I have both guns. The CW9 is a much more manageable gun in my opinion. You can not decide for your wife though. If you belong to a club or a range ask if anyone has the guns and see if they would let your wife try them. If someone asked me if their wife could campare the 2 I would not have a problem.

RCG

@RCG, Hey thanks for your advice! I don't think anybody at my local range would be so nice ... But, I guess I could try going to this other range that rents guns. Maybe, they'll have both of the guns for her to try. Another option, though probably not as good is ... once I buy my P239 9mm we can shoot it with my P238 380acp and see what she thinks. Not sure it would be a good comparison, since both Sigs are larger than the Kahrs.

You will find there is ALWAYS a trade-off in handguns... smaller, lighter, shorter barrels, will recoil more than larger, heavier, longer barrels.

Check with your local gun shop and you'll likely run across folks who own the guns YOU think SHE would be interested in. She needs to approach shopping for a gun, just like she does shoes. If it's not comfortable to HER, she won't shoot it enough to become proficient with it, in which case she might as well carry a ball bat.

Welcome E46SC3,From Jax's Florida.9 o/f 10,The 380 is much better for lady's. In my class I have some lady's using a 9mm & .40 cal pistols.When we test them on the range with many types of pistols. The 380 wins 9 o/f 10. And we carry many types of pistols for them to test out. And most of the time,The PK380 wins with them.They say it is very easy to handle. The best way is go to a range that rents out pistols to test.So she knows what works best for her. There is just to many out their.

Hey thanks usmcj and Cat for your replys. I believe there's a gun shop about 30 mins north of me that rents guns ... Guess I'll take her up that way ...

As of right now I think I'm leaning towards a .380, but may go with the Sig P238 instead.(I've always been a Sig fan ... As I own 3 of them)

Originally Posted by E46SC3

As of right now I think I'm leaning towards a .380, but may go with the Sig P238 instead.(I've always been a Sig fan ... As I own 3 of them)

I carry a Bersa Thunder Plus in my truck all the time, and my wife carries a Bersa Thunder .380. I also got her a Bersa Thunder .22 cal to practice with, as the gun is an exact duplicate of the .380 version, so all the controls and functions are the same. I almost bought a Sig 238, except for the length of the grip. My little finger has to have something to rest on, and that grip is a bit short for my liking. If Sig would put a finger rest on their mags, like the one on the Bersa mag, I'd have a Sig, as well.

How will she carry? On body? Off body?

Keep in mind that you can trade in guns without quite the big hit you get when you trade in cars. So you can start her with one gun and then transition to another.

I would start her off with a medium weight gun in .380; and then when she gets used to it you can move up to 9mm later on.

The Walther PPK or PPKS in .380 is very easy to shoot, very reliable and carries on or off body well.

The Beretta Cheetah is a bit bigger and a bit heavier but a good choice too.

The Stoeger Cougar (formerly a Beretta) in .380 would make a good choice.

Originally Posted by usmcj

I almost bought a Sig 238, except for the length of the grip. My little finger has to have something to rest on, and that grip is a bit short for my liking. If Sig would put a finger rest on their mags, like the one on the Bersa mag, I'd have a Sig, as well.

Well, they do now have the 7 shot mags with the finger rest on them that use to only come on the extreme model. Maybe a Sig is in your future!

Packard, The gun wouldn't be for anything other than as personal protection within the house. With that in mind and since she's really a first time shooter, I might even start her off with a .32acp (a beretta 3032) and then may move her up to a .380 if she enjoys shooting.

CW9 much more manageable than the 380. P380 very snappy, doubt she'd like it. If it's for home defense, why not a double stack? XD9SC or G19 - very manageable recoil there also. But CW9 is an excellent gun. Gave one to my live-alone sister for SD because I knew she could get comfortable with it quickly. Your wife may have trouble racking the slide on the P380. Hell, I do. It's a bitch......

The Bersa .380 thunder is real nice. My 102 pound daughter shot the crap out of it when she came to the farm. At $256. how can you go wrong? You can also look around I picked up a used FEG .32 looks just like a bersa,ppk style gun for $100.00. My daughter really liked that one so much she took it home with her! Oh and you can get a hi-cap. bersa too! Good luck

My wife shot my CM9 and my Ruger LCP, and the recoil scared her. I ended up renting a Bersa Thunder 380 range gun for her to try, and she loves it. Easy to handle, with very little recoil, and enough stopping power to be safe. So I bought one for her. Now we go to the range twice a month, and it is usually her suggestion that we go!