Semi-auto pistol suggestions for a female

[HeloMedic1171]

I'm helping a friend choose a pistol for home/self defense. we'll be taking the CCP class together in the future, but she wants to get a weapon and practice with it first. she tried a compact glock model, in 9mm. i think it was the 23 or the 27, not sure. she liked it, and also liked the XD. I suggested she try a sig 226 and something else, like a smith SW9C or an HK, so she knows what else is out there. she really wants to, just for basis of comparison, but I wanted suggestions from you guys. so if your wife/girlfriend/SO, or daughter/sister/best friend was looking at buying a gun, what would you suggest to her? one thing I noticed that I didn't like was that she needed me to load the last round or 2 into the mag on the glock. is this an issue in all glocks, or just the shorty models? is it just because she's 5'5" and about 125?

penny for your thoughts, gents and ladies, and why.

 

[jordan]

I'm helping a friend choose a pistol for home/self defense. we'll be taking the CCP class together in the future, but she wants to get a weapon and practice with it first. she tried a compact glock model, in 9mm. i think it was the 23 or the 27, not sure. she liked it, and also liked the XD. I suggested she try a sig 226 and something else, like a smith SW9C or an HK, so she knows what else is out there. she really wants to, just for basis of comparison, but I wanted suggestions from you guys. so if your wife/girlfriend/SO, or daughter/sister/best friend was looking at buying a gun, what would you suggest to her? one thing I noticed that I didn't like was that she needed me to load the last round or 2 into the mag on the glock. is this an issue in all glocks, or just the shorty models? is it just because she's 5'5" and about 125?

penny for your thoughts, gents and ladies, and why.

Baby glock, in 9mm, is the 26 I beleive, ive never shot one but I havent heard anything bad about it. A glock 23 & 27 is compact-subcompact .40 cal. Glock has grown on me and I have come to like them. XD?? Thats by springfield right? Dont know about that. A Sig 226 probably is not a good idea if she has small hands becasue its a good size handgun. My sister who is as tiny as can be (i call her a 'Ewok'..... from star wars.) likes the glock 19. My mother likes the Walther P99. Look around. Shop around. Shoot around. Find out what she likes and maybe more importantly, what she doesnt like.

 

[LibraryLady]

I am small, 5'3" and I have very tiny hands. My first consideration is what fits and feels comfortable in my hands.

Take her to a gun show. She can literally pick up hundreds, just to see what fits. Use that as your first elimination criteria. If she's a novice, then you absolutely want something that doesn't feel awkward in the hand. Make this something she likes to do, so you don't turn her away.

Forget stopping power, round size, if you have to load the last round or two in the mag, what's sexy/popular, concealability, etc... first and foremost - let her feel comfortable - otherwise you'll never get her to keep up with the practice.

Find a range that lets you try out various stuff. Then do it! Make it fun - the only way you're gonna get her to the range on a regular basis is if it's interesting/fun/relaxing. If the range is a chore, she won't go, and guns in the hands of the untrained/unpracticed can be a liability. Let her get good with one, build up her strength, etc, then move onto something with a larger round, bigger kick etc...

Did I mention the first consideration should be comfort? ;)

The first one bought isn't gonna necessarily be the last one...

LL

 

[gunslinger]

I am small, 5'3" and I have very tiny hands. My first consideration is what fits and feels comfortable in my hands.
Let her get good with one, build up her strength, etc, then move onto something with a larger round, bigger kick etc...

Did I mention the first consideration should be comfort? ;)

The first one bought isn't gonna necessarily be the last one...

LL

I agree with that. My daughter is 5 Ft. nothing with very small hands and she started shooting with a 22 LR small frame auto and now handles a 92 F, (which as you all know is a large weapon)with no problem.

 

[Chopstick]

I <3 my Walther PPK .380:2c:

 

[The91Bravo]

As a given, she should be able to test fire a large selection before laying down the scratch to buy one.

A solid dependable semi auto that is not a plastic gun is the Sig P239. It has 7+1 of .40, and there are few weapons as dependable as Sig

Is she stuck on a semi-auto? Alot to remember for a novice there. A good wheel gun in 38 or 357 would never fail to fire, no safety, no magazine to remember how to reload, and usually 5-7 rounds of ammo. Just point and shoot.. like a camera

I would echo my first thought about 'try b4 you buy' for her.

Also the revolvers are usually much cheaper than the semis.. if that is a consideration.


Glad to hear the intent to train at a range... train often and have her run simulations in her mind.. it helps the learning curve... not just shootin holes in paper, but 'thinking' like she would in an actual engagement...


Good luck, please keep us informed on her decision...

Sincerely,
Steve

 

[The91Bravo]

BTW,

If she's hot,.... the range shooters are more apt to help... lol

For free... as long as they can put their arms around her and shit like that to ...er.....um... assist her in learning... yeah thats it...

 

[HeloMedic1171]

k..... lemme see where to start:

She is, and I quote "SO over wheel guns. I was over them the last time i shot them."

I'm not encouraging any one round. if she wants a glock 9mm, I'm cool. if she wants a desert eagle, fine. but like LL said, I told her it has to "feel" right. what feels right is what she'll enjoy shooting. and what she enjoys shooting she'll get better with.

It was the Glcok 26 she shot, glad you caught that.

I encouraged her to shoot different brands and whatnot because like Steve said, she needs to put rounds downrange through different weapons before laying down quid for one. and she agrees, it was half her idea half mine. I love the ideas, keep them coming.

criterion:

has to be semi-auto. she doesn't like wheel-guns. no, I really don't know why.

has to "feel right". subjective, i know, but with you guys tosing me brands and models, I can sugest other weapons to try. I'd like to see her soot 8-10 weapons before buying one. maybe I'm being unrealistic, but buying a pistol isn't "cheap" and if you're going to pick a weapon to stake your life on, better do it right the first time (in terms of when it matters. Chop- yup, it probably WON'T be her last. hehehehe)

round isn't important, but she seems to favor smaller rounds over larger because with her size, she finds it easier to put more of them between her and the target. i.e., she liked .45 ACP, but liked 9mm more. I think I'll try 40 S&W next for comparison.

I'll show her the thread and see what she thinks, but I love the input, keep it coming.

getting her to go to the range isn't hard, her eyes lit up when i suggested it the first time, and to be honest, i think it makes her..... well...... you know. "excited".

:) yee-haw. thanks for the help, let's hear some more.

edit: The criteria are all HERS. my only input on this (by design, of course) is to help her by telling her what to look for, i.e. fit and feel in her hands, ease of use, safety features she wants, if any, things like that. I actually showed up a little late on purpose so she'd look around and pick up a few on her own - I really want her to pick what SHE wants.

 

[HeloMedic1171]

BTW,

If she's hot,.... the range shooters are more apt to help... lol

For free... as long as they can put their arms around her and shit like that to ...er.....um... assist her in learning... yeah thats it...

she's quite lovely. so when I, as an expert combat pistol qualifier, put my arms around her to help her shoot, I think I made the range guys jealous. they still double-discounted my range fees and rounds. hehehehehe. I love being me.







"expert combat pistol qualifier".... that's like saying "I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night"...... heheheheehehehehehehe :)

 

[Queen Beach]

Isn't there a thread around here where some chick was looking for info on a gun for herself? She got some jabs due to her silliness...however~:uhh:

there was some good input on that thread.....

Although it may have been deleted~! :eek:

 

[Olive Drab]

sig 225, sig 250, hkp7

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

I shot the S&W MP 9mm yesterday, just a test fire. Dryfired about ten times, shot a 10 round group at 7 yards, about the size of a half-dollar. Sweat shooting gun. It has adjustable back-strap, (Small, Medium, and Large) you can change out the back-strap. To adjust for hand size, great freaking gun and perfect for someone with a small hand…

 

[QC]

Just a tip for any ladies out there. Don't wear anything too revealing. I was on the range with this girl who had a low cut top. Not that racy, but low cut nonetheless. So we're shooting glocks, she's on my right, and a hot brass casing ejects and flies right into her cleavage and gets stuck in her bra.

 

[The91Bravo]

Hot Shot.......









I could not refuse...

 

[LibraryLady]

Just a tip for any ladies out there. Don't wear anything too revealing. I was on the range with this girl who had a low cut top. Not that racy, but low cut nonetheless. So we're shooting glocks, she's on my right, and a hot brass casing ejects and flies right into her cleavage and gets stuck in her bra.

Did you render first aid? ;)

LL

 

[QC]

OH BEHAAAVE!!

A fun sight, watching this girl hopping around, trying to dig the brass out. But I was impressed as she still pointed her weapon down range, the other hand in her bra. Kewl... :)

 

[8'Duece]

Here's my diatribe, of sorts:

Then natural tendency to steer women towards small calibers and small "Purse pistols" comes from the stereo type that women can't handle large calibers or semi auto pistols. This is totally false and I've seen women place better than most experienced shooters in IDPA and IPSC.

The "Cornerd Cat" is a great websight for women looking to get into pistol shooting and self defense. You'll find that she carry's 1911 .45 ACP's and is actually pretty deadly with them. She also know's more about shooting than most men.

Ladies, just choose what you like, get training, and practice, practice, practice.

 

[HeloMedic1171]

Here's my diatribe, of sorts:

Then natural tendency to steer women towards small calibers and small "Purse pistols" comes from the stereo type that women can't handle large calibers or semi auto pistols. This is totally false and I've seen women place better than most experienced shooters in IDPA and IPSC.

The "Cornerd Cat" is a great websight for women looking to get into pistol shooting and self defense. You'll find that she carry's 1911 .45 ACP's and is actually pretty deadly with them. She also know's more about shooting than most men.

Ladies, just choose what you like, get training, and practice, practice, practice.

yup. I'd laugh my ass off if she chose a .45 ACP, but she likes the fact that she can put more 9mm ammo downrange faster than she can put .45 ACP, in a tighter pattern. the only thing I really had to help her with was her stance. I showed her how to widen it up a bit and she had a much better time with controlling the weapon. I love shooting sports :)







EDIT: one more thing - at the range, I teased her about the purses they have to conceal weapons.... her response: "Um, no. hell no. too easy to leave around. I want a shoulder rig,"

I think shoulder rigs are sexy...... and I really do love being me.

 

[ROS]

yup. I'd laugh my ass off if she chose a .45 ACP, but she likes the fact that she can put more 9mm ammo downrange faster than she can put .45 ACP, in a tighter pattern. the only thing I really had to help her with was her stance. I showed her how to widen it up a bit and she had a much better time with controlling the weapon. I love shooting sports :)







EDIT: one more thing - at the range, I teased her about the purses they have to conceal weapons.... her response: "Um, no. hell no. too easy to leave around. I want a shoulder rig,"

I think shoulder rigs are sexy...... and I really do love being me.

After shooting a ton of firearms, including the Glocks 23, 26, and 29, Daiwoo .40, the P 226, and others, I chose my HK .45 ACP hands-down over the rest. I'm not short, exactly, at just under 5'8", but I do have small hands and I have no issue with it whatsoever. I chose it because of the weight and feel, along with a host of other reasons, namely the fact that it's a pretty od green. >:{ (kidding) And hey, they always make it in a compact USP, which makes an awesome accoutrement to a shoulder rig.

 

[HeloMedic1171]

wow. that's awesome. I'll recommend that to her, see what she thinks. she loves to shoot, possibly more than i do, so it's not going to be difficult to get her to try another pistol. I really think the reason she likes the glock is for the price and the size. I'll see if I can find a place that has the HK USP compact and see how that works for her. the place we went has been pretty helpful, but they don't allow you to shoot EVERY gun they have. they have a good selection though. at this point I'm thinking out loud. Thanks for all the help guys. :)