Home Defense Firearm For A Woman

[dmurdach]

Kel-tec is now making a 410 version of their KSG. I have not handled one or anything, but I cant help but think this with a red dot would be a great home defense. I dont know about the overall weight, but 10 .410 rounds either slugs or some of the defense rounds marketed, with a dot sight that is always on to make aiming simple should be pretty effective.

 

[MrChicken]

I think the slide-racking problem for people with weaker body strength is kind of over talked about. Someone can always rack the slide for them and get the gun ready to go. 10-15 rounds in a 9mm semi auto is the equivalent of 2 or 3 reloads in a J frame. Unlikely the weak handed person will need to reload, and even if they do, the slide will be locked back.

Yep...

Most people, not just older people that are not a firearms enthusiast just want something loaded and ready go in the proverbial night stand drawer. They want to be able to pick it up and shoot it.

Another answer to the slide racking issue is to use the rear sight against a table edge or the like. If the gun they like doesn't have a suitable rear sight they can have one installed.

That being said, if they do want to able to do the full manipulation of the pistol, one of the light rack pistols is a good idea.

 

[chicharrones]

I think the slide-racking problem for people with weaker body strength is kind of over talked about. Someone can always rack the slide for them and get the gun ready to go. 10-15 rounds in a 9mm semi auto is the equivalent of 2 or 3 reloads in a J frame. Unlikely the weak handed person will need to reload, and even if they do, the slide will be locked back.

What I've seen is that some folks with weaker hand, wrist, and arm strength can't provide a "stiff" enough firing platform for reliable centerfire semi-auto slide cycling when the gun is fired. AKA, limp wrist problems. Which means they may be having to do a tap, rack, bang drill, and if they can't rack the slide that 10-15 shot pistol could become a single shot pistol. Of course, some hand guns are harder to rack or more susceptible to limp wristing than others.

And this tells me that if a person has hand strength problems, a DA revolver trigger pull probably isn't the answer either.

Then a semi-auto "long arm" of some sort is likely the easiest to operate for those folks. The trick then is to get a long arm light enough that a weaker person can actually line it up with the target and fire.

I remember some years ago that one company was promoting a 10/22 Charger with a laser on it for the person with limited strength. Basically, a two handed handgun that could be fired from below line of sight. I suppose that's where something like a Ruger PCC Charger in 9mm could make a lot of sense, if that person can hoist a 5.5 lb. loaded firearm.

 

[Balrog]

What I've seen is that some folks with weaker hand, wrist, and arm strength can't provide a "stiff" enough firing platform for reliable centerfire semi-auto slide cycling when the gun is fired. AKA, limp wrist problems. Which means they may be having to do a tap, rack, bang drill, and if they can't rack the slide that 10-15 pistol could become a single shot pistol. Of course, some hand guns are harder to rack or more susceptible to limp wristing than others.

All this tells me that if a person has hand strength problems, a DA revolver trigger pull probably isn't the answer either.

Then a semi-auto "long arm" of some sort is likely the easiest to operate for those folks. The trick then is to get a long arm light enough that a weaker person can actually line it up with the target and fire.

I remember some years ago that one company was promoting a 10/22 Charger with a laser on it for the person with limited strength. Basically, a two handed handgun that could be fired from below line of sight. I suppose that's where something like a Ruger PCC Charger in 9mm could make a lot of sense, if that person can hoist a 5.5 lb. loaded firearm.

Yes clearing stoppages is a problem if you can’t rack the slide. But I have seen some people that couldn’t rack a slide not have the limpwristing problem.

A PCC may be a good solution, just has the drawback of being a little unwieldy inside.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Yes clearing stoppages is a problem if you can’t rack the slide. But I have seen some people that couldn’t rack a slide not have the limpwristing problem.

A PCC may be a good solution, just has the drawback of being a little unwieldy inside.

PCCs weigh just as much or more than a basic AR and since most are blowback, they have more recoil too.

 

[.308 Norma]

buckshot doesn’t have time to spread much at across-a-room distances of 3 to 7 yards

Sure it does - I've seen it in the movies and on TV ever since I was a kid!

And contrary to popular belief,

Seriously, there's the problem right there - it's a "popular belief" because Hollyweird and television made it that way - just like they spread a lot of other nonsense (some of which is dangerous) about guns and gun owners.

 

[Balrog]

PCCs weigh just as much or more than a basic AR and since most are blowback, they have more recoil too.

The point being what exactly?

I think most people would rather shoot a 9mm carbine inside a home than a 556.

 

[chicharrones]

PCCs weigh just as much or more than a basic AR and since most are blowback, they have more recoil too.

Lighter options exist for those that need them. Two shown here.

Keltec CMR30 Review

Paul tests out the Keltec CMR30 and shares his thoughts.Shirts and patches from Tristar Trading Co: https://alnk.to/6bSTELxOther platforms:Rumble: https://ru...

youtu.be

Shooting the Keltec R50

Check it out, we shoot the Keltec R50. Then we shoot it fast. Pretty cool.

youtu.be

 

[Thomasss]

A pump shotgun requires at least 2 skills (pump & fire) that can fail.

I disagree with your concept of a pump gun. Like a pistol, a shotgun can be left loaded so one releases the safety and pulls the trigger.
Otherwise one can leave the chamber open drop in a shell close the chamber without a safety and pull the trigger just like in trap shooting, or as you stated cycle a round from the magazine and fire, again without using a safety. After gun handling for over 50 years, the only time I recall a pump gun jam was using paper shells on a raining day duck hunting.
And I guess it depends on the woman. I've taught a number of women to shoot trap and all turned out to be good shooters. The TV bloopers of women shooting a shotgun and having the gun jump out of their hands is a simple a case of poor firearm training. That could happen to any person that never shot a gun before.

 

[Miami_JBT]

The point being what exactly?

I think most people would rather shoot a 9mm carbine inside a home than a 556.

Recoil and weight is a factor for some folks. As for 9mm versus 5.56mm indoors, it is loud, period. I've shoot enough long guns indoors, that in the end, it is deafening.

 

[Gun-Reck]

BERSA FireStorm .380 ACP (~ $300)

​

Precise, reliable, light weight, simple, comfortable to shoot.

​

 

[old lady new shooter]

double action revolvers perform worse (accuracy) than a standard sized semi auto

Here's the thread I made here after my first range visit with my first gun (4" 686 Plus), where you can see photos of my targets:

range report, finally :)

So, now that I finally got to the range with my purchase yesterday I feel like I can call myself a gun owner. :) For anyone who hasn't been following my adventures, this is my first gun and I selected a 4" 686 Plus. You can see a photo in the "not 100% happy with grip yet" thread. Very...

www.thehighroad.org

Prior to buying it, I had attended one beginning shooting class, at which we shot a .22, a .38 spl revolver, a 9 mm, a .40 and a .45. I did pretty well with the .22, the .38 and the .45, but the 9mm and the .40 were all over the place. Plus I could not get the hang of the uplula. Overall the revolver was the most intuitive for me. After that I took one lesson at a gun store, was shown a Ruger SP 101, on which I could not complete the trigger pull even with a snap cap, a Ruger GP 100, and a Smith 686, both 4". The GP 100 was a fancier model with a wood grip that I really liked. I did not like the factory grip on the 686, the grooves didn't seem to be where my fingers wanted to be. Next visit to the LGS I was allowed to take both onto the range after explaining that I wanted to compare them for accuracy but wanted to alternate them after each cylinder so hand fatigue wouldn't be a factor. The Smith was WAY more accurate for me than the Ruger, so that's what I bought, going with the 686 Plus to get the extra round. Someone here recommended Hogue grooveless grips, which I got and did like better than the factory ones.

A few years later I thankfully moved to Arizona where I would be able to carry and the 686 was just way too big, plus I had lost some hand strength and could no longer shoot it one-handed with my left hand. Fortuitously Colt soon came out with the new King Cobra, which came with a trigger about 9 lbs instead of 12 like the 686, and the 3" was a better size for carry. It fits my hand like it was made for me and is equally as accurate as my 686.

I had actually bought a Model 36 from a friend in another state when I moved here, thinking it would be perfect for carry, but I could not shoot it anywhere near as accurately as the 686 and it totally killed my hand. It would probably be fine for a man with a lot of hand strength, but I don't understand how anyone can recommend such a thing for a woman. It's beautiful though, he had bought two of them and only ever used the other one, it has the original wood grips and the bluing is still perfect, so I kept it, but it just sits in the safe.

 

[old lady new shooter]

a 5- or 6-shot revolver will cease to work 100% of the time after only 5 or 6 rounds, and a novice will be hard pressed to get one back up and running very quickly under stress.

Never once experienced this so far. Can't imagine a quality gun like a Smith or Colt doing this, if not modified from the original specs.

 

[toivo]

Dupe -- please delete.

 

[toivo]

People also talk about the necessity of training to clear jams in a modern semiauto, but a 5- or 6-shot revolver will cease to work 100% of the time after only 5 or 6 rounds, and a novice will be hard pressed to get one back up and running very quickly under stress.

Never once experienced this so far. Can't imagine a quality gun like a Smith or Colt doing this, if not modified from the original specs.

Not 100% sure, but I think it was intended to be a humorous way of describing being out of ammo.

 

[OS/N]

For those with weaker hands and still prefer a self loader the Walther PK380 is worth having a look at. It was designed with that purpose in mind. They are a little big for CC but are okay for inside the home. It is a compact but not a sub/micro compact. A good size for 380 and recoil is minimal (22ish).

It uses a Browning designed tilt barrel system instead of the heavier blow back action so the springs aren't as strong or as hard to rack. The slide doesn't move until after the bullet exits so they are fairly accurate as well. It is also DA/SA with a safety so users don't have to deal with a DAO trigger.

 

[Simple Shooter]

9mm carbine. Minimal recoil, easier aiming than a pistol, no slide racking.

This one is right on target. My wife is not a gun person. She fumbles with any handgun, cannot deal with the noise and flash of .223/5.56, and will not go anywhere near my shotguns. I did get her to try out my Springfield Saint in 9mm. She not only handles it very well, she actually likes shooting it, which means more practice and no hesitancy to use it if necessary. I mounted a Sig Romeo5 (shake awake) on it. All she has to do in an emergency is flip off the safety, put the dot on the target, and hit the happy switch.

Does not have to be an AR configuration. Ruger and Beretta both have some really good 9mm carbine options.

 

[Valkman]

Ruger Security 380 Lite Rack. My wife loved my 43X but had difficulty racking the slide. She picked up the Ruger, and really liked how she could easily rack the slide. It's loaded with Underwood Xtreme Defender - 15 rounds.

That's what my wife picked, she has a lot of trouble racking slides due to MS.

 

[red rick]

My recommendation would depend on if they are willing to take a firearms training course . If not a DAO revolver , so they don’t have an accident letting the hammer down on a loaded chamber , or a ND with their finger on the trigger with a cocked hammer .

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

A couple of women in my community asked me about having a gun for protection, they live alone. (neither had any experience at all with firearms)

For anyone with no firearm experience, practice practice practice.
It makes little difference what gun someone chooses if they don't take time to learn how to operate and shoot it.

 

[benEzra]

Not 100% sure, but I think it was intended to be a humorous way of describing being out of ammo.

This, exactly. A 6-shot revolver will cease to operate after only 6 shots, every time, and a novice is unlikely to be able to reload a revolver very quickly under duress.

I have never encountered a modern centerfire locked-breech semiauto from S&W, Glock, FN, or Ruger that would not run reliably for hundreds of rounds without a failure to feed or fire. If you get a quality semiauto and put a few boxes of ammo through it with zero failures, it will almost certainly run longer than a revolver will (5 or 6 shots) in a crisis, if the user starts with a round in the chamber or can rack the slide (depending on storage method).

In my opinion, where the revolver really shines for the novice is in simplicity and administrative handling (it is very straightforward to load, unload, verify unloaded, clean, etc. and the only controls are the trigger and the cylinder latch), not so much in the ability to keep shooting compared to a quality semiauto with quality ammo.

Admittedly, I am talking about locked-breech pistols from long-established manufacturers here. The calculus may change if you compare cheap lower-tier semiautos, blowback semiautos, rimfires, or micro-pistols. I bought a used LCP .380 a few years ago and promptly sold it after I had a failure to feed in the first 100 rounds. But P365/Shield and larger pistols from established manufacturers are remarkably reliable.

(Edited to add: Having said all the above, I personally know an accomplished gun aficionado and lifelong shooter who owns Glocks and ARs but whose bedside gun is a 686 in .357, so I don’t mean to come across as bashing revolvers at all. I would love to have a 686 myself!)

 

[doubleh]

Never once experienced this so far. Can't imagine a quality gun like a Smith or Colt doing this, if not modified from the original specs.

Of course they will as they are out of ammo and reloading is slower than with a semi-auto.

My wife is a perfect example of no hand strength, She cannot rack the slide on any thing I own and barely gets it done on her 380 EZ which replaced her S&W model 60 that she could no longer shoot in double action mode.

Men should quit thinking they should choose a gun for a woman. Too much physical difference for it to work well in most instances. Offer them many choices and let them decide because it is they that will be using it. My wife chose a Remington 20 guage 11-87 for her home defense gun and woe to the person if there ever is one that is on the receiving end of it's load of buckshot.

 

[horsey300]

I think the slide-racking problem for people with weaker body strength is kind of over talked about. Someone can always rack the slide for them and get the gun ready to go. 10-15 rounds in a 9mm semi auto is the equivalent of 2 or 3 reloads in a J frame. Unlikely the weak handed person will need to reload, and even if they do, the slide will be locked back.

I do this for a friend. Spot on.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Here's the thread I made here after my first range visit with my first gun (4" 686 Plus), where you can see photos of my targets:

range report, finally :)

So, now that I finally got to the range with my purchase yesterday I feel like I can call myself a gun owner. :) For anyone who hasn't been following my adventures, this is my first gun and I selected a 4" 686 Plus. You can see a photo in the "not 100% happy with grip yet" thread. Very...

www.thehighroad.org

Prior to buying it, I had attended one beginning shooting class, at which we shot a .22, a .38 spl revolver, a 9 mm, a .40 and a .45. I did pretty well with the .22, the .38 and the .45, but the 9mm and the .40 were all over the place. Plus I could not get the hang of the uplula. Overall the revolver was the most intuitive for me. After that I took one lesson at a gun store, was shown a Ruger SP 101, on which I could not complete the trigger pull even with a snap cap, a Ruger GP 100, and a Smith 686, both 4". The GP 100 was a fancier model with a wood grip that I really liked. I did not like the factory grip on the 686, the grooves didn't seem to be where my fingers wanted to be. Next visit to the LGS I was allowed to take both onto the range after explaining that I wanted to compare them for accuracy but wanted to alternate them after each cylinder so hand fatigue wouldn't be a factor. The Smith was WAY more accurate for me than the Ruger, so that's what I bought, going with the 686 Plus to get the extra round. Someone here recommended Hogue grooveless grips, which I got and did like better than the factory ones.

A few years later I thankfully moved to Arizona where I would be able to carry and the 686 was just way too big, plus I had lost some hand strength and could no longer shoot it one-handed with my left hand. Fortuitously Colt soon came out with the new King Cobra, which came with a trigger about 9 lbs instead of 12 like the 686, and the 3" was a better size for carry. It fits my hand like it was made for me and is equally as accurate as my 686.

I had actually bought a Model 36 from a friend in another state when I moved here, thinking it would be perfect for carry, but I could not shoot it anywhere near as accurately as the 686 and it totally killed my hand. It would probably be fine for a man with a lot of hand strength, but I don't understand how anyone can recommend such a thing for a woman. It's beautiful though, he had bought two of them and only ever used the other one, it has the original wood grips and the bluing is still perfect, so I kept it, but it just sits in the safe.

I'm very glad it works for you. Honest.

Its always great when someone finds what works and gets good at it.

I can only make recommendations based on my experience and training.

I work with a lot of new shooters every year. And after 10 years, you start to notice things.

I encourage you to keep doing what works, I also caution you that what works for you is not what works for others. In this case, and in my experience, not what works for most others.

There are not hard and fast absolutes (besides safety) when it comes to selecting a handgun.

I appreciate your contributions to the thread.

 

[KY DAN]

Honestly there is a point EVERYONE HAS TO GET REAL ABOUT REALITY.

The reality is with out the proper mindset a firearm is useless, the presence of a firearm can actually make a situation that much worse.

Your house is more likely to burn to the ground than it is to be robbed

If the women does not want to get training then I would recommend a quality home security system, avoiding night time situations, get bear spray and multiple cans