good pistol for girlfriend

[Makotoseven]

howdy folks. i live in houston and carry my beretta pretty much everywhere with me. i've been wanting to get a pistol for my girlfriend to keep in her purse just in case she needs it (she's tiny).

im not up to date on the latest in small but good pistols that a chick might be comfortable with. ideas?

 

[meytind]

Take her to a range and rent a few different pistols for her. Buy whichever one she says feels the best for her and she can score consistent hits with.

If she probably won't practice too much with it, you might want to look more at revolvers because they are generally easier to use and maintain. If she actually has to use it one day to defend herself and she has a failure to fire, all she'll need to do is pull the trigger again. With an automatic, she'll have to perform multiple steps to clear it which she might not remember int he heat of the moment. If she's going to practice regularly, then disregard that part.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Well, Let's Begin With The Basics . . .

Does she shoot?

Has she ever handled a pistol before?

Is this her idea or yours?

Also, before proceeding any farther, you might want to (both of you) go here: www.corneredcat.com and read what Kathy Jackson (our own "pax") has to say. She carries, and she's an instructor.

If you have a place where she can practice, she should shoot a few (or several) different pistols before making up her mind. That "cute" snubby with the 2-inch barrel may have more "felt recoil" than she likes. She may find that her color isn't pink, and a sweet little S&W M&P in 9mm or .40 S&W is just the ticket. Heck, she might go for a Glock!

If it's going to be hers, it should be her decision, and it should be an informed decision.

 

[hwp]

Easy answer....

it depends.

experience level
ability
willingness to practice
physical strength

IME 99% of the time the best carry gun for a casual shooter is a S&W j-frame

 

[btg3]

i've been wanting to ...

Not even close to "SHE's been wanting to..."

IMO, starting out with a J-frame is a bad idea. Heavier gun, lighter load is a better beginning to work from.

 

[pbratton]

Just got my wife the Taurus PT709 Slim.

 

[John E.]

My petite wife carries a Kel-Tec .380

 

[Makotoseven]

Does she shoot?

Has she ever handled a pistol before?

not actively but she's shot pistols before.

Is this her idea or yours?

after living in houston for the last few months she's all for it!

Heck, she might go for a Glock!

she can have anything she wants... as long as it aint no ugly glock

yeah its up to her, im just lookin around for a short list of some potentials.

 

[Mags]

Taking my wife to the range Monday she is 5'2" 105 pounds I am going to let her run a mag through the following guns: 1911, Glock 19, S&W M&P9c, XD45, PT92, and I will start her off with the P22. Then we will focus on the one she likes best. I will post a thread with the results Monday night.

 

[jad0110]

Yep, you don't know what she'll like until she tries some stuff.

My wife hated my J-Frame, but she's okay with my 1911 45 ACP.

And it has to be her idea. My wife is not fond of guns in general, so she was never interested in getting her own; she sorta accepted my 1911. But honestly she practices so little (never actually) that honestly the gun is probably more liability for her than a beneficial tool.

 

[si vis pacem]

Consider adding a Sig P232 to a list of candidates. My wife loves hers.

 

[btg3]

Taking my wife to the range Monday she is 5'2" 105 pounds I am going to let her run a mag through the following guns: 1911, Glock 19, S&W M&P9c, XD45, PT92, and I will start her off with the P22. Then we will focus on the one she likes best. I will post a thread with the results Monday night.

Be sure and let her load every round she shoots, clears any and all jams, and lastly... let her shoot a revolver???

 

[Mags]

Sorry btg don't own one.

 

[possum]

op,
welcome to thr. simple answer take her to the gun shop and let her choose.

 

[357mag.]

Whatever she ends-up with,a purse is NOT a good place to carry it .IWB,OWB,front pocket,back pocket ect..are MUCH better imo.

 

[wrs840]

a purse is NOT a good place to carry it

^^^ Yeah, buddy. That's very often the focus of an attack on a woman. Don't get simultaneously disarmed and arm the BG.

FWIW, my wife loves my BHP, her S&W 5904, my 442, and her S&W 63. She does not much like my .40, because of the recoil, and really dislikes my Taurus 94 because of the heavy DA trigger-pull, (but likes to shoot my Judge). Go figure.

As said, let her decide.

Les

 

[earlthegoat2]

probably a revolver first and foremost. If that is not an option for you, but it really should be, then probably a pocket 380.

Purse can be a fine carry method as long as you put the gun in a holster inside the purse and dont leave the purse anywhere.

 

[c919]

The best thing I can tell you besides what has been said already is:

Dont get her a little gun just because she is little. This is a mistake made by many men whose wives were never comfortable shooting a gun again. I mean, I dont know one woman who the first gun she shot with was a S&W snubby or an KelTech P3AT, that liked it.

My wife is 4'10" 100lbs and she freakin loves to shoot our SIG 226 9mm, followed by my Beretta PX4 .40.

Its all about starting her on the gun with the least felt recoil (i.e. full size auto's in 9mm). Just please for your/her own good, do not put the little cute MicroEagle or S&W Scandium .357 2" in her hand.... And trust me, in all likelihood these are going to be the first thing she gravitates to.

 

[gmh1013]

Some women....like my wife are not strong enough to pull slide back to load a round....so its a Rossi .38 for her.

 

[snakeman]

snubbie 22 mag it doesn't jump much it's potent enough and it is cheap ammo

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

This has always struck me as a question people should be asking their girlfriends, and not strangers on the internet. Have her fondle as many guns as you can until she finds one she likes, and if its got a name you recognize stamped on the side, it should work just fine.

 

[Precision Paper Puncher]

let her decide, she has to be the one that uses, carries, and has to be comfortable with it...

support her what ever it is, and don't make it seem like it's the one you would carry...
unless she picks on out that you actually like.

 

[gunnie]

if she becomes an avid shooter, she can learn to be good with any handgun, except big magnums that overload her stature.

that said, after i forced my wife to burn 1,000 rounds as an entry level training to any new platform she had a fancy for, she got good with all of them. but one day a wise old man at a gun store gave me a genuine pearl of wisdom....

since there is no way to know beforehand if she will take up the habit or not before the first handgun purchase, let ~HER~ pick it with this method:

go to a user friendly store that will not get illiterate about her handling a lot of handguns. explain to them what is transpiring. start with around .380/9mm/38 special as entry level calibers. they represent what many feel to be baseline defensive rounds. have her pick a target on the wall, away from any bystanders. a large clock or similar size is about right. have her look at the target, close her eyes, and then raise the weapon to where she recalled the object being. the one that comes closest to hitting the target when she reopens her eyes is the best first handgun choice for her.

MOST SELF DEFENCE SHOOTINGS HAPPEN AT NIGHT, AND AT BAD BREATH RANGES.

that is why a handgun that is instinctive for her to bring into minute of pie plate up close is a very good idea.

don't have her dry fire it as this may lose the salesman's cooperation. if the smaller caliber presents no problems as to recoil, later on she can fire bigger ones to determine her "flinch threshold", and maybe get a better stopper. if she goes gun crazy in a coupla years, let her pick whatever she wants, she'll GET good with it.

gunnie

 

[badbadtz560]

don't forget to let her try the guns from her favorite movies... just a suggestion

 

[sarduy]

Heck, she might go for a Glock!

Glock 19 or 26