Daughter wants a Gun

I'd go along with off body carry being 'bad'. If you can just give up your purse and run, let it gooooooooo. If that doesn't work, you just gave up your gun, or gave a gun to someone 'bad'.

I've said before, the idea you're going to draw, from concealment, faster than a guy who has the drop on you, simply probably isn't based in fact unless you really train. FAMs are the only people I've ever met that dedicated significant time to that particular skill.

There are tons of options, belly bands, holsters, all kinds of stuff to carry comfortably on your body.
Yup there is something that will work .
A lot of people try one or two and say screw it this won't work.
That's where a good mentor comes in.
 
re: P80.....it costs more to build a p80 than you can buy a Glock for in NH

As for a first gun, I always say revolver, and a bright shiny one

It goes bang every time, there is no issue with "limp wristing", etc etc etc.

Plus with S&W there are many different grips, fillers, etc that make them adaptable for any hand size.

Personally, a Model 60 or equivalent is tops on my list.

After that, then a G43X or G19 would be my next choice after becoming proficient with the revolver.

And please no Kel-Teks or anything in .380.
 
This. I very seldom carry off body. My favorite holster is The Betty (Looper Law). Adjustable cant and tuckable IWB clip.
View attachment 616766

P365X and Vedder Light Tuck IWB is similar in style and very comfortable for me. Holsters are a very personal item for everyone and even more so with women. They have to be based on what you wear and where you are going to be and in what company. Like everything in the firearms world it is an evolutional journey. ;)
 

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re: P80.....it costs more to build a p80 than you can buy a Glock for in NH

As for a first gun, I always say revolver, and a bright shiny one

It goes bang every time, there is no issue with "limp wristing", etc etc etc.

Plus with S&W there are many different grips, fillers, etc that make them adaptable for any hand size.

Personally, a Model 60 or equivalent is tops on my list.

After that, then a G43X or G19 would be my next choice after becoming proficient with the revolver.

And please no Kel-Teks or anything in .380.
Better to hit something with a .380 than miss with a 9mm. And for people who don't shoot regularly there is a big difference between the two. Yes, if anyone shoots regularly, whether male or female, a 9mm out of a decent sized pistol will be plenty accurate, but I don't assume from the OP's post that regular practice is a fait accompli.
 
And please no Kel-Teks or anything in .380.
There's nothing inherently 'wrong' with a 380 vs an unarmored target. It's 'about' the same sized round as a 9mm, just moving a little slower 'generally' speaking. A nice 3 shot group, center mass is going to ruin someone's day.

I don't know if 380 ballistics have moved forward the way 9mm did to become an effective round again.
 
For reference, I am not as slight or petite as your daughter. I am also a good decade older than her and not in the best of shape. My hand strength has gotten better, however, I will always have intermittent tremors in my left hand.

My first pistol was a S&W M&P Shield 9mm EZ. I purchased it specifically for the fact that it is so easy to rack the slide literally straight out of the box, the tabs on the sides of the magazines which assist in loading ammunition and the fact that I didn’t have to pull the trigger to disassemble. I was also looking to bridge between carry pistol, training pistol and future competition pistol trifecta. Over the last two years, the EZ 9 mm has served me well in each role. I even did several full day trainings across MA late Spring- Labor Day at different clubs from Worcester to Foxboro.

In July 2021, I took the Sig 102 class and upon recommendation by the lead instructor borrowed a full size P320 for the day. While, I do enjoy the P320 compact, I do not care for the full size version. The 15 round magazines though, they are the bomb!

When the Judge reopened MA gun ranges in May 2020, I couldn’t find a club within the 128 or 495 area that was taking new members or allowing guests.

I ended up going to Granite State Range where I took their 100 and 200 classes. The 200 class qualified me to take their Skill Builders class on Wednesday nights; this is where my confidence and ability grew the most and led me to looking for all different kinds of training last year. Students also shoot exclusively from the holster in this class.

Everyone I’ve met at GSR from fellow students to instructors to range/store staff are friendly, helpful and encouraging. I really like going there; as a side note I’ve been doing all this on my own. I did not grow up in a home with firearms. Never once - even in a Rob Pincus training- have I been made to feel I’m not welcome nor do I not belong.

A gentleman I regularly shoot with at GSR had been offering tips and uses of his own personal pistols and I decided I really would prefer a true full size pistol. So one Spring Sunday 2021, I spent 2 1/2 hours renting every 9mm in stock. (Premium membership includes free lanes and rentals plus some guest passes.) I fell in love with the HK VP9 and rented it regularly. Of my three pistols, this is the one I shoot best with.

Finally this past March, my LGS had a tactical version with the night sites I wanted. When I’m ready for a red dot, the slide is optic ready. And since I had not purchased a firearm in 2021, I came back and purchased a Springfield Armory Hellcat sub compact. For some reason I shoot this much better than the P365. It just fits my hands better and while I can carry conceal the S & W, the Hellcat works better for me as I’m already carrying an insulin pump on my left side at about the 11 o’clock position.

Very long winded and slightly scattered, I realize and obviously I haven’t settled on a particular platform. Each of my pistols I like for different reasons and take them all to the range at least twice a month. Wednesday will be the first time I use the HK in a Skill Builder.

Best of luck to your daughter. May she find the gun or guns that she likes to shoot. Getting the whole family involved sounds like a wonderful idea!
 
My girlfriend's favorite gun is a 1911 in .45.

Let them rent the barbaric cute stuff enough to get them to figure out that "small and cute" means "unmanageable in most cases" and let the balls fall in line from there.

Personally, I'd push towards a baby 1911 or a p30sk, but I'd also figure out if this was going to be a EDC or home defense gun. If home defense I'd stick with a pistol caliber carbine, if its a carry I'd figure out whether she intends to let it roam the world slightly tethered to reality in a pocketbook or on her persons where it belongs.

Didn't they start selling Detonics Combat Masters again?
 
In Florida, and Arizona .380 is a popular round.

My gripe with .380 , and this is just pure opinion with no facts or data to back it up is that in colder climates where there are multiple layers of clothing, including Carhartt type jackets you don't get the penetration you would with a good DEFENSIVE 9mm round.... not Winchester white box stuff, but the top shelf stuff.

and 9mm ammo is widely available, I have not seen a lot of .380 in my travels as of late

But I still stand by my original post, that a Model 60, or 36 or a variant of the trusty J frame is a great first gun and close quarters defensive weapon
 
I know we're about to run a women's only Basic Pistol class at Harvard in June. If you'd like, I can check if we have any seats left.

you should require spandex attire, so the pistol doesn't get hung up on anything during the draw drills. Also, requiring heels might shift enough body weight towards the balls of the feet to allow them to put some bodyweight into the recoil.

Are your classes open to audit by non-members?
 
In Florida, and Arizona .380 is a popular round.

My gripe with .380 , and this is just pure opinion with no facts or data to back it up is that in colder climates where there are multiple layers of clothing, including Carhartt type jackets you don't get the penetration you would with a good DEFENSIVE 9mm round.... not Winchester white box stuff, but the top shelf stuff.

and 9mm ammo is widely available, I have not seen a lot of .380 in my travels as of late

But I still stand by my original post, that a Model 60, or 36 or a variant of the trusty J frame is a great first gun and close quarters defensive weapon
As a guy who has put many women through training, I have to disagree with this, and this comes from a guy who carries a J-frame anytime I'm wearing shorts. Every woman who has tried either a J-frame or LCR has 1) struggled with the DA pull during dry-fire; and 2) fired no more than one cylinder (often just one or two shots) and said "F this." Maybe I've just had wimpy women as students (doubt it), but it's a pretty large sample size. A small, simple, DAO, point-and-shoot pistol seems like it would be a good option, by my experience with female students has been very different.
 
She’s 27, just finishing an amicable divorce (as amicable as they can be), and is moving from Nashua to Manchester to an apartment that‘s in an OK neighborhood but not immune from violent crime. I asked if she’d like to go to an NRA Refuse to be a Victim class together and she said, how about a gun class instead?

I took her and her younger brother shooting when young, so she’s shot 22 pistols and rifles, and a AR15. My son is just out of the 82nd Airborne as a SAW gunner, so he’s set, and in school down in NC. SIG Academy has excellent courses but is booked solid for months, so I’ll ask a local instructor whom I’ve known for decades for a dad-daughter class at a local commercial range to get started.

She’s pretty slight of stature, but fit and strong, so might manage my SIG P365 or Glock G43. If not, maybe a 380acp - I only have a KelTec P3AT…not a weapon fit for primary use. Her hands would never manage a G19. Are there other good options to consider?

The NRA RTBAV class is still in the plan - there’s so much more to personnel security and self-defense than being able to put holes in a target. She’s been to a Women;s Self-Defense 1-day class with my wife - we’re both martial arts instructors but prefer others teach our kids such skills…who listens to their parents until they turn 40?
My 26 year olddaughter is tiny/petite/slim etc.. Small hands, needed something small but (relatively) powerful ...Her first gun was a Ruger LC9s which some think is a bit "snappy" but through practice she's become very accurate with it. And it's very slim and she can (and does) wear it when she's out in social settings, work where she dresses in "thin chick" type nice clothing but always has her LC9s on her. Various holster choices depending on what she's wearing, sometimes a 'belly band' which is comfortable if you find the right one, or sometimes in an 'Elite Protective' brand IWB holster. She occasionally also will carry ankle, depending on clothing/boots etc etc but..

I took her to Manchester Firing and let her her try a bunch of different guns. "Narrowed" it down (pun intended, cuz most women don't want to carry anything bulky) tota few and the more she tried the LC9s the more she liked the feel and the fit etc.
She also carries my P365 on some rare occasions, but...she feels that THAT is "too bulky" for her slim, tiny build.
There have been several guns suggested here. Take a day off together, spend the FULL entire day focused on choosing a gun, then after you buy it go for a great dinner and some awesome Dad/Daughter time together. She was 7 and you probably felt like you blinked and she somehow was 27. Time literally flies when you have kids. Ask me how I know!
👍
Bob
 
 
you should require spandex attire, so the pistol doesn't get hung up on anything during the draw drills. Also, requiring heels might shift enough body weight towards the balls of the feet to allow them to put some bodyweight into the recoil.

Are your classes open to audit by non-members?
This could be both good and UGLY! [rofl]
 
Maybe the new walther F-Series?

Have a Walther PPS that burned me on the brand. Terrible trigger, need to use both hands and a effing lever to pull that trigger. Worst handgun I've ever used. I keep it around in case I ever want to trade it for a 50$ gift card at a buyback. That's about all it's worth.
 
I've noticed that men often recommend small guns and revolvers which in a pistol can be difficult to maintain, shoot comfortably, or hit the target. While I own a number myself, I would never recommend any of my smaller guns to a new shooter. When in doubt, the larger the better. Many new lady shooters typically will not carry and just want something for the home. If that's not the case with the OP's daughter, a Glock 19 is the best out there for carry and defense.
 

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQyfZXYp7Mg


Plenty of 'girl guns' to pick from. A 25 or 32ACP little autoloader fits well on a garter belt. The NAA 22 is cute too.

During an AWARE seminar back in the 1980s, Mas Ayoob introduced a lady who Mas said carried a Desert Eagle in a thigh holster. Said lady was tall with a nice figure, and she was able to carry and hide it well. She's also an accomplished shooter.
 
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