Female needs advice on buying a handgun

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Sort in Reverse Order Posted

Pages: 1 2 3 NEXT

displacedjim 9/10/2007 1:58:19 AM

Ruger SP101 5-shot revolver with 3" barrel in .357Mag. Small grip and small but heavy steel frame with .38Special +P loads will be comfortable, controllable, reliable, and affordable. Granted the small fixed sights are designed for self-defense at 10feet, not for target shooting.

Quote Reply

dcmo 9/10/2007 12:23:56 PM

There are several Glock models that work for small hands (me too). The most important thing you can do is find a range that rents guns and try any model you're thinking about buying. Make sure the firearm and caliber work for you before buying.

Quote Reply

RockyMTNClimber Small Hands 9/10/2007 12:39:34 PM

My daughter is very petite (trained ballerina) and she is a terrific shot. Her favorite handgun is my Glock 19 which is a 9mm luger caliber. My biggest suggestion to you would be to have someone let you shoot several models of weapons like DJ's .38/.357, my Glock, and others. Smith & Wesson does have a lady's model of the .38 special revolver that has a shorter trigger pull and should fit your hand well.

The only way you will know which one fits you best is through experience. If a gun shop shoves something at you instead of acts to find out what you will like, move on. See if you can find a local gun club that has some families that might let you work with different types until you find one that fits you. I'd say .38 special and higher power are a minimum (my opinion).

Your instincts appear to be good so find some new friends and have fun.

Check Six

Rocky

Quote Reply

bob the brit 9/10/2007 5:16:12 PM

the other recommendations are good, but you should try the SIG sauer P-239, comes in three calibres (so take your pick):

9mm parabellum (the 9mm luger round rocky referred to); .40 S&W; 0.357 SIG (pretty nifty round that).

it's pretty compact ('bout six or seven inches) and just shy of two pounds weight (so if all else fails, throw it at them)

9mm mag holds 8 rounds, and 7 for both the .40 and .357. pretty safe gun too with all the bells and whstles. a decocking lever allows the hammer to be locked in the forward position when a round is chambered (often a useful feature). all in all it's very similar to the P-229 but with a few extras and it's a bit slimmer. hope you enjoy whatever one you pick. oh and the others had good advice saying you should try lots out first.

Quote Reply

bob the brit 9/10/2007 5:20:17 PM

the other recommendations are good, but you should try the SIG sauer P-239, comes in three calibres (so take your pick):

9mm parabellum (the 9mm luger round rocky referred to); .40 S&W; 0.357 SIG (pretty nifty round that).

it's pretty compact ('bout six or seven inches) and just shy of two pounds weight (so if all else fails, throw it at them)

oh forgot to mention that the rounds are single stacked in the mag so that gives for a smaller pistol grip already.

Quote Reply

Horsesoldier 9/10/2007 7:11:09 PM

I'm a 23 year old female, in college and the military who needs some advice on purchasing a handgun. I've had experience with a wide range of weapons, .50 cals, shotguns, sniper rifles, an old German luger, and some old loud heavy handguns. I want this gun for personal safety as well as target practice. I don't want anything that will make me too deaf to call 911 if I have to, and I don't want a big kick either. I already know that a .22 or a .25 is too small for me. Everytime I go to look at purchasing a firearm they try to push those two on me and I don't like them. I have a very small grip but I'm stromg enough to handle a gun safely and accurately. I want something reliable, accurate, and comfortable. It will get use.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?

First and foremost -- +1 on the various suggestions that you find a range (or someone you know) that can provide you a chance to both handle and shoot a number of different pistol makes and models. Pistol ergonomics are very subjective, and even for someone with similar sized hands to yours, their preferences may differ from your preferences.

Second, you may want to check out this website: link which is a blog by a female shooter and firearms enthusiast. She looks at various gun-related topics, including selecting your first handgun, from a female perspective. Might be helpful stuff.

Third, I'd personally avoid the advice of 99% of the gun store employees out there. As a rule of thumb, you're lucky if half of them have a clue about firearms related topics at all. And, as a woman, most will assume that you're not strong enough to handle any recoil at all, and not mechanically inclined enough to operate something as sophisticated as a pistol. (It sounds like you've had some of this experience already.)

All that said, your basic question would benefit from some additional elaboration. Most importantly, are you looking for a handgun to have at home and perhaps in your car for self-defense, or are you looking at getting a concealed carry permit and carrying the pistol with you. If concealed carry is not an issue, then overall size of the pistol you select less relevant and you have a broader field of options.

Either way, do look at getting a pistol with tritium night sights on it. You do not absolutely need them, and they typically raise the cost of the pistol somewhat, but they are helpful for firing in low-light conditions. The odds are pretty good that if you need a pistol for self-defense, it will occur under conditions of limited visibility.

For caliber (assuming a pistol and not a revolver), I'd say try the "big 3" of handgun calibers -- 9mm, 45 ACP and 40S&W. All three of them have their pluses and minuses in terms of magazine capacity versus thump and such, but all three are reputable and proven stoppers with quality defensive ammunition. 9mm is the lightest recoiling of the three, but there's no reason a woman can't handle the other two calibers.

As for specific makes and models to consider, I'd personally suggest looking at some of the following (some of these may have already been suggested by previous posters):

A) Walther P-99, Smith and Wesson M&P, and Heckler and Koch P2000, Beretta Px4 -- I put these out there as a block because all of them feature modular inserts that let you adjust the grip size to some extent. If large magazine capacity pistols are big for your hands, the ability to reduce the grip size may help with that.

B) Glock 19, CZ75 P-01, Sig P228/229, HK USP Compact -- These are all proven and reputable handguns as well, I'd put them in a seperate category simply because they are not adjustable for grip size. If they fit your hand well, it's obviously not an issue. All of the above are compact pistols which gives you good barrel length and performance while still being concealable on your person if that's an issue for you. The Glock 19 has the simplest controls of the bunch, making it very easy to learn, but none of the above (or anything else on this list) is overly complicated.

C) Sig P239, Commander-size M1911s (various manufacturers): These both have lower magazine capacity, but their single-stack magazines make for slimmer grip profiles. 1911s can be had in a range of calibers and from a bunch of manufacturers -- discussing them is a whole thread by itself, though I'd recommend looking at the Dan Wesson Classic Bobtail in 45 caliber (great pistol and a great price by 1911 standards).

D) For super concealable pistols: Walther PPS (new, may be hard to locate), Springfield EMP/Kimber Aegis (both micro-sized 1911s), various models from Kahr Arms. These are all very small "pocket pistol" sized guns (usually 3" barrels or so), with single stack magazines. About as small as you can go with a handgun and still maintain decent shootability along with concealability. (You can go smaller, but you get to the realm of guns suitable for nothing but defense at phone booth ranges.)

Hope that helps. Another issue to consider is what your handgun budget is, as the above guns run from anywhere in the mid-$400s to over $1000.

Quote Reply

Horsesoldier 9/10/2007 7:13:06 PM

To which I should add: I don't have any revolvers in my suggestions list. This is not because I don't think they're a viable idea, but simply because I'm not much of a revolver shooter and other people can offer better advice on that topic than myself.

Quote Reply

ChdNorm 9/10/2007 11:32:14 PM

In general, I always recommend a good revolver to start with. It's tough to beat a 4" barreled Smith & Wesson in .38 Special to start out on. You can pick up one in good condition at your corner gun store for around $200. With something like a Model 15 you get good sights, a good trigger, and good accuracy. Nothing but .22LR will be as cheap to practice with either. But, when loaded with a decent 158gr SWCHP+P it performs about as well as anything else out there. In my opinion, anything above and beyond that is just for show. Until a shooter can run thru a qual at 90% or above they can't take advantage of more complex and complicated designs anyway.

I've seen a whole lot of female trainees that have trouble handling most autos, and it's not always just about trigger reach and grip circumference. The controls as often as not are the real obstacle to true proficiency. For that reason, I have to disagree with everybody that recommended the Sigs. We run everybody thru our academy on the P-226, and even the smallest hands can handle the actual grip (especially the short trigger modified conventional DA/SAs and the DAKs). When it comes to the decocker and slide release, they force smaller handed shooters to pretty much completely give up any sort of control of the pistol. Slide mounted safeties like you see on S&W autos, Rugers, and Berrettas complicate the issue even more.

One of the greatest benefits of choosing something like a basic K-frame Smith & Wesson is the huge selection of aftermarket grips available. The grip frame for the Ks is so small to begin with, that even the smallest hands can find a grip that fits correctly.

Quote Reply

theBird 9/17/2007 6:08:26 PM

For carry I like my kel-tec p32. I orginally intended it as a backup gun, but as I usually don't like wearing the bigger shirts or multiple layers I'd need to conceal my glock its become my de facto primary carry gun now. Its 32 cal so its a bit bigger than a 22 or 25, and its really small and light (9 oz fully loaded) and i've never had any trouble with reliability with fmj's, though i have heard that some can have trouble with hollowpoints though. On the downside Trigger pull is pretty long since its double action only and accuracy isn't too great on account of it's 2 inch barrel, and while it is cheap (around $200), the ammo isn't (around $17 for a box of 50).

Quote Reply

theBird 9/17/2007 6:10:01 PM

As with almost all sub-compact guns the kel-tec is good for people with smaller hands, too

Quote Reply

smitty237 9/17/2007 8:28:17 PM

I would highly recommend the Glock. It's an idiot proof gun (just so long as you keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire), and it is very accurate and controllable. For a female shooter I would recommend a 9mm version, but the .40 cal version isn't too much of a handful at all. I would recommend the Glock 19, but you might want to take a look at the compact Glock 26, which is very concealable yet still packs a punch. Trijicon or tritium sights arent' a bad idea, either. A brand new Glock with night sights will cost you around $500.00, and a good holster will cost you around $60.00 or so. As far as holsters go, I would highly recommend Galco holsters.

Most important of all is that with whatever pistol you buy you need to get some proper training and practice, practice, practice! I would rather someone not buy a handgun at all than to buy some high speed, low drag hunk of metal they don't know how to use safely.

Good luck.

Quote Reply

YelliChink 9/18/2007 12:10:41 PM

link

I love women who shoot well.

As for personal protection weapon, guns are very personal and situational.

If you need a bedroom gun, then get something 9mm, .40S&W or even .45ACP. Size is not the matter here, the bullets are rather critical. You don't want over penetration, so JHP, HP or other shattering or deforming bullets are the choice. There are just too many choices in the market, so the best way is to visit your local gunshop and find a gun that fits your hand and shoots well. Make sure you also get a gunlock and storage box so nobody can get access to your gun when you're not at present.

If you're applying a CHL, then you are probably considering carry. No matter what you choose, don't get a purse gun. You need a holster that strap your handgun to you and only allows you the access of the weapon. Concealment is the primary goal, so that leaves not many choices out there. I suggest that you may want to take a look at Kel Tec guns or snub revolvers. BUT, you still need pepper spray and probably a taser in your purse. Make sure that you have the training (I mean real self-defense handgun training by good instructors) and practice (not only on the range, but also practice draw in different position). When you draw, you mean to shoot and probably kill, so make sure you also have nonlethal means of protection as alternative. Last advice is DON'T COME TO CHICAGO!

Quote Reply

GOP 9/19/2007 7:02:16 AM

Good luck.

I agree totally with Smitty, and he knows his stuff for sure. I love Glocks. They are idiot proof, very reliable, fairly accurate, and ergonomic, The G19 has almost no kick whatsoever. Also, while slightly heavier, a Sig P229 is an awesome gun and may have better ergo's..

Quote Reply

ChdNorm 9/19/2007 12:58:59 PM

I have to disagree. Which I think is pretty much irrelevant at this point, as NavyGator doesn't seem to be paying attention anymore anyway. But, Glocks are good at what they're intended for, but that isn't beginners. As a platform for actually learning to shoot they have horrible triggers and piss poor accuracy. Those two things individually can be overcome, but only after gaining at least some level of proficiency.

On a scale of learning to walk before you can run, Glocks are about like jogging. As a second or third level of progression, Glocks are a fine choice as a purely defensive hand gun. To a beginner wanting to learn the fundementals, I still say it's tough to beat something like a S&W K-frame to learn to actually walk. Even more so if spending time at the range for the purpose of target shooting is a consideration. Nothing builds confidence like accuracy.

Generally speaking, it's my observation that people tend to think that just having the latest greatest Model-X pistol means they know how to use it. Having a tricked out Kimber 1911 no more makes someone a competent handgunner, than having a Delta Unisaw would make them Norm Abrahms. In my opinion, maybe 20% (and I'm probably being generous) of the people that go out and buy a pistol actually gain anything you could even remotely call proficiency.

A S&W .38 is the K.I.S.S. principle perfected. And if there was ever a place for that ... it's your typical handgun owner.

Quote Reply

RockyMTNClimber Counter to the culture 9/19/2007 6:41:27 PM

A S&W .38 is the K.I.S.S. principle perfected. And if there was ever a place for that ... it's your typical handgun owner.

Your opinion seems to run counter to the current culture. I hear almost no-body promote simple double action revolvers today. One problem is that most of the revolvers built new today have D-A triggers that are way to stiff to start with for a beginner, either male or female IMV. That is a problem for gun design and manufacture. Am I wrong about that? A gun that needs a trigger job before you can use it for practice and defense just isn't built right IMHO.

I do not disagree with your sentiment about the K frame S & W but you seem to be a lone cry in the wilderness with even the mfg's abandoning your call for the wheel gun's simple utility and reliability.

Check Six

Rocky

Quote Reply

Pages: 1 2 3 NEXT

	News As History - July 23, 2008
	Home News How to Make War Wars Around the World Austin Bay's On Point Dirty Little Secrets Features Al Nofi's CIC Prediction Market Wargames Measure of Respect On War and Warfare Videos Photos Jokes Community Military Discussion Boards Military Jokes Military Photos Military Book Reviews Military Movie Reviews Military Links Wargame Store StrategyPage Subscribe Login Feedback About Us Search Account Manager Advertise With Us