Need some quick gun advice

Richard

Richard

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Oct 3, 1998
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I have a family member who is looking to purchase a gun. She is signed up for a safety course and ccw class.

Yesterday we took my wifes Glock 23 for the family member to try out. She was able to shoot it fairly well for somebody not all that familiar with guns, although she had trouble pulling the slide back. We suggested that is the gun was comfy, then maybe she should look at the Glock 19 as maybe the 9mm slide would be a bit easier to pull back.

Anyways, on with the story. Above family member is now looking at purchasing a FEG PMK 380. I am only slightly familiar with this gun. I figure a 380 with the proper ammunition is probably ok, but I am concerned about the quality of the gun.

It should be durable of course. I would imagine it will see a monthly trip to the range to keep her in practice, maybe a hundred rounds per session.

I am also concerned about its reliability. I know it varies in individual firearms, but in general is this gun capaple of functioning with hollow points?

Any other pros and cons with this choice?

I dont mean to sound picky, but please limit information to actual knowledge and your experience with the gun. I am trying to avoid having to sort through 'gunshop stories' where a freind of a freind of a freind of some other guy once heard.... you know what I mean. I want to have solid advice to share.

Thanks folks for reading.
 
A Glock is one of the easiest pistols to learn to shoot, especially for someone with no preconceived biases and an open mind for good instruction (not boyfriends, bar room braggarts, etc.).

A larger pistol is easier to shoot then a small one. The smaller the pistol the more skill it takes. I have watched many people shooting standard fullsize auto-loaders who were unable to shoot a PPK sized pistol with any skill. One individual was shooting the bench and ceiling with a S&W Sigma 380 (a truly aweful pistol) and was amazed I could put an entire magazine in the black at 50 feet. But, I digress.

What about pulling the slide back is the problem? Grip strength? Arm strength? Can she handle a Glock 17 slide? I find the Glock 17 to be the easiest cocking pistol around. You could also cheat and put in a slightly weaker spring if you are not going to be shooting HOT 9mm. The longer sight radius and pistol weight combined with the standard lightweight spring G17's come with are a VERY pleasant combination.

A lot of women can handle a Single Action 1911 or Browning Hi-Power that cannot handle a wheelgun or other autos.

FEG pistols are reasonable for their pricepoint. If you can afford a Glock, I would suggest going with a BlowBack Berreta 380, not a Tomcat or one of the other small pistols. Personally, I find the smaller pistols harder to cock in most cases because the slides are smaller so I have to grip them harder even if the slide recoil spring is weaker YMMV.

Without knowing more, I would suggest a full size Glock 17 in 9mm. They are great pistols to learn with and are easy on shooters. I quit counting rounds in mine after I was well in excess of 15K rounds. You literally can shoot them for years with no meaningful maintanence which you already know since you have a Glock 23. ;)
 
May I suggest that she try out a revolver first before deciding. In this situation she is not dependent on the ability to rack the slide under stress should there be a malfunction. If she can handle a .40 she should be able to handle a .357 or .38+P caliber revolver. If you shoot .38's a Ruger GP100 or Smith and Wesson 686 will handle a lot of rounds. I shoot about 150 to 200+ rounds thru my SW 686 weekly. Sid's comments 0n the Glock 17 are also very good.

braindoc
 
If a .380 is on your list, you ight consider the Beretta model that comes with a tip up barrel. That takes care of the slide racking. More expensive that the FEG, but Berettas are top quality. JMHO
 
My wife loves to shoot my Sig P230SS .380. She finds it to have just the right pop and is real easy to use.
 
Thanks for the replies. She has a S/W model 36 revolver that she has had for years. Until recently she has not really considered learning to shoot. The .38 has sat unused for many years. She is not able to adjust to its trigger pull, and the gun is small and has a kick that she is not comfortable with. The nice thing about the Glock is that the design makes even the larger caliber easy to shoot. The mid-size Glock is also what she likes, and I think would be the best choice since its size is still large enough to handle easily while giving the option of good concealed carry.

I do think the idea mentioned above of the Beretta with the tip-up barrel is worth considering since slide pull is an issue.

I found out very shortly after making the original post, that she now has the FEG. We are going to test it out tomorrow. If she is able to adjust to it, then I suspect she will use it. However, if she does not like it or is unable to learn to shoot it well, then getting another gun is an option, so either way will be ok.

Fortunately she seems to be quite commited to learning how to use whatever she ultimately ends up with safely.
 
"However, if she does not like it or is unable to learn to shoot it well, then getting another gun is an option, so either way will be ok."
Sorry , haven't figured out the quote thingy yet.
#1, If she doesn't like it she won't carry it.
#2 if she is unable to learn to shoot it well that can be almost as bad as #1

My wife has arthuritis in her wrists, she was unable to shoot her taurus pt908 9mm ( a compact). We moved her up to a Glock 17. Greater round capacity, longer sight lenght, softer recoil (a big plus), wider grip, easier to work the slide.

Whatever firearm she ends up with she must like it, be proficient with it and have confidence in it.
 
Damn shame she bought the FEG, but any gun is generally better than no gun. If she is dead set on a .380 there is a little gun that is getting great reviews in the shooting community and it is pretty cheap but a much better quality gun than the FEG. The Bersa Thunder .380. The other gun that she could have looked at is the Makarov in 9x18, a rock solid reliable cold war eastern bloc weapon.

Here are a couple links for some reviews.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/MakarovBersa.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Sig Sauer Bersa.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/BestBuys.htm

By the way that S&W 36 is a great gun and she can get a trigger done by a "COMPETENT" smith that should lighten it and smooth it up like glass. Change the grips on it to something with some more meat Pachmeyer or Uncle Mike's in rubber. That should soften up the recoil some. Also Speer just came out with a 135 gr Gold Dot +P that while stout is not uncontrollable and is much softer shooting than the 158 gr stuff. The 135 gr load was specifically designed for the snubby .38. The .38 is a much better anti-personell round than the somewhat anemic .380.

I also think if she can manipulate a Glock that would be an even better choice for her as long as she maintains proficiency.

With either gun she needs to practice practice practice.

KS
 
Richard said:
...I found out very shortly after making the original post, that she now has the FEG. We are going to test it out tomorrow. If she is able to adjust to it, then I suspect she will use it. However, if she does not like it or is unable to learn to shoot it well, then getting another gun is an option, so either way will be ok.

Fortunately she seems to be quite commited to learning how to use whatever she ultimately ends up with safely.
Click to expand...
She NEEDS a Glock model 19! Try to talk her into trading that FEG .380 for the model 19. Also, always remember to teach her to KEEP HER FINGER OUT OF THE TRIGGER-GUARD of a Glock untill she is READY to shoot it. And she CAN work the slide if she pulls back on the slide quickly, and at the same time, push forward with the frame...That way, BOTH hands do the work.
 
Hi. Unless there is a health issue she should be able to rack the slide of the Glock 23. I find it helps, if instead of gripping the slide and pulling back, you grip the slide and push the frame forward. Hope that helps. Only other thing is IMHO the 380 is a little underpowered.
 
Sometimes it can be more difficult to rack the slide on blowback pistols. They use strong recoil springs to keep the breech closed. My Makarov (9x18) is the hardest gun to rack that I have.

Using an overhand grip, holding the slide with your entire hand, and keeping the pistol in close to your chest can help in working the slide.
 
glockman99 said:
....And she CAN work the slide if she pulls back on the slide quickly, and at the same time, push forward with the frame...That way, BOTH hands do the work.
Click to expand...

This is probably the best piece of advice in this thread, regarding difficulty in racking a slide. (I've only heard this from FI's - you're not an instructor, are you Dann?) Makes a heck of a difference - and people are always SO surprised when you show them!

Get the Glock 19. Still my favorite. :)
 
If she's not into guns, she won't be going for monthly practice sessions.

If she's not into guns, she will find the "manual of arms" for a self-loader difficult to absorb and retain. Stoppage drills? "Tap, rack, bang"? Disassembly & cleaning?

I strongly recommend a revolver, preferably in .38 Special, ideally stainless. Reasons?

100% reliable. Press trigger: "Bang!"

Tolerant of poor cleaning.

Small-framed revolvers are more readily adaptable (by use of custom stocks) to the size & shape of the female hand.

If she's prepared to press the trigger when the chips are down, .38 Special is all the calibre she'll need.

If she isn't prepared to press the trigger, she shouldn't own the gun.

maximus otter
 
Ive owned 2 of the FEG PMK-380'S and would strongly recommend not to consider it for self defense. (it does beat a sack of rocks tho)

If its for carry?? look into the Glock 26/27 models. let her shoot both to see if there liked??? the makarov is an excellent choice also....

Just my 2 cents,

scott
 
Thanks for all the comments. After she had tried my wifes Glock out a few times, she simply decided that was the gun for her.

Most double action autos and revolvers were out. Age and strength is an issue, and the double action triggers were simply too difficult.

She decided that the 9mm round was what she wanted. The g17 was to large for practical concealment and the smallest model was too small. She ended up with the g19. The slide pull was a tad difficult at first, but she has been practicing it with almost every free minute.

Last saturday she took her class for the ccw. Her instructor was first rate, and worked with each student on how to handle the guns they brought.

It pretty neat to have seen her go from just kind of considering learning how to use a gun, to really putting a huge effort into actually doing it, and in a short time really doing well.

We have been shooting about 50 to 100 rounds a week, with plenty of simple handling practice in-between. She is going to do well, and she continues to improve.

Thanks again folks.
 
If you are looking for a .380, definately look into a Sig 230/232 and put on some Hogue grips. Well made German engineered gun. No manual safety, double action with a decocker. Similar to a PPk in looks but better made IMHO.
My wife loves hers. She can rack the slide no problem and fire it with ease. She's a fairly tiny gal. Check gunsamerica.com for prices.

John...


L1000185.jpg
 
Grock is good. All Hail Lord Grock! :) :)

Seriously, my first Grock was a G19 and it is still my favorite.

Natural pointer, still clicking along after 15 years. Only have about 20K rounds through it so its barely broken-in yet. Been carried a lotta miles in a lotta places.

Finish is still pretty good....some dings where it skidded along rough concrete for a ways; I looked a lot worse for a while. :)

I recommend them without hesitation. They work.


Regards,

Pat
 
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