Best first choice pistol for inexperienced woman?

Status
Not open for further replies.
W

ws6_keith

New member
Despite growing up in Nebraska and living in Montana for a few years, my wife has basically never shot a pistol, and only one or two rifles. Now living in Las Vegas, we're looking to change that.

We have signed up for the 4-day defensive handgun class from Front Sight, so I need to get her a weapon.

Now, whether this gun is hers to carry for ever, or it's just a stepping stone, I don't care. I figure it'll make a great backup weapon for me if she does step up. Personally, I carry a Para P12-45.

I have been considering a Colt Mustang .380, but someone suggested a Glock 9mm. I think the Glock is more $$$, and probably won't conceal as easily.

At this point, I'm just looking for something to get her through the class, but I don't want something that is worthless. I have seen the other thread on mods needed to make the Mustang 100% reliable, so that's not an issue.

Opinions please.



------------------
Keith
http://www.ws6.com
 
I'm going to suggest a Glock 17 or 19. As your wife has never shot, she will be a trainers dream...no bad habits. I've informally introduced a number of new shooters to various guns and have come to the conclucion that Glock is the way to go for the following reasons:

- Acceptable grip size
- Low recoil relative to other handguns in the same caliber
- Simple manual of arms
- Simple manual of arms
- Simple manual of arms
- Simple manual of arms :)
Rich
 
Glocks are nice, but. This weekend a small frame lady (if she weighed 100# soaking wet I would be surprized)was shooting my G17 in an IDPA match. Every time she fired, it stove piped. She shot with a real weak wrist. With me and everybody else who shot it, 100% reliable.

I would take her down to the gun shop and see what she felt comfortable holding. Dry fire it, if they will let you. Nothing bigger than a .357 using .38 Spls or a 9mm. A good quality .380 would not be out of the picture.

The key things are it must be comfortable for her to hold and shoot.
 
I would recommend revolvers. They allow the person to let the gun roll on recoil rather than absorb it all with the arms. Most .380s are smallish blowback guns that are hard to rack and recoil hard.
Target wadcutters in 38 are slow and make little noise and flash (which seem to be more of a problem than the recoil) and she can lean to shoot in single action to keep from jerking the trigger.
 
I don't know the time frame that you are dealing with, but you might want to consider getting her into a basic class, such as NRA Pistol and/or Personal Protection. The class you are scheduled for may not be the best one to start with, as she will be using totally new equipment. I am not familiar with how they teach, but they may not be able to offer any sort of assistance or remedial instruction, thus leaving her behind. That would be a bad start for a new shooter. Keep in mind that any gun you select that requires buttons or levers will be one she has to be able to operate them by reflex. Will she be able to get some insruction as to basic operation before this class? Will she have the chance to build up muscle memory on the techniques needed to operate the gun? Good luck to the both of you and I hope you find some of what you need in this Forum.

Kilroy...
...was here.

PS: Big DITTO on the "simple manual of arms"
 
Had a similar problem with auto and a friend of mine. We were trying out various 9mm's for her to shoot and of the Browning hi power , Beretta 92 F, Sig 226, Ruger P89 and Glock 17 we found that ...

A) everyone shot really well with the Sig and the brass landed in the same place everytime. She also remarked the grips were most comfortable.

b) the browning was the most accurate for us guys, but it jammed on her every other shot. Range officer suggested she was weak wristing the shots, along with a combo of lightweight slide on heavy frame. Maybe a lighter recoil spring would solve this. the safty was also awkward.

c) the ruger was too big for her hands, as was the beretta. She didn't like the looks of the ruger or the overall ergonomics of either.

d) she was REALLY concerned about the "safty" or lack thereof on the glock. She was wary every time she picked the thing up.


Lessons learned...

The gun she liked the most was the most complicated and the most expensive (the Sig).. well eventually she got one. She shoots it once in a while and she's happy with it.

Now IMHO, automatics are TOO complicated for novices (male OR female). Get a snub nosed .357 (colt magnum carry or S&W shrouded hammer 357, ladysmith, or even a taurus) with small grips and load it with .38 special wadcutters (target loads). You can train her "up" to full power .38 +p loads, or full house .357 if she's really into it. revolvers are really simple to operate, they "jam" less (provided the cylinder isn't gummed up with candy wrappers, facial tissue, cellophane from cigarette packs or other such detrius in the bottom of her purse). Practice practice practice! Meet other couples in your class... meet for shooting and then go socialize. she'll relax and enjoy herself more.. and you two can share in the fun.

Hope the info helps,

Dr.Rob
 
Even a good old fashioned police trade in Model 10 S&w revolver could be useful for class. (you can always bob the hammer , round the butt and cut the barrel down later)

Oh, and Colt's SFIV (stainless detective special) in .38 special has been spotted in the shotgun news for $249 (look also for speciual edition guns with a factory action job and glossy finish)

Dr.Rob

[This message has been edited by Dr.Rob (edited September 29, 1999).]
 
If your wife is going to take a four day defensive pistol class, she's going to be doing a lot of shooting, as well as other types of gun handling (loading/unloading, drawing/reholstering, tap-rack-bang drills, et cetera). This, to my mind, makes getting a gun she can shoot comfortably even more important than it would be otherwise.
 
Want to offer some similar experience on the Glock stovepipes. I took a female friend of mine to the range a month or so ago and she shot fine with all of my handguns, including a .40 and .45, but when I handed her the Glock 17, it jammed nearly every shot. It's always been 100% reliable for me before and since, so I think that the topheavy design might just be really sensitive to limp wristing.
 
Rich, et. al., thanks for the comments.

Looking across them, it seems that many people favor the Glock 17 or 19. While I'm sure it's a fine weapon, I was trying to restrict this to something concealable.

Either she will carry this weapon as a primary carry weapon, or I will use it as a backup weapon, so size is a little of an issue. What about the Glock 26? How much different is it regarding recoil, etc. than the 17 or 19?

We will be going to a local pistol shop, but I'd like some idea of what to start looking at. I don't want to look at stuff that has problems.

Rat, I had thought about a revolver for simplicity sake, but then I got to thinking. Realistically, due to recoil and capacity, the auto is preferrable. The Front Sight class takes you from "never held a gun" to "more than competent" including clearing problems. I'm expecting the class to give her the capability/confidence to use ANY weapon without a problem.

Kilroy, the Front Sight course is designed to be able to handle the extreme novice, up to well trained people and still have a learning curve that is appreciable. That is one reason this is the class we chose.

Any reason why no one has mentioned the Colt Mustang?



------------------
Keith
http://www.ws6.com
 
Am I the only TFLer who was so "nutty" as to begin handgunning with semi-autos (a S&W 9mm, and a SIG P229 .40), and to introduce my wife to shooting with same? While it is true enough that the very first time I fired a handgun, it was a revolver, but that was only once. Haven't really touched wheelguns since, as I generally don't like 'em.

The first time I took my (soon-to-be) wife shooting, I had just bought my P229, and was relatively inexperienced myself- everything I knew about guns came from reading, and little practical experience. I rented a Glock 17 and a Browning HiPower for her to shoot. Guess which gun she didn't like? The Glock! Next time we went shooting, we rented a SIG P226, and she liked that one best of all. We both prefer the simplicity of operation and field stripping SIGs. Conversly, Glocks are more difficult for us to field strip. I don't find SIG "complicated" at all.

The point? Uh, uh, uh.... right. What is she comfortable with handling? If she can operate all those "buttons and levers" and wishes to shoot a semi-auto, then I contend that it is not unreasonable to let her do so. As for calibers, I started my wife with 9mms. Low recoil (relatively), adequate power. Mind you, my wife is not scared of recoil.

Before you buy a weapon, perhaps you should go to a range, rent a few, and see what she likes and can handle well. In fact, it may be best, as has already been suggested, if she completes a basic handgun course before taking defensive handgun. She needs to have at least a passing familiarity with arms before training to use them effectively.


If you want something to get her through class, and is concealable, perhaps a SIG P239 in 9mm? It's a bit more $$$, but I think she'll probably have an easier time with it, especially if/when she needs to field strip or clean it. I've found Glocks take a bit more manual dexterity than I possess in order to rack the slide back 1/2 way, HOLD it there, and depress those two "lever thingies" to release the slide from the frame.

I'd better stop babbling before I enrage the GLockers TOO much... ;)

------------------
Lady Justice has been raped, truth assassin;
Rolls of red tape seal your lips, now you're done in;
Their money tips her scales again, make your deal;
Just what is truth? I cannot tell, cannot feel.

The ultimate in vanity
Exploiting their supremacy
I can't believe the things you say
I can't believe, I can't believe the price we pay- nothing can save us
Justice is lost, Justice is raped, Justice is gone
Pulling your strings,Justice is done...
Seeking no truth, winning is all,
Find it so grim, so true, so real....

If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP! RKBA!
 
Well, I'm also a glock fanatic, so I suggest you stay in that line.

9mm glocks are good, for the light recoil won't scare off new shooters.

The 26 is great for concealability, but I think you want a new shooter to be able to have a full hand on the gun.

I suggest (my personal favourite) the new model G19, with rails and finger grooves, because you can get your pinky onto the gun.
(and the new model doesn't have a hole for your pinky to fall into either!)

If she feels good with the G26, then DEFINITELY get the Pearce Grip Extensions so she can get a pinky on the gun.


------------------
9x19x(15+1) = Glock19, the Best.
 
CZ75 with a .22 Kadet adapter. Most women I've trained are very comfortable with the grip shape of the CZ. Throw on a .22 and you've got pleasant recoil with a splendid trigger pull. When they're proficient with sight picture and trigger control, on goes the 9mm or 40 S&W slide and barrel.



------------------
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
I think the Glocks are fine weapons, but may not be the appropriate weapon to start out on. If a basic .22 or .38 medium frame revolver is out of the question, and you have to have a Semi-auto there are soe good options.

First of all, I'm having some problem with your limiting your wife to a smallish type gun because you would like to conceal it latter on. Pardon the bluntness, but that seems rather selfish on your part. If she is interested in getting into pistol shooting, you should be down at the gun shop letting her try out everything they have to offer.

When my wife got the itch (to shoot that is), I just went down to the shop with her and let her handle just about every gun she wanted. She eventually settled on a Taurus model 85 in .38. Not MY first choice, but she sure likes it. Keeping in mind she'd steel my SIG 226 if I'd let her.

In reasonablly small semi-autos you've got a few options. My personal preference is for a Beretta 85 in .380. This puts an easy to fire round in a medium size gun. Its an absolute dream to shoot and the contols are easy to master. The Smith & wesson 3913/3913LS/908 series is also a good choice. If you like the idea of 9mm is a smallish package, the S&W is hard to beat.

The Kahr is a great gun but the fact that iit has no hammer or manual safety may detract from its teaching value as a semi auto.

Just some thoughts. Welcome to the Forum, and hope your wife has good luck in what ever you decide.



------------------
"By His stripes we are healed..."

PeterGunn
 
Peter, I'm not limiting her by what I want, but I have to consider this:

She is willing to take a class and carry a firearm for personal protection. Beyond that, she is not interested in guns for recreation (as I am). This means that our selection needs to be one that she can conceal, or if she wants a different weapon, one that I can conceal as a backup. My using it as a backup is a secondary concern, as I'd like to see her carry whatever she chooses.

Like I said, we will be going to the gun shop some time in the near future for her to "try on" a few. All I wanted here was for people to lead me away from any potential problem guns, and tell me of good experiences with particular models so that we could target them first.



------------------
Keith
http://www.ws6.com
 
How about a Colt Pony.
It's simple to operate, easy to shoot,
reliable with good ammo, and would
make a good backup if she ends up
hating it. Be sure to show her one
before you buy it, if she is like my wife
she will form her opinion based on
critera that you as a man cannot
hope to understand.



------------------
Johnson
 
"Any reason why no one has mentioned the Colt Mustang?"

The Mustang is a fine firearm. I have one and carry it often during the hot summer weather when concealing a full sized firearm is difficult.
However, the Mustang has a little too much in common with its big brother. You are dealing with a single action trigger and a manual saftey. Both can be trouble in the hands of an inexperienced shooter. When rushed to get a shot off, a new shooter might have an AD with a SA pistol. Or worse, in a life or death situation, they might forget the saftey.
If you are going to carry a SA auto, you must be willing to put in the great amount of time and practice until trigger control and saftey manipulation become instinctive actions that require no thought.
Its taken me years to reach that level and I don't think a four day course is nearly enough.
Johnson has a good idea. If you like the size, weight and caliber of the Mustang, look at the Pony. Basicly the same gun with a DA trigger. Much better for a beginner.
 
Keith,
I sincerely hope you did not take offence to my comments. My personally philosophy may just be a little different from yours. I believe that any individual attempting to buy a handgun, even if its one you're just cutting your teeth on, should be done only with the primary shooter in mind.

My only question is this, and I ask because I have had the opportunity to see the end result, What if the gun your wife desires to cut her teeth on is NOT one you can use later for concealment? Most qualified trainers will encourage a beginner to start with something simple and move up from there.

I hope you read my original post where I suggested a few weapons you could look at. I have fired all of them and would not suggest them to you otherwise.

In the case of my wife, the first gun she fired was a HK USP. She loved it!!! Once she got ALOT of shooting under her belt, she eventually settled on a small revolver. It has taken her some time to get good with it. Small gun are usually harder to shoot well and take a longer time to master.

Those were the only things I desired to point out. I hope to see you around here often. There are a ton of good guys around this forum who have there heads screwed on straight and are a wealth of great wisdom.

Thanks,




------------------
"By His stripes we are healed..."

PeterGunn
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top