Will this get my wife to go to the range more often?

[340pd]

I finally had some success in getting my wife of 52 years to the range. She has her carry permit and shoots my 4" MKIII Hunter very well. I thought I had it made when she shot my P365 but in watching her rack the slide and with her difficulty in loading and seating that magazine, a co-worker gave her his Shield EZ 380 and all of a sudden she had a much easier time with the semi auto firearm. Shots on target at 30'. I often carry a LCPII so I had a lot of Federal HST plus brass, bullets, and dies for the 380 so....

Yesterday, I hit my LGS and after mental debate over with or without, picked up one with the ambi safety. The safety is exactly like a 1911 and easy to ride with your thumb. Instinctive for me but will have a small learning curve for her but I think it's addition will giver her a bit higher level of comfort. Very easy to rack, low recoil, nice sights, serrations and shape of slide near perfect, overall this is a very well thought out handgun. I have to load up a few hundred rounds and test this thing but if it shoots like my buddies, it should be fine for her. She loves the concept of a laser so my TRL4 may soon be mounted to the Shields rail.

16288

[berettabone]

She doesn't/wouldn't like the LCP II??????????????????

[jeepster09]

Exactly....give her your LCP and you get to go buy a new gun of YOUR CHOICE! Your doing it for her!
Many years ago I traded my wifes new Nova in for a Jeep CJ7 so "she would be safer in the winter".;)

[340pd]

No, The problem is with the operation or tightly sprung guns. The LCPII has the same problems as my PM9, hard to rack and the recoil is a turn off. She spent an hour with the EZ and shot very well. Afterward I asked her for her opinion on the Shield compared to the P365. Both shot well, the P365 had a laser and the shield did not but when it came to clearing malfunction drills and loading magazines it was no contest. As for me working with the Shield, at our range, two RSO's keep an EZ in their gun bags just for those who have difficulty manipulating other semi auto's. We have never had someone who could not operate the EZ. This includes a lot of students with arthritis.
The goal here is to get her to the range more often and allow her to improve and gain confidence in the firearm's operation. All that starts with a gun that the student does not have to fight with or flinch every time it goes off.
I try to never select a gun for somebody else but there are times when common sense comes in to play.

[Bawanna]

Common sense, there's a word not generally heard in casual conversation for the last 20 years or so.

[Barth]

Exactly....give her your LCP and you get to go buy a new gun of YOUR CHOICE! Your doing it for her!
Many years ago I traded my wifes new Nova in for a Jeep CJ7 so "she would be safer in the winter".;)

+1
LCP II and have a nice day... :cool:
Mine loves Horanady XTP Custom :D and Underwood +P is no problemo
https://i.imgur.com/7DHok5A.jpg?1

[jeepster09]

Common sense, there's a word not generally heard in casual conversation for the last 20 years or so.

I think New York banned common sense along with the term ill-legal alien adding a big fine.

[JohnR]

Anyone with common sense left NY long ago.

[berettabone]

+1
LCP II and have a nice day... :cool:
Mine loves Horanady XTP Custom :D and Underwood +P is no problemo
https://i.imgur.com/7DHok5A.jpg?1 I'm sure you read the manual, but I sure hope that your not feeding that LCP a regular diet of +p ammo. .380 +p ammo is a way higher pressure than the firearm was designed for. You should really do some reading on the .380 +P round. You never really know what the pressures and standards are for that ammo. Could be dangerous indeed. Especially with a glass frame.

[King Rat]

I'm sure you read the manual, but I sure hope that your not feeding that LCP a regular diet of +p ammo. .380 +p ammo is a way higher pressure than the firearm was designed for. You should really do some reading on the .380 +P round. You never really know what the pressures and standards are for that ammo. Could be dangerous indeed. Especially with a glass frame.

Having owned a number of these, I would not recommend any Plus P or hot ammo through them.

[jeepster09]

This will get her there FAR QUICKER......:wof:

[Mike_usn_ret]

NOT bad mouthing the 380acp cartridge by any means. Have and have had a number of them. My Bersa Thunder is still one of my favorite. My CW380....well not even close as I like my CM9. But why with the number of smaller 9mm handguns avail why are they still so popular? The disadvantages are, snappy recoil, high price for ammo, many hard to manually rack (not the EZ or LCP I will say) mag capacity and yet they still sell like hotcakes. It is like my wife and her .32 Mag revolver....ammo costs are insane compared to a 38 special. No difference in size and sure .32 long does not have the kick a 38 has but the .32 mag comes close. I go to the range and seems like there is always a person there with a new 380acp shooting it for the first time. I just find it amazing they are still so popular.

[340pd]

NOT bad mouthing the 380acp cartridge by any means. Have and have had a number of them. My Bersa Thunder is still one of my favorite. My CW380....well not even close as I like my CM9. But why with the number of smaller 9mm handguns avail why are they still so popular? The disadvantages are, snappy recoil, high price for ammo, many hard to manually rack (not the EZ or LCP I will say) mag capacity and yet they still sell like hotcakes. It is like my wife and her .32 Mag revolver....ammo costs are insane compared to a 38 special. No difference in size and sure .32 long does not have the kick a 38 has but the .32 mag comes close. I go to the range and seems like there is always a person there with a new 380acp shooting it for the first time. I just find it amazing they are still so popular.

I think they have renewed their popularity is the quality of new ammo offerings making them nearly as effective as 9MM and 38sp. A little time with YouTube ammo testers was a total surprise for me.

[berettabone]

The reason that the .380 firing firearms are so popular is because many of them weigh UNDER 11 ozs!!!!!!!!! They are the smallest. They drop in your pocket(with a holster of course). When you carry them, you don't even know they are there. They are convenient, easy, and I wouldn't feel under gunned in a situation if I carried one. There's only about 4 or 5 different ammo types/manufacturers that I personally would use for carry. .380 ammo is basically the same as it's always been. There is some of what I refer to as "gimmick" ammo out there in .380 that I wouldn't waste my time with. I've seen many ballistics tests and the round can be as effective as 9mm or .38 special. My wifey just moved down from 38/357 to .380. I feel like if that's what it takes to get her to carry more than what she does now, it's a win. She was just too uncomfortable with larger firearms. She wasn't really recoil sensitive, and doesn't have a flinch. It was a weight and comfort thing. The popularity of mouse guns will probably continue like gangbusters. People look for that convenience, ease of use. Men can carry larger firearms easier than women due to body shape and strength. Do I carry a .380????????? No, my idea of convenience is .40 cal. or .357. It's like what 340 said...………..If doing certain things gets your spouse to go with .380 in a smaller or easier package, then you have to go with it.:)

[Bawanna]

My wife carries a little 638 Smith and Wesson, doesn't shoot enough but she always has it with her.
Went to the doc Monday and forgot to disarm so when I found out I was gonna have to take off my jacket to get a shot in the shoulder (no I didn't cry nor did I get a sucker?) I asked how big her purse was and handed her my new to me Wilson full size 1911. She mumbled what a honker. I love them both so much her and the Wilson. It fit.

I get a chuckle out of all the conversations, the 9 with modern ammo will almost equal the 45, guess it took em 100 years to catch up. Now we have the 380 that will almost equal the 9.

I'm waiting for advances in the 22 long rifle that almost make it a 44 magnum and then by gawd I'm gonna grab me one, maybe two.

[berettabone]

Be careful what you wish for...…………………..can you imagine paying $1.50 a round for .22 cal.?????????:)

[dustnchips]

Better the 380 in my pocket than the 45 at home in the safe.

[kenemoore]

.380 Mouse guns are here to stay. Small, light, and some are very reasonably priced. Around these parts, an old style Ruger LCP can be in you pocket for under $200, tax included.

Downside, a lady I know, decided to get her first pistol, clerk talked her into a LCP. She can't shoot it, too snappy for a first time shooter. She bought it because it was small and light. Thought it would shoot like on TV, no recoil. Was going to get her carry permit, and carry in her purse. In SC you have to hit a profile target, most of the time, to qualify. Can't qualify with it.

Now she is $200 poorer, and still had no means of self defense.

But....As my old pal used to say, "It's better than a pointy stick".

[berettabone]

I introduced my wifey to shooting handguns a bit differently than most I guess. Her first foray in to shooting was with a Beretta 92. Not a lot of rounds but probably 100 or so. Then we went to a Beretta 96. Probably about the same amount of rounds. Not all in one session. The recoil of the 92 was ok for her, seeing her reaction. The 96 was tolerable for her, but I could tell that she didn't want a new friend. I was surprised that after the first few shots, a flinch that she had went away. I think that once she found out that it may be uncomfortable, but wasn't scary, it was all good. Then she got her first carry firearm, a revolver. She didn't really care for all of the mechanics of the semi's and wanted simple so she could concentrate on shooting. .38 special was a comfortable round for her, .357, a few, and she was done with those, but once again, she felt the recoil of the .357 and was ok with it for a few shots. That all started 8+ years ago. Now she goes full circle and is going to own a .380 mouse gun. Not because of recoil, or bullet size, or mechanics. Convenience……….and she feels that the .380 is enough for self protection. I'm proud of the fact that she never developed a flinch. I take just a tad of credit for starting her out shooting in the way I did. It worked for us. She's definitely not a range rat, but you can see that when she is handling a firearm, she's not treating/holding it like new born infant. I've seen that look in other women when handling a firearm. It's that I immediately want to hand it back look. I find it humerous:)

[340pd]

My wife carries a little 638 Smith and Wesson, doesn't shoot enough but she always has it with her.
Went to the doc Monday and forgot to disarm so when I found out I was gonna have to take off my jacket to get a shot in the shoulder (no I didn't cry nor did I get a sucker?) I asked how big her purse was and handed her my new to me Wilson full size 1911. She mumbled what a honker. I love them both so much her and the Wilson. It fit.

I get a chuckle out of all the conversations, the 9 with modern ammo will almost equal the 45, guess it took em 100 years to catch up. Now we have the 380 that will almost equal the 9.

I'm waiting for advances in the 22 long rifle that almost make it a 44 magnum and then by gawd I'm gonna grab me one, maybe two.


I enjoy all the "which caliber is the best manstopper" stuff and I always assumed bigger and heavier is better. Then I read this interesting article from Massad Ayood's files,

Snipit,

"Raymond Maddox did not survive. Autopsy showed he had been hit by 17 of Gramins’ 230-gr. Speer Gold Dot .45 hollowpoints. Some had hit extremities, including upper limbs as the officer’s bullets tracked up the gunman’s arms while he was firing at the cop. But Maddox had also been hit in one kidney, both lungs … and the heart. All three of Gramins’ last carefully braced, precisely aimed shots had indeed hit the head, but two had smashed into his face and only the last had pierced the brain and ended the fight."

https://americanhandgunner.com/the-ayoob-files/the-lessons-of-tim-gramins/

[Bawanna]

So we need to do the math, work the problem. By my Missouri Dirt Farmer math calculations the same scenario all things being otherwise equal would require 27 9mm hits or 39 380 hits.:p

Just tugging your leg of course, even a 380 usually leaves a mark and probably smarts something fierce.

[King Rat]

NOT bad mouthing the 380acp cartridge by any means. Have and have had a number of them. My Bersa Thunder is still one of my favorite. My CW380....well not even close as I like my CM9. But why with the number of smaller 9mm handguns avail why are they still so popular? The disadvantages are, snappy recoil, high price for ammo, many hard to manually rack (not the EZ or LCP I will say) mag capacity and yet they still sell like hotcakes. It is like my wife and her .32 Mag revolver....ammo costs are insane compared to a 38 special. No difference in size and sure .32 long does not have the kick a 38 has but the .32 mag comes close. I go to the range and seems like there is always a person there with a new 380acp shooting it for the first time. I just find it amazing they are still so popular.

They are still popular simply because they are so darn easy to carry, the cartridge has come a long way and many folks find the Kahr, Pico etc. Mild as butter to shoot well. Racking is no problem and have trained with them to the point of high level of competency. In close quarters and even to 10 yds they are a excellent defensive tool. Easy to conceal with a hand on the gun and nothing is faster than that.
They can make guns in bigger calibers all day, guns with high rounds counts, yet the Pocket Pistol will still be around for a very long time. And in truth, I would bet a dollar to a doughnet that more people will still carry them then any larger gun that comes out. I know I do. I love the CM9, the very best there is for a Micro 9mm imo, yet I carry the 380 much more. If I have to carry a gun larger than a Micro 9, or similar size, I will not carry. Just too heavy, bulky etc.

[CPTKILLER]

Good luck with that.

[340pd]

Well since I started this thread 12 days ago, my wife has been to the range with her new gun twice and she loves the ease of operation so the answer to my OP question is a definite "yes". She even helped with the cleaning on Saturday. Next time out she will work with a Streamlight TLR4 mounted on the rail.