My girlfriend wants a gun...

[DiggityBiggity]

I'm looking for a good handgun for my girlfriend. She's a pretty good shot with a .22 rim fire rifle, and she's a strong girl who I know could probably shoot at least a 9mm if not a .40. Any ideas, suggestions?

(This will be a CCW weapon)

[k-frame]

Take her to a range and let her try several types, both revolvers and semi autos. And if it'll be for concealed carry, you'll likely want to consider holsters as well (or other ways to carry the weapon). Check out Cornered Cat for a discussion about firearms and carrying concealed for women.

http://www.corneredcat.com/

My wife wanted a revolver so we bought a S&W Model 67 from a family member, thinking it would work well as a self defense weapon for her. It's a terrific weapon but turns out, in actual use, it's a touch too large for her hand. Not unusable, just not comfortable - she has to stretch to place her finger groove on the trigger. So I get to use the Model 67 :) and we'll keep looking for her. Maybe a J frame of some sort.

[Encoreman]

Hey Diggity, I would suggest a small frame revolver is she doesn't or hasn't used a handgun much. They are simple, like I told my wife and daughter. It's like playing cowboys and Indians. Point and pull the trigger, no safety, no racking the slide. Simply put, simple. Granted she needs to be shown, taught gun safety, but revolvers are the way to go. Good luck.

[MICHAEL T]

Don't pick for her You will regreat it . Many of us thought we know what she wanted. WRONG!!!!

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree totally, she MUST pick her own gun. Just think how you would feel if someone handed you a gun and said, "This is the gun you will use." I doubt you would appreciate someone telling you what you have to shoot.

[tnieto2004]

Glock 19 .. Can't go wrong .. If you wanna try a little smaller a bersa .380

[Black Snowman]

The key is to get her to shoot as many guns as possible. Recruit strangers at the range if you have to. Suggestions for her are the same as suggestions for anyone else. I'm partial to the CZ RAMI and Glock 36.

Also, get her into a defensive pistol shooting course (you too if you haven't had formal training). Training is easily the best money you can spend on anything firearms related. I learned a ton from a simple 1 day defensive pistol course. Wish I had taken it years ago. Would have saved me lots of frustration and thousands of rounds trying to figure out how to do it right.

[coelacanth]

Since she's already a good shot with a .22 rifle take her to a range and rent a .22 revolver and a .22 auto and let her decide the pros and cons of each design for herself. Then you can rent something in the .38/.357 or 9mm neighborhood and let her have a go at that. A fun and educational day of shooting with your girlfriend - $100 to $150. Finding the right personal defense weapon based on experience - priceless ;)

[MustangHowie]

I would skip the 40 and go with the 9mm or a 45acp. My wife doesn't really like the 40 recoil. She likes the 9mm, but she loves the 45acp. She is 5'6" and 125lbs. She also likes the Desert Eagle in 44mag for some reason!!!

[Jim Watson]

Repeat, you must let her pick and best if she can fly before you buy.
Do you have a rental range nearby? Do you have any friends? With guns?

[Vic303]

+1 for all the folks who suggest you let HER choose! Also don't rag on her ultimate decision of caliber, either. Better a .22in the hand, than a .45 in the safe!

Personally I like 1911's, BHP's and .357 snubbies for carry, & yeah, I am a gunchick.

[sm]

http://www.corneredcat.com/

~~Just in case this was overlooked from earlier posts *grin* ~~

[shadowalker]

When my wife was looking for a gun she felt a bit self conscious and didn't want a salesman's undivided attention on her.

Going to a gun show worked well, she held over 100 different firearms and wound with a 9mm XD sub compact. From day one she has been responsible for cleaning and all other maintenance on her firearm (with instruction).

Letting her pick resulted in much more pride and ownership of her firearm, it is truly hers and the one that she wanted. She has also practiced enough with it to be a very good shot, something she never did with mine.

[pax]

Diggity ~

Why does she want a gun?

pax

[Oldskoolfan]

Look into the link in Pax's signature line. Lots of good information there.

[DiggityBiggity]

Diggity ~

Why does she want a gun?

pax

She's looking for concealed carry. I have my CCW, and she really enjoys going into the city with me and not being intimidated by fear anymore. She also enjoys the gun culture, and safety courses, the range, etc.

[KMBRTAC45]

Another suggestion for her to try is the Sig 225/P6, it's a single stack 9mm. My GF loves hers.

[pax]

DiggityBiggity ~

Next question: how is she doing her research? (I'm assuming she's done more than send you around asking others -- which isn't a bad thing but also isn't quite enough.)

Has she expressed any strong opinions about anything she's tried so far?

pax

[eric.cartman]

Have you proposed yet?
You should!

Try S&W 642

[kellyj00]

good information here! My fiance is interested in what I'm doing on Saturdays with the fellas, but she's never gone. She grew up shooting a .22 rifle, so I figured I'd buy a 9mm XD at a gun show a few months ago and say that I got it for her if she gave me a hard time about the $$. ;) Not really, but it seems funny.

Anyhow, we're planning on going to the range as soon as a friend replaces the extractor on his beretta 22 target pistol. Since she both works and lives in a small town where everyone knows each other, the CCW thing isn't her biggest concern since I go with her anytime she's in the city. But, if she were interested in carrying, we'd be waiting for a friend to buy a revolver too.

[Nomad, 2nd]

The important thing is to let HER pick something that SHE likes.

So long as it wasn't a Jennings... I'd just stand back and let her handle them...

I've dated several 5 footers who have had NO problem with a .45 with proper instruction.

[jpk1md]

Have her pick up/try on a Springfield XD....lots of choices and the grip is not overly large.

The Safety is built into the Grip and Trigger so if you're holding the gun ready to go you're ready to rock and roll.

[sm]

pax is asking great questions and everyone should be taking notes.

[nelson133]

I recently helped a girlfriend get a gun. She was fairly new to shooting but had several hours of range time with me and had some idea of what worked for her. She ended up getting something I wouldn't have thought of, but so what. She liked it and she put about 200 rounds downrange later that day. Let her choose, if you need to run interference for her at the gun store, do it, but let her choose. A female clerk at one store was adamant that she should get a revolver, not an auto, she didn't listen to her at all. She ended up with a Kahr CW9.

[full metal]

Get her a sub glock in 9mm or 40sw.no thumb safty's no lever's no grip safty's no decocker's, just point and shoot,remember it might save her life some day and that's what's really important.my wife carry's a glock 32C that's a medium size glock 40sw compensated to reduce recoil.she seem's to like it a lot and i feel good knowing that if she has to use it she wont forget how to use it.just point and shoot.

[DiggityBiggity]

Next question: how is she doing her research? (I'm assuming she's done more than send you around asking others -- which isn't a bad thing but also isn't quite enough.)

Has she expressed any strong opinions about anything she's tried so far?

pax

Mostly asking her brother in law, who is also a gun enthusiast. He recommends Beretta 9mm or Colt Revolvers. I'm trying to stay away from Springfield Armory XD pistols, because you have to go through the factory for EVERYTHING when it comes to parts or repairs.

I also don't really like Beretta, so I was thinking of looking at a Colt revolver, and bringing her to the local target master to check it out.

[Tacoma]

Another vote for let her decide AFTER she try's a few.
My 2 cents added for consideration when "guiding her":
She has to be comfortable with the caliber and fireing behavior of her choice- Many of the new plastic semi's in 9 and (especially) 40, have allot of flash and (relitive) recoil as compared to their steel /heavier counterparts. They look good in specs but can be condidered by somme to be violent to shoot.

Another consideration is complexity. Is she going to practice enough so that the controls of a semi are going to be second nature? If not, strongly consider a revolver for simplicity and reliability ( even if it lacks 15 round firepower and sex appeal.) . A 10 rnd, SA compact semi in the hands of an expet is a thing to be feared. A revolver in anybodies hands is a thing to be respected!


FWIW, my hands down choice for a womans or newbe gun is a all steel J or K frame revolver in .38/357. Let them start with mild ammo and work their way up.
Bottom line is that despite all , If she doesn't like how it goes bang, she'll never take the time to learn to use it right.

[pax]

Diggity ~

Okay ...

I'm partial to 9mm as a beginner's defense caliber. (Not that it isn't also a good caliber for more experienced folks.) There are several reasons for this.

First, it is the least expensive of all defensive calibers. This is major, because it removes one of the most common excuses people give for not practicing enough.

Second, and equal in importance, it is a soft-recoil round while still being adequate for defense. I know a lot of guys sneer at any defense caliber that doesn't begin with a 4, but the fact is that 99% of people will become better shooters, sooner, if they start out by getting in a lot of practice with a lighter round. (And yeah, I'm pulling my nomex undies on here ...) We all know that shot placement is king -- which in turn means the best choice for a beginner is a caliber and a platform that maximizes early skill development.

Third, 9mm is available in a very wide variety of quality handguns. There isn't a single gun type that is not readily available in a 9mm -- including revolvers if you don't mind moon clips. The smaller autopistol calibers, .32 and .380, tend to come in only a few platforms and (with a few stellar exceptions) those platforms are sometimes poor ones for pleasant shooting. So you've got a lot of quality choices with the 9mm and that's a good thing too.

So that is why I tend to steer beginners toward 9mm whenever they haven't expressed a strong opinion otherwise.

****

Next up, gun fit. Not going to retype the whole article here, so I'm putting yet another shameless plug for my site here instead: www.corneredcat.com/FirstGun/tryongun.aspx -- that link has the article about gun fit. If you read nothing else, if she reads nothing else ... read that article before you purchase anything. It'll save you money and grief.

****

Now, platform. Do yourself and her a favor, and gently steer her away from any DA/SA autoloaders for her first defensive handgun. The learning curve on these is much steeper than most casual shooters realize -- and did I mention that the proper beginner's gun should maximize early skill development?

If she gets her heart set on one anyway, encourage her to heavily practice those DA first shots -- I mean like the first half of every range trip for the first 1000 or more rounds should be in DA mode. And the second half of the first 1000 rounds should be two-shot drills, practicing that awkward DA-to-SA transition. I am utterly serious about this: the very first shot out of a defensive handgun is the most crucial one, after all. You may not get another!

****

Specific guns to try ...

Glock. Take the mid-sized G19 or the baby G26. Glocks are good because they are extremely simple, widely available, lotsa holster choices out there, everyone on the range is familiar with 'em so if she has a question there are lots of people who've actually shot one & can answer her question (this is as opposed to say, a Desert Eagle, a gun for which there are a lot of "experts" who've never so much as handled one). The good thing about a Glock is that it is very simple and always ready to shoot; the bad thing is that it is very simple & always ready to shoot. I personally believe that these guns produce very safety-conscious, responsible shooters because new Glock owner are never tempted to say, after doing something stupid, "Well, it's okay, the safety was on..."

Kahr. Take the more solid and heavier metal series rather than the polymer lightweights. These are excellent guns for small hands. Reliability can be spotty; don't trust one until you've put it through its paces to the tune of 500 rounds downrange without a single hiccup.

I personally would not rule out the XD based solely on service considerations -- they are very reliable guns and you are unlikely to have a problem with one in any case. Of course every gun can break, but they're more reliable than most and very unlikely to give you grief in the first place.

Dunno if any of that helps. Hope so.

pax

[10-Ring]

Let her try a few rental guns and get the one she shoots the best! ;)

[sm]

pax,

Thank you for posting as you did.

I really appreciate posting the suggestion in regard to the 9mm and not doing a DA/SA.

Steve - who as some know does use a 9mm DAO .

[TexasP226]

Good job on her wanting one of her own! My fiancee and I are making progress. She even picked up a gun today to bring it back to the bedroom after I cleaned it! I think that might have been a first for her! ;-) She says she will let me teach her how to shoot after we get married. I am keeping my fingers crossed. She knows I am a gun nut and she has accepted the fact and I am very grateful to her for that.

[plmdrd]

for my girlfriend's b-day i decided to get her a gun, as she always liked to go shooting with me. i told her to try some .22's at a shooting fair and pick one. lo and behold she told me they were too ugly, too small, and too wimpy. after trying out numerous 9's she ended up picking a glock 17. it goes good with my glock 22, but i guess i have to keep her around to keep the 17 with me.;)