[Flashdoggie]

I'm looking to buy my daughter a good, yet affordable gun for conceal carry. Any recommendations?

[627PCFan]

Snub nose .38. She can keep in her purse, its light, not bad recoil, easy ammo to find and worked well for the past 90 years.

Taurus revolvers might be something you want to look at.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Let her try several types and choose for herself. My daughter tried several before she settled on a KelTec P3AT for her carry gun.

[NCsmitty]

Welcome to THR, Flashdoggie.

What experience does your daughter have in shooting sports and training? How old is she?
What is your background in firearms.
These are all pertinent questions to ascertain the level of experience to be able to give an honest recommendation.


NCsmitty

[gimlet1/21]

Look into buying her a Kel-Tec P-32 my wife carries one of these, and feels very comfortable with it's size, caliber, and simplicity.

[noskilz]

S&W Scandium .357 magnum . . . just kidding. :eek: I'll grab popcorn for this one.

[Flashdoggie]

NCsmitty, I go shooting once in a while; I own several pistols and rifles but do get the chance to go shooting like I did when I was younger.
My daughter is 24 and she is buying her own home. She hasn’t had any training as of yet, but I’m going to take care of that. She was never interested when she was younger, but now wants to learn and get a conceal carry.

I haven’t bought a gun in a while, so I’m not sure what prices are like these days. I’m thankful for everyone’s responses, how much can I expect to pay?

[si vis pacem]

S&W Model 642

[mfcmb]

The Kahr CW9 is worth considering if she wants a semi-auto.

[Mike J]

I'd suggest you shop around & take your time as far as price. Prices vary some just depending on what part of the country you are in. You can look at gunbroker or Bud's or some of the online sellers to get an idea what things are running. I got a KelTec P-11 recently for under 300. If price is a big consideration I'd suggest either Kel Tec or a Taurus snubby.

[themachine]

I just bought a Kel tec PF9 and I think it's a great concealment weapon. I liked it more that the Ruger LCP - I can get a better grip on yet it still is small enough to tuck away.

[MADDOG]

Another vote for a S&W 642.

[SCKimberFan]

Take her to a gun shop. If they have a range and rentals available, let her try some. I would suggest both revolvers and semis. If no range, just have her handle a number of them to see what fits her best.

Let her make the decision.

[Animal Mother]

I haven’t bought a gun in a while, so I’m not sure what prices are like these days. I’m thankful for everyone’s responses, how much can I expect to pay?

A good place to use to get a good idea of fair prices is Bud's Gun Shop (http://www.budsgunshop.com). You can buy a gun from them and have it shipped to a local dealer for pickup for a small fee (usually $20-$30). Another excellent site for judging gun prices, especially used guns, is Gun Broker (http://www.gunbroker.com) this auction site is basically the Ebay of guns. Please keep in mind on that site that the prices asked for are not necessarily the price paid. Therefore, if you search for auctions that have completed, you'll get a good sense of what the going rate is for the pistol of your choice.

Conceivably, you could outfit your daughter with a new KelTec P32 with an out the door price of about $300. A new Taurus revolver will run you about $350 out the door.

If you are looking at an absolutely bottom line price on a good self defense handgun, a surplus CZ-82 can be had for about $230 OTD.

I own variations of all three, and they are all good guns for the money.

Of course if you are willing to pay more, the sky is the limit.

One thing that should be noted, if you haven't noticed it yet, is that ammo availability and pricing has gone completely crazy. You may want to make sure you can secure a decent amount of ammo for initial training before settling on a pistol. The ammo bubble, like all other bubbles, will burst, but it may be quite a few more months before things return to "normal." In the meantime, make sure you secure and budget enough rounds to get her though this.

Good Luck!

[BP Hunter]

I have a Taurus Model 85 in .38 special snub nose that I purchased for $320 brand new. It's light and handy. It'a also small enough to fit into my cowboy boots with an in-pants holster.

[ReadyRob]

Snub nose .38 - in particular the S&W 642. The absolute best advice I have gotten about guns, was to get this gun. The airweight model may have more recoil than she wants at first, but very shortly it will be worth the difference for 'carry'.

But she (or anyone) will need to practice w/a snub nose.

[Fred Fuller]

All this, and no references to Kathy's web site yet??? Y'all are slipping.

Flashdoggie, go to http://www.corneredcat.com/ and read a while. Send your DD there too. It'll do her good to hear it from a woman, and a very capable one at that.

lpl

[nelson133]

The cornered cat web site is just what the both of you need.
I have a very different take on your question. The last gun I would get a beginner is a snub nose .38 or a little gun like a Kel-Tec .380
They are fine guns, but they are difficult to shoot for beginners. A medium 9mm is a good place to start, with the model depending on your price range. If you can find ammo, I'd suggest the Bersa Thunder .380. The best low price gun would be the CZ 82. They are available for a little over $200 and the ammo is findable, unlike the .380. Check out the above web site for tips on racking the slide for women, because their bodies are different, it may take a different tecnique than a man would use.

[NCsmitty]

She hasn’t had any training as of yet, but I’m going to take care of that.

It's my thought that a mild recoiling semi-auto such as a Walther PPK in 32 Auto or 380 Auto would be an ideal starter handgun for your daughter. They are easy to learn to use, compact and safe to operate when the operator has been taught proper gun handling techniques. I would stay away from full power 9MM handguns with a novice.

Revolvers are fairly easy to use, but do spit flame and particles from the cylinder gap which can be disconcerting to a new user.
It's all about what feels right to the new shooter.

NCsmitty

[wherestheham]

+1 on the snub nose .38

Kel tec for auto.

[moooose102]

Let her try several types and choose for herself.

+1! no matter what, you will pick out a gun that is: to heavy, to powerful, to ugly, the wrong style, the wrong color, etc., etc., etc.! :what::scrutiny: take her to a gunshop and let her choose. make certain you give her recomendations, but she needs to have the choice. ;)

[Tiomoid]

+1 Animal Mother.

My advice is this:
First of all, what is the budget? Your "reasonable" might be $350 or $650, this makes a huge difference in options. A primary key to selecting a gun is what feels "right" to the person who will be carrying it. My petite gf loves my Smith and Wesson 686+ in .357. Its her first choice of hand gun, but a lot of my male friends are intimidated by the large caliber and recoil (also its not to inclined to CCW). If I were to buy a budget gun to trust my life to I would choose a revolver, probably by Taurus. While there are some nice auto pistols out there I'm not going to trust it to fire perfectly when its a life or death situation. Just my two cents.

[Cpt. America]

My wife is 5'6" 120 lbs and carries a Taurus PT111 in 9mm. I'm 5'10" 213 lbs and hardly can find room for my Kel-tec P11. So with that said take her out let her hold different models and she will find something. And don't worry to much about size, women can carry a purse and nobody will be the wiser. Me on the other hand carring a purse, either they'll know I'm packing or think I'm crazy:neener:.

[Eagles6]

S&W Bodyguard or the 642. She has to practice, whatever she gets!

[bdickens]

Why does almost everyone suggest that a woman with very little shooting experience start out with a gun that is notoriously difficult to control? Most women do just fine with a 9mm pistol. Many do fine with a full-size 1911. Women should not be restricted to mouseguns or violently recoiling, difficult-to-aim snubbies.

I second the reccomendations both for Cornered Cat and for taking her to the range to let her try different guns for herself.

[Roadwild17]

As several others have said, let her make a decision. Just give her options (the good ones) and let her go from there.

My wife loves the little S&W 38special air weight with the bobbed hammer. Just not enough to buy it yet.

[Flashdoggie]

Thank you all so much for all the advice, I greatly appreciate every response in this thread! I'm going to let her read through this and take her to some local gun shops and ranges to see what works best for her. Thank you all so much for the help!

[mljdeckard]

It's a little bit interesting, I've answered this question in many threads like this one over the years. It's all pretty much the same, remember that small guns are not easier to shoot, they have more recoil, not less, and they are harder to aim. It's better to send a woman in to a store by herself for advice than to look over her her shoulder and tell her what YOU think she should have because she's a woman, look at cornered cat, etc....

Las weekend, my dad finally went to go get his permit. He took my mom. She said at the last minute that she wanted one too. So she went, and there is a cursory shooting test at the end. If she has fired a handgun in 25 years, I don't know about it. They let her borrow a Ruger Mk II with a bull barrel, it doesn't het much easier to handle than this. She was limp-wristing it, and couldn't shoot it very well. They told her to practice and come back. So my dad takes her out with a Colt Woodsman .22 and a Ruger Single-Six. .22. He tells me he thinks he should get her a .22 to carry.

WRONG. I remind him that she needs to learn to shoot, PERIOD. She already failed with a .22. Now I am going to have to take my mother through this process from square one to build her up to a .38 or 9mm she can handle ok. Having her get a carry mindset will take MUCH longer.

[Hawk]

17 Posts before www.corneredcat.com?

We are slipping. Go there first.

And I'll be the voice of dissent - not about Cornered Cat - that's solid advice, but rather snubbies.

Snub nosed revolvers are perhaps the singular most wretched platform to gain proficiency with. The sight radius blows chunks, the sights themselves are near non-existent, the double action trigger requires practice to deal with, the recoil can be memorable and the capacity is wanting. I can think of no better example of a firearm that works well for a practiced and trained THR member but will suck out load in the hands of a newbie.

But I'll cheerfully defer to your daughter should she decide one is the berries after taking in what Cornered Cat and / or a local range has to offer.

[tkopp]

I bought a Kel Tec P3AT and an officer-sized 1911 at the same time.

The 1911 is so much easier to bring to target it's rather silly. Easier to hold, much better sights (even though they're GI), and the recoil pushes instead of snaps. Firing the Kel Tec gives me bruises. The 1911 does not.

Granted, I still carry the mouse gun more than the 1911. But I know which I practice with more!

I wish everyone could start on a Ruger MK II (or a Buckmark or whatever you heathens use in full-sized .22). They're so mild-recoiling and easy to fire that they are big confidence builders in new shooters and point out gun handling problems early. Then you can transition to another full-sized pistol in a heavier caliber without much beyond training yourself not to flinch with a louder report and a little more push. Tiny pocket rockets should come last, IMO.

[ScareyH22A]

In the heat of the moment, recoil differences between some of the lower calibers/guns are negligible at best. Get a gun in the right caliber that she can, obviously carry easily, but that she will be comfortable practicing with frequently and as often and as many times as possible. I don't know about you guys but if I see ammo, 9mm is easier to spot than .38 spesh and .380. I'd almost want to recommend a .22LR revolver but imho, it isn't the best self defense ammo, just the best practice ammo.

[Iansstud]

Glock 26 or 27.... with factory 10rd mag and a G17 17rd mag for backup

[jad0110]

I think a 4" K frame carried IWB is as much fun as putting a rabid weasel in your trousers. It might sound like fun initially, or after a few stiff cocktails, but pretty soon you are going to regret it.

Right on. My sister is a heckuva shot with her 4" 681, and she is actually quite good with my 642 ... but she finds it to be painful enough to shoot that she admits she wouldn't practice much with it. Better to carry a heavier gun and/or a gun in a lesser caliber that will be practiced with (sans flinching) more freqently. In other words, better to score direct hits with a 22 than misses with a flinch-inducing 38 Special airweight snub that one hasn't practiced enough with.

Let her pick the gun. Best to rent or borrow some to try out. If she is unable to do so, at least let her handle them and choose one that fits her hand best.