22lr or .380 for my wife who is just getting into guns?

a .22 probably won’t stop someone, but neither will a .380 in some instances.

True, but for what it’s worth, if you point a pistol at me, I’m not going to stop to consider how large your rounds are and whether I should continue my attack. I’ve never been shot by a .22LR, but I assume it still hurts.

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When the barrel is pointed in your face, that little . looks more like O

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Let her decide what she’ll carry.

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I got my wife to learn the basics and let her try several different options. When the day came, she chose her own, and proved to be very accurate with it out of the box. It’s tempting to worry about caliber over other things that can prove more important in the bigger picture. A well placed shot with a .22 beats 10 misses with something else you are afraid of or can’t manage.

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I understand that every situation is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. What I keep hearing from men who introduce their wives to guns is that they tend to lean toward larger calibers.
My father’s friend got his wife a small little 9mm, but she ended up with his full-size .45, and he had to get himself another one.

If you can, you might take her to a range that rents guns. Get a selection of different sizes and calibers and have her try them out.

Disclaimer: I am not married, and have no experience introducing women to guns. This is only what seems a logical exercise to me, in total absence of data.

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It’s about shot placement. a 45 won’t do any good if you can’t hit the target. a 22 will do wonders if you can hit them in the head/neck multiple times, even just upper body.

People that are strung out on drugs don’t even stop for a 45!

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my wife did the same, picked herself out a 40, and still likes it, but liked my 45 and get herself one. She’s small too, for her it was just about getting comfortable and finding the ones that fit her hand.

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The down side of a 22 is that semi-autos jam easily & there is not much bullet there. A 380 is really a short 9mm. My wife carries a 380 & it has some badass ammo a 380 will ruin someone’s day. I got her a S&W bodyguard with the built in green dot laser. the laser turns on when you grip the

gun

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That’s true, it seems the smaller the auto is, the more prone to jams it is, and the more picky about what ammo it will cycle reliably with. That’s key too, making sure you have well tested the ammunition you intend to have in it when trouble comes.

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I think I depends a lot on the gun. I have 3 .22 pistols and I can’t remember ever having any of them jam. of course, these are not pocket pistols or even carry guns.

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@Ouade5
Put the M240 inside the abrams…
Now it’s concealed…

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Congrats on helping her to take the first step. Once she gets used to the .22, she may move up to a higher caliber. One thing about the LCP.22 is the safety is easily engaged when you rack the slide. During training, you may want her to get in the habit of using the “wings” on the back of the slide and not grab the slide on the top with the whole hand to rack. Good luck!!!

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Having had the very unpleasant experience of looking down the business end of a .357 in the hands of a psych patient I can tell that bore looked like a piece of 2 inch sewer pipe😳. I don’t want a weapon of ANY caliber pointed my direction

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Thank you i went to the range yesterday(my local gun shop) for some range time and after looked and held the lcp 2 in 22lr. And it was great! As you said the saftey was easy to engage and disengage to rack the slide was effortless… Compaired to my glock… So im gonna do it for her! If that is what she wants and is comfortable with, and she can always upgrade to the .380 … Sounds like a solid idea.

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We was told in conceal and carry class you couldn’t use a 22lr to qualify because when you shoot someone with a bigger caliber bullet they will say you trie to kill them and arrest you. My wife like her 380 M&P Shield with the ez slide.

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Decent choice I like it.

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JW, What fits her hand the best? Take her to the range and let her look over and try the different guns they have to rent. Find out what fits her hand, what she can reach all the controls on, and what seems to point naturally. What ever you get her, she needs to feel comfortable with. Let her try out a few, it would be better to drop $20 to test a gun than to drop $400 or $500 or something she decides she doesn’t like. You probably know some folks whose wives shoot, no doubt they would welcome the chance for her to shoot with them. Check on a Ladies Only Intro class. Then worry about caliber. Better she has something she feels good about and can hit with than a firearm she doesn’t feel comfortable with and doesn’t find accurate. A .380 can be a decent defense cartridge, consider the EZ series of the Shields.

My kid sister likes my old model S&W 65 with .357s. Benny (a Marine) carries a .380 ACP. Trent likes a 22LR. Sweet B carries a 9mm SCCY. I wouldn’t want to get shot by any of them.

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I own both. Get her started on the 22 and then phase in the 380. They are close to identical and the 22 has more safety features than the 380 which will help with safe learning. The 22 is a soft shooter, it’s easy to rack and the ammo is cheap which will support regular practice. The trigger feel is very close too, so dry fire practice is also helpful.

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I bought what I thought she needed, not so good. It turns out that what SHE wanted wasn’t what I thought she needed. Go rent and let her pick, If she is happy she will shoot more and will evolve as she goes, or not, just give her the chance.

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I would go with a .380 just for the fact that it is a centerfire rather than a rim fire. I own a 22lr and they are nice but I’ve had misfires at the range a couple of times. So what it comes down to is dependability especially in a situation where you need to defend yourself.

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