• You are using the old Black Responsive theme. We have installed a new dark theme for you, called UI.X. This will work better with the new upgrade of our software. You can select it at the bottom of any page.

Buying gun for someone who has never shot one, my sister.....

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Ant Mod

member
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Messages
208
She and I have talked a little about this before. She lives alone in an apartment community with no security. She had told me once she thought of getting a gun because she didnt feel very safe. So I am thinking about buying one for her. However maybe I am a little worried about buying a gun for someone who doesnt know how to use it. Do you think buying classes and a gun for someone is a very smart idea? If I was still living in the state it would not be a problem. I could go with her and do all this, but I'm not. Thanks for the help guys.

Oh ya, I was thinking a small S&W revolver with maybe a 2 inch barrel. She could just keep it in a place and not have to worry about springs and maintenance on it. Any suggestions would be great.
 
Have her take an NRA basic pistol class, preferably one that's only for women. If she doesn't know what she's doing with it, she's probably worse off than having nothing at all.
 
Have her try various revolvers and pistols before you buy her anything. She needs to be confident in her ability to handle whatever she gets, and often what seems suitable to the rest of us is not suitable for a novice (e.g. a J-frame S&W snubby or equivalent - they're among the most difficult guns to shoot rapidly and accurately). Let her try out several different ones for size, and make her choice from there.

I strongly support doing at least the NRA basic course, as well as several weekends of shooting with you or others to "get the feel" of the gun. Also, if it's a revolver (I strongly recommend a S&W Model 10, used, which is usually quite easy to handle, and can be found for less than $200 in many places), try out various different grips, and get her a set that fits her hand and enhances her control over the gun.
 
Agree with previous posts.
Educate first, try before buy, her decision, model 10 is a great choice - Many IME chose a police trade in, and for less money bought a better gun than is new market today. Allows money for ammo, training ,practice...
 
She should definitely learn before she own a handgun. As to choices, a 4 inch medium framed revolver will be a lot easier for her to handle and shoot well than a 2 inch small framed revolver.
 
If it's just for within her house I think she'd have better luck with a heavy revolver as recoil can be pretty stout on the little stubbies, or better yet a 20 or 16 gauge autoloader with the shortest barrel available.

I'd definitely think it'd be preferable if you got her together with a safety class, or better yet a regular shooting coach, rather than just the weapon itself.
 
i got my sister a sig 229 .40 when she told me she wanted a gun. the problem is her husband.he says he doesnt want a gun in the house. so until the situation is resolved i am holding the gun for her. the problem with her husband, i think, is that he thinks i am pushing for her to have a gun but she came to me. i dont think he believes that. i have taken him shooting a couple of times and he had fun and was pretty good, but i think he thinks that i am the one pushing the issue which i am not and that makes it seem to him that i am undermining him. i even bought her a gunvault to store it in safely to hope that would be of some help for the situation but the gunvault is still in the box and i still have the sig. i can go on but its like :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
 
This is a great excuse to fly out and visit her! I'm not kidding, spend the money. Do it now. She's worth it.

Plan a weeklong trip with some range time included. Purchase gun at end of trip, she'll have it as a tangible token symbol of your love and support for her ability to stand up and be self-reliant.

A good .357 revolver would be a great choice, start her out on .22s and move up. Find a range that has LOTS of guns to rent.
 
Age and Physical condition of your sister should be taken into account as well. NRA's "Refuse to be a Victim" and a Personal Protection basic introduction class would be money and time well spent.
http://www.mynra.org/display_content/show_content.cfm?mod_id=58&id=1494
http://www.mynra.org/frame.cfm?url=http://www.nrahq.org
A CCW class, even if she isn't planning on carrying concealed outside her apt is also wise as it will introduce her to use of force, legal issues, get her a little more range time and might introduce her to others in the same boat.
That helps get the mindset where it needs to be and perhaps develop newfound friends.
As to firearm selection, all good advice given above. Rent as many as you and she can at a range with an instructor on hand.
Then... buy her a S&W 65 LS w/ 3" barrel. She can stoke it w/ .38 wadcutters up to flashbang .357 and let the fireball singe their nose hairs off should they get too close.
But be a good brother and also buy her some eye and ear protection for her range visits.
A sidenote here. 90% of the females I've taken shooting all expressed a desire for a Glock 19 after shooting mine. Limp wristing is a possibility and was discussed and they all got along fine with it once they understood it and its effect resulting in stovepipe FTE... but that was with me present playing coach.
You're a good brother Ant Mod. Keep her safe. Invite her to lurk or join here on THR as well. Can she own a yapper dog in her apt? Early warning device as it were.
 
Heck...

Tell us which state she lives in. I bet you'd have no shortage of friendly, trustworthy THRers who would be glad to be a local "coach".

I hereby volunteer for Minnesota. :)
 
Tell us which state she lives in. I bet you'd have no shortage of friendly, trustworthy THRers who would be glad to be a local "coach".
Click to expand...

She lives in Az, so I have thought about the CCW as well. I am calling her today and will slip it into the conversation. I think a better investment would be to buy her the classes first, then she could decide on a firearm. I know that the old Shooters World has many firearms to rent. Hopefully a guy I use to work with still works there and could help her out a little. Thanks for the help everyone. I really appreciate all the good advice.
 
A girl I know at work (who is VERY cute, by the way. Wow) wants a gun, and loves the bulgarian mak she tried out.

James
 
Please, PLEASE don't buy a newbie a snub .38 revolver. They are unpleasant to shoot and hard to shoot well.

I can't help but wonder how many women have been permanently dissuaded from taking up shooting as a hobby because someone recommended or bought a small .38 revolver for them as their first gun.
 
http://albert.achtung.com/rkba/TotheRange.html <-- please read my work of love, compiled "How to take a girl to the range" article and suggestions.

.22LR, that was the answer you were looking for. A .40Cal is not a good choice for an inexperienced shooter.

A .22LR revolver is excellent. No recoil, and no ejecting hot brass to distract. Concentrating her on the trigger and trigger and sight picture only.

As for the husband...

Do they have kids? Have you asked them the magical Parental RKBA question yet?

(In case you weren't aware that there's a question to convert any rational parent to RKBA)

"If you woke up in the middle of the night and found out someone was trying to kill your son/daughter in the next room RIGHT NOW, and on your night stand were two items: A gun and a phone; which would you pick up?" If they say phone, don't bother. The conversation ends there. If they say gun, then you tell them as responsible parents then, they should learn how to shoot, store, clean a gun. "How can you make that choice if there is no gun in your house??"
 
Do you think buying classes and a gun for someone is a very smart idea?
Classes? You bet. The gun? You buy it, but let her choose it. AFTER she does the course. And the women only class is a good idea too. Especially if the instructor is female. Just don't get angry if and when it turns out that she can shoot better than you can. It's normal.
 
"If you woke up in the middle of the night and found out someone was trying to kill your son/daughter in the next room RIGHT NOW, and on your night stand were two items: A gun and a phone; which would you pick up?" If they say phone, don't bother. The conversation ends there. If they say gun, then you tell them as responsible parents then, they should learn how to shoot, store, clean a gun. "How can you make that choice if there is no gun in your house??"
Click to expand...

Excellent!! Do you mind if I use that, twoblink?
 
Do you think buying classes and a gun for someone is a very smart idea?
Click to expand...
Absolutely.

I don't think it's a smart idea to buy a gun for somebody without seeing to it that they receive the training they need.

Since your sister lives far away from you, you will not be able to personally assure that she has received the training she absolutely needs to have. So buy her some training when you buy her a gun.

As far as which gun, that's a whole 'nother issue. A few considerations I would take into account:

1) A .22 is simply not sufficient for personal defense. Unless she is likely to purchase another gun on her own within six months' time, I wouldn't get her one. (Yes, yes, I know they're easier to learn on. Nevertheless, in the real world, people have budgets they must live within. If she hasn't got the money to buy a learning gun and a defense gun, get her a defense gun and have her learn on that. It won't kill her, honest.)

2) If the issue is only home defense, a shotgun may suit her purposes well enough. This does not eliminate the need for training. Despite the pop-culture myth, it is still necessary to know how to shoot even if it is a shotgun one is holding. Also, good training should provide some information on the legal, ethical, and moral obligations surrounding the use of deadly force; obtaining a shotgun does not remove those items from the need-to-learn curriculum.

3) I second what JohnKSa said re .38 snubbies. Can't tell you how many women I've encountered who think they hate to shoot simply because they hate to shoot that gun. Unless she already has her heart set on one (in which case you voice your concerns and then let her do what she wants to do), it would be best if you got her something a little easier and more pleasant to shoot.

4) "Get a Glock." ;)

Free advice, worth every penny you paid for it....

pax
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top