I need something for my wife to keep in her night stand by the bed. Hopefully she will never have to shoot this pistol except a couple of times at the range to familiarize herself with it. She has a carry pistol she loves already and shoots quite a bit. She wants a 9mm thats not huge but still holds a few rounds. I dont want to spend a lot on this particular gun but I do want something simple and RELIABLE. No wheel guns as she says they feel weird and she doesn't shoot them well.

Glock 19

M&P 9mm would hands down be my choice.

if she wants something small she'll like the Ruger LC9S 9mm

Sig P226 or G19, night sights on either one.

Any reliable 9mm that she's comfortable shooting. My wife hates the XDS, Glock 26 and 19, XD service.....Pretty much every handgun we tried until I traded for a Kahr PM9. I don't care for it. She loves that gun and she can use it effectively, so that's what stays with her. Yours might be different.

Stoeger Cougar.

Exactly the same with my wife, she prefers a single stack magazine. We must have tried out 6 or 7 different 9mm before she shot the Kahr.

Sig 229, S&W Shield or M&P

Go shoot a Walther CCP at a range. You will be sold.

There's something wrong with your thinking: Why should she only shoot it a few times? She should be pouring lead out of it.

That being said, get her a 1911. If 10 rounds aren't enough, get her a RIA or Para double stack.

Kimber micro, 9mm coming this year.

sig p390

There almost endless options for a simple and reliable pistol.

Shield, M&P or G19

Take her to a store and let her try several differnt pistols. You might be surprised. We sell a bunch of Ruger SR9C's to women because they like the grips better than Glock, Smith, etc. But you never know. My daughter picked a Stoeger Cougar, not based on price, but because of how it felt in her hand. She does have unusually large hands for a women. The biggest mistake you can make is picking the firearm for her.

Lc9 or the cougar. Cougar is a bit bigger but she could easily shoot it in a .40 also if she wanted. Not as much recoil as most .40s

I don't think I'd trust my family's life with a gun that's "coming this year."

Best advice yet. Just go to a show or store with plenty of selection. I've made the mistake of buying a gun for the wife thinking she would love it and she didn't.

If I had to throw a couple out to consider based on the OP's post, I'd say the S&W Shield and Beretta Nano.

Browning HiPower

Kimber Micro Carry, about to hit the market in 9mm

Good advice, better would be a range that rents a bunch of different ones she could try.

What does she have for a carry pistol? If it meets her criteria, why not get a second one and leave it at home? If nothing else, I'd look for a pistol that fits and functions similarly to what she already has.

I should have added your advice to the end of my post. I do believe in handling a number of firearms first and then renting the ones you like best. It can get pretty expensive renting guns.

yep.. let her pick it, if she doesn't like it (for whatever reason)she will never shoot it.

guns for her to consider when you take her to a mega shop...

Glock 19
Glock 43
Smith & Wesson Shield in 9mm
Springfield Armory XDS in 9mm
Sig P938
Sig P320
Walther CCP
Walther PPQ