Gun for girlfriend

My LE agency has many differently sized people. Even the 5'2" females learn to shoot the 9mm Glock 17Gen4, and if in a special assignment, a Glock 26 Gen4, if requested. Previously, the issued & required models were the Glock 22 gen3 or Glock 27 gen4, .40S&W firearms.

They also qualified with a 20" Mossberg 590A1 shotgun, now a 14" version.

Making a decision by next week is a worthwhile goal. Making a relatively hasty/rash/quick decision to choose a firearm does concern me. If it takes a bit longer to:
-choose the right firearm, and
-become proficient with it, and
-be proficient with any ancillary equipment (holsters, lights, ammo, maintenance), and
-other non-lethal options,

then so be it. Be ready to use, but not have lethal force as one's only option.
 
Forget revolvers, they're antiques and harder to shoot for beginners
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Not trying to start an argument. But I have noticed the comment that revolvers are harder for beginners a few times lately. My experience and what I have been hearing for years, even before the internet, is that it is easier to learn with a revolver.

I would be interested why some think a revolver is harder. I tend to lean the other way.

I do not recommend small revolvers for beginners. I prefer larger revolvers. But if the OP and girlfriend are leaning to a revolver and want a small one for concealed carry a 3" J frame in .357 might work good loaded with .38's to start. They conceal well and the extra mass and .38 loads will help with recoil.
 
Small hands tend to point to a small single-stack. My wife (also small hands but a big heart) :D can grasp her 9mm LC9s much better than she can my Sig's double stacks.
Small revolvers would be another option, as others have suggested.
 
I would be interested why some think a revolver is harder. I tend to lean the other way.
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A few reasons right off the bat:

1. Trigger - the heavy double action trigger pull on a revolver is really challenging for anyone to shoot accurately. Factor in someone with really small hands, and that difficulty compounds. That muzzle will be bouncing all over the place.

2. Recoil - recoil from a snubbie is stout, which means reacquiring the target will be slower. Yes, I know you can load down to soft shooting 38 specials, but doesn't that defeat the purpose?

3. Sight radius - snubbie are intended to be "point shot" at short range which takes a TON of practice to be proficient. Read up about the percentage of cops that are able to qualify with a snubbie for their back up gun qualification requirements. It's not many.

4. Capacity - imagine you have a novice shooter, who struggles to pull the heavy revolver trigger consistently on an already inherently inaccurate gun... and you're going to limit them to 5 rounds. Not trying to be snarky, but how does that sound like a good idea?

Those are my thoughts.

Ps. More anecdotally, my wife refuses to shoot my revolvers and sticks with the semi autos. She's less accurate, less confident, and doesn't enjoy the recoil... so she doesn't enjoy it. That comfort level and willingness to practice is SO IMPORTANT.
 
I agree with what Jackstraw said. I would add that the reason some folks recommend revolvers to beginners is because most can be operated as a single action. Cock the hammer first. Well, this may be fine and dandy for range shooting, but it is certainly not the best for a self-defense situation.

When I first learned to shoot handguns in my teen years, revolvers were all I had access to. Everyone I shot with always cocked the hammer first and then fired. So, that's what I learned to do. I was a good shot (so I thought) firing the revolver that way. But, if I used it the way it was intended to be used, double action, I quickly saw that I wasn't all that accurate.
 
To misquote Heinlein, no pistol suitable for self defense is going to be fun or easy for a small woman to shoot.
It is hard to load the magazine, it is hard to rack the slide, what are all these buttons and levers for, it is heavy/it kicks.
How do you get the cylinder open, it only holds five shots, the trigger is hard to pull, the empty shells didn't come all the way out, it is heavy/it kicks.
I can't hit the target, it kicks.
It's ugly, it costs a lot, what bullets do I buy, it's in my purse somewhere.

You have to be committed to shoot even reasonably well. If you do not take a serious interest and put in the work, nothing is effective.

Professional training is best, an experienced acquaintance can get it done. Teaching a spouse or sweetheart to shoot is a stressful experience and may not be effective.
 
Bam is on to something with his comments about revolvers. Consider a S&W Model 60.

Other than that, my own suggestion is the S&W Shield 9mm. Just a sweet shooting gun as long as she has no issues racking the slide.
 
She has to get over those "issues", she has to get tough and determined.
The Cornered Cat is a good source.

Otherwise, there is the Grandma Gun option. Furnish her a loaded pistol and hope she can get the job done before it runs out.
 
A few reasons right off the bat:
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Those are all reasons why it might not be the best for concealed carry.

But not reasons why it is not better to learn the fundamentals of shooting.

It is much simpler to learn to operate.

When comparing similar sized hand guns, preferably full size for learning, I have found most people are more accurate and learn faster with a revolver.

Single action shooting is better for learning how to shoot. Long double action pulls are better left for later skill development for pistols and revolvers.

Striker fired or coked and locked eliminates the double action problem but might not be the best for some people to learn with or be their first concealed carry.

I also do not think snub noses are the best to learn with but the same goes for compact auto loaders.

If learning proper fundamentals has to be put aside for pressing concerns I do not think any option will be much better than the next, if it is life and death time.
 
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I have found most people are more accurate and learn faster with a revolver.

Single action shooting is better for learning how to shoot.
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I think that one should get away from single action shooting of a revolver or DA/SA auto as soon as they have learned that the bullet goes where the gun was aimed when the hammer falls.

I have seen two cases where that was not done. Women shooters learned to shoot single action, a crisp 3 lb trigger pull is ever so much nicer than 10 lbs over an inch and they stayed with what worked on the range.

One lady went around the house with a cocked revolver. When she found no intruder, she had the problem of getting the gun decocked. She did not succeed and shot a hole in the carpet.

Another young woman similarly checked the place out with a cocked revolver. When startled by something, a blowing curtain or the cat or some such, she cranked off a round into the water bed. Fortunately only into the rail, not the mattress.
 
I'm a lady shooter, 5'2", small hands and I prefer a full size standard 92FS Beretta. Don't make assumptions of what us folks with small hands like to use.....or can. However, I'd recommend, going to the police, and getting a used s&w 36. If she's never fired a gun, I think most pistols would be too complex and not the safest thing for her to use as a person with very limited gun knowledge. Get lights for outside the house, a flash light for the car...common sense things. Get her to take lessons shooting and let her decide the gun from there.

Laura
 
I've taught quite a few people basic firearms use, and many are surprised at how well the Beretta 92 fits their hand, even those with small hands. And it tames recoil well. For carry it's a bit big, and if that's in play I would go with a .38 revolver as many have suggested. Especially if she has any trouble racking a slide. A stalker is not likely to stick around to see what he's getting shot at with after hearing one bang, so a reload is not likely to be needed. Particularly if she hits what she aims at.
 
OP, First thing I'd do is notify the authorities that your GF is under threat and then I'd investigate legal carry options for her.
 
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I've had a similar situation as yours. My first step was to was give her a couple different sizes of Saber Red defense spray and a stun gun (with the darts), and taught her to use these effectively. I wouldn't rush out to buy a gun for someone without any experience. Make sure you and her are knowledgeable of the laws in your State, as you don't want to turn a bad situation into something she will go to jail for. At the same time we went through the police and court.

If a pistol will be bought immediately anyway, I would go with a Ruger LCR in .22 or .38 and swap the front sight for a high visibility fiber optic sight. Although.22 isn't ideal if she can land the 8 rounds accurately verses a larger caliber this is more important than missing the target. What makes the LCR so good is the ease of operation, and with the DA pull she won't pull the trigger negligently.
 
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