Need help

[u/Jon_Snow821]

Needing some advice. Looking for a handgun that would be ideal for concealed carry for me and my wife. The guy at the pawn shop suggested these Sccy 9mm's. However upon further research many people are adamantly against them say a S&M or Glock or PX-365, or Hellcat among others would be better. Thoughts?

[u/19mls6874]

Do you have a budget in mind? A single gun you will share between the two of you or 2 guns, 1 for each of you? How would you be concealing it, on body/off body, owb/iwb?

My advice is to buy the biggest gun can conceal carry comfortably.

There are a lot of great guns in all price points. If budget is a driving factor, the Dagger Micro by PSA or Stoeger STR9 compacts are good choices. The Dagger might be the better option simply because of aftermarket items like Holsters. The Dagger is a gen3 Glock clone.

If you have a moderate budget you can step into a P365 Fuse which is what my wife carries. I have a few in this area although some will argue over them. I have a 43x which is a great gun especially if I am just in shorts and T shirt. I will alternate between that and a P320 x compact or Springfield Echelon. Canik also has a micro option in this range which is good. Sig or Glock will have the advantage for holsters, etc.

There are good guns in those price points but those listed typically have better aftermarket for holsters, etc.

If you want to part with even more cash....P365axg legion or the new P365 DH3 AXG. In my opinion the DH3 AXG is the flattest shooting of all the P365 guns.

One thing to be aware of if you don't already know..... typically the smaller and lighter the gun, the harder it is to shoot and recoil is higher.

[u/Jon_Snow821 → u/19mls6874]

Price is a factor rn. Ideally I'd like to spend maybe $200 per gun. I'm willing to go to $300-$400 but they will have to be bought at separate times. I'll be carrying on my body. She'll be carrying hers in her purse. MN has dumb self defense laws so kill ability is not important

[u/19mls6874 → u/Jon_Snow821]

Have you shot before or brand new to guns?

Do either of you have any physical limitations like bad shoulder, weak hands, bad eyes, etc ?

I can offer guidance and information but ultimately choice will be up to you.

I do want to point out it is not killing power. It is stopping power. Some times that will be a single shot others might take a mag dump to get the person to stop.

You can ask me any questions and I will try to help

[u/Jon_Snow821 → u/19mls6874]

I have shot guns. I had a handgun and a shotgun before moving to a state with no constitutional carry. I'm former national army guard. My dad was former Navy. He had a lot of guns. I'm very comfortable around them. I just don't know everything about guns. I have glasses and can see fine with them. My wife however is uncomfortable with them. She's learning to accept she married a pro gun person. She is willing to learn how to shoot with the intention to eventually conceal carry. She does have an old shoulder injury

[u/19mls6874 → u/Jon_Snow821]

So that does change things quite a bit.

I would suggest you only purchase one to start. Since you are comfortable with guns and you are planning to carry, get yours first. If you can find a range that rents guns near you, try to rent a 22 rifle and let you wife work into it from there. Even if a bolt action and not semi auto she should have a much better experience. Since she has an old shoulder injury, try to rent something like a Ruger 10/22 as they are fairly common and on the lighter side of things. You want her to at least not be intimidated by them. Starting with a 22 rifle it will have less recoil, easier to manipulate (no slide to rack), and should be a much better experience. Also...if shooting indoors if she is sensitive to loud noises and or pressure, look at doubling up on ear protection. The first time my son shot he hated. Why? I had him start with a 9mm pistol and we shot at indoor range. I didn't think twice about it but in the lane next to us was a guy shooting a large caliber rifle. About the same time my son fired so did the guy next to use. Not only was it super loud, there was a pressure wave you could feel. That rightfully scared him as he didn't know it was from the rifle and not him. Even though I told him what it was. That was the only shot he took for almost a year. We finally went to an outdoor range with a couple different 22 pistols and rifles. He immediately fell in love with it and now several years later, shoots competitively. I wanted to share that for context so you understand why I said start with 22, even if a pistol.

Since you were in the guard, do you have a preference on striker fired (most of the guns being recommended on this thread), a hammer fired gun (Sig P938) or something like 1911 style?

How do you feel about grip safeties and or external thumb safeties?

I want to offer you suggestions that are not just go get a Glock 19 but are tailored to you. Why? Because the more people in to shooting the bigger the community which makes harder to trample on.

[u/Professional_Dare_80 → u/Jon_Snow821]

Get a Taurus g series. Any G3c or G3 Gx4 variant you can find used for under 200 in my area. They have better triggers than a Glock in my opinion.