Lady needs a gun

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Roadwild17

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My girldfirend is fonally intersted enough to consider getting her own gun, but she really has no idea of what she wants. To make things worse she is always changing her mind, so Im not really intersted in getting a terebly expensive gun. Something .32 to .380 which is small would be nice, think PPK'ish here. Any sugestions?
 
Take her to a good gunshop and let her handle everything close to her needs. Note those that fit her hand well.

Then, take her to a rental range and let her try them out in live fire. This should narrow things down to a limited selection in short order.
 
RW17 i would like to recommend the bersa .380. The ammo is cheaper than .32. The bersa has life time warrenty and 3 dot sights with adjustable rear fixed front. Very nice litte pistol for the money and it shoots well. Also its easy to aim and control. I paid about 230$ with tax NIB. :) Its compareable to the PPK just a heck of alot cheaper. I will say its not as pretty as a PPK ;)
 
My friends (women) who were new to shooting ended up liking the 9mm much more than the .380 because the 9mm was "softer shooting". Probably had something to do with the blowback design of the .380s. (except for the Colt Mustang Pocketlite which is not a blowback...they liked it A LOT). They had no problems racking the slide of the 9mms but had to really work at racking the slides of the .380s (again, except the Colt Mustang). Even with some training on different techniques, some still had issues with the "stiffness" of racking the slides on the .380s.

So have her look at some of the 9mms in addition to the .380s/.32s and actually work the controls of the guns. If the gun is for carry purposes, there are some small, light 9mms (and larger caliber) guns that may suit her purposes that are more comfortable for her to shoot. If she doesn't like shooting the gun then she probably won't want to go to the range that much to practice (just my opinion based on some of my friends).

I had several new female shooters opt for a compact .45 (HK USP) over all of the other calibers because they liked the slow push of the .45 over the snappy .380s/9mms/.40s. Best bet is to rent guns until she finds one she likes.
 
What Preacherman said.

It doesn't matter one little bit what you or I or anyone else thinks is the ideal gun for your Lady Friend. What matters is that she get one SHE shoots well.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

DM
 
"...she is always changing her mind..." I heard something about that being a female's perogative. I think it has to do with making their mates crazy. However, listen to Preacherman. It has to fit her hand and nobody else's. And don't get PO'd when she shoots better than you do. It's just the way it is. Women inherently shoot better than men. Save yourself a bunch of grief and pay for her shooting classes. Take her shooting, buy don't try to teach her.
"...I'm not really interested in getting a terebly(sic) expensive gun..." What you want doesn't matter. It's what she wants that's important. Remember, none of us live there.
 
Here we go again...

No one cares what you think.

What is it about gunners that attracts women who can't think for themselves?
 
Unless it is to be a CCW, where size and weight are critical, I would strongly suggest a steel 9mm over any .380 or .32. Many people have the illusion that a smaller cartridge is more pleasant to shoot just because it has less power. But when you're talking a smaller, lighter gun (especially with blowback operation) this is not true. Between my Beretta 84 FS .380 (which is pretty large as .380's go) and my Baby Eagle 9mm, the Baby is hands-down the more mild-mannered and pleasant gun to fire. Also, as other have said, .380's and .32's can be difficult for some females to rack the slides. This is for two reasons. One, a blow-back pistol with a lightweight slide always requires a stiffer spring than a short-recoil operated gun and two, their diminutive size means less grip surface.

A few 9mm guns I would suggest for a female:

CZ-75
EAA Witness
MRI Baby Eagle
S&W 5906
Beretta Cougar or 92 vertec
Sig P226
Browning Hi-Power

Ultimately it is best to let her decide based on holding, or better yet, firing a few different guns. Happy hunting ;)
 
Makarov is in your size, power AND price range. Steel too, so it soaks up some recoil.

Apparently a lot of frails dig them. :evil:

Like QB I also have had good luck teaching with the Colt Govt. and Mustang Pocketlites. But, since you basically need to skip a car payment to buy one nowadays, they probably aren't the right place to start for someone who might change her mind.
 
c'mon rw17.... pony up some moolah and get this lass a decent gun! how about a sig?

dont fall into the assumption (or let her fall into it either) that 'mouse-gun calibers' are the only option. her species can squeeze watermelon sized offspring out, so a little recoil aint gonna kill her.
 
Preacherman has the right idea...if it isn't comfortable to her hand, and if the noise and recoil are heavy, particularly with a small, light gun, she won't shoot much. And she has to shoot to remain competent wth the gun. .380 is about the minimum for self-defense...with proper hollow point ammo!...and is easy to shoot. Best would probably be a Makarov, which is my wife (and her girl friends') favorite. :)
 
Girls with Guns Open house

Don't forget about the trusty .22!

A nearby club just ran a great "girls with guns" open house. There were about 60 women there, and the club members brought a huge amount of different guns for people to try. It was an absolute kick to watch all these women learn to handle and use the guns. If one kicked too much, someone brought her something different. Same if she wanted to try something bigger.

If you can work with a friend or two to get a few guns for her to try out, that would be great.

Once she's tried it and likes it, try to find her a class. There are some things that significant others shouldn't try to teach (shooting, driving and skiing come to mind!).

Oh yeah, and "That one is pretty!" is a completely valid commen (see the "1911 Eye Candy" thread)
 
Get her a good 22. Bersa Firestorm comes to mind. Teach her to shoot. Teach her to shoot WELL. Once she finds out it's fun, which won't take as long as you might think, she'll be wanting to go back to the gun store with a better idea of what she wants. Then before you know it, she'll have more guns than you do. And probably outshoot you.
 
Cajun has the idea,, something just to start out with so she can decide for the next gun. Once she has decided on something I'm going to get her a good gun like a HK or Sig. I'm just looking for the FIRST gun, after that its pretty easy. It looks like it may be a bersa (If it works for her) for a month or so untill we get her something better (if she wants)
 
If you do get the Firestorm, the one my wife has likes CCI Mini Mags. It will jam once in a while with other stuff, but the CCI's go bang every time.

She started with that. She wants a 1911 next. :)
 
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