[yung1s]

I know you are looking for .380s, but it would behoove your girlfriend to look into something like a 9mm. There are so many more options in 9mm and similarly larger calibers that are also small in size. Most .380s tend to have quite a bit of kick to them and are not desirable as primary carry weapons. A 9mm not only kicks less than most .380s, but it is also cheaper and more prevalent - thus allowing her to shoot more and become more proficient. If she wants something small and sexy, check out the Kahrs. They make some excellent firearms and really cater to the modern, sophisticated females who want small, reliable defense weapons.

The reason I bring this up is that I haven't shot any small .380s that I thought were enjoyable and compact. Sure, when you get into a small 1911 size or so, they aren't so bad, but everything compact like the Kel-Tecs, etc aren't the nicest guns to shoot.

My wife doesn't reply very often in this forum so I'll do some speaking for her. I think that if she does reply, it'll be a lot like what GeneticsDave has said.

She started out with a Charter Arms .38 spl. Absolutely hated it! It has lots of recoil even with the lower grain ammo AND the trigger was hard to pull (compared to my XD40). She didn't want to go shooting anymore but she knew she had to find some way to carry a weapon she liked. So, I did some research and got a lot of recommendations for the Kahr line of firearms. She finally went out and bought the CW9 all by herself! Needless to say she LOVES it! The perceived recoil is less, the trigger is a little lighter (for her anyways) and the grip allows for her hand to fully hold the gun which in turn gives her a better shot. A few weeks later, she bought her and I an annual pass to the range for us to both go shooting at! :crown:

If she still insists on getting a .38, you might want to check out the Kahr P380. The reason why I say this is because Kahrs are known for their "thinness". The one other problem my wife had with her revolver (that was not in regards to firing it) was that it was hard to conceal. With how thin the Kahrs are, she is now actually able to conceal on her body and not have funny bulges sticking out of her already small-framed body! :dancing: Oh and did I mention that she LOVES shooting it? :lol2:

 

[yung1s]

My dad has a Kahr 9mm, not sure which model, but says that if the magazine is fully loaded, and he racks the slide back, the gun won't fully chamber and he has to hit the back of the slide with his palm to get it to chamber. Anyone else have this problem, or know if that has been fixed with the newer models?

I know EXACTLY what you're referring to. My wife's CW9 did the same thing. It's part of the "break-in" process where you're suppose to run 200 rounds through it before it's considered ready for official use. We thought it was the "cheaper" ammo that we had bought for the break-in. Somewhere between 50-100 rounds it wasn't getting any better. Now seeing how we're both fairly new to firearms, she went and asked for help. Boyd (sp?) there at Get Some showed us a little trick - oil. He said that it's not always in your manuals but you're suppose to oil new firearms from the factory. Immediately we saw results - we didn't have any more jams through the rest of the ammo to #200! He said that especially with cheaper ammo and the fact that new gun's chambers are are a little dry, it makes it more difficult for the ammo to slide into the chamber - which is why your dad had to hit the back of the slide to force the cartridge to chamber.

Ever since then, she has ABSOLUTELY LOVED the gun a hundred times over her .38 spl. We go shooting regularly now with no jams whatsoever and she even bought us an annual pass to the range! I never would've expected that from my wife so that says A LOT!

From everything that you have said about your gf and her reactions to shooting (the flinching etc), she sounds just like my wife at the beginning so I have full confidence that she would be much more comfortable with the CW9 then compared to the .38.