Ruger .380 or S&W .45?

[Zade]

my s&w 38 special revolver. no sharp edges, hammer concealed, sights are smooth

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[compulsion]

What for you may be the best decision for a CHL weapon is probably not going to be a great decision for your wife as a shooter...

I personally carry a Ruger SP101 .357 mag revolver. It is absolutely accurate and reliable and that means everything to me in a concealed. I can't imagine any situation where I would need to lay out multiple rounds in self defense. I like revolvers as well for women in that they seem to be more intuitive to a very casual shooter.

I'll add that I do not enjoy shooting "compact" pistols. So a revolver that I can just keep loaded and tucked away for a specific purpose is ideal. I know for sure I will never jam up even if it hasn't been touched in months.

For a weapon you will shoot regularly, and will be in the home or car(in some states) I would go with a full size for sure, but that is another topic entirely.

If you already have the 12ga at home, depending on how much your wife likes shooting, I think that should cover what she should use for defense if needed. My mom has a 20ga, and should it become necessary, I think her chances of taking someone out with the shotgun is a vastly better than her chances with any pistol.

[Loke]

Yea, 1911s are a little bulky, but even as a skinny guy I could conceal mine under a jacket or baggy hoodie reasonably well. I honestly don't think I'd ever carry a 1911 just because I wouldn't know how to carry it. Being single action only, having a round in chamber with hammer down doesn't make much sense or seem that safe, and even with the multiple safeties, carrying it with hammer cocked seems kind of sketchy. Maybe that is just me being paranoid, but if I'm not carrying in a holster I think I'd want a wheel gun that is SA/DA with the hammer down over an unloaded chamber. I personally like exposed hammers (which is honestly my only gripe with Glocks) - I think it is a control thing, but really that is just a matter of preference. I can totally see how a concealed hammer would be advantageous for carry.

I don't think I've ever fired a revolver with a concealed hammer, are all rounds double action? My only real gripe with most 1911s is they're mostly single action only. I think if I were going to carry something I'd definitely want something that was double action for the first round and single action for all subsequent rounds. Might be something to consider when making your selection Itap.

Edit just to clarify, the reason I suggested a 1911 before was just because I feel like it is the pinnacle of .45s. Might not be great for conceal carry, but god damn is it a perfect design! If you're in the market for a .45, can't do much better than something that was designed over 100 years ago and is still arguably the best thing on the market.

[dalaimoc]

this:

http://www.enemyforces.net/firearms/glock17.htm/

[Itap]

Originally Posted by compulsion [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

What for you may be the best decision for a CHL weapon is probably not going to be a great decision for your wife as a shooter...

I personally carry a Ruger SP101 .357 mag revolver. It is absolutely accurate and reliable and that means everything to me in a concealed. I can't imagine any situation where I would need to lay out multiple rounds in self defense. I like revolvers as well for women in that they seem to be more intuitive to a very casual shooter.

I'll add that I do not enjoy shooting "compact" pistols. So a revolver that I can just keep loaded and tucked away for a specific purpose is ideal. I know for sure I will never jam up even if it hasn't been touched in months.

For a weapon you will shoot regularly, and will be in the home or car(in some states) I would go with a full size for sure, but that is another topic entirely.

If you already have the 12ga at home, depending on how much your wife likes shooting, I think that should cover what she should use for defense if needed. My mom has a 20ga, and should it become necessary, I think her chances of taking someone out with the shotgun is a vastly better than her chances with any pistol.

I'll have to look more into revolvers. I will be carrying so I wanted something compact that can't be seen, but looking at Zades revolver, it might be a plausible choice.

Originally Posted by Loke [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yea, 1911s are a little bulky, but even as a skinny guy I could conceal mine under a jacket or baggy hoodie reasonably well. I honestly don't think I'd ever carry a 1911 just because I wouldn't know how to carry it. Being single action only, having a round in chamber with hammer down doesn't make much sense or seem that safe, and even with the multiple safeties, carrying it with hammer cocked seems kind of sketchy. Maybe that is just me being paranoid, but if I'm not carrying in a holster I think I'd want a wheel gun that is SA/DA with the hammer down over an unloaded chamber. I personally like exposed hammers (which is honestly my only gripe with Glocks) - I think it is a control thing, but really that is just a matter of preference. I can totally see how a concealed hammer would be advantageous for carry.

I don't think I've ever fired a revolver with a concealed hammer, are all rounds double action? My only real gripe with most 1911s is they're mostly single action only. I think if I were going to carry something I'd definitely want something that was double action for the first round and single action for all subsequent rounds. Might be something to consider when making your selection Itap.

Edit just to clarify, the reason I suggested a 1911 before was just because I feel like it is the pinnacle of .45s. Might not be great for conceal carry, but god damn is it a perfect design! If you're in the market for a .45, can't do much better than something that was designed over 100 years ago and is still arguably the best thing on the market.

Thanks for this, another one to add to the list