First gun for a female shooter?

[SKS Ray]

My wife's friend is going for her license soon and will need some advice on a first time carry piece. Being a New Bedford resident, even if she doesn't get a license to carry I know she'll be wanting something for home protection that she can handle.
I've offered to take her shooting but I don't have many handguns for her to try. Just my carry piece (Glock 23), a Makarov, and Nagant revolver, and maybe a small S&W 38 I can borrow off someone I know.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what she should look into buying for a handgun? Keep in mind this is a first time shooter who wants it for protection, and price may be a factor.

 

[Cross-X]

If you care about her development as a shooter, encourage her to start out with a .22. Once she masters the fundamentals with that piece, she can move up with confidence to something larger.

 

[jhrosier]

A 3" S&W K or L frame would be an excellent starting point.
If she is rolling in bucks, start with a .22 and add a .357 later.
Otherwise, a .357 Mag loaded with .38Spl wadcutters would be a nice dual purpose gun.
Back in the day that I helped run the NRA marksmanship program for ladies at the local sportsman's club, we found it a lot easier to borrow a dozen decent .38s/.357s from various members for training than to find good .22 target guns.
The ladies were not at all intimidated by the recoil of the .38 wadcutters.
S'mattern fact, at the last range session we always brought a bunch of .44 Mags and .45s and you couldn't give away a .38.
Never underestimate the "weaker sex".

 

[madmarc0]

Ray, come to the range on some sunday and we have many guns to try from 22 cal to whatever.
Marc

 

[RKG]

If you care about her development as a shooter, encourage her to start out with a .22. Once she masters the fundamentals with that piece, she can move up with confidence to something larger.

Agreed, with emphasis. Starting a newbie with anything else is to condemn them to eternal mediocrity.

Beyond that, your question implies (perhaps) that there are different pistols and revolvers appropriate for males and females. In 30+ years of being an instructor, my experience is to the contrary. I've seen females who can handle a Gov't Model better than any man and males who have trouble with anything heavier (in weight or ballistic impact) than a J-frame .22.

My recommendation for anyone whose ambition is limited to a personal defense weapon is a pair of K-frame S&W revolvers: a 4" .22 for skills development and a 2-4" .38 (or .357 loaded with .38 ammunition) for "work."

 

[SKS Ray]

I do plan on having her shoot my Ruger .22 cal target pistol first just to get used to the actual feel of a handgun firing since she doesn't know what to expect. Started my wife out the same way.
I'm guessing my Nagant revolver with the standard 7.62 Nagant ammo would be an ok choice for her to get the idea of what an average .38 feels like.

 

[dreppucci007]

If you care about her development as a shooter, encourage her to start out with a .22. Once she masters the fundamentals with that piece, she can move up with confidence to something larger.

+1

 

[vellnueve]

SW 317 (J Frame .22) and SW 637 (J Frame .38) would make a nice pair.

 

[Len-2A Training]

She has to try a number of guns and pick what fits HER best. None of us can do that for you/her. There was an article written by Mike Nastek on what he went thru in picking out a gun for his better half. It was posted here as well earlier this year. I just found it . . . please read it and save both of you the aggravation he went thru.

http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=7073

 

[Lynne]

Gentlemen....for those of you who are saying have the lady shoot a .22 until she masters it....might I add my own opinion here?

There have been times when I've had women start with a .38 and they did just fine, thankyouverymuch. Just because she's a women that doesn't mean she's gonna flinch. INFACT, I've had more men anticipate the recoil and flinch from it than I've had women react. It must be the abundance of testosterone in the males.

M4M - whatever she shoots, make sure she feels comfie holding the gun. You should know how it should fit in her hand, so explain that to her. Whatever she gets, make sure to tell her at least a .38 in a revolver, or a 9mm in a semi. Anythink less than those will only piss off the perp. She wants to stop him if she has to.

 

[Cross-X]

Gentlemen....for those of you who are saying have the lady shoot a .22 until she masters it....might I add my own opinion here?

There have been times when I've had women start with a .38 and they did just fine, thankyouverymuch. Just because she's a women that doesn't mean she's gonna flinch. INFACT, I've had more men anticipate the recoil and flinch from it than I've had women react. It must be the abundance of testosterone in the males.

M4M - whatever she shoots, make sure she feels comfie holding the gun. You should know how it should fit in her hand, so explain that to her. Whatever she gets, make sure to tell her at least a .38 in a revolver, or a 9mm in a semi. Anythink less than those will only piss off the perp. She wants to stop him if she has to.

Lynne, Lynne, Lynne, have you forsaken your training as an NRA Basic Pistol Instructor? (Brace yourself, here it comes!)

The NRA Training Division endorses, and I agree with, the fundamental tenet that Basic Pistol is to be taught with .22 pistols and revolvers. Nowhere is the use of large caliber handguns endorsed as an approved method of training beginning pistol students, male or female.

NRA training works. For those beginners that start with larger caliber firearms, often the repercussions of doing so may not be seen for a while, and by the time the shooter's difficulties become apparent, they are often not so easy to correct and resolve.

I appreciate that the shooter we're talking about desparately wants a handgun for self-defense, but the road to a large caliber pistol is best started with a totally manageable caliber, the mighty .22.

Darius

 

[dwarven1]

Agreed, with emphasis. Starting a newbie with anything else is to condemn them to eternal mediocrity.

Thinking back 25+ years, it occurs to me that my buddy started me shooting with his .45 and a J-frame sized Charter Arms. My first handgun was a Mod 19.

I may not be a Jerry Miculek, but I'm not THAT bad.

 

[RKG]

Thinking back 25+ years, it occurs to me that my buddy started me shooting with his .45 and a J-frame sized Charter Arms. My first handgun was a Mod 19.

I may not be a Jerry Miculek, but I'm not THAT bad.

There are exceptions to every rule; their existence does not negate the wisdom of the rule.

And Lynne, please don't misinterpret my advice as applying only to female students.

 

[Executive]

While I recommend starting a female shooter on a .22, I think an equally important, and thus far unmentioned consideration is the size of the typical female hands. Female shooters, and males with smaller hands need a smaller sized grip to get a good purchase on the firearm. I have fairly large hands but my wife is petite. She shoots a j-frame well but has difficulty with my 686. Similarly, she is competent with a 1911 .45, but has trouble with a double-stack pistol of any caliber. YMMV.

 

[Len-2A Training]

While I recommend starting a female shooter on a .22, I think an equally important, and thus far unmentioned consideration is the size of the typical female hands. Female shooters, and males with smaller hands need a smaller sized grip to get a good purchase on the firearm. I have fairly large hands but my wife is petite. She shoots a j-frame well but has difficulty with my 686. Similarly, she is competent with a 1911 .45, but has trouble with a double-stack pistol of any caliber. YMMV.

Chris you are right-on!

That is why I advise everyone NOT to choose a gun for someone else, but let them at least try it in their hand and preferably (if at all possible) try shooting one first!

I didn't buy a SigPro 2340 because their smallest grip was too big for my smallish hands. Not all guns fit all people!!

BTW, this is the beauty of NES Shoots (for paid NES Members only) . . . bring your better half to the shoot and get the opportunity to shoot many different guns and see what fits. Other than that, hook up with NES folks on a 1 on 1 basis and try the same thing.

Last weekend we invited CrabPirate and KChan to join us and they got to try my CAR-15 and Glock 17 . . . don't recall if they tried any other of my guns or not.

Jim Conway sucked me into a 1911 that way and my Wife into the Glock 17! Last weekend I think he sucked me into serious consideration of an XD too!

WARNING: Doing this too often can be extremely dangerous to your bank account!

 

[Chuck]

Small and light aint always good

I do plan on having her shoot my Ruger .22 cal target pistol first

FYI, my wife hated shooting my Mark II. It was too heavy for her, especially since it has a target grip that necessitates strong hand only hold. On the other end of the spectrum she doesn't like shooting the Walther P22 because it's too light and she can't hold it steady. She shot the Glock 17 very nicely, better then the 23. I think the size/weight difference helped because her favorite hands down is the 1911. While it is a larger cartridge then the others, the all steel weight and a proper two handed grip made it a good fit for her. She can hit a Tide bottle every time from 25 yds with it, plenty good enough for defense work.

I also offer to let you and your friend meet me at Riverside's indoor range to try out some pistols.

Happy New Year,
Chuck

 

[depicts]

I usually recommend new shooters start with bolt action .22 single shot rifles.

For pistol shooting, I really like the Ruger Single Six. It is a single action, which slows the shooter down a bit and makes them pay attention to the basics. It's a great quality gun, and should last several lifetimes. It also has a .22 Magnum cylinder that comes with it if you want to hunt small game.

After a year or so or plenty of shooting, and getting the hang of single action trigger pull, safety, sight allignment and maintanance, the shooter is ready to step up to almost any handgun they feel comfortable with, but I recommend a .38/.357 4" barrel, double action revolver with adjustable sights. There are many good examples. Buy the one that feels best in your hand. Don't buy the lightest one, the recoil might cause bad habits.

Shooting soft .38 loads, you now learn the fundamentals of double action trigger work, which is most important for self defense, and when you step up to the .357 Magnum, you have a potent home defense or hunting firearm.

If your first need is self defense or home defense, buy the .38/.357 first, and learn to shoot it with light loads.

 

[KMaurer]

The only problem with the Single Six is that it's grip is definitely on the small end of the range. I've got one and started both my kids on it when they were young; my granddautghters will probably get introduced to it in a year or two. For anyone with average or larger hands, it's probably too small to hold consistently and shoot accurately. As Len mentioned, the most important thing in choosing a gun for a new shooter is to get a good fit to their hands. While starting with a .22 is generally best (other things being equal), they'll do better with a .38 or 9mm or even .45 that fits their hands comfortably than they will with a .22 that's too large or too small.

Ken

 

[Weerd Beard]

Take her to one of the big NES shoots and encourage her to "shop around". Doesn't matter thier sex, we all shoot differently, and all prefer different guns. So give her a good selection and she SHOULD be able to narrow it down her self.

Plus a gun she has chosen herself, and she likes, she'll shoot more.

Arrrr

 

[JimB]

SW range

Take her to the S&W range in springfield. She can shoot a variety of guns.

Their always willing to help with a new shooter. She can decide at little
cost what fits her.

Keep it simple.

JimB