Well, I talked my Mother into getting her CCW soon. She wants to get a pistol. She has been to the range a few times with me and likes to shoot my shotgun and other rifles. But really likes the shotgun. I do not own a pistol because not of age, so she hasnt not shot a pistol. What type of pistol would be good for her? she wants to get a S&W airweight/airlight? 5 shot revolver. I was thinking a glock? 27? I do not know what should she get. There is no safty on the revolvers? glocks have safty? I do not know if a magazine gun is good though. She could drop the magazine out. I think she could go either way but with the revolver it is only 5 shot and no reload if there was a threat. Just looking for advice on a good pistol for women. She wants hammer less that is why I thought of a glock.
Need advice for CCW pistol for my Mother
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gbran
Member
The Airweight J-Frame revolver has no safety, but a much heavier trigger pull than the Glock (5.5lbs) and is probably safer.
A Glock 27 is a .40 cal and may be a little too peppy in such a small package.
MICHAEL T
Member
Not sure she wants a air weight The revolver is a good choice just I think air weight to much recoil. people have been using a revolver for many a year before the plastic wonder arrived
Publius1688
Member
My Mom was in a similar situation a few years ago. She's a slight built lady in her late fifties.
She was really hesitant at first because of what she thougth was too much recoil on a .38, but after some range time, and me putting together some light range loads for her to practice on, she settled on a S&W Airweight 5 shot. It's really a nice pistol- I got one for myself, too.
Rent one at the range, and let her try it. It's a great purse-carry piece, and a good summer piece for a guy, too.
She was really hesitant at first because of what she thougth was too much recoil on a .38, but after some range time, and me putting together some light range loads for her to practice on, she settled on a S&W Airweight 5 shot. It's really a nice pistol- I got one for myself, too.
Rent one at the range, and let her try it. It's a great purse-carry piece, and a good summer piece for a guy, too.
Zack, there are a number of issues you may want to consider that are not gun specific.
The first, and foremost is, when the time comes, can she pull the trigger knowing she may well take a life? My wife has had her CCW for quite some time now, but just recently I got her a C2 Taser. One reason is that my state has no restrictions on Tasers, unlike firearms. Another reason is that my wife has no problems tazing someone who may threaten her, and with no hesitation. A tazer won't kill like a firearm will, and brandishing a tazer doesn't carry the same legal risks that brandishing a firearm does, so she can have it in her hand when the situation warrants it. She still carries a pocket pistol, can can deploy it if necessary.
The first, and foremost is, when the time comes, can she pull the trigger knowing she may well take a life? My wife has had her CCW for quite some time now, but just recently I got her a C2 Taser. One reason is that my state has no restrictions on Tasers, unlike firearms. Another reason is that my wife has no problems tazing someone who may threaten her, and with no hesitation. A tazer won't kill like a firearm will, and brandishing a tazer doesn't carry the same legal risks that brandishing a firearm does, so she can have it in her hand when the situation warrants it. She still carries a pocket pistol, can can deploy it if necessary.
smartshooter.45
Member
i would agree with gazpacho. one really needs to fully consider ccw before following through on a purchase. a pistol in the hands of someone who is unwilling to use it in the time of need is more of a risk than a benefit.
if she thinks she is capable of pulling the trigger in that worst case scenario than she should find herself a nice pistol indeed.
if my mother came to me tonight and asked me to help her get a pistol i would get her a kel tec pf9. it is a slim/light 7+1 9mm. with 2 mags and 1 in the pipe that = 15 rounds in an easily carried/concealed package. also affordable at less than $300.
revolvers are great, but like you said, in a self defense situation you have 5 sometimes 6 rounds to fire and thats it...
good luck to you.
if she thinks she is capable of pulling the trigger in that worst case scenario than she should find herself a nice pistol indeed.
if my mother came to me tonight and asked me to help her get a pistol i would get her a kel tec pf9. it is a slim/light 7+1 9mm. with 2 mags and 1 in the pipe that = 15 rounds in an easily carried/concealed package. also affordable at less than $300.
revolvers are great, but like you said, in a self defense situation you have 5 sometimes 6 rounds to fire and thats it...
good luck to you.
BridgeTooFar
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My sister and my wife both LOVE my Kahr P9.
snooperman
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Ruger LCR is used by my Mother-in-law...
and before that she used a S&W 642 . She is good with them even as a senior. But she practices a lot around here on my farm. However, she is short, stocky and strong for her age.
and before that she used a S&W 642 . She is good with them even as a senior. But she practices a lot around here on my farm. However, she is short, stocky and strong for her age.
Marlin 45 carbine
Member
I taught 3 of my 5 sisters how to shoot handguns starting with a .22LR revolver which they all seemd to like, 2 of them particularly fond of popping water filled balloons hanging off tree limbs (1 of these 2 was a Navy Wife and placed 3rd in the European U.S. servicemember's wive's skeet competition in the late '70's - an accomplished shotgun shooter) the other was just a 'chore' that she was willing to undertake for her piece of mind. advanced up to larger pistols so they could experience large bore pistols.
my Makarov seemed to be about the limit on what they were willing to practice with to become reasonably proficient with the youngest saying it was too 'loud and kicked' so she got a .32 Beretta the other 2 got Bersa .380acp and do well enough but I couldn't find any decent buys on .32 S&W revolvers for them. that's an easy shooting revolver and powerful enough with good ammo. just my .02.
my Makarov seemed to be about the limit on what they were willing to practice with to become reasonably proficient with the youngest saying it was too 'loud and kicked' so she got a .32 Beretta the other 2 got Bersa .380acp and do well enough but I couldn't find any decent buys on .32 S&W revolvers for them. that's an easy shooting revolver and powerful enough with good ammo. just my .02.
snooperman
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I know several women who carry the 32 H&R magnum..
and is good for the recoil shy. They are snubby revolvers from Taurus , and it holds 6 shots too.
and is good for the recoil shy. They are snubby revolvers from Taurus , and it holds 6 shots too.
Wow, you must love your wife a lot.
Hope you remembered to ACTIVATE the Taser by calling the company. Oh, and hope it works when the time comes and there are no glitches.
https://activate.taser.com/c2activation/
Shadow 7D
Member
Let her choose it
Let her get what she wants. The best thing to do would be to expose her to the wide world of concealable handguns and let her decide what is best for her. It is fine to make suggestions like: keep it simple, low recoil, easy to conceal but ultimately let her decide the exact model of firearm.
searcher451
Member
+1. Whatever you do, let her make the selection. It's fine to make suggestions, of course, but take those suggestions to the range and let her test-drive them personalloy so that she can decide what best fits her hand and eye. If she's not comfortable with it, she's not going to like it -- and worse, she's not going to use it.
For a person with limited strength in their hands and some one who does not handle firearms regularly. NOTHING makes more sense than a .38 snub nosed revolver airweight. Load it with +P for carry and target practice with the light stuff. Nothing to remember, no safety to fumble with, no magazine to accidentally drop. Just point and click.
mljdeckard
Member
It's a fine choice if she shoots it well and likes it. She may not know what she is missing in other guns right now, but that's something she can look at later.
My only concern about the airweight is that it have serious recoil. I would have her try the same gun in different weights to see if she cares enough about the recoil to make any difference. If the steel version is easy enough for her to carry, and she notices less recoil, she might like it better.
My only concern about the airweight is that it have serious recoil. I would have her try the same gun in different weights to see if she cares enough about the recoil to make any difference. If the steel version is easy enough for her to carry, and she notices less recoil, she might like it better.
They aren't necessarily the easiest to shoot.
We as a shooting community need to divest ourselves of the idea of the lightweight .38 revolver as the "perfect novice's gun" and especially the idea of it being the only gun suitable for a woman. The .38 snubnose revolver is a good weapon, but it does require shooting skill to use effectively.
ANY firearm is going to require a minimum amount of training and practice for safe and effective use. The gun also needs to be shot a goodly amount with the intended defensive ammunition and then shot for practice with ammunition that has similar shooting characteristics.
A well stocked rental range or a few friends with lots of different types of guns is the only thing that makes any sense for somebody to choose a weapon. And more than one magazine or cylinderful per weapon needs to be shot. Having an experienced instructor on hand during the test shooting would also be an excellent idea.
Choosing a weapon in this manner be far from cheapest, but choosing the right weapon the first time for purchase will, in the end, be the most cost effective method.
LawofThirds
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As a constant carrier of a 442, I've actually got to vote against the J frame .38 for someone with limited hand strength. ~10 lb triggers do not lend themselves to accurate shooting unless you spend the time and effort to learn how to control that squeeze. I would suggest a model 10 or other k frame sized gun since they tend to have lighter trigger pulls.
This is from personal experience of helping my mother in law learn how to shoot.
This is from personal experience of helping my mother in law learn how to shoot.
Send her to http://www.corneredcat.com and let her make her own decisions.
For my perspective on revos vs. autos for someone with limited hand strength; you can have someone load a magazine and rack a slide for you, you cannot have them pull a trigger for you. (I know someone will be tempted to say "what if an automatic jams?" That's supposed to be more of a problem than not being able to pull the trigger in the first place?)
For my perspective on revos vs. autos for someone with limited hand strength; you can have someone load a magazine and rack a slide for you, you cannot have them pull a trigger for you. (I know someone will be tempted to say "what if an automatic jams?" That's supposed to be more of a problem than not being able to pull the trigger in the first place?)
W.E.G.
Member
Whole web site devoted to this subject.
http://corneredcat.com/FirstGun/which.aspx
Spoiler: The cornered cat recommends a Glock 19.
http://corneredcat.com/FirstGun/which.aspx
Spoiler: The cornered cat recommends a Glock 19.
Avenger29,
I got her a 3 cartridge kit, with the idea of actually having her fire it once. It worked fine. I pull the cartridge once a week and test it in push mode. Also, I plan on replacing the battery twice a year regardless.
Oh yeah, I love her lots. Thought that was a pretty good reason to marry her.
I got her a 3 cartridge kit, with the idea of actually having her fire it once. It worked fine. I pull the cartridge once a week and test it in push mode. Also, I plan on replacing the battery twice a year regardless.
Oh yeah, I love her lots. Thought that was a pretty good reason to marry her.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
If your Mom wants a revolver she should buy a revolver.
Like said above, an Airweight is very light and will add to the felt recoil. If she wants a hammerless revolver I would suggest a S&W M640 Centennial. It weighs ~22oz empty but the added weight over the 15oz Airweight will aid in recoil control. I have both the M640 and M642 and the M640 lends itself to easier follow-up shots and really isn't much heavier.
If your Mom really wants a Airweight I would suggest either the M642 (Silver) or M442 (Black) since both have a concealer hammer which is what your mom is looking for.
Like said above, an Airweight is very light and will add to the felt recoil. If she wants a hammerless revolver I would suggest a S&W M640 Centennial. It weighs ~22oz empty but the added weight over the 15oz Airweight will aid in recoil control. I have both the M640 and M642 and the M640 lends itself to easier follow-up shots and really isn't much heavier.
If your Mom really wants a Airweight I would suggest either the M642 (Silver) or M442 (Black) since both have a concealer hammer which is what your mom is looking for.
For a "non-gun" type person who has to ask what kind of weapon to get, there is only one good answer and that would be a small frame REVOLVER. Cylinder is easily checked to determine if loaded, pull trigger go bang! To many things to think about with autos if they are not well trained shooters. Five guaranteed rounds, small size and simplicity continue to make the revolver king.
Salty1
Member
The LCR over the airweight, much less recoil. Myself along with a friend have bought a lot of airweights for re-sale after only having 5 rounds shot through them. The LCR is by far the most popular revolver that we sell these days and not one complaint regarding recoil being too much. As far as a semi is concerned they have capacity advantages but also require more maintenance and are a bit more complicated. I agree that the best route is to go to a place that rents them, figure out what she likes and can handle then shop around.
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