The PK380 is much easier to rack the slide. That makes it much easier for a woman to operate. It is also smaller and better suited to a woman's hands. I recommend the PK380 for a woman. It is a safe bet. Look for good deals on used PK380's. You can find affordable .380 ammo at USAammo. Watch for deals on Remington UMC at sporting goods stores as well. Check out gun-deals.com for ammunition pricing from various vendors. For self-defense ammo in .380 I think the best is MagTech 85gr HP...one of the best values. Also Federal Premium HST and Winchester T-Series are great rounds. Any of those rounds are very deadly.
Good Luck, and get trained and a lot of practice and by ALL MEANS follow the safety rules. We just had a guy shoot himself in the hip down here in Virginia while removing his seat belt and he died. Never forget that a handgun is a deadly weapon and negligence can lead to death.
CC

than for the info, Gander mountain has the pk380 for $299...that seems like a good price.

Pk is a very nice pistol.My wife and my baby girl love there walther's. Easy to work on. She will be happy with a pk380.

Originally Posted by cclaxton

The PK380 is much easier to rack the slide. That makes it much easier for a woman to operate. It is also smaller and better suited to a woman's hands. I recommend the PK380 for a woman.
CC

My wife does just fine with her Ruger sr9c and that is a compact 9mm! Wouldn't it be easier for any person to operate the slide not just women??? I also know some women with big hands and men with small ones.

And for Higelj2 I would imagine it to be easier to do the range thing with your wife if you both shot the same round, that is if you can find a 9mm she likes better.

I would keep looking before you settle either way. If you look enough, I am sure you can find a 9mm that your wife will be happy with. Otherwise, these guys seem to know what they're talking about...

Also, I have itty-bitty girl hands and when my husband took me to buy my first gun I preferred the way the 380 felt in my hand. However, after dry-firing, I HATED the trigger on the 380 and went to the SR9c. If her hands are very small, perhaps a single stacked 9mm? Just a suggestion.

NOT a 380 Hehehe

While I haven't shot the PK380, my P99 is one of my favorites, especially for the way it feels in the hand. The P99c should be similar. You should at least get one in your hands to compare. Enjoy.

Well, after much reading and renting I ended up buying a Walther PPQ for the wife and I to shoot with. We went to the local range today and put 150 rounds thru it, with a little instruction from the range officer we ended shooting pretty decent groups fro a couple of newbies. Pretty happy with the gun so far, looks like I need to buy larger quantities of ammo.....practice, practice, practice, we went thru 150 in no time! Thanks to everybody for the info. Jeff

congrats on your purchase

Good pistol and you have the right idea practice, practice, ect. And maybe later you guys can get that PK380, that way you both have one.

...or just get a PK380 each for Concealed Carry

Hi, I'm a new member to the forum and would like to comment on the Walther PPK/S for small hands or women. I am female, just turned 60 and bought my first gun one year ago ( 9mm Glock 19) and although found it easy to fire with accuracy with little recoil, felt it was too big to carry.
I then bought a Ruger LCR revolver (w/laser), thinking I would carry that because it was small but the recoil is so severe I can only fire about 12 rounds before the pain keeps me from any more shooting. Frustrated, I really shopped around alot for something in-between and landed on the Walther PPK/S and just loved everything about it.
Although the slide is tight, the weight and size feels perfect for concealed carry (I got my CWP) and is very slim that I can put it in my pocket or purse very concealed. The recoil is manageable and I can actually spend time at the range again.
The three areas where women have problems with are overall size (usually too big and heavy), the recoil and mastering the slide action. I don't know why the slide has to be so darn hard to do and would think there must be a way to design one that would be easier to use, but maybe future designs will consider this aspect with more women using handguns.
I think this hand gun is just perfect and feel I will be able to unload the entire magazine if needed with accuracy ven though the sight really suck)
The most important things I have learned, beinga woman new to handguns, is that small and light is not always a good thing for recoil, revolvers are best for shooting through purses and guns with slides can jam because they can't discharge the cartridge (inside your purse) and that we girls will just have to get some upper arm strength and master the slide pull issue to use higher caliber guns. The 9mm Glock 19 isn't too bad to cock, disassemble and reassmble and is easier to do than the Walther PPK/S, but I am working on it and hope it just needs more breaking in time and lubrication.
So, I use the Ruger revolver bedside or concealed in a large purse, the Glock 19 9mm for home defense (or back up in the car on long trips) and the Walter PPK/S for all around carry with a Mr Mike pocket holster. Works for me, especially since it is easier to carry and I don't worry about someone snatching my purse with my revolver in it!