Best CCW pistol for newbie female

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Her choice

Fortunately I own a 2" 38 poly protector, a 380 Smith Bodyguard, a 4" 357, a 3" 38 j frame, (among others). My wife prefers the 3" 38, likes the 2" poly 38", can shoot very well but doesn't like the 380 Bodyguard. I have her try various firearms and let her decide. I like them all, but carry the Bodyguard and 38" Poly Protector the most.
 
I recently went through this with my wife and again with my daughter. My wife has never shot handguns (until she decided to get a CCW with my daughter). My daughter has shot many firearms in her 25 years. My wife is in her mid-50's.

I took both to several gun shops to let them decide for themselves. My daughter had all sorts of trouble with getting a new pistol to rack. She has long fingers and it was like she just couldn't get the right leverage on them. I guess I had always racked any pistol I had given her to shoot because she plain couldn't get the semi's to work at all. The Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard revolver in .38 Special +P was another story. She loved it. She got one with the laser. Shooting it became another matter. But my daughter has mastered any firearm I've ever handed her as far as shoot it goes. She can flat shoot pretty much any firearm she has tried and she has already made great strides making the S&W work for her.

My wife settled on the Ruger LCP. She loved how easy it operated and how well it fit her hand. She has only shot that pistol a few times but I have been working her up from a Buckmark Hunter .22. She not only loves to shoot that gun but she is also very accurate with it for a newbie. I got her to shoot 3" groups at 25 yards the first time I took her out shooting with it. It will take some work to get her to shoot that well with the Ruger.

Yes she needed to try out any pistols before she bought them. Same goes for my daughter. But we don't have a range that allows you to try various guns. They both wanted a light handgun to carry in a purse without it weighing them down. They both wanted something without a big bunch of kick. I think the smaller guns have just as much kick as bigger caliber guns but they think different. They do have much smaller hands and the leverage for them does seem to work better. For example both of their guns will pivot at the bottom point of the handle in my hand. That hurts my hand. But they both have hands that don't cover the entire handle but instead fit the handle about the way my hand fits bigger guns. Neither seem to have a problem with their guns.
 
Let her try it first

DOG,

I would not start your wife or anyone off with a 5 shot, J-frame .38.

For a new shooter, go with a .22LR. Auto or revovler, does not matter. Try to keep the weight at less than 2 pounds unless your wife is a large woman.

After she learns on a .22LR, then let her try HER CHOICES, not yours.

She may want 5 shot, J frame or a .32ACP or .380ACP. My wife chose a SIG 225 9m.m. and she is petite. The combination of weight, not too heavy or light and excellent grip meant she could hold it comfortably and was not bothered by the recoil.
A coworker who inherited a S&W model 66 with a 4 inch barrel ( a good all around choice for car or home defense) asked me to show her how to shoot it.
We started with .38 wadcutter, that got her over the initial hurdle of not have shot without any problems. Then we shot some standard velocity ball to increase the recoil and noise. No problem.
Next was +P .38 Special and then 110 grain .357 magnums. She did not like the noise, blast or kick from the .357, so she settled on the .38 +P.

It has to be the shooter's choice as to what they will want. A good shot with a .22LR is safer than a flinching shooter with a .38.

You can ofter rent guns at a range. That will let her see her options. I would do that after starting her off on a .22LR.

My nieces started on .22 semi autos and now use 6 shot .38 Special loaded with +P.

Just my experience.

Good luck,

Jim
 
My wife has a .38sp Airweight, but that isn't what I started her shooting with.

The first handgun was a Crosman CO2 pistol, which we shot (and still shoot) in the backyard. That got her accustomed to shooting with no recoil and no noise.

This is a GREAT way to start and you should consider this method for your wife. You can pick up a CO2 pistol for under $40. Apart from the gun being very easy to shoot, she can begin learning in the privacy of her own backyard or garage, rather than at a range with strangers firing cannons on either side of her. Also, the ammo is extremely cheap, so she can shoot hundreds and hundreds of rounds.

From the CO2 pistol, my wife moved on to shooting my H&R .22 revolver, then my Keltec .32.

When it came time to shoot the Airweight, I bought her cowboy action loads for practice. The recoil is very low with these rounds and she enjoyed shooting the gun. They work fine for practice. At home in the safe, her gun is stuffed with Hornady Critical Defense rounds.

If your wife is truly an absolute newbie to guns, I strongly recommend starting her off with a CO2 pistol. It will take a lot of the stress off and let her learn sight picture and trigger control, not to mention gun safety.
 
A good target type .22 pistol isn't so bad to start. They're heavy enough to absorb nearly all the recoil and hearing protection does away with any issues with being scared by the noise. I had my wife shooting fine groups with a Buckmark Hunter in about 10 minutes. All that time was spent going over grip and stance options.
 
Threads like this always pique my interest. The OP is going to get eleventy-zillion different recommendations. How will he know any more at the conclusion of the thread than at its genesis? ;)

My opinion, which is now cast amongst the other eleventy-zillion, is that the OPs wife would probably pick a G26, if she shot it side-by-side with any .38 special snubby. She'll hate the long trigger pull of the snubby and won't be able to hit jack with it.

I bought a G26 for my daughter, for her first carry pistol. She loves it.
 
I would get her a 3" GP 100 and load it with 38 specials for her. That way if she doesn't like it you got a nice .357 snubby for yourself;)
 
I'm looking info on a carry piece for my wife-to-be. Mid 50's, small frame and an absolute newbie to firearms. I'm looking at SW 637/638CT Airweight .38 specials. You all's thoughts?

Absolutely do not purchase a snubby revolver. She should not buy a gun until after training.

1) Take her shooting. Borrow a few guns from friends and let her try them all. She will find several that she likes. However, these are not the guns she should choose just yet. You should also take her to the range and shoot a few rental guns.

2) Take her to NRA Basic Pistol. This will reinforce safety and give her a basic background in handguns.

3) She does not know what she needs in a defensive handgun. Both of you should attend a two to four day defensive handgun course. You'll both have the same vocabulary. Many places have handguns available for use in class.

Don't purchase a gun until you have taken both classes. Otherwise, she'll be buying a gun out of ignorance. The last thing she should do is take the advice of gun store sales people. Go to a professional and then purchase the gun based upon what she's learned. Her choice will be much better.
 
I let my wife choose her own. The trouble is I ended up buying the same for me. Twice. First was a Glock 19 then an S&W Airweight. She bought 'em first, I tried 'em, liked 'em and bought one of each for me.

I don't know why so many are suggesting to stay away from light .38 Special 5-shot revolvers, every female new shooter I have had try one of ours loves them, especially for personal carry. All steel (GP100, etc) for home defense.

Dan
 
Go to a place that rents guns let her shoot every type that interests her.. You just sit back keep your mouth shut and pay...


I would have never chose the gun that my wife chooses to carry. (Glock 19)

x1000!

Also, line up a GREAT basic firearms course.

Several folks here have commented towards this end;

By allowing her to pick and choose, you empower her. When you empower her, she feels responsibility for her own choices and defense. She will ultimately be safer and more attentive overall if you empower her. If you truly care about her, you will push your ego out of the way and ensure she makes her own choices.

A Gun safety and handling course cannot be under-estimated.

I just went thru the same thing with my GF about 5 Months ago. Women or anyone else will take this seriously when you facilitate them making choices and follow thru with encouragement; course-work, etc!

Have fun!
 
Best advice I can offer is don't help her pick, you will be wrong. My wife went through 4 handguns before she found her perfect happy handgun that she carries: a Bersa Thunder. Before she found the Bersa I recommended she try a Walther PPK or PPK/S. She handled these at a gun show but they were too heavy/bulky and the safety was too far away. however she loves the Bersa even though it is almost a direct clone.

Take her out and fire some options. More and more gun stores are allowing firearm rentals to help customers make informed decisions about what they are buying and what they will like. Stand by and coach on technique but try not to dissuade her in anyway. Unless she wants to try a 44MAG or something with a caliber that starts with 5, let her try it. Your spouse may surprise you as mine did. She loves to shoot a 1911, she just won't carry it because of the weight.
 
Why is it that husbands tend to pick the harshest recoiling, most difficult to shoot firearms for their wives? I've even seen experienced shooters do this, and completely turn off their wives, and girlfriends to handgun shooting. Many times they won't even try it again because of the bad experience, and once a woman makes up her mind, well you know.
 
I'm looking info on a carry piece for my wife-to-be. Mid 50's, small frame and an absolute newbie to firearms. I'm looking at SW 637/638CT Airweight .38 specials. You all's thoughts?
Its been said already, but small frame, short barrel revolvers are some of the most difficult firearms to master and even with .38 spl ammo Airweights can be a bit intimidating for newbies when it comes to recoil. I'd try finding something like a nice, used S&W K frame or Ruger Security-Six with a 3 or 4 inch barrel instead. They will be much easier to master and handle recoil better.

That said, its even better to let her shoot a few different guns and then pick her own handgun. She may supprise you with what she ends up liking best. ;)
 
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I steer my students to start with a G-19 or J-frame.
I'd say that's a statement that needs a lot of further explanation.

It sounds a bit like saying, "I tell my driving students to either start out with an automatic transmission sedan, or a 13-speed Mack dump truck with air brakes and a split rear."

It would seem that some of those students would find their way to success fairly easily, and others would struggle a bit to get a handle on what they were trying to do.

Can you honestly say that your students who've chosen a J-frame have performed as well, as easily as those choosing the mid-sized Glock? Which take more of your instructional time to develop?
 
There are TONS of these threads, so I will summarize the best responses:

1. If this is really you wanting to get her a gun so she will carry it, she probably won't carry it. So only worry about this if carrying a gun is something she actually wants to do and if she's willing to put in some work and thought into doing so.

2. "My wife can't rack the slide on a semiauto..." ... because she doesn't know how, not because she doesn't have the strength to do it. Another subset of "women who can't rack a slide..." includes those with zero familiarity with guns who have an ingrained belief that they will somehow break the gun if they use their full strength.

Anyone who truly doesn't have the strength to rack the slide on a semiauto due to severe arthritis, muscle wasting, or neurological impairment will also have the same problem pulling a double-action revolver trigger. The weights are actually fairly comparable, with the added issue of pulling a trigger being done with a single figure, whereas working a semiauto's action can be done as a gross motor function with the whole of both arms and the chest.

Racking a slide without the strength to overcome a 12-24 lb recoil spring by sheer force is a matter of technique. The wrong way to do it for a weaker person is to try and do everything with two fingers or just one hand. Sure, those of us who are stronger can do this.

But the best way to do this (honestly for everyone, IMHO), is to use the push-pull, C-clamp slingshot method. Anyone can be taught to do this. Just take your weak hand and wrap your whole hand around the top of the slide so that your fingers and bottom of your palm are touching the slide serrations (weak hand thumb should be basically pointing back at you or wrapped around the upper back of the slide to allow the hammer to move, if there is one). With your strong hand, grip the gun firmly in a normal grip, indexing your finger above the trigger guard on the side of the frame. Simultaneously pull firmly back with the weak hand while pushing forward into the grip frame with the strong hand.

A more administrative way to do this is to hold the gun in your strong hand grip, bring the gun in front of you, pointing toward your weak side, then bring your weak hand over the gun and grip the slide serrations with your thumb on the side of the gun nearest you and your fingers on the outside side of the slide. Then using your arm and chest muscles in a motion similar to clapping, push the slide toward your strong side and the frame toward your weak side.

Obviously you should keep the muzzle pointed downrange if you are on a range, which you can do by turning to present the weak side of your body downrange.

3. "I was thinking of getting her one of those airweight .38 J-frames, or a Ruger LCP or something like that because it's very small and kind of cute, plus, a .38 or a .380 won't recoil like my 10mm or the .500 S&W magnum that I carry every day..."

Hold up there, high speed. Small J-frames are substantially harder to shoot and have much more recoil than a mid-size steel revolver and most compact 9mm semiautos. The heavy trigger, light weight, short sight radius, and substantial recoil on an aluminum, titanium, or scandium J-frame revolver make them difficult for new shooters to shoot accurately or comfortably. This makes it more likely that they will consider shooting an unpleasant experience, which in turn makes it less likely that they will want to do it again. Even a steel J-frame will still have a goodly amount of recoil.

Those little .380s are handy, but due to the small grip, direct blowback operation of some, and tiny or nonexistent sights, these can be almost as bad as the J-frames while providing the benefits of an even weaker cartridge.

It would be better to start with a 4" steel revolver like a Ruger GP100, Six-series, or a S&W K-frame. On the semiauto side, a S&W M&P, Springfield XD, Glock 17 or 19, or a 1911 would be safer guns to start with, then branch out based on preference.

Now, I am not saying that female or weaker shooters cannot carry J-frames or subcompact .380s, I am just saying that if they are NEW shooters, they should not START there.
 
Start with professional training. Let her go by herself--you stay home.

That will point her to the right considerations and "arm" her to make a good choice.
 
My recommendation is to stay away from anything Airweight or Scandium. 38 Special defensive loads in those guns are downright painful to shoot and require an experienced shooter to appreciate their virtues.

I second the recommendation on a GP100 or S&W 686 357 Magnum. Your significant other may initially think they are too big, but that will pass after she shoots it and uses the gun to get familiar with how to run a revolver defensively.

Load either Revolver with 38 special wadcutters to start and she will quickly gain familiarity and learn to love shooting...which is great when you want to buy more guns...she'll already be on board!

After she familiarizes herself with the revolver manual of arms she can move in any direction that makes sense...

Enjoy and stay safe!
 
Pilot said:
Why is it that husbands tend to pick the harshest recoiling, most difficult to shoot firearms for their wives? I've even seen experienced shooters do this, and completely turn off their wives, and girlfriends to handgun shooting. Many times they won't even try it again because of the bad experience, and once a woman makes up her mind, well you know.

That is because they usually become his gun. Saw it all the time at my old gun store. Husband and wife come in and she MUST have the 10mm Glock.
 
That is because they usually become his gun. Saw it all the time at my old gun store. Husband and wife come in and she MUST have the 10mm Glock.
Well that makes sense. I almost did it myself once.

However, I've seen may recommend a tiny .38 Spl, .357 mag or .380 that are just really unpleasant to shoot. It is fine for an experienced shooter who expects recoil, and blast from a small firearm, but new shooters get really turned off.
 
I steer them to a G-19 or a J-frame because they are both well-proven to work reasonably well for just about everyone. I also emphasize that if they change their minds and decide they like something else better and decide to divorce it, they don't have to pay it alimony.
 
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