The PPS has a trigger safety as well as an internal striker safety which is enough is my opinion. The only way to really go further than that is to have a thumb safety. The PPS is plenty safe in my opinion, but if she doesn't feel comfortable with it then don't get it.

-Jeff-

Well, you mentioned the XD, what about the XD9SC? It's a bit bigger than the PPS (although I think most of your alternatives are going to be) but a very good gun. It has the trigger and grip safeties that your wife is looking for. I have an XD and love it and I will be buying an XD9SC soon, however, to be honest, the grip safety ain't much. It's a nice selling point, especially to new shooters, but it's not super effective. Once you grab the gun, grip safety disengaged, and now you're down to the trigger safety like the Glock and M & P.

It sounds to me that your wife is worried about an ND from either something snagging the trigger while she is carrying or her own finger when she's drawing(?). A good holster, some proper training, and the mentality that her finger and brain are the two best safeties available (a popular saying here is "Keep your booger hook of the bang switch until you're ready to fire") will expand her gun choices. The baby Glock, 26 I think, along with the SW M &P would then come into play for her if she likes the polymer guns, along with others.

The other alternative for her, still assuming she is worried about ND's, would be a DAO pistol. The long trigger pull would make reduce the chances of an ND. Companies like Sig, Taurus, and I'm sure some others that aren't entering my brain make DAO pistols that she might be interested in.

Springfield EMP 9mm.
Small. Got the bling working for it.
1911 manual safety, grip safety.
Condition One carry.

will the 2008 XD9SC have the thumb safety option or will it only be on the service models? have you looked at the kel-tec 9mm. its pretty tiny

Originally Posted by ander254

will the 2008 XD9SC have the thumb safety option or will it only be on the service models?

Pretty sure it's only on service models and I think I heard only on the .45 (maybe the .40) for now as well. It's a option anyway, it won't come automatically with it.

I agree that the PPS is a safe gun to handle gun. I also agree that the grip safety of the XD really does not offer any additional security once the gun is in the hand.

I've talked to her about this and I believe the perception of an external safety is what she is hung up on. That and she really likes the form factor of the PPS but she didn't realize there were external safeties other than on the trigger until we checked out more (I should have made that clear the first time we looked at it). I think more experience will open the door for a larger variety of handguns. Neither of us care for a thumb safety.

The EMP9 is more than I want to spend but, from the website, looks very nice.

We will look at the XD 9 and the Kel-Tec.

Any others?

The XD9SC is a great gun, just as all of the other XD's are. That would be a great, fairly inexpensive choice. And, if she's over the idea of a thumb safety then have her check out the Glock 26. But, if she would even consider the Glock 26, then you might as well go with the PPS since she liked it so much.

-Jeff-

Originally Posted by HardLivin

I agree that the PPS is a safe gun to handle gun. I also agree that the grip safety of the XD really does not offer any additional security once the gun is in the hand.

I've talked to her about this and I believe the perception of an external safety is what she is hung up on. That and she really likes the form factor of the PPS but she didn't realize there were external safeties other than on the trigger until we checked out more (I should have made that clear the first time we looked at it). I think more experience will open the door for a larger variety of handguns. Neither of us care for a thumb safety.

The EMP9 is more than I want to spend but, from the website, looks very nice.

We will look at the XD 9 and the Kel-Tec.

Any others?

I can understand her approach to a gun without a safety. However, every gun has a firing pin block or mechanism that prevents the gun from firing until the trigger is depressed fully. The real safety is always your finger. Meaning, don't touch the trigger and the gun won't fire. The gun is a tool that goes bang if you tell it to, if you don't want it to fire then it won't fire provided you always adhere to proper safe handling procedures.

New shooters often shy away from weapons with no safety because they always fear that it will fire without them wanting it to. Any gun can fire accidently if you aren't careful. Forget to thumb that safety and bang it goes. I do realize that for some people, having an extra feature that provides a piece of mind can be very welcome. I just prefer to tell everyone to rely on themselves as the safety and always practice 100% safety 100% of the time. You don't want 99% because that 1% can cause severe injury or in some cases death.

I guess what I mean to say is, the safest gun in the world is really only as safe as the person handling it.

If she is a new shooter or someone new to guns in general, specifically pistols then I would urge you to sign up for a firearms safety course and get familiar with pistols and the various safety aspects that you need to keep in mind. Perhaps after gaining a new understanding of firearms safety and the steps an individual can take to keep safety in mind when handling or carrying a firearm, she will begin to trust herself and the engineering that goes into the various safety features (i.e. firing pin block) and not be dead set on always needing to rely on an external safety. If she is confident with a pistol and not new to them and is just 100% set on an external safety then so be it. Just thought I'd throw that suggestion out there. Many classes are offered and some do not even require the student to own a gun of their own. Hell after she gets the new gun, take the class with her. I guarantee you that you'll learn something new. Whether it's a better understanding of the laws in your state or about your gun specifically, you'll walk away with more than you came into it with as long as you keep an open mind about it.

Originally Posted by HardLivin

Can anybody point me towards a semi-auto handgun that has about the same footprint as the PPS but with any type of external safety?

If by "footprint" you mean length/height, then you might look at the Bersa 9mm, the XD, the S&W CS9/3913,and a few of the smaller CZ's. Taurus also makes a small 9mm, but I can't remember if it has an external safety. Sig makes the 239, which has a decocker lever which is more or less an external safety.

Keep in mind that as far as thickness (or thinness, depending on your point of view) goes, there is no other 9mm w/external safety that is as thin as the PPS, with perhaps the exeception of the 9mm from STI which is a 1911-style. There are a few Kel-tecs and Kahrs that are very close in thickness, but they don't have the safety that your wife wants.

I agree in that a modern pistol such as the PPS does not need an external user-operated safety, since it won't go off unless you pull the trigger. If one is pulling the trigger, then you want it to go off, which is what it's supposed to do.....

PhilR.

i don't know if she has smaller hands or not, but i do - so trigger reach is an issue for me.

here are some 9mm guns with a short trigger reach and comfortable grip;

ruger p95 (manual safety)
ruger sr9 (manual safety)
hk usp compact (manual safety - i think)
sw m&p (trigger safety)
sw 3913 (manual safety)
Springfield XD (grip safety)
Springfield EMP (manual safety)
taurus mil pro pt111 (manual safety)

good luck!