gwa45 wrote:
This is where every gun newbie should start. These rules should be tattooed on the inside of their forehead. Of course, anyone who has ever contemplated CCW realizes that there is a flaw in rule 2: namely, whenever you are carrying, the muzzle is always pointed SOMEWHERE and the bottom of a holster is not a bullet stop, so that points out a flaw in rule 4 as well. These are rules for range handling, not CCW policies, correct? So are there an equivalent set of rules for CCW handling, rules that can be adhered to in a strict sense?
Hegemon, I second the recommendation of a CZ75. I have a neighbor who is 5'1", and of all my firearms the handgun that felt best to her was the CZ75, in fact there was a gleam in her eye when she handled it. Some people think a woman needs a light gun. Just the opposite, a light gun has no mass to absorb the recoil, so it transfers the recoil to the shooter's wrist and arm. Not a pleasant introduction to shooting, and it turns a lot of women off to shooting if that is their introduction. The CZ is a steel framed firearm, so it has enough mass to lessen the recoil. It doesn't appear small, but the grip size is quite manageable for all but the smallest hands. I honestly don't think I've handled a more compact grip in a decent man-stopping caliber. Also, the manufacturer sells a high-quality upper slide which converts the CZ to .22 for target practice and plinking. This would be an excellent way to practice a lot for next to no cost, since .22 is very very inexpensive. And making it perhaps the perfect sidearm for a smaller woman to be introduced to the sport with.
If you can borrow a friend's CZ75 for an afternoon, tuck it (unloaded of course) in the back of your waistband, toss a shirt on over it, and hang around the house for a few hours. I did this, and barely noticed it was there. It's not a gun you can stick in your sock, but properly carried it's not a boat anchor either. Give it a chance, I think you'll like what you see.
Side note on all the folks recommending 1911's - if that's what you like, or what you learned on, and it's your "comfort zone" then great. Personally, for a newbie who's handled primarily double-action revolvers, considering a carry piece, looking at subcompacts, and potentially training a smaller woman (presumably first time shooter) I don't think it's the best choice. A single-action-only manual safety cocked-and-locked sidearm definitely wouldn't be my top pick for a couple of relatively inexperienced shooters for CCW due to the compexity of operation and narrow margin for error. I think a DAO or DA/SA sidearm would be a better choice.
The canonical 4 rules:
----------------------
1) Treat every gun as if it were loaded. There's no such thing as a "safe" gun. (If it can fire at all, it can be made to fire at the wrong time, while pointing at the wrong thing)
2) Do not allow the muzzle to point at anything you don't want destroyed.
3) Do not allow your finger inside the trigger guard until your sights are upon your target, and you have decided to fire upon it
4) Know what your target is, what will stop the travel of the bullet, and everything in between.
This is where every gun newbie should start. These rules should be tattooed on the inside of their forehead. Of course, anyone who has ever contemplated CCW realizes that there is a flaw in rule 2: namely, whenever you are carrying, the muzzle is always pointed SOMEWHERE and the bottom of a holster is not a bullet stop, so that points out a flaw in rule 4 as well. These are rules for range handling, not CCW policies, correct? So are there an equivalent set of rules for CCW handling, rules that can be adhered to in a strict sense?
Hegemon, I second the recommendation of a CZ75. I have a neighbor who is 5'1", and of all my firearms the handgun that felt best to her was the CZ75, in fact there was a gleam in her eye when she handled it. Some people think a woman needs a light gun. Just the opposite, a light gun has no mass to absorb the recoil, so it transfers the recoil to the shooter's wrist and arm. Not a pleasant introduction to shooting, and it turns a lot of women off to shooting if that is their introduction. The CZ is a steel framed firearm, so it has enough mass to lessen the recoil. It doesn't appear small, but the grip size is quite manageable for all but the smallest hands. I honestly don't think I've handled a more compact grip in a decent man-stopping caliber. Also, the manufacturer sells a high-quality upper slide which converts the CZ to .22 for target practice and plinking. This would be an excellent way to practice a lot for next to no cost, since .22 is very very inexpensive. And making it perhaps the perfect sidearm for a smaller woman to be introduced to the sport with.
If you can borrow a friend's CZ75 for an afternoon, tuck it (unloaded of course) in the back of your waistband, toss a shirt on over it, and hang around the house for a few hours. I did this, and barely noticed it was there. It's not a gun you can stick in your sock, but properly carried it's not a boat anchor either. Give it a chance, I think you'll like what you see.
Side note on all the folks recommending 1911's - if that's what you like, or what you learned on, and it's your "comfort zone" then great. Personally, for a newbie who's handled primarily double-action revolvers, considering a carry piece, looking at subcompacts, and potentially training a smaller woman (presumably first time shooter) I don't think it's the best choice. A single-action-only manual safety cocked-and-locked sidearm definitely wouldn't be my top pick for a couple of relatively inexperienced shooters for CCW due to the compexity of operation and narrow margin for error. I think a DAO or DA/SA sidearm would be a better choice.