Advice: HD lady gun

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RPRNY

RPRNY

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Not really a handgun guy. I have a couple of 1911s and several 45lc Sixguns but I am not knowledgeable about handguns and, frankly, not much interested.

Every other month or so I ask SWMBO to come to the range and shoot a couple of mags from the 1911 Government in the bedside safe. She is not a firearms enthusiast but she is enthusiastic about armed deference in the house. She is an indifferent shot. Now I know in part why. For the first time last weekend she said "I hate this gun. It's too big, it kicks too much, I'm scared of it and if I ever have to use it for real, it will be a disaster"

Well, there's no arguing with her logic. But, I'm stumped. I'm a big believer in big holes make for quiet intruders. So, keeping in mind that this is for a woman who is only interested in shooting the bare minimum, in her mind, needed to put holes in a bad guy in the house, can I please have recommendations for a simple, effective lady gun?
 
You've done well listening to her. You'll get opinions as varied as the members who respond. If you have a local range that rents handguns that's a great start. I'd start with medium frame 9mm semis and medium frame .38 Special revolvers. Let her shoot two or three of each of those. Then, based on her trying those out she'll be able to start steering herself toward what she wants. This will be just like test driving cars.
 
Ruger 10/22 with a 25 round mag?

A giant industrial size can of Bear Defence spray??

Her ever handy can of hair spray and a BIC lighter??

Seriously, if she doesn't want to train to shoot an effective SD shotgun or handgun?


She would be safer and better armed with one of her familiar kitchen knives!

On the otherhand, my wife became quite good with a .38 Special revolver back in the day when we were plagued with window peepers and burglars at Ft Riley KS.

A K or L frame S&W fits most small hands, doesn't kick much at all, and has a manual of arms a cave-man could understand.

It's either loaded, or not.
And if it is loaded and you pull the trigger, it will always go Bang.

However, with all that said.
A handgun is much easier then a long gun to take away from someone if the BG gets that close.

A long gun will be held with both hands, and with the butt stock clamped under your are, is very difficult to snatch or twist out of your grasp.

Now, back to the Ruger 10/22 with a 25 rounds mag, in the hands of a lady who enjoys practicing with it, and isn't afraid of it.

It's just a little .22.
But I pity the fool on the wrong end of it.


rc
 
Try a CZ-75 Compact. The smaller grip may be easier for her to handle.

BTW, I'd rather let the user choose for him/herself. What works for A won't work for B. Each person is different, tolerance to recoil is different and ability to handle a firearm is different. It's a matter of finding what works best for the individual and what that individual will be confident to use.

Second, make sure she can operate it with her non-dominant hand too.
 
Two of the softest shooting handguns I own are a Springfield Range Officer 1911 in 9mm and a SIG P238 HD in .380 ACP. One is big and the other is tiny, but they are both all-steel locked-breech pistols chambered in a caliber that is appropriate for their size. The Springfield with slimmer grip panels should be a piece of cake for her to shoot. Ditto the SIG with a Hogue rubber wraparound grip.

Glock 42 is another possibility.
 
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.22 autoloader or .32 revolver. Not huge holes, but not a lot of recoil, either.
 
I would think a Glock 19 or 17 or similar could fit the bill there. My lady is fairly small, say 5 foot 4 and we have been all through the guns at the stores here. Best thing we ever did was go to the store and just have them take things out of the case for her. Shopping that I enjoy lol. Its really the only way to be sure!

Here is what I have found... Small carry guns are snappy, though cute and small. She loved that little pocket 380 until she shot it lol. Uncomfortable to shoot means they are unpleasant in this case. Not good here I don't think. Full size Glock 20 or 21 is no go here. Grip is too big and uncomfortable, as I am sure the case will be for your lady. She likes my 1911, but said it is big and heavy just the same. She is right lol.

BUT with respect to autos she really likes ones similar to the g19 or g17. Mild to shoot, manageable size etc. A compact or full size pistol that is not too heavy, but not too light will probably work well. I see no reason 9mm or even a large 380 would not fit the bill. Pretty much all "normal" handguns are terrible at stopping things unless you hit the target just right. SOOO I would not get caught up in caliber. Shoot what is fast and accurate, AND what she likes.

Make sure to show here how to rack the slide on the auto, you know push AND pull close to body. This is a big turn off to some people. Many women feel weak and like they cannot run the slide at first, which is nonsense. Just have to do it properly lol.

We have had good luck with revolvers too. Ruger SP101 3 inch barrel with hogue grips and a big dot sight is her favorite out of everything. One with a 4 inch barrel would probably even be better in your case. Recoil can be mild to wild depending on what you feed it. There is a comfort with revolvers to newer or inexperienced shooters I think. You can see everything and how it works very easy. No levers, slide or mag to work with, and you can SEE the bullets in it. That has been my experience anyway.
 
One of the softest big bore semi-autos I ever had was a Browning BDA (a.k.a. SIG P220), in .45 ACP. Another gun that's easy on the recoil would be something like a Colt Combat Commander in 9mm.
 
Best case scenario - she takes a class, shoots a lot of handguns, finds what works best for her, practices regularly.

Worst case scenario - she won't do any of that. If so, I am with the Captain on this one. My wife doesn't really enjoy shooting and won't try a bunch of guns. I got a Charter Arms Undercoverette in 32 H&R magnum. She shoots it fairly well, it is an effective cartridge with very mild recoil, it is not at all intimidating to her, and like the other poster said: the manual of arms is "aim, squeeze trigger, bang". My daughter shoots it well too.

That is what I leave loaded for her in the very rare instances when I am out of town. Not that it matters. She has two 85 pound "lap dogs" who sleep on the floor next to her side of the bed and bark like crazy at everything that moves.

I think I paid $220 for it barely used -apparently no one else would bid on one this color. She thinks it is "cute". She also thinks it is "cute" when her two monsters tear apart and devour opossums and rabbits and other cuddly creatures who get into the backyard. It must be a Kentucky thing.

ec157307-6308-415b-b9aa-b6e39e1df9bf_zpsisjdedi3.jpg
 
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Have her look at the LCR .38 or .22WMR or if she can rack a semi-auto, have her look at the new Ruger American in 9mm.
 
L-Frame S&W or Ruger GP-100 loaded with .38 Specials. It will be a pussycat to shoot, and will get the job done.
 
The 1911 may big in length and weight, but the grip area and trigger reach are in fact relatively small. My wife has child sized hands - so small that she can't even REACH the trigger of a double stack semi auto like a Glock 19. Her finger barely comes to the side of the trigger, when taking a proper grip. She can't reach the trigger AT ALL on the Walther PPK ... a small gun that has a surprisingly long reach to the trigger ... probably the longest of any handgun I've held.

K frame S&W revolvers also have too far of a trigger reach for her. J frames just work, but she is not a revolver fan.

NOTE: I sure wish gun manufacturers would provide that dimension: length between the center point of the trigger face to the backstrap via a line running parallel to the bore axis.

So that is an important consideration ... the size of her hands and length of her fingers.

The handguns that work best for my wife's teenie tiny hands:

- Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless, .32 ACP
- Colt 1908 Vest Pocket, .25 ACP
- Ruger SR-22, .22 LR

All of those guns have a thin grip (single stack) and a short reach to the trigger.

Everyone is different, and fit to the hand is a key factor in mitigating felt recoil. For example, we finally found the perfect handgun for my mom: a S&W M&P 9mm Shield. Fits her hand perfectly, she said it felt like S&W took a mold of her hand when they made the grip. For her, she noted that there are no uncomfortable "pressure points" when she holds and shoots it. She loves that gun, so excited she found it. She frequently comments that it has hardly any recoil ... even with full power ammo ... and she has arthritis in her hands. She used to be limited to a .22 ... not any longer. She is actually a pretty respectable shot with that Shield.

It fit my hand pretty good too actually. We both also tried a Ruger LC9, and both found it felt awkard ... too thin in the grip. As a result, the perceived recoil to both of us was MUCH higher. Almost felt like a .40.

Of course, her results may be completely different. Just giving you some ideas to think about.
 
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Has she shot only .45 caliber guns?

Will the gun be used solely for home defense/range use, or is carry an option later on?

My suggestion would be midsize 9mm or .357/.38 as they will have more of a grip and less recoil than some of the smaller guns, while also not being overly large/heavy. Guns like the S&W M&Pc, Glock 19, Ruger SP101, CZ 75 Compact/PCR/P01, and S&W K-frames come to mind. If this will be a home defense/range gun only she might opt for steel frame to soak up that recoil (the suggested CZ Compact already mentioned comes to mind). As mentioned I'd have her try out as many as she can. She might pick a S&W Shield because its small/light, but then find it too snappy for example.

I'd consider getting something with a laser aiming device if practice will be sparse. Keeping a flashlight nearby is also a must. I'd also consider getting her a .22 if it means she will go to the range more often. Can you find a range where you can use reactive targets (cans, steel, etc.) to make it more fun?
 
When my wife wanted her own handgun I had her pick it out. In the past, she had shot several of my hand Guns, and had good success with several. However, when we went to the gun store, I stepped back and let her choose. The store we went to had gun rentals. She rented several, and settled on an XDM 9 millimeter. It was not the gun that I would have chosen for her, but she absolutely loves it! Frankly, I could not have picked out a handgun for her. It's something she needed to do her self. In the process of making her own decision, she has found that she loves to shoot!
So, my advice, for what it's worth, is to let her make the decision.
 
Oh, and if she picks out something like a 9, remember, if she can hit with it, it's the one.. 2 hits with a 9 is better than 2 misses with a 45.
 
Yep and Charter Arms can fill the bill for less than $375 (Undercoverette, .32 H&R Magnum 16 ounces). Model #73220

...........nevermind
 
Nine rounds from a .22 revolver would be far more effective than bear spray or a can of hair spray coupled with lighter fluid.

For home-defense only, the already-mentioned 10/22 would be effective as well, as could be the Mossberg 702 (which I just picked up last month from Wal-Mart for $99.)

Many a bad guy has been killed, incapacitated, driven off, or captured by "some lady and her (lowly) .22 rifle."
 
Go to a range and rent a .357 Magnum revolver, one of the small ones, and have her shoot it loaded with 38 SPL low recoil loads. The 38 SPL is still a lot more firepower than nothing at all. And the revolver is uncomplicated and not very scary.

Starting a new shooter with something to powerful is always a mistake,and unfortunately, one made all too often. IMO,introduction to shooting should be with a BB gun or 22 LR for best results

948884.jpg .
 
Had the same problem with my wife. Took her to the gun store and let her handle 50+ and she couldn't put down the Ruger SR9C so we brought it home. She loves it and shoots it well enough that I don't worry about her when I'm not at home or out back working.
 
My wife has shot my .45s and used to shoot her .45 (BDA Sig220) but after some wrist injuries no longer enjoys them. She took Ayoobs LFI1 class with a P7 and used to shoot my CZ75 a bit. She has a Taurus 911 she has shot enough to know she is not comfortable with it.

Through it all her "go to" save herself and the kids gun has been a Charter .38 Special five shot. She is able to shoot it fast and on target (I believe it was Scarlet O. that said "I can shoot straight if I don't have to shoot far" Well the spousal unit can shoot fast and straight up close AND straight to way out there if she takes her time.

-kBob
 
Originally posted by rcmodel:

Ruger 10/22 with a 25 round mag?

* * *

It's just a little .22.
But I pity the fool on the wrong end of it.
Click to expand...

That would be perfect except for NY law. The 10 round magazine should work, though. Another alternative previously mentioned is the Ruger SR22 loaded with high quality, reliable ammo. I would keep working through guns until my wife had something she liked. I wouldn't laugh at a Glock 42 or 43, Ruger LC9S or the like, or even a .38 Special revolver with light loads. My wife shoots most revolvers and semi-autos well, and she really loves the 9mm Glock 43.
 
hamp sandwich said:
Oh, and if she picks out something like a 9, remember, if she can hit with it, it's the one.. 2 hits with a 9 is better than 2 misses with a 45.
Click to expand...
1 hit with a 9mm (or a .22 LR for that matter) is better than a bunch of misses with a .45.
 
Don't go with the "tried and true" 38/357 revolver. Between capacity, recoil, DA trigger, etc. not a good choice IMO, esp. with all of the reliable and easy-to-use autos available nowadays. I'm a Glock fan, but for something that's going to live in the house (not CCW) I would recommend one of the Ruger SR-9's. Here's why: striker fired (1 trigger squeeze to learn), manageable trigger, light weight, sufficient power (store w/ 9mm HP, train with cheap ball), not excessive in recoil, a rail for a light (if you want), Ruger (affordable quality, reliable, good customer service). Is more power better? Sure. IF you put in the time and dedication to practice in order to be comfortable with the gun so that things like weight, recoil, etc. no longer effect ability to shoot fast and accurate, there's no reason she shouldn't be able to handle a S&W 500 magnum wheel gun. From your post, I don't think that's the case. The 9mm with decent HP rounds is more than adequate for your purpose. Its the most popular handgun caliber in the world, so there must be something to it. 40, 45, magnums, etc. really only have a following in the US, cause its the US.
 
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