Bought himself a Shield - got her a DB9

S

sliponby

New member
I'm an NRA instructor and teach the basic pistol course. A young lady (~22 yrs. old), who will soon be taking the course along with her boyfriend, told me that the boyfriend bought her a DB9 and bought himself a S&W Shield. I tried not to show dismay and disapproval but she read it on my face. I tried to recover and told her she'd have ample opportunity to shoot the DB9 on the range as well as his Shield and my collection which I allow students to use and try out. She'll be able to try my LC9s Pro, PM9, XDs 9mm, SW 442 and G26 in the compacts and a G19, PPQ, XDM 5.25, P89 and a PT1911 in the bigger guns.

Countless times I have witnessed terrible pistol choices for women by well intention, but ignorant men. I've never fired a DB9 but somehow I don't think it was the best choice for this young lady. She plans on purse carrying in a dedicated, holstered compartment.

I'll have her in a G19 or similar by the end of the class. Many women love the PPQ's ergos but the light, but fine trigger may not be the best choice for beginners.
 
Even if the DB9 was known for its reliability, any 9mm that size is a bad first choice for both men and women alike. The recoil, short sight radius will have her frustrated and developing a flinch in no time. Not to mention trying to learn how to manipulate such a small gun when dealing with the many malfunctions she's sure to encounter will be down right difficult.
 
Yup... Size is the biggest issue.

It is reported to be unreliable with many types of ammo. I believe all 147gr is a no go, as the throat is too short.
 
Lovely. I think she needs a new boyfriend. Unless it is like what I did for my youngest daughter recently.

She expressed an interest in CC this year (I was delighted with this news). She wanted a small .380 for IWB. Only have two. A Keltec (which has performed flawlessly) and a new Bodyguard. During my evaluation period of the BG it suffered a bad ammo kaboom. So, my daughter gets the Keltec and a new IWB holster to her liking while the BG goes back to Smith for a checkup. Got the BG back, I wrung it out some more for testing and we then swapped .380's. She likes the BG because it is a tad softer shooting and has great sights. I like the Keltec because it is reliable, tiny and I must also have a masochistic (sp) streak for pain. :D
 
coyoyewsm said:
What's the problem with the db9?
Click to expand...
It's extremely small; it's so small that it makes the 9mm feel way worse than it does in a gun that's just a little bit bigger. The recoil alone will be terrible for a less-experienced shooter. It also has a long, heavy trigger, which can be difficult for new shooters to master. And, of course, the reliability issues aren't great either. All in all, it's one of the worst possible choices for a new shooter of smaller stature.

And its one advantage, size, isn't that much of an issue considering the woman in question plans to purse carry.
 
Well I think maybe he did better than my brother. He recently bought his fiancé a Ruger LCR. I got to shoot it this weekend talk about recoil. 38 special ammo tames it a good bit but there still the accuracy issue with he short barrel.
 
Let’s not be so hard on these folk.

They’re taking a class. That’s more than a lot of new gun owners do.

Should they have waited until after the class to buy their guns? Probably would have been a good idea.

What’s very important to me is what is going to be their attitude in class? Are they bound and determined to defend their purchases no matter what the facts are or are they open to what is presented? Not open to new ideas? Well that would be unfortunate.

Sounds like you have a nice variety of guns for them to try and maybe they’ll let you fire their DB9, you said you’ve never shot one so it could be a learning experience for you too.
 
Is there a market for a class geared towards people buying a first handgun, and letting them try out a variety of guns to help them make a decision? Maybe you can make NRA Basic Pistol a pre-req, but I imagine it'd actually be good marketing for a shooting range. Let people shoot 5-10 rounds each from, say 6-8 different guns of various sizes and types. Charge for the class and the ammo, answer any questions they might have, then shunt them off to the salesperson standing right outside the door with this exact selection of guns available for purchase...

I know it's something that would be useful, but that doesn't mean people would pay for it. Most first-time gun owners are already balking at paying $500+ for a gun, they're probably even more skeptical of paying another $100 or more just to shoot a few rounds...
 
Of the smaller 9mms I bet she likes your Ruger LC9s Pro best. For its size the slide is easy to grip and chamber a round, much easier than the slippery scales serrations of the Shield and stout RSA of the DB9 or PM9. If she can conceal the Glock 19 or 26 they would be ideal.

Nice that you have so many pistols for your class to try out. I bet a lot of students leave your class knowing what their next gun will be!
 
I think when someone is buying their first gun. It is hard to know what is going to exactly work for you. The best way is to get to the range and shoot some different guns you might be interested in.
That boyfriend bought himself a decent gun & then bought his girlfriend a cheaper gun. That's not to say it might not work for her. Or maybe he isn't sure she's a keeper yet. ;)
I probably would have just bought 2 shields and been done with it....less confusion.
 
My wife insisted on researching, and picking her own pistol. If she'd wanted a DB or something in that class I'd have objected.

It sounds like this guy had 550 bucks to spend on 2 guns and the DB fit the remaining budget.
 
I strongly encourage new shooters to take the class first, try out different sizes, platforms and calibers of pistols, then make a much more informed decision. Easily 50% of new shooters who show up to my class with a new pistol purchase leave with buyer's remorse...
 
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