shooting. It is a fool's errand to try and foist our preference onto another, particularly our spouse. 
If the reason she doesn't like a revolver is the DAO trigger, she probably won't like the BG either.
Also... there aren't many women's pants out there that would allow her to pocket carry anything larger than an NAA MiniMag... so the Shield, P938, or LC9S might be a better option.
As with anyone, she needs to find someplace she can rent some contenders (Shield, BG, LCP, LC9, etc) and see which she can shoot (and manipulate) the best.
If she doesn't like shooting it, she won't want to practice with it. If she doesn't like practicing with it, she probably won't carry it.
Hmm... In that case, get what YOU'LL like to carry. 
Also... there aren't many women's pants out there that would allow her to pocket carry anything larger than an NAA MiniMag... so the Shield, P938, or LC9S might be a better option.
As with anyone, she needs to find someplace she can rent some contenders (Shield, BG, LCP, LC9, etc) and see which she can shoot (and manipulate) the best.
If she doesn't like shooting it, she won't want to practice with it. If she doesn't like practicing with it, she probably won't carry it.
Hmm... In that case, get what YOU'LL like to carry.
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