Gun Recomendation

tueller

tueller

Basic Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2012
Messages
1,297
Hey Guys, I am helping a female adult (teacher and mother of two) pick out her first firearm. She has taken a basic safety course and will be furthering her training from there. Her primary concern is home defense. Her two other uses will be range use for practice and she wants to have the ability to carry/conceal it even though she doesn't plan to often (that is the kicker).

In the past for females, I recommend a snub nose revolver for carry due to the simplicity of mechanical manipulation and the fact that it tends to be less intimidating to beginners. For home defense, I usually recommend that smaller females use a 20 gauge shotgun. But since this situation requires only one firearm with the primary purpose being home defense but also requires the ability to conceal on occasion, I find myself unsure. I am leaning towards a revolver but slightly larger than a snubby... Like a 3 or 4 inch barrel or something.

What are your thoughts, advice and/or Recomendations? Please don't say buy two guns or choose either home defense or carry. That is obvious for those that can but let's try and work with in her perimeters. Thanks.
 
My wife had a Lady Smith 9mm, which she loved to shoot (me too!). It was compact and easy to carry, plus the slide and trigger were easy. These are still around and are a good choice. She had a revolver, which was simpler, but she hated shooting it so would not practice. Too much recoil from a small gun. Glock has introduced a slim, single stack 9mm perfect for a woman's hands called the G43. The slide should be easy and a lot of women rock glocks.
There are several good 380 ACP pistols out there, currently, such as the S&W Bodyguard (complete with laser).
 
As a first time firearm owner and user, your friend might want to consider going with the 60LS Ladysmith. This stainless piece clocks in at just over 21 ounces. With a 2.125 barrel, the gun can be carried in a purse if necessary. This .357 can always be loaded with much lighter .38 loads which can be used for range work.

I also would like to know her hand strength. There are some women that can handle the Glock slide with aplomb, others would have trouble with any auto that isn't fine tuned. At least in the 60LS, she could pull the hammer back with the thumb. Hand strength can be a major issue.

With the 60LS, you've got five shots. Whatever gun she selects, make sure her hand feels comfortable with the grip. Then it is time to practice, rehearse and learn. The .357 is enough to handle most issues that go bump in the night.
 
I think it would be best to take her to a gun shop or better yet range that rents guns if you have that available, theres nothing better then hands on to know what a shooter is comfortable with.

Yes Glock has a couple new firearms out G42 380 and G43 9mm ... but smaller guns will give more felt recoil so it again goes back to what fits her and her abilities. I would recommend a look at S&W M&P several females I know carry them. And seem to have no problems of hand strength with operating the slide.

If she goes with a revolver I wouldnt recommend the lightweights as much as the recoil felt will be alot more.The Lady Smith is a bit heavier may not be a bad choice.

Good luck ... and the more she practices her abilities and confidence may change what she wants to use.
 
I suggest you leave it up to her. Take her to a range that rents handguns and let her try a few. see what SHE prefers 'under fire' and more importantly, see what fits her hands properly. With all the advancements in defensive handgun ammunition, caliber doesn't really mean much any more....but the 9mm and .38 Spl. are easily controlled rounds with proper stance and form. When she decides, pick a nice defensive HP round for her [if allowed by State/local law] like Gold Dot or COR-BON. She needs to shoot what she carries [for defense] at least a few times because the recoil will be different from practice ammo. At least a full box [of 50]...
 
Glock 26. Holds enough ammo to get the job done, very important for self defense. Practice working the slide, shooting and all round handling to build muscle strength and muscle memory. Women can easily handle a baby Glock 26, after all they lug around 5 to 20 pound babies with ease while doing all kinds of routine jobs around the house daily. Concealing a Glock 26 is not a problem either as many people carry them as a backup gun along with their primary Glock 19/17 etc. Thank me later.:D
 
Thanks so far. I am researching a lot of the recommended models. I was not aware that there were semi-auto's designed for woman. I only thought smith had a lady revolver.

One thing I am not sure about though is I keep hearing recommendations for compact semi-autos or snub nose revolvers. If the primary focus is home defense, wouldn't a longer barrel and larger handle be better for accuracy and recoil management?

As far as hand strength as asked by a few. I believe avg hand strength for a 130lb female. Not sure if that really helps.
 
A larger gun is easier to shoot and hit your target as you know. I think a revolver is a good choice such as the 4" Ruger GP-100. I would load it with 38 spl HP's for home defense which is what I do. If she wants a semi-auto handgun, I'd go with a Glock 9mm which are very easy to operate.

If she has a lot of trouble hitting anything with a handgun, I would suggest she consider a pump shotgun (Remington or Mossberg), something like a Ruger Mini-14 or one of the shorter ARs.

This assumes that her main purpose is self defense. The small revolvers such as the S&W 642/442 or Ruger LCR are always good choices for a carry gun especially if she intends to carry inside a handbag of some sort. They are just harder to shoot accurately and have more felt recoil.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
I think it would be best to take her to a gun shop or better yet range that rents guns if you have that available, theres nothing better then hands on to know what a shooter is comfortable with.
Click to expand...

+1. My primary gun shop with range offers a good selection of handguns to rent and I took my wife to try a few out. You never know what will feel good in her hand. My wife carries a S&W shield in 9mm with the extended mag. She is 5'10" and has bigger then avg hands for a girl but a single stack still was best for her.
 
tueller said:
Thanks so far. I am researching a lot of the recommended models. I was not aware that there were semi-auto's designed for woman. I only thought smith had a lady revolver.

One thing I am not sure about though is I keep hearing recommendations for compact semi-autos or snub nose revolvers. If the primary focus is home defense, wouldn't a longer barrel and larger handle be better for accuracy and recoil management?

As far as hand strength as asked by a few. I believe avg hand strength for a 130lb female. Not sure if that really helps.
Click to expand...

You're correct about the compacts being a bit harder to handle the recoil and may not be as accurate in some cases as a full size ... but you said she would carry it at times also ... so it really should come down to what is comfortable to her and for her to get some range time with some different firearms so she can get a feel for what will work best for her.

Theres been a stereotype for years many say for a female to go with a small revolver ... but there are as many women cabable of handling and shooting autos as well or better then many men.

I think with her being new to guns in general ... still best to try to find a range that rents guns she can try several and get a bit of instruction to on how each operates.

For a self defense firearm how it feels and how you can shoot are good starts but as important as anything they have to be reliable and the shooter needs to be familiar and confident in their abilities with whatever they chose to use or carry.
 
Kahr arms makes some nice small pistols that are very concealable, the CM9 and PM9 are neat.
 
RevDevil said:
Kahr arms makes some nice small pistols that are very concealable, the CM9 and PM9 are neat.
Click to expand...

+1 but make sure she can handle them. The PM9 I had was a snappy little gun. I didn't have any problems with it but it did surprise me. My wife couldn't shoot it. She has carpal tunnel so her hands and wrists are weak. She loves her G42 though.
 
I would recommend a Smith & Wesson model 640, 357 magnum as an only home and concealed carry weapon. It's one of my first go to guns, because of the simplicity of operation and reliability. To practice, one can use the lighter 38 special rounds, until one chooses to use the stronger 357 rounds, and the 110gr 357 magnum is still not too harsh for someone that is still learning, while the 125gr gives much more of a strong schocking recoil, in that gun.
 
Last edited:
Glock 19 are one of the most suggested carry guns around, small enough to conceal, holds more ammo and is easy to shoot. The 26 is so tiny its hard to get a good grip on it for average hands, you pretty much have to have a magazine extension to hold it well. Even my daughter with small hands has the same issue. She isn't a good example for girls shooting though as she prefers the heavier recoiling guns lol.
 
druid189 said:
I suggest you leave it up to her. Take her to a range that rents handguns and let her try a few. see what SHE prefers 'under fire' and more importantly, see what fits her hands properly. With all the advancements in defensive handgun ammunition, caliber doesn't really mean much any more....but the 9mm and .38 Spl. are easily controlled rounds with proper stance and form. When she decides, pick a nice defensive HP round for her [if allowed by State/local law] like Gold Dot or COR-BON. She needs to shoot what she carries [for defense] at least a few times because the recoil will be different from practice ammo. At least a full box [of 50]...
Click to expand...

HER choice is very important. I see it all the time, guys buying a gun for their woman or a lady friend and they can't operate it or just hate shooting it

tueller said:
Thanks so far. I am researching a lot of the recommended models. I was not aware that there were semi-auto's designed for woman. I only thought smith had a lady revolver.

One thing I am not sure about though is I keep hearing recommendations for compact semi-autos or snub nose revolvers. If the primary focus is home defense, wouldn't a longer barrel and larger handle be better for accuracy and recoil management?

As far as hand strength as asked by a few. I believe avg hand strength for a 130lb female. Not sure if that really helps.
Click to expand...


I love handguns, I shoot them often and enjoy the challenge. Personally though, I've yet to find enjoyment shooting a snub nose, especially in a full bore or medium 357 mag. Something about that round. Ass kicker 41 and 44 mags, 454, 460, 500, no problem, but 357....just something about it. I'd only get her one if she shoots one first and is okay with it.

I ask hand strength because I see a lot of new women wanting their first semi auto and if the slide doesn't move easily or they think it's stiff, they automatically dismiss it as an option, even if it would be a good fit for them if they spend 5 minutes with it and getting familiar with it.

The Sig P290 in 380, Walther PK380, Walther CCP (a PITA to find right now), Ruger LC9s, Bersa Thunder 380, and Bersa BP9CC have easily rackable slides (in my mind) and the recoil in them is very manageable and they're fairly compact for easy carrying, but still large enough to get a full grip on them.


My opinion about glocks always have been and more than likely always will be........meh...
 
A gun's no good if she can't rack the slide or pull the trigger such as on some double actions.

Sig Sauer 238 and 938 were designed with women shooters in mind. They have slides that are very easy to rack, even easier than some .22 LR. That would be my suggestion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top