Wife considering Smith & Wesson SD40

[Hohn]

Please allow me to add, when looking at the caliber aspect of this discussion, that I chose a .40 S&W as my “shop gun”.

It is stored securely when I am not there, but when I am there, I keep it either on me or readily accessible.

The gun in question cost me about $300. .40 Smith & Wesson has fallen out of favor, so the pistol itself was quite cheap.

It is considerably older than the pistol that the OP is considering, and it’s not a gun I would recommend for my wife, or his wife.

However, I carried a .40 Smith & Wesson as a duty weapon for nearly 20 years. I’ve taken this particular gun to the range, run a variety of ammunition through it, replaced the recoil spring, and put it into service.

It is a DA/SA with a decocker. The slide mounted switch is not a safety.

So, back to the caliber versus shooter discussion, this gun is extremely reliable, and durable, and was inexpensive to purchase - but most importantly, the combination of shooter, caliber and gun performed well. I get good hits with it, can shoot it rapidly and accurately.

So, I’m not opposed to .40 Smith & Wesson. I give up three rounds of capacity, compared with a similar gun in 9 mm. In exchange, I was able to buy an inexpensive old stainless steel pistol that I don’t mind leaving down at the shop.

But, if I were to choose a gun for a relatively new shooter - I would recommend a 9 mm every time.xView attachment 322899

A 3rd gen S&W semi auto marks you as one who knows Looks similar to the 1076 the FBI carried.
Model 49x6?

 

[Hohn]

I agree @Gawardawg .
The slide of an all metal, full size .45 ACP are usually pretty easy to manipulate. The two .380 pistol that I listed are also easy to manipulate.
You can't go wrong with a revolver for home defense. .357 mag/.38 special, Charter Arms Bulldog in either. 44 special or .45 Colt.
Taurus Judge or S&W Governor.

If your defensive plan includes racking a slide under duress, you're doing it wrong.

If the gun is a gun intended to be quickly deployed in a potentially stressful situation, it must be stored loaded, chambered, and cocked. At no point should racking a slide be relevant whatsoever, whether it's DA, DA/SA or SAO. Because when you shoot the gun dry and reload, you'll just drop the slide release anyway (cue gun counter goobers clutching pearls about harming guns or something).

 

[Gawardawg]

I agree @Gawardawg .
The slide of an all metal, full size .45 ACP are usually pretty easy to manipulate. The two .380 pistol that I listed are also easy to manipulate.
You can't go wrong with a revolver for home defense. .357 mag/.38 special, Charter Arms Bulldog in either. 44 special or .45 Colt.
Taurus Judge or

Thanks for clarifying.
But I'm not sure this still makes sense.

Your wife is either on board with her owning and becoming competent with a gun or she isn't. Mine is 100% not willing to. So if something happens when I'm not home, she's going to have to fend for herself. She's armed with a wall shaking scream that will likely do the trick in most cases.

It sounds to me like you are trying to buy your wife a gun for your own sense of well being and she's not on board with this and is tepid or tolerant at best. I don't think that's going to work. Your wife won't be able to use the gun effectively and it's only a potential liability not worth having.

Guns aren't the only way to secure your home. They aren't even the primary way.

There you go. She is not going to be competent to our level. She is on board with one being left out for her. But once a year is all I can get out of her. Where I live gun is the top choice to secure my home . Rual. At the long tip of a county. Response time is pushing 45 minutes to a hour. Dogs are a no go. Outside lighting check. Not 100% worried about her being 100% effective. I like you tried. But when I’m out of town and gone I know I provided her with a means. It’s up to her to act. Wardawg

 

[Gawardawg]

If your defensive plan includes racking a slide under duress, you're doing it wrong.

If the gun is a gun intended to be quickly deployed in a potentially stressful situation, it must be stored loaded, chambered, and cocked. At no point should racking a slide be relevant whatsoever, whether it's DA, DA/SA or SAO. Because when you shoot the gun dry and reload, you'll just drop the slide release anyway (cue gun counter goobers clutching pearls about harming guns or something).

If she can’t rack a slide then it’s the wrong one to have. She can rack the slide on the revolver. All joking aside , yes an auto would be locked and loaded. No brainer. But she limp wrist autos. Ive talked till IM blue in the face about grip , firm wrist ect……. Her comeback is there is to much to remember. You know what ain’t too much to remember. A Revovler. It’s the best I can do in with the situation in front of me. Hey , she’s a woman

 

[Astro14]

A 3rd gen S&W semi auto marks you as one who knows Looks similar to the 1076 the FBI carried.
Model 49x6?

It is a 4006. The earlier models of the 4006 were conventional DA/SA with a slide mounted safety/decocker.

This is one of the later models, so the slide mounted switch is only a decocker and it is spring loaded to the “fire“ position.

The heavy, all steel, construction does help to mitigate the recoil of the .40 Smith & Wesson cartridge. The third generation of Smith & Wesson is very appealing to me. An era when guns were still made the traditional way, with a high level of craftsmanship, and excellent accuracy, reliability and durability right out of the box.

And yes, a 1076 is in my 3rd gen collection.

 

[Astro14]

If she can’t rack a slide then it’s the wrong one to have. She can rack the slide on the revolver. All joking aside , yes an auto would be locked and loaded. No brainer. But she limp wrist autos. Ive talked till IM blue in the face about grip , firm wrist ect……. Her comeback is there is to much to remember. You know what ain’t too much to remember. A Revovler. It’s the best I can do in with the situation in front of me. Hey , she’s a woman

Not all women are inept with guns. I refer you back to my earlier post about my wife. A retired USN Captain.

She qualified expert, both rifle and pistol, every time she went through training, and that includes with the Army, and other groups I won’t mention, before she deployed.

She does not enjoy shooting as much as I do, but she remains very good at it.

Any woman who picks a metal framed full-size Service pistol as her choice in firearms is one to take seriously.

Back to the OP question - the best choice is a gun that his wife is comfortable shooting, and one that she can manipulate under stress. By that I mean, if the gun has a safety, is that something she will remember to disengage before squeezing the trigger?

Not only does the gun have to be comfortable to shoot, but the manual of arms for that gun has to be something that she understands and will remember while under stress. I’ve seen people forget to disengage the safety on the Beretta M9 and Sig M11 when they are under stress.

I tend to lean towards a Glock 19 as a recommendation for inexperienced shooters because it’s relatively easy to operate. The slide could be racked by somebody else when the gun is put away and there’s no safety to remember. Glocks tend to be reliable, minimizing the chances that they have to do a tap and rack drill.

I have not shot any of the Canik pistols, but they get very good reviews. Because budget is a concern, I would consider one of them.

Just make sure she gets to shoot it on the range and that she likes shooting it.

A gun with which she is unwilling to practice, isn’t much better than no gun at all.

 

[ripcord]

Minimal training and firearms interest
=
double action revolver

If the person is of normal strength and constitution it should be loaded with .38 Special.

If the person is weak, timid or very recoil sensitive it should be loaded with either .22LR or .22 Mag

But let her pick which one.

If you don't have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home first, think about your safety priorities before buying firearms.

 

[CourierDriver]

.380 may be another caliber to consider for a lady. She absolutely needs to handle all short list choices and ideally to shoot with all of them to see what works for her. Grip size and shape, safety activation/deactivation, racking and mag changes as well as sights are all very important. If she cannot hold it right or cannot see or quickly align sights then it may not be a good one for her.
If the gun is for self defense then .22 is not the gun.

I have never seen anyone volunteer to let someone shoot at them with a 22 CALIBUR HANDGUN..look up the stats on a 22 long rifle calibur ...................

 

[Gawardawg]

Minimal training and firearms interest
=
double action revolver

If the person is of normal strength and constitution it should be loaded with .38 Special.

If the person is weak, timid or very recoil sensitive it should be loaded with either .22LR or .22 Mag

But let her pick which one.

If you don't have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home first, think about your safety priorities before buying firearms.

You are spot on. The seller of the J Frame let me take it to the range and let her shoot it. It’s a 357. But I run nothing but 38’s through it. She said she’s good with it. Shot it several times now. I make her walk up and fire at 5 yards without me coaching. She does good . I make her reload. She’s competent to do that. Also hitting a full size target silhouette she does well. But under a no pressure situation. Wardawg.

 

[Cropduster172]

Got wife an airweight smith 38. She gave up the officers model 45 and loves the little revolver. I also carry revolver now. Sp101 bobbed hammer.

I carry a revolver almost exclusively. A Taurus M85 Ultralight or my old off duty Colt Detectives Special. Would like to find a better holster for the Colt.

 

[Gawardawg]

Not all women are inept with guns. I refer you back to my earlier post about my wife. A retired USN Captain.

She qualified expert, both rifle and pistol, every time she went through training, and that includes with the Army, and other groups I won’t mention, before she deployed.

She does not enjoy shooting as much as I do, but she remains very good at it.

Any woman who picks a metal framed full-size Service pistol as her choice in firearms is one to take seriously.

Back to the OP question - the best choice is a gun that his wife is comfortable shooting, and one that she can manipulate under stress. By that I mean, if the gun has a safety, is that something she will remember to disengage before squeezing the trigger?

Not only does the gun have to be comfortable to shoot, but the manual of arms for that gun has to be something that she understands and will remember while under stress. I’ve seen people forget to disengage the safety on the Beretta M9 and Sig M11 when they are under stress.

I tend to lean towards a Glock 19 as a recommendation for inexperienced shooters because it’s relatively easy to operate. The slide could be racked by somebody else when the gun is put away and there’s no safety to remember. Glocks tend to be reliable, minimizing the chances that they have to do a tap and rack drill.

I have not shot any of the Canik pistols, but they get very good reviews. Because budget is a concern, I would consider one of them.

Just make sure she gets to shoot it on the range and that she likes shooting it.

A gun with which she is unwilling to practice, isn’t much better than no gun at all.

You have a Unicorn. Rare. I take it that she’s not 68 with tore up shoulders. Everyone’s situation can be different. Hence mine. Sounds like you possibly have a keeper. Or make sure you don’t get to lippy with her.

 

[dubber09]

I have never seen anyone volunteer to let someone shoot at them with a 22 CALIBUR HANDGUN..look up the stats on a 22 long rifle calibur ...................

22LR calibUr is deadly, especially in rifle but .. you're not gonna stop a person with that round immediately and if shots are not placed well the person will survive and sue you to run you into poverty very fast. Not to mention lower functional reliability of ammo and guns in that calibUr.

 

[Astro14]

You have a Unicorn. Rare. I take it that she’s not 68 with tore up shoulders. Everyone’s situation can be different. Hence mine. Sounds like you possibly have a keeper. Or make sure you don’t get to lippy with her.

No comment on my wife’s age - she wears her age very, very well. However, she is a former XO, CO, and chief of staff. One should be careful to avoid having to be debriefed by the chief of staff.

I understand the difference in our situations, and the ability to manipulate the firearm is critical to the selection of the correct firearm for that person.

 

[Astro14]

I have never seen anyone volunteer to let someone shoot at them with a 22 CALIBUR HANDGUN..look up the stats on a 22 long rifle calibur ...................

I have had this discussion with a friend of mine who is considerably older and suffers from a lifetime of being a carpenter. His hands are limited by arthritis and the 22 pistol that he bought is all that he can shoot effectively.

So, when viewed in isolation, I would not choose 22 as a self-defense round, but when viewed as a system, if that is the only round that the shooter can effectively employ and put on target, then that is the best choice.

As the old saying goes, a hit with a 22 sure beats a miss with a 44.

 

[Gawardawg]

I have had this discussion with a friend of mine who is considerably older and suffers from a lifetime of being a carpenter. His hands are limited by arthritis and the 22 pistol that he bought is all that he can shoot effectively.

So, when viewed in isolation, I would not choose 22 as a self-defense round, but when viewed as a system, if that is the only round that the shooter can effectively employ and put on target, then that is the best choice.

As the old saying goes, a hit with a 22 sure beats a miss with a 44.

Well said.

 

[Hohn]

I have had this discussion with a friend of mine who is considerably older and suffers from a lifetime of being a carpenter. His hands are limited by arthritis and the 22 pistol that he bought is all that he can shoot effectively.

So, when viewed in isolation, I would not choose 22 as a self-defense round, but when viewed as a system, if that is the only round that the shooter can effectively employ and put on target, then that is the best choice.

As the old saying goes, a hit with a 22 sure beats a miss with a 44.

That's why I like those tip-barrel Beretta "cat" guns. NO slide racking required, super portable. Insert the mag, then tip up the barrel and top off. Done.

It's unfortunately the nature of small guns that the smaller they are, the harder they are to rack the slide. The springs have to be stiffer to do the same work in a shorter distance. Some tiny semi autos are brutal to rack.

And I surely agree with that old saying, a variant of which I heard as the 22 you carry beats the 45 you left at home. I'm not a fan of rimfire ammo and its fickleness for trusting my life to it. But if it was literally the only thing I could carry and shoot well enough to be effective, you can 100% bet I would choose it over being completely defenseless.

RFK: killed with a .22LR revolver
Reagan: Nearly Killed with a 22LR
Sam Giancana: Killed with a 22LR pistol
Alberto Nisman: Killed with a 22LR pistol

Many, many people have had their lives ended by a 22LR. It's much, much better than a stick in the eye.

 

[burbguy82]

RFK: killed with a .22LR revolver
Reagan: Nearly Killed with a 22LR
Sam Giancana: Killed with a 22LR pistol
Alberto Nisman: Killed with a 22LR pistol

Many, many people have had their lives ended by a 22LR. It's much, much better than a stick in the eye.

This argument seems reasonable at face value, and is true. 22lr does kill......but like many others here have already said, the gun is but a part of the "system".

The purpose of the "system" is to stop a threat dead in its tracks. 22lr, unless perfectly placed, will not bring a threat to a dead stop. Sure the above died, and maybe with the exception to the mob hit.......they likely were very mobile until their blood pressure dropped enough to pass out.

22lr should not be a primary defensive caliber, unless......your physicality prohibits larger and more violent rounds.

I would choose 22lr over nothing, so agreed there.

but when viewed as a system

agreed, see above.

 

[4wd]

I carry a revolver almost exclusively. A Taurus M85 Ultralight or my old off duty Colt Detectives Special. Would like to find a better holster for the Colt.

Yeah, I thought the hammer-less S&W were better purse guns - won’t get hung up …
But I like my Taurus for the extra round and dealers choice with the hammer …

 

[STL_G8GT]

And ANOTHER vote for the m&p 9...

 

[Slick 55]

Definitely do not get the 40, she will not like the recoil.

There’s nothing wrong with the SD9, but the M&P 9 is the more mainstream product with much greater support. You can find them used for reasonable prices. Both the 1.0 and 2.0 are great.

The Ruger RXM or Security 9 might be a good option as well. Any Canik would work well too.

Totally agree, the SD9 is junk. The M&P 2.0 is a much nicer pistol.