OT- Girl Blaster Suggestions Wanted

Spectre

Spectre

Joined
Nov 3, 1998
Messages
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Jordy turns 21 Monday. She wants to get her concealed carry permit, and an appropriate handgun. I know a good bit about firearms, but it's helpful to kick things around with others, because it's easy for one person to forget something, or to just not have exposure to a particular thing. Also, it's easy for groups to experience a collective mindset (groupthink?) which will make them all give essentially similar answers (which is why I've also asked this question at THR, being a different group).

So: I am looking for a handgun that is easy to control, powerful enough (.380/.32 HRM/.38 Special?), easy to conceal, and costs no more than $300 (unless someone has the "perfect" concealed carry piece for which they want to work out a trade on a Smith 1076 :rolleyes: ).

I have a P-3AT, which is a great size, but the small purchase area and stiff spring make working the slide difficult for Jordy. Suggestions for appropriate hardware?

Thanks,

John
 
It was concealable, accurate, as reliable as a semi auto can be. I'm told that they come in .380 now, which would be even smaller and lighter. Lots of times you can find used guns for a great price, if you don't need to have a new one. I put about $275 into my PPK/S, so whoever purchased it after I sold it to the gunshop, got a great deal.
 
The PPK in .380 was the first one I thought of too. Nice little gun. Or how about a small framed revolver in .38/.357?


~ b
 
In my experience it is hard for most women to rack the slide on a PPK. I vote for a revolver in .38.

David
 
The Colt Cobra is a good CCW revolver and the Makarov is a good semi-auto. I would suggest that Jordy visit a range where they rent handguns. That way she can try a large variety and see what she likes and what fits her hand. Maybe friends can let her shoot their pistols too.

Ice
 
It's not terribly massive, and it takes a little practice but a North American Arms Black Widow in .22 mag would be a nice gun. With hollow points it would be decent. Would fit into a purse with room to spare. Would fit in the back pocket of a pair of jeans no problem. Wouldn't be like a bigger gun that you'd have to have some specialized rig to carry. You could pull this one out without making somebody think you are going for a gun.
 
Kel-Tec P-11. My dad is giving my mom one tomorrow for Mother's Day, she held it at the gun store and instantly liked it. United Loan on Broad St. has them for about $280. The P3AT is pretty much the same gun in .380, if she's worried about the recoil of a 9mm. You can even rent that one at Shooter's to try out before you buy.

DOH! I didn't read that you already have a P3AT. If racking the slide on an auto is difficult for her, I would definitely look at a .38 revolver. Take her to Shooters and try a few out to see what works best for her. I even have some .38 ammo you can have if you'd like.
 
I might suggest (after a few decades of matrimonial bliss) that you take her around to a few gun shops to browse the merchandise. Let her see what's available and help with the decision. We all wish our loved ones would pack a .45 and an 18" AK whenever they go out, but the truth is, a .25 auto or an AA mini .22 would be way better than nothing :) My $.02.
 
I vote little revolver. But the Walther P22 gets a side look even though it's .22 My wife has one and does well with it. That counts. She is not afraid to fire off a string. It's accurate, it's fun.


munk
 
Dad got a P22 'for mom', all of us like it and group well with it. As a training tool, big thumbs up, but for carry the best thing I can think of to recommend it is 'better than nothing', I think in your price range the Keltec P-11 is a good choice.

My first thought was the CZ P01, but I that might be over your budget. Nice pistol, handles well in both my large paw, and my wife's and Mom's smaller ones. All the bells and whistles too, if you want to add toys to it later.
 
I LOVE my Walther P-22! It is a great gun with a very fine pedigree. The changeable grip back straps are a great idea. As someone once said, I'd rather have a solid hit with a .22 than miss with a .45ACP :rolleyes: Who was that? :D
 
I'm not a fan of the .22 for self defense, but would rather someone put 10 of those into the heart rather than 3 larger rounds scattered across the lawn or room. That's all I was thinking about.


munk
 
Bri in Chi said:
I LOVE my Walther P-22! It is a great gun with a very fine pedigree. The changeable grip back straps are a great idea. As someone once said, I'd rather have a solid hit with a .22 than miss with a .45ACP :rolleyes: Who was that? :D
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There was a thread over on Gunboards I think. They were talking about the Beretta the army uses now and a lot of people were talking about the lack of stopping power. Somebody posted who had been in Afghanistan and Iraq and was saying that the 9mm Beretta didn't have the stopping power of the .45 or something but that it was better in a way because the average person could shoot it relatively accurate compared to a .45 or something.
 
Bamboo said:
The PPK in .380 was the first one I thought of too. Nice little gun. Or how about a small framed revolver in .38/.357?


~ b
Click to expand...

Mine used to give me a terrible recoil rash on the web of my thumb and across the top of my second finger

I still vote for a Glock 23/19 if she is of average size...
 
I would vote for Glock 19 as well, or small but heavyish .38spl revolver. The most compact version of the Springfield XD is also interesting but I haven't tried any of them. But it needs to be her pick. Better to start out with a better round and then go weaker if you really need to. Personally I would not feel comfortable with anything less than a 9mm. Besides IMHO there's little difference in recoil or feel with a 9mm in a real sized pistol versus something lighter in a tiny pistol, and more ergonomic and better chance to hit to boot. Carrying all the time is just a matter of commitment, not pistol size.
 
Satori said:
Makarov.

I would've said P-3AT, but you already covered that...
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I have a makarov. They are a neat little pistol. Mine is one of the commercial ones. I'd love to get a military model one of these days. Gunstore down the road here makarov.com specializes in them.
 
Any ranges that have rental guns or friends with a variety?

The important thing is something SHE will be comfortable with.

And just because you know a semi-auto is better, don't rule out revolvers. Or the other way around.

Just preach safety.
 
Hey guys,

The wife used to have a Browning BDA in .380...fine little pistol...but it was hard for her to manipaulte...me too sometimes...it was real tight. That's kind how I feel about the PPK.

Both of those are kind of heavy even for a pocket gun.

Starting out with a .22...learning safety and trigger control seems like a good idea.

I love the P99 from Walther. Never treid the P22...

All in all I would say start out with a simple wheel gun in .22..Smith has made some great ones over the years. And once she has the hang of things...jump to a .38...and ok I will say it...moderate velocity loads ...with a modern frangible will take care of business.

Taurus Model 85 fits the price requirements and by all accounts it is a fine
sixgun.

Just recently there was an old Colt Detective Special in the used gun case at my local dealer. Shoulda bought it at $265...passed...it was still tight...about 85% original blue...gonna hate myself for a while.

Good luck.

Shane
 
Take her to a few shops.Let her handle several handguns .See what fits her hand best.Hopefully it will be a S&W J-Frame and maybe by luck they'll have a used Lady Smith 60 for your price range.tom. :cool:
 
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