what gun for a new shooter

C

Cowboy Preacher

New member
My wife is going to get her CCW in the next few weeks. I am wondering what would a good gun for her would be? She is new to guns and has weak hand strength. Would a single action revolver be a good choice? What type of holsters would you carry in?
 
I'd actually shy away from a single action for a new shooter. More complications I think, and the whole cocked and locked thing is best left to those with more experience.

Weak hand strength leads me to a 9mm, .380ACP or .38 special. Hand size is also an issue.

The revolver vs. auto debate will live on forever. While I agree that revolvers are simpler, most of them don't have safeties.

Good suggestions would be the Walther PPK, the Glock 19 or 26, the Sig 239 or 228 (or even the 232, though I don't care for it), a chief's special (I wouldn't go DAO with weak hands), and I sure do love my Walther P99.
 
My suggestion would be to take her to a shop and find one that fits her hands and ask if there is a local range that may rent that particular weapon. Then take her out and shoot one and see if she still likes it. Always remember that confidence in your weapon along with a cool head is paramount for self defense.

I would highly discourage a single action Revolver OR Auto as a carry piece for a newbie.


------------------
Rick

[This message has been edited by Bandit (edited September 14, 2000).]
 
Revolvers don't have safties? Then don't be pullin' the trigger! ;)

Medium framed .38 special (revolver) should do just fine.

------------------
God, Guns and Guts made this country a great country!

oberkommando sez:
"We lost the first and third and now they are after the Second!(no pun intended)"
 
I'm with others here as far as the revolver goes. It's much simpler to operate and extremely reliable. If I could get my wife to carry, I'd want her to have a revolver.

However, your wife probably isn't going to want to carry a 4 inch barrel in her purse or on her person, so I expect you'll be looking at 2 inch barrels. Still you can't go wrong with a .357. Plenty powerful and she can carry .38s if she wants. Get a used S&W, or maybe look into the Taurus line of revolvers.

As for the weak hand strength, a trigger job can work wonders here. At my CCW qualification, a young lady struggled to qualify because the trigger pull on her .38 was too stiff. She did make it, but just barely, and at one point she couldn't even pull the trigger with her support (left) hand. About a month later, she and her husband attended an advanced handgun class at the same school. She had gotten a trigger job on the gun, and the difference was night and day. She performed much better and shot rounds all day long without the signs of weakness in her hands.

------------------
Guyon
NRA & GOA Member
Vote for your rights!!!

[This message has been edited by Guyon (edited September 15, 2000).]
 
I let my wife take her pick of my guns. I thought if she picked what appealed to her it would ease her transition into shooting. She chose a nickel plated, Colt Border Patrol, 4" barrel in .357. She shoots .38 specials from it. For concealed carry, she likes a S&W snubbie in .38. It is best for her to handle it before picking.
 
I'd recommend the revolver. It is simple and it doesn't require any hand strength to cycle the action. Ditto on the .38/.357 from the above posts. Plus, you can leave it loaded indefinitely without worrying about magazine springs.

------------------
Never do an enemy a minor injury. Machiavelli
"Stay alive with a 45"
 
I'd get her the one that suits her best.

But I'd also "guide" her toward a 2" barreled DA revolver chambered for .357 magnum and have her carry .38's or .38 +P's in it. Beefier frame will help a little on the recoil if she ever shoots full house loads.

The newer revolvers by Taurus have shown a marked improvement in quality control over their offerings of just a few years ago. Give them a GOOD look before you buy anything.

And I second the opinion about going to the range and renting as many different types of firearms as you can get away with. That's by FAR the best way to settle in on something.

But if she has weak wrists, as you say, I would stay as far away from autos as possible. Stovepipes are almost sure to follow.
 
I find it to be alot harder to shoot well in DA mode with a revolver, rather than in SA with a auto. A key issue with any carry arm is the confidence to hit what you shoot at. The time required to get to be a capable shot with a DA revolver may equal that to be proficient with the "complexity" of a auto. Auto is also "flatter" and in some situations easier to carry. Of course this depends on the particular weapons you are carring. I also like a mechanical safety, rather than just the DA trigger, it seems too easy to accidentally catch that trigger on something-face it we all know better but still do stupid things sometimes.

I'm pretty new to hangunning, so take the above with a large grain of salt, most other posters will be more experienced.

Bri
 
My wife started shooting with a DAO gun, but found the trigger too heavy. She wouldn't practice enough because of the trigger. She wound up with a Springfield Armory Ultra Compact V-10 because she was strong enought to handle the recoil, but the trigger was ligter. Now this might not be the right gun for your wife, but it's a direction. SA is building guns in 9mm, so maybe she could have a 1911 style 9mm? Alternately, the Glocks are pure simplicity, and easy triggers as well.
 
There's always a couple of us that don't like to recommend Glocks as first guns... and I am one of them. Glocks are some of my favorite guns though... they just don't leave enough room in my book for errors. I've heard "just keep your finger off the trigger" so much and it's such a SORRY arguement (in my book). The trigger is light and there are no second strike cababilities. If there's a Dud in a panic situation, unless you're trained, your natural reaction is to pull the trigger... but that's impossibble with a Glock. You HAVE to rack the slide to get the striker in position again.

I just know WalterGAII will be here in a minute telling us how he got his daughter in Law School a G-26 as a first gun and she's never had any probs with it etc, but I'm guessing that their family may have grown up around guns ;) For an absolute beginner, I'd recommend a revolver or a Ruger P-95. It has a decocker and no other external safties to mess with. It's Simple. Even simpler is a DAO semi-auto. You might also want to look at a Kahr... they typically have a trigger about 2-3 pounds heavier than a Glock, but they are just as simple as a Glock.

Good luck and keep us informed,
Ben

------------------
Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target" http://ben.gunsnet.net

[This message has been edited by Ben (edited September 16, 2000).]
 
why is she getting a ccw when she's "new" to guns?

am I missing something here? I'm all for the right to keep and bear arms.. but I think you should be MORE than familiar with them before carrying one.

Having said that a Taurus snubby or used SW aireweight should be fine. stay away from +p stuff or magnum calibers. I prefer on the person carry to "in the purse" get her a good IWB rig. by kydex or galco.

my 2¢
 
You may wanna have her check out the Kahr autos. They`re compact and flat with no extra safetys or controls to worry about. The trigger pulls are heavier and longer than a Glock (to hadge your bets against an AD) but they`re lighter and smoother than all but a super tuned revolver. A 9mm shouldn`t be too hard to rack the slide on especially with the right technique. If she has particularly small hands the Kahr P9 may be the best,it has a very thin grip which should allow the hand to wrap around for more grip and better trigger control. If you can have her try a bunch of different guns at a rental range before you but. Women and guns can be a strange mix :) it`s hard to say what`ll work for them until they try em. Marcus
 
Glocks are very nice guns. Very simple and VERY reliable. But picking a Glock for a first gun should be thought over carefully. I remember the first time i shot a glock. It was a Glock 19. It really surprised me. The noise and recoil were more than i had expected. (Of course i had only shot a .22 before) I found i had trouble aiming with the glock at first. The grip angle was funky.
I would not recommend a glock as a first gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top