First guns for Christmas
Christmas music is in the air already!
“Christmas is coming/We’re looking to have fun/If you’re planning to surprise your wife/ Never buy a gun.”
And the moral of this song is: keeping your wife safe is good, and your heart is in the right place. But buying her a gun as a surprise is a bad idea.
Guns are very personal. There’s no one-size-fits-all in handguns. What fits you and your hand may not fit hers. The weight of the gun may be fine for you; not for her.
You find the recoil light. She may find it heavy. Is racking the slide easy for you? Maybe not for her.
Any two people have different needs when it comes to selecting a handgun. This is why you never buy a handgun for another person (besides buying for another is against the law, anyway).
So, the gun isn’t going to be a surprise. However, a gun may be just what you and your mature wife want so that she can protect herself and so that she can enjoy herself at the range.
First of all, what does a mature woman usually think to ask me when considering a new gun?
This person wants:
- Small and concealable for purse, pocket, or body wear,
- Very little recoil,
- An easy-to-rack slide,
- A gun that isn’t too heavy,
- A gun that holds as many rounds as possible
- One that’s easy to load, and
- One that has a built-in safety.
Here’s my opinion, based on working with a lot of mature men, women, and newbies at the range.
First, I’m skipping .22s because most men feel a .22 is not sufficient for self-defense. If a person cannot handle anything else, then a .22 is better than a sword, but most of the handguns I’m going to discuss can be handled by most people, even with arthritic hands.
I’m also skipping the .25s and the .32s. These guns have a bit more power than the .22s, but their ammunition is harder to find and is quite a lot more expensive.
Now, Joe and I have different opinions on best guns for mature people, and newbies. I asked him about his favorite picks. The web site, Pew Pew, has opinions, too. Their information, specifically on appendix carry for 9mm handguns, is updated as of October, 2023. I’ll pick the top 2 guns from each of us.
Joe likes the Taurus 942 .22 magnum revolver. Revolvers are quite simple to use. Stick a round in each chamber, point and shoot. The 942 holds 8 rounds, which is more than most revolvers. And the magnum has more stopping power than a .22LR round.
There is no slide to rack and recoil is light. Price is around the $350 range.
On the negative side: it’s heavy at 25 ounces. It’s wide at 1.34 inches. It’s 6.6 inches long. I’d carry it, but wouldn’t lug it in my purse.
Finally, those .22 magnum rounds cost more than 9mm or .380 rounds. This matters, because you need to practice shooting, and keep it up over time. This can get expensive.
Next on Joe’s list is the Sig Sauer P365 X Macro. What’s good about the 365? This 9mm gun has a light(ish) recoil and its magazine holds a whopping 17 rounds.
Trigger pull is light and short. However, racking the slide is not light, so I wouldn’t suggest this gun for a newbie or someone with limited strength.
Joe’s gun has no safety, but you can order a 365 X Macro with a safety. The 365 X Macro weighs 21.5 ounces: still too heavy for a purse, but fine for appendix carry.
The 365 X Macro runs around $750-$800ish.
Negatives, in my opinion, are that the gun is somewhat large (too big for my purse), and the slide is not easy enough to manipulate.
Those are Joe’s top two concealable handguns for the mature person or a newbie.
Next, I looked up October 2023s updated version on Pew Pew to see what they like for appendix carry.
They also like the Sig P365 9mm handgun. Unlike Joes P365 X Macro, this 365 has a shorter grip and holds just 10 rounds. It is 5.8 inches long, 3.1 inches high and weighs 17.8 ounces. That’s about 4 ounces less than the 365 X Macro.
The Sig 365 X Macro is large for a purse, but the standard Sig 365 is doable, and fine for appendix carry. Racking the slide may be too difficult for a mature person.
Bottom line, it’s fine for appendix and purse carry. The 9mm may be too much gun to handle in both slide and recoil. It runs around $500.
Next, Pew Pew likes the Glock 43X. This is also a 9mm handgun. It holds 10 rounds and is 6.5 inches long and 1.1 inches wide. It is fine to carry concealed and at 17.8 ounces, it can fit into a purse. The grip is comfortable for a small hand.
On the negative side, trigger pull is somewhat stiff and harder to pull and the gun has a snappy recoil.
The Glock 43X runs about $485.
Finally, I’ll chime in with my own favorites.
For a micro compact purse gun, I like my Sig Sauer P238. It’s a .380. The slide is easy to rack, the trigger is light and the flush magazine holds 7 rounds. It has a manual safety on the frame.
This small gun is 5.5” long and weighs in at only 15.2 ounces. Even though it’s an all-metal gun, it fits nicely in the purse.
The only negative I’d say about this Sig is that the recoil is fairly firm. That’s because the gun is so small, it doesn’t have much mass to absorb the kick.
The Sig has been accurate and is totally reliable. If you can find one, the cost can be $650ish.
The easiest .380 I’ve ever tried is the Smith & Wesson M&P .380 Shield EZ. There are several versions of the Shield, so be sure you look at the one that says M&P .380 Shield EZ.
This .380 EZ is a bit larger and heavier than the Sig P238. It is 6.7” long and weighs 18.5 ounces. It’s bigger than the Sig, but you can fit it in a carry purse.
You load the EZ like you would many 22s in that you pull down a button on the magazine and drop in your 8 rounds. Easy.
You’ll be surprised and pleased at how easy it is to rack the slide. There’s a reason Smith & Wesson calls this gun the EZ. I’m trying to think of a negative or two for the EZ, but can’t do it.
Price is in the $450-$550 range.
Because I’m writing this article, I get to add in a third handgun and that is the Smith & Wesson Equalizer. This is a 9mm handgun.
It goes in with other easy-to-use guns because it has a nice, light trigger. The slide is easy to rack. Recoil is light. The magazine holds 10 rounds. It’s the easiest 9mm handgun I’ve yet discovered. Its closest runner-up is the S&W 9mm Shield EZ, but I prefer the Equalizer.
Both the S&W .380 Shield EZ and the S&W 9mm Equalizer have grip safeties. I like this feature. The gun will not fire unless your hand is high and firm on the grip.
Price is around $450ish.
If you and your wife agree she needs and wants a handgun for Christmas, check out these guns. Many ranges rent out their handguns. This gives you and her a chance to feel the guns for yourselves, so that you’ll know which one works the best for her. Remember, places that rent out guns have guns that are well-broken-in, so they will be easier to manipulate than one right out of the box.
If a friend has any of these handguns, see if you can go to the range and try it out. Trying before she buys is the best way to find out the gun that works the best for her.
No matter how much you love your wife, don’t buy a gun for her. Let her discover the one she likes the best and finds the easiest to use.
Planning on going to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range? The range will be closed some of both November and December for remodeling and training. Call the range or check the website to make sure they’re open when you want to visit.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
