# Requesting your input: looking for a striker/DAO 380acp pistol for wife



## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

My wife is pretty active, but still she is 67 years old (don't tell her I said that please!) I bought her Taurus model 85 38 Special revolver for her car/purse carry...._when _she carries which is not that often. She says that the 38 has too much recoil for her, so I'm thinking of a 380 DAO or striker fired pistol. She has fired self-loaders before and is comfortable with them. I want something that she is comfortable shooting; right now shooting the Taurus isn't her favorite thing. The only round she is comfortable shooting in it are my old target DEWC that are very, very un-powerful.

What we need:
Striker or DAO 380 pistol - NO single action or single/double action.
Empty weight 13-20 oz
Grip/Height 4-4.5 inches
Length 5-6 inches
Width - under an inch
No manual safety

Those are rough dimensions, but should give you an idea of what we want. If nothing else, this ought to be an interesting and lively discussion!

Thanks for your participation.


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## TheReaper (Nov 14, 2008)

Keep the .38, if the time comes where she has to use it for defense she won't notice the recoil.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

papersniper said:


> My wife is pretty active, but still she is 67 years old (don't tell her I said that please!) I bought her Taurus model 85 38 Special revolver for her car/purse carry...._when _she carries which is not that often. She says that the 38 has too much recoil for her, so I'm thinking of a 380 DAO or striker fired pistol. She has fired self-loaders before and is comfortable with them. I want something that she is comfortable shooting; right now shooting the Taurus isn't her favorite thing. The only round she is comfortable shooting in it are my old target DEWC that are very, very un-powerful.
> 
> What we need:
> Striker or DAO 380 pistol - NO single action or single/double action.
> ...


Glock G42 for a striker.
Remington RM380 for a DAO.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

http://www.handgunforum.net/wikiarm...fety-crimson-trace-laser-319-99-free-s-h.html


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Why not take her with you to a gun shop that also has a firing range, and buy some time on an assortment of tryout pistols.
Then, after she has shot a few, let her make her own choice from among them.

We are lucky in that we own a largish assortment of various types of carry guns.
First I trained my wife to be a good pistol shot.
Then I just turned her loose on our assortment, and let her take her pick.

Her final choice was not the one that I would have picked for her.
But she is both happy and competent with it.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

and Steve had a good excuse to buy another gun


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

I recently rented a Glock 42, looking for a carry pistol for my recoil sensitive sister-in-law. It was a soft shooting, accurate pistol & fun to shoot. I could hit with it better than 3 smaller 380s I've shot. I've never shot a Kahr CT380 but it may be worth a look also, from what I've read. Similar size to the 42. My local range rents guns for $5.00 so you get to compare before buying & that's a great way to go if you have that option. Unfortunately they no longer rent Kahrs where I shoot.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Why not take her with you to a gun shop that also has a firing range, and buy some time on an assortment of tryout pistols.
> Then, after she has shot a few, let her make her own choice from among them.
> 
> We are lucky in that we own a largish assortment of various types of carry guns.
> ...


An excellent idea. I recently discovered a range that rents pistols. I need to do that.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

tony pasley said:


> and Steve had a good excuse to buy another gun


So do I!:mrgreen:


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Babbalou1956 said:


> I recently rented a Glock 42, looking for a carry pistol for my recoil sensitive sister-in-law. It was a soft shooting, accurate pistol & fun to shoot. I could hit with it better than 3 smaller 380s I've shot. I've never shot a Kahr CT380 but it may be worth a look also, from what I've read. Similar size to the 42. My local range rents guns for $5.00 so you get to compare before buying & that's a great way to go if you have that option. Unfortunately they no longer rent Kahrs where I shoot.


A Glock 42 is a contender. I own one already and carry it when I take motorcycle trips. It's near the top of my list for her. But I really like the idea above about visiting a range where she can try out a few different models.


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## RolandD (Apr 28, 2016)

Babbalou1956 said:


> I recently rented a Glock 42, looking for a carry pistol for my recoil sensitive sister-in-law. It was a soft shooting, accurate pistol & fun to shoot. I could hit with it better than 3 smaller 380s I've shot. I've never shot a Kahr CT380 but it may be worth a look also, from what I've read. Similar size to the 42. My local range rents guns for $5.00 so you get to compare before buying & that's a great way to go if you have that option. Unfortunately they no longer rent Kahrs where I shoot.


My wife has a CT380 and it is a pleasure to shoot. The springs are strong, so make sure you wife would be able to rack it, but it is the sweetest shooter for it's size.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

I would start out with a 22 revolver, and see what transpires


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

pic said:


> I would start out with a 22 revolver, and see what transpires


She's past that stage; no longer a beginner shooter. Just a little sensitive to recoil. Someone mentioned earlier that she'd not notice the recoil in a 38 special should she have to use it in a SD situation, which is of course true. However, if she is concerned with stout recoil she would not practice as much as I'd like, so her perception of recoil is important to me. If it came down to it, I'd rather she practiced and carried a 22LR (or 25acp or 32acp) that nothing at all. She used to carry a tiny Kel Tec 32, but that is not an easy gun to shoot due to its diminutive size and weight. She didn't practice much with it. I think something a bit larger and heavier than that little gun, but in 32 or 380 would be just the ticket.


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

Another one I didn't think of until just now. The Ruger LC380. It's bigger & heavier than the LCP & should be much easier to hit with. Same size as the LC9. I shot an LC9S & didn't find it very snappy & in 380 it's probably very soft shooting. I really wish they would make an LC380S Pro. I really like that trigger on the S model.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Babbalou1956 said:


> Another one I didn't think of until just now. The Ruger LC380. It's bigger & heavier than the LCP & should be much easier to hit with. Same size as the LC9. I shot an LC9S & didn't find it very snappy & in 380 it's probably very soft shooting. I really wish they would make an LC380S Pro. I really like that trigger on the S model.


Thanks. I had not considered that one on my list. I don't care for manual safeties on carry guns. I'd not listed that initially on my list of wants in the first post; I just added that.


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## Swampguy (Jun 23, 2016)

My wife has the Remington RM380. .380 cal. obviously and has taken quite a like to it. She has always favored her Smith & Wesson, Chief's Special in .38 Special until she got the Remington semi-auto. It is a bit easier to conceal, maybe a tad lighter and pretty easy to rack for a semi-auto handgun. It does have a long trigger pull, but coming from the revolver, it isn't a problem for her. We picked it up new at a gun show for around 360 bux. Maybe you could find a gun range that has the RM380 she could try. It's a pretty neat little gun and has been very reliable. If the longer trigger pull suits her she may like it. Watch this: (



). I have a Sig P238 (.380) which is single action only and a trigger that I favor, but it is almost double in price.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Swampguy said:


> My wife has the Remington RM380. ......


I have thought of that one. Read other good things about it, and really don't see any negatives. I'll add that to the list. I did have a talk with her the other night and she tells me (now) she really like her Taurus 85 revolver, she just thinks she needs more practice. I agree with her; right now her skills don't meet my criteria for carrying. So, hopefully we can get to the range this coming week.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

papersniper, It sounds like you are picking out the gun for her? Take her shooting and rent a few models that fits her hand. The gun she shoots the Best and accurately is the one for HER! Glock 42?


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Blackhawkman said:


> papersniper, It sounds like you are picking out the gun for her? Take her shooting and rent a few models that fits her hand. The gun she shoots the Best and accurately is the one for HER! Glock 42?


She didn't like the G42 as much as I expected.....besides, that's MINE!:mrgreen:


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## MoMan (Dec 27, 2010)

You may want to have her shoot a Ruger SR22. Don't disregard it just because it is a 22lr. If you load that thing up with good hollow points it will do the job. She probably would really enjoy shooting it, and that always leads to more practice and better shooting. I don't know ANYBODY who would enjoy getting 10 rounds of 22 hollow points put into them.
ANY gun that is reliable (which the Ruger is, we put over 1,000 foolproof rounds through my buddy's Wife's gun) is a good choice if it will be carried, and used!

My buddy's Wife enjoys shooting the Ruger and is quite proficient with it. She is not recoil sensitive as she has shot both mine and his handguns and handles them well. She just does so good with that little 22 and loves shooting it. This causes her to want to shoot more, and gains her even more confidence that she will be able to handle it if/when the time comes.

Also, being a 22, it is an easy handgun to rack the slide on.

Just my $.02!!

MO


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## latigo2 (May 30, 2016)

I just went through this with a friends wife. She had a pistol similar to a Taurus 85. It was uncomfortable for her to shoot and she did not like it. I know from experience that even though these little 38's are often recommended as a beginners gun, they can be a pain to shoot. The recoil is sharp, and some, if not all, of these guns have a tendency to want to twist in your hand. All recoil on a revolver is transferred directly to the shooters hand, whereas a semi auto has its spring loaded slide to absorb some of the recoil. She thought a 380 might be better, but was surprised to find out that the ones she tried (i don't know exactly what they were) had very strong springs and were difficult for her to rack the slide. I showed her the proper way to rack a slide, using my wife's 9mm Springfield XD sub compact. She found that gun to be comfortable in her hand, the slide was manageable, and after shooting it, decided that was what she wanted. It was the last thing in her mind when she started looking, but ended up being her first choice. I agree with the previous posters advice on not trying to pick out a gun for your wife. Let her try some guns out and make her own decision.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

MoMan said:


> You may want to have her shoot a Ruger SR22. Don't disregard it just because it is a 22lr. If you load that thing up with good hollow points it will do the job. She probably would really enjoy shooting it, and that always leads to more practice and better shooting. I don't know ANYBODY who would enjoy getting 10 rounds of 22 hollow points put into them.
> ANY gun that is reliable (which the Ruger is, we put over 1,000 foolproof rounds through my buddy's Wife's gun) is a good choice if it will be carried, and used!
> 
> My buddy's Wife enjoys shooting the Ruger and is quite proficient with it. She is not recoil sensitive as she has shot both mine and his handguns and handles them well. She just us so good with that little 22 and loves shooting it. This causes her to want to shoot more, and gains her even more confidence that she will be able to handle it if/when the time comes.
> ...


After a lengthy discussion with my wife she is okay with her Taurus M85.....she just need to practice more. I suppose I jumped the gun when I started this discussion. <g> Always looking for a new excuse to buy another gun I suppose.

Carrying a 22lr for defense is better than thinking about carrying something bigger, I have to admit. But for those who feel comfortable with, and can shoot accurately, the bigger the better in my opinion!


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## Oddball13 (Aug 27, 2015)

Before you give up on the .38 Special Revolver, get her a box of Hornady Critical Defense FTX "LITE" that has a 90 grain bullet. My wife tried them in her S&W 642 and loves them!
Good Luck,
Oddball


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Oddball13 said:


> Before you give up on the .38 Special Revolver, get her a box of Hornady Critical Defense FTX "LITE" that has a 90 grain bullet. My wife tried them in her S&W 642 and loves them!
> Good Luck,
> Oddball


Thank you for that suggestion, Oddball, I'll check into those. But I believe she just needs to shoot the Taurus more.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

damnboy said:


> good excuse to buy another gun buddy


Heck, I seem to NEVER need an excuse! I recently decided to thin out the population of my gun safe.....sold two pistols, but before I even got the money for those two, I went and bought FOUR to replace them! What is _WRONG _with me?


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## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

papersniper said:


> Heck, I seem to NEVER need an excuse! I recently decided to thin out the population of my gun safe.....sold two pistols, but before I even got the money for those two, I went and bought FOUR to replace them! What is _WRONG _with me?


Nothing! ;-)


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

papersniper said:


> After a lengthy discussion with my wife she is okay with her Taurus M85.....she just need to practice more. I suppose I jumped the gun when I started this discussion. <g> Always looking for a new excuse to buy another gun I suppose.
> 
> Carrying a 22lr for defense is better than thinking about carrying something bigger, I have to admit. But for those who feel comfortable with, and can shoot accurately, the bigger the better in my opinion!


I second the notion on finding a 38 special load that's not snappy in the recoil department. There is a plethora of loadings for 38 special and 38 special+P. I believe the M-85 comes in at 21 ounces? Indeed, all 38 special and 38 special +p loadings are not created equal in the recoil and energy department.

You should inquire about other possible replacement grips that will fit as well. I know for a fact that a full size J-frame Pachmayer grip on a S&W 637 does wonders in the recoil management department over it's stock counterpart. The grip is larger and covers the backstrap and dissipates recoil quite noticiably, same may work for you.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

denner said:


> .........You should inquire about other possible replacement grips that will fit as well. I know for a fact that a full size J-frame Pachmayer grip on a S&W 637 does wonders in the recoil management department over it's stock counterpart. The grip is larger and covers the backstrap and dissipates recoil quite noticiably, same may work for you.


Thanks, good advice, I'll check into that.


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## Hughscot (Jul 18, 2016)

My wife who is new to guns just purchased a Glock 42, she's 69 and small and she loves it. No problem with the slide and she's been quite accurate for a total newbie. Good luck.


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## papersniper (Oct 14, 2015)

Hughscot said:


> My wife who is new to guns just purchased a Glock 42, she's 69 and small and she loves it. No problem with the slide and she's been quite accurate for a total newbie. Good luck.


Thanks for your input. My wife is a definite revolver lady. I was at the range with her yesterday and she tired my B42 along with a couple of other pistols; she prefers a revolver. Her Taurus is the only revolver I own any more. She shot quite well, and seems comfortable with it, so we're going to stick with that for her for now. I guess I jumped the gun when I opened this original thread....thanks to all who replied.....Over and Out!:mrgreen:


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