Ladies firearm question for men and women

[Paliden]

I bought a G30 45ACP for my wife, finally got her on the range to shoot it today. I think recoil is going to be an issue with her on the 45ACP. I was hoping to keep hers and my pistol the same as far as ammo goes, but.... Anyway my question is what cal. is best for a petitie lady who won't be shooting every week? Also using as a CC gun. What do your wives/gf's have or recommend? .380, 9mm, 25acp?

[pedal_pusher]

either .380 or 9 ...most women don't like 45 from my experience, especially not for first time shooting. you should start with a much smaller caliber with a lot less recoil, otherwise she may get squeamish every time she pulls a trigger no matter what caliber/recoil it is.

i started my gf on a PPK .380 and she loves going shooting (having never shot before) and earlier this year, i bought her a HK P2000SK in 9mm which she now equally loves.

[gfost1]

Howdy, Paliden,

Don't discount the wheelgun. A couple of hollowpoints from a snub nose .38 is gonna hurt, I don't care who you are. You may only have 5 or 6 shots, but the next one is just one pull of the trigger away. Racking the slide/clearing a jam can be a chore on some of those little pistols, even for a guy with big hands and a firm grip. My wife had no complaints about or problems with her S&W J frame with stock grips.

Regards,

George

[southpaw02]

Hi Paliden,

I got my wife a Taurus five shot DA revolver in .38 special I don't remember the model number. It is a little small for me but she likes it. Recoil is not a real issue for her. She likes my .45.

Some others, I think might be worth consideration would be would be the Ruger SP101 in 327 Fed Mag. I like the ballistics on this but I am not to sure about recoil. For size alone the Ruger LCP could be worth looking at. I have shot one of these,while it was very small for me. Someone with smaller hands might like it. Another one to look at might be the Taurus PT 132 this is a 10 round .32 acp gun. Lastly, I might consider one of the Springfield subcompacts or the EMP in 9mm.

I tend to like the larger caliber guns myself. That said, any one of the smaller caliber guns loaded with a PDF round will be a good self defense gun. The only one I might shy away from would be the .25 acp.

I am sure some of the others will chime in here as well. Hope this helps.

SP

[Vahunter]

My wife tried many guns but the Bersa won.

[flowmaster]

Don't discount the wheelgun. A couple of hollowpoints from a snub nose .38 is gonna hurt, I don't care who you are.

that is exactly right! i've never once met a guy who enjoyed being shot. if she's not going to shoot it every day, she's probably not going to wear it out or break it, ever. charter arms and taurus both make a decent revolver. its not S&W quality, but it also doesn't cost as much as a S&W. both charter and taurus have a lifetime warranty, so repair if needed is nothing to worry about. cobra is now making a 38 special revolver in-house, but i have yet to speak on the subject because i havn't shot one or even seen one in person yet. keep in mind that the lightweight 38 special reovlvers that everyone seems to have out these days are nice and light for carry, but they can be rather punishing on your hand after shooting for a little while. felt recoil can be rediculous in some of the airweight models, which is why the ruger LCR revolver has a hogue grip from the factory with a very jelly section where the webbing of your hand goes, wich is there just so such a lightweight wheelgun won't punish your hand.

i'd totally shy away from 25acp. its right now more expensive per round than buying 9mm and its weaker ballistically than 22LR. sure its more reliable than 22LR because its got a real primer as opposed to relying on rimfire ignition, but still, its a weak round. i mean i carry a jennings 22 as a backup gun, but i really don't want such a low power round to be my primary means of diffusing a threat. i'd say 25 is a better backup round than 22 just because of the reliability of ignition, but its still a rather weak round.

a good intermediate between 25acp and 380 would be 32acp. kel tec makes a gun in 32acp. the keltec in 32acp is slightly smaller than the ruger LCP 380, doesn't have a recall to worry about (can't say that for the ruger) and the gun has been on the market for what, 15 years or so. great track record, cheap, and reasonble amount of firepower. ok, thinking about guns in 32acp, others make it: beretta and probably taurus. taurus loves to make knockoffs of beretta designs. you mentioned 380 in your first post. it has some kick to it, similar to 9mm makarov as well as your garden variety 9mm. if she's not feeling a 380 or 9mm, a 32acp might be right up her alley. there are some super-smooth berettas with tip up barrels chambered in 32acp which are just a dream to shoot. the slide might be hard for your wife's hands to pull back, but since its got a tip up barrel, you can just swing up that barrel, put one in the tube, then click it down and you're ready to rock and roll. it'll cost more than the kel tec, but its a nicer gun.

many people (including my concealed carry class instructor) consider 32acp to be the smallest round someone should carry, but i always say carry what you're comfortable carrying. beats throwing rocks.

i was really astounded by the lack of finger strength in my female friends, all of which are in their mid to late twenties. they could barely pull back the slide on some of my guns that have little surface area to grip. i mean she could be golden pulling back the slide on a glock, where she can get most of her hand around the slide, but on a smaller gun, its usually takes a thumb and forefinger grip. something to keep in mind when looking at some guns.

[Paliden]

We we're talking last last night and I think we're going out and look for a 22 cal. Then she can play with that until she gets good and comfortable and then work up slowly to something else. Yesterday was just not a good day for trying anything. I spent 2 days working at the range to help put on a Ladies Day at the Range and I was exhausted and she was too!
So we get to go shopping for a new gun

[KennyS]

Most ladies I have talked to including my wife, feel more secure with a bigger calliber for instant knock down potential. In a self defence situation it will be the first couple shots that count. Less rounds fired, less chance of hitting a bystander. IMOA I believe you go with a large calliber that you can get the 22 LR conversion kit for and use it for practice and plunking.

[GS78]

380, or 22, we have a very nice berretta bobcat 22, small and very accurate.

[zephyp]

Well, I've made a couple of mistakes trying to get a decent pistol for Young. I had her try the slide action on my pistols and she too has trouble with them - even the 92FS which I consider very smooth. So, I thought revolver!! I bought a GP-101 DA only thinking it would be perfect. She could practice with .38 and move up to the .357 for carry. Only problem was the trigger pull. She had so much trouble pulling the trigger she could barely hit the paper much less the target at about 12 feet. So, we checked out pistols at Gilberts and she really liked and could easily work a Taurus Millennium in 9mm. So, someone popped up with a Millennium pro in .45 and I jumped on it. Only problem is the .45 has a much heavier action to lessen recoil and slide smack she couldnt work it. She could shoot it but couldnt pull the slide.

Result: I've got a Taurus .45 in my collection and traded the GP-101 for a Baby Eagle in .45.

Lesson learned: I aint buying any pistol for her unless she's got it in hand, likes it, can work the action, easy to carry, deal with simple malfunctions, and shoot it comfortably. Then she can buy it!!!

[FIDO]

Best of luck finding something for the wife to shoot. Like most of us you may have to go through a few before finding the "one" gun she likes. If you make it to Richmond try Dominion Shooting Range by the old Cloverleaf Mall. They have a selection of firearms for rent and a frendly staff.
There were some petite female soldiers I knew who were quite good with the service M-9 Beretta. Some consider it heavy and large for conceal carry though.
For someone who does not practice much, I think the .357 revolver with laser sight will be something to consider as using .38s for practice, .357 for protection and a laser to help in stress or little familiarity with sights and firing the firearm.
My wife doesn't practice but can outshoot me with a 357. Galls me to no end but she is a natural with that particular firearm. Fortunately, I can keep my "man card" with rifle and shotgun.

[zephyp]

Young is a good shot behind a pistol she can handle. I'm trying to find a Bersa .380 she can check out. I think that might be just the ticket.

[Vahunter]

Young is a good shot behind a pistol she can handle. I'm trying to find a Bersa .380 she can check out. I think that might be just the ticket.

Bring her with you when you come and she can try out Sherri's

[Paliden]

We're going out maybe this week and look at Mark III, Ruger single six and what ever else we can find. Domnion Shooting range sounds good and I'll chech with a couple of my friends too. I use to have a Colt Pocket lite in 380 that I really liked. It was a baby 1911 you could carry all day and never know you had it. We'll find her something and hopefully I'll like it and get to play with too. Maybe?

[zephyp]

Young is a good shot behind a pistol she can handle. I'm trying to find a Bersa .380 she can check out. I think that might be just the ticket.

Bring her with you when you come and she can try out Sherri's

I'd love to Henry but she's having trouble getting a weekend off. They have 1 barber out on extended illness and another just left on a 30 day vacation. They're getting ready to put her on a 6 day schedule for a few weeks. She was lucky to make the picnic. Suffice it say we're looking for her a regular job so we have weekends off together.

[Virginia2AM]

petite female reporting here
ditto to George and all others, and to reiterate:
- start with 22 but don't stop - progress to .38 and 9mm and let her try larger cal too
- my choice - Taurus ultra light 0.38 special, 7-shot revolver, hollow point for defense, reloads for practice; one trainer at the 10/3 Lady's Day liked it and I let him shoot it
- I also started practicing with P64 9mm as a second choice to carry
- I love to shoot my husbands 1911, I have no problem with chambering or recoils and such, but I am not yet comfortable carrying it

Let her try as many as you can - ask friends and range people to lend you theirs - let HER pick the one for HER to carry

[Paliden]

petite female reporting here
ditto to George and all others, and to reiterate:
- start with 22 but don't stop - progress to .38 and 9mm and let her try larger cal too
- my choice - Taurus ultra light 0.38 special, 7-shot revolver, hollow point for defense, reloads for practice; one trainer at the 10/3 Lady's Day liked it and I let him shoot it
- I also started practicing with P64 9mm as a second choice to carry
- I love to shoot my husbands 1911, I have no problem with chambering or recoils and such, but I am not yet comfortable carrying it

Let her try as many as you can - ask friends and range people to lend you theirs - let HER pick the one for HER to carry

THANKS! We were at ladies day also. I was helping with the range and also at the VCDL table. My wife was the cute blonde at the table there, we all had a good time. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm going to get her into a 22 then move her up. I'll raid my buddies safes before we move up next time. lol

[ProShooter]

Lots of good advice presented here. Without having met your wife, I would have guessed that a G30 .45 would not be her cup of tea. A few of our girls carry .380's and its a nice caliber. The Bersa is an excellent choice as was previously mentioned.

Sounds like she may benefit from some personalized instruction with a firearms instructor as well. Could be an asset in her choosing a firearm.

[BluemontGlock]

if you do go .22, and certainly not suggesting otherwise as there is allot of great info here...

the Walther P22 is a slick little number with an easy slide and is AMZINGLY accurate, easy shooting and FUN...

I have said before, an accurate 10 stingers or Velocitors is handy companion or formidable opponent...and those particular rounds have plenty of "bang"...no one is going to say, "oh thats only a .22"

[Virginia2AM]

catch up to what I said: keep in mind that if she likes the ergonomics of the firearm, but trigger pull is too hard - or vice versa -- she likes how it shoots but not how it sits in her hand - ask store clerk and/or gunsmith if you can make adjustments