That's what I'm sayin man. .45 isn't a hand cannon. That's not my ego talking. My GF hates guns and is RIDICULOUSLY recoil shy, she's shot a .22 and my XD45c. She handled the weapon fine and actually shot better than me that day. I was literally not even considering .45 because I thought it's is probably the best caliber for self defense but the huge recoil makes it not worth it. plus I thought "yeah right, .45 are just for 1911 purists and guys who need to compensate"..... Then I actually fired a .45. I LITERALLY laughed out loud. The recoil was completely manageable. My dad's miniGlock .40 was harder to control. In fact I really won't get another caliber handgun. maybe a nine one day just for shits if I have the extra money.oc_civic said:yeah obviously a slug in a 12 gauge... or a 30-06 round to the face would be effective.. but not reasonable.. my wife can not reliably shoot a 357 imo... so thats where the 9mm came from.. my only thought now is can she handle a 40 cal.. if so then that really should be my choice... but if i go with a 9mm i wont feel as if im settling.. i will feel that it is the best gun for my situation and criteria... as long as i make the choice on real application... and not some ego mocho having the biggest or baddest.. i feel it will be the right choice.. i guess what it comes down to is biggest cal my wife can handle efficiently ..
I'm definitely not some super macho mall ninja type who thinks "wh0a oh n0Ez .45ACP is sooooo bAdaZZZZ!!11!" It's just the most likely to put the BG down with the least amount of shots, while still maintaining controllability.
My advice, take her to a range that has guns you can rent. Try the dif calibers and see what you and she thinks is the best caliber for ya'll. That's how I was sold on the XD. 13+1 rounds of .45 that fit my hand that well... that and the grip safety.