Self Defense Gun For My Girlfriend!

[jcabin]

My girlfriend was never into guns, infact was rather anti-gun before i showed i educated her on how safely they can be handled, and actually held a gun in her hands. Now she wants to pick one up for herself. She just decided a few days ago, so i thought id pop on here and see what you guys think a good carry gun for a female would be. She's a small thing so keep that in mind. I've heard revolvers are better for women, but thats just what ive heard, i dont know, because im a big guy and have never had any trouble handling any type of weapon. thanks for the help all, its much appreciated.

[Judge]

Depends on how she wants to carry it... most revolvers are rather big... not convienient for small purses or small frame carry.

I bot my wife a Beretta tomcat - .32. It's small, very reliable and low maintenence. It's not a 'fun' gun to go shoot 300 rounds thru - recoil, but they will carry with them - it's easy to store in purse, pocket or elsewhere.

Originally Posted by jcabin

My girlfriend was never into guns, infact was rather anti-gun before i showed i educated her on how safely they can be handled, and actually held a gun in her hands. Now she wants to pick one up for herself. She just decided a few days ago, so i thought id pop on here and see what you guys think a good carry gun for a female would be. She's a small thing so keep that in mind. I've heard revolvers are better for women, but thats just what ive heard, i dont know, because im a big guy and have never had any trouble handling any type of weapon. thanks for the help all, its much appreciated.

[G McBride]

Look at the new Ruger LCP .380 if she wants a small concealable gun.

[charlie.45]

is she going to get a ccw? or is it just a keep in the house or car gun? look into a sub compact taurus 9mm to start her out on it would be a great gun for both purposes. something smaller but not a kel tec 9mm those things pound the hell out of your hand their painful.

[bps3040]

My wife was not anti gun...just knew nothing about them, so she was scared of them. She decided she wanted to try shooting, so I took her to a gun show. She picked up every .22 and SHE decided which one she liked.....that was 3 months ago. She has now graduated to a XDsc9 and loves to shoot it! Our next purchase is Kahr PM9 and a CHL permit for her. Start small and let her decide which .22. My wife was scared of my XD.40 and now she likes to shoot it. She is 5'2" and 118 lbs.

Also lavish the praise on her when she shoots. I did not even shoot the couple times with my wife......they love it. Good luck

[usmcj]

I'm new here, but ........

do NOT consider caliber
do NOT consider manufacturer

Just have her shop for a handgun just like she shops for shoes. Try on everything she can get her hands on. Some will feel pretty good. Pursue those, and she will find a couple that are "just right". If she gets something that doesn't feel "just right" in her hands, she'll never shoot it enough to become proficient with it. If she's not proficient with it, she may as well carry a club.
(edit..... as posted, basics would be easier to learn starting out on a .22 of some sort.)

just my 2 cents worth

[vthompson]

I started my wife out with a colt 22 when she first started to shoot. Now she loves to shoot my 9mm and my XD45.and she does surprising well and now she loves to shoot. When she started with the 22 cal. I would let her shoot however she was comfortable and I wouldn't criticize her very often. I just let her have fun,and now she loves to shoot.
I would strongly suggest a 22 cal.for a while and let her have fun with it.

[PatriotnMore]

+ 1 on the .22.
Start with basic marksmanship skills, make it fun.
Later introduce her to larger calibers, when she discovers she is a good marksman, recoil will be a secondary.
Good on you for getting advice, and moving slow.!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shyi3t]

i started out with a buckmark .22 cause i was scared of recoil .. and then for some reason shooting an m44 made it go away .. hehe so now i have a sub 9 which is great not snappy at all.

[Bill in San Jose]

I taught a friend of my son's in college to shoot my XD45acp in 10 minutes, including a crash-course in safety and shooting technique. She was not very tall and the 45acp didn't phase her at all. She was crushing bottles at 15 yards in a stump-dump where we were shooting. I would not want to be a badguy in front of her if armed.

For anti-personnel use, LE uses the .40 and 9mm in this area. The XD subcompacts in 9mm and .40 would be more concealable, women have the advantage they can carry a purse to hold the weapon.