self defense pistol for my GF

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TexasPatriot.308

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I am not much of a pistol guy (only .45 acp and hunting revolvers) but my girlfriend wants a pistol for self defense, we live in a small town but she works in a big city. I dont know if an auto .380 or 9mm would be right for her, thinking of a revolver for simplicity and safety. what would you guys reccommend for your better half as far as safe, accurate and mid price???
 
what would you guys reccommend for your better half as far as safe, accurate and mid price???
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If possible let her shoot as many guns as possible.
Other than that, the last five females I taught to shoot, liked the 38 Special 2-3 inch J Frame S&W and shoot it very well.

Nothing like letting someone make up their own mind though.
 
Tex

You are gonna get a lot of answers on this but the best advice is to let her choose. A 38 special might be a good choice but maybe not. My daughter, who is 5 foot nothin', can handle a Glock 23, a full sized and compact 1911 and, an LCP. While she can shoot them all very well, she loves the LCP. Being that she likes it so much, and it small enough for her to carry anywhere, this is the gun I am giving to her when she gets her permit this summer. If she wants something else, like the S&W 637-2 that I just bought, she can have it.

Remember, small guns are for experts. I am not sure who said this but it is true in that they are generally harder to shoot accurately. Some of the difficulty can be alleviated by changing grip on small revolvers, etc. Most of the small guns from the LCP to the J-frames have lousy sights. Oddly enough, this can be alleviated by changing the grips as well, as long as you change them to Crimson Trace grips. Also remember that these are not target guns. Don't worry about whether she can put five into a quarter at 10 yards. If she can hit an 11x14 posterboard rapidly out to 10 yards she will be well armed.
 
cornered cat

Neither you nor we can pick for her because she may be perfectly happy with a 9mm 1911 or a 10mm CZ and none of us can know that.

What's important is to find out what she points naturally and what fits her. Once she does that she can decide what caliber she's most comfortable shooting.

My classic story is of the petite wife of a friend of mine. She tried a wide variety of handguns and calibers and it turned out that she shot a Para P-13 the best. Not just the most accurately, but the most comfortably. The grip angle fit her, the wide grip fit her, the reach to the trigger fit her and she was most comfortable and accurate with it. She passed on 9mm 1911 single stacks, 9mm CZs, 9mm Glocks, etc. While in a smaller caliber the platforms just didn't fit her so she wasn't as comfortable shooting them.

Discard all the myths about women and caliber. Facilitate letting her find what fits her and what she is most comfortable shooting.
 
Assuming this will be for concealed carry, I'd recommend either the S&W 442/642, or the Ruger LCR. Light, easy to use. The .38 Special is a decent self defense round, especially in the +P version.
 
Take her to a range or out with some friends and let her shoot as many different guns as she can. I bought my wife a 38 special because I assumed it would be easy for her and she throught it was 'pretty.' But, its hard for her to cock the hammer and she can't fire in double action. Sure if there was a life threatening situation, the trigger pull wouldn't seem so heavy, but she would probably miss. I have since picked her up a Taurus Slim in 9mm and its easier for her to handle, she is more accurate with it, and she enjoys shooting it. The grip is small with the single stack magazine, so it fits her small hands well. With training, an autoloader will be just as easy to use as a revolver. Her favorite gun of mine is the full size XDM 9mm, but its a bit to big for her daily carry, plus its mine.
 
I won't pick out guns, dresses, (or most anything) for a woman, my tastes and theirs are bound to be very different. Find a range that rents guns, has a wide variety of them for rent, and let her try them out and find what she's comfortable with. Buying anyone a gun for self defense that they aren't comfortable shooting is a waste of money and time, if they don't like how it feels, works, etc., they won't carry it.
 
Take her to a range and let her try out a bunch of stuff.

I'd recommend a small 38spcl J Frame or Ruger LCR. In an auto offering, maybe a little 380 like a Ruger LCP or the new Taurus TCP. If she feels she can handle a compact 9, like a Kahr PM9 or something, even better! My PERSONAL preference is for a 380 or 38spcl MINUMUM. But whenever possible I'd carry at least a 9mm.

Most important thing is make sure she LIKES the gun, make sure she is COMFORTABLE with the gun, and make sure she SHOOTS the gun. At least once a month or something.
 
I know you said revolver for "Simplicity" but in my opinion. If she is old enough to be your girlfriend, id assume she can operate a car? She then can operate a semi automatic handgun.

Look at the Ruger p95. Super easy to rack, 17rds of 9mm ammo, softest recoiling 9mm i have ever fired. My fiancee has gravitated to the p95 over everything else i own and have owned. That p95 is hers

Joe
 
In the past, a L frame 686 with a 2 1/2 barrel was my previous GF's gun, she could shoot a 1911, SW99, Styer M40 but liked the Revolver because she could look at the side to see if it was loaded without having to work the slide. Plus she liked that it absorbed the recoil which was a factor in the choice, I would leave it up to her. She carried it in her purse so the weight was not a huge factor.
 
cornered cat.. oops to late
range with rentals.... oops to late
shoot everything under the sun if possible.....covered
focus on HER ABILITY TO COMFORTABLY MANIPULATE THE WEAPON....covered
also consider mode of carry... lots of things to be said against carry in a purse... covered by cornered cat...
after SHE chooses she needs to practice, practice and oh yea practice and every man carrying too.
speaking to what weomen shoot and carry
my wife 5'1 weights nuthing enjoys my HK usp 40SW full size and my daughter age 12 shoots the same but like the 1911 in 38 superauto cuz the grip is smaller for her hands,
both shoot really well.
 
I have a few suggestions: A Ruger LCP (.380) would make an excellent small gun with minimum recoil. It will be needed to be carried in a holster. You could get a pocket holster with the flap that folds over the pistol. If she is going to carry loose in a purse, I would recommend adding Velcro to keep the pistol from sliding out. Much better would be a purse made to carry a firearm. It would negate the need to set the purse down, unzipping it and searching fir the pistol.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Crimson Trace laser
made for this pistol. The gun will still fit in a lot of holsters.

Second suggestion: A Walther PPS in 9mm or .40. The recoil, for the .40 has been referred to as "snappy," so you might want to choose the 9mm. I have it in .40. The gun is identical in size for both calibers. It is a very thin pistol and it is very easy to conceal. As of now, no one has made a laser for it, but when they do, I'll most likely make it my primary carry pistol. I can carry it and two extra magazines and I forget I'm carrying! But the Ruger is lighter and smaller.

Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide on
 
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A friend of mine is a retired LEO who conducts private one on one defensive shooting classes, mainly for women. I occasionally give him a hand if he schedules more than one client at a time on a weekend. I have found that many of the women shoot best with K frame .38's. Also many of them like the "idiot proof" nature of revolvers vs pistols.

On a personal note, my wife's evolution in CCW's has had a few twists and turns. I initially took here to the range to shoot pistols and revolvers. After one range session she decided that revolvers were in her comfort zone and pistols were not! She then picked out an Airweight M638. She loved the feather like weight and DA/SA capability at the gun shop...but not so much at the range;) I picked up a steel M36, that was better, but still not right. Then she tried my 2.75" Ruger Security SiX. The added weight (31oz vs M36 20oz vs M638 15oz) made all the difference for her. She loads in with Speers short barrel .357 ammo and she is good to go!
 
Get a Bersa CC (conceald carry) .380 AND a Bersa 'Thunder' in .22 lr.

Have her practice with the .22 Thunder often and CC .380 now and then. That way she will become very proficient and skilled with then same mechanics (the two pistols are very much alike with the same manual of arms.)

Get the CC .380 in nickle and the Thunder in blue. That way she will know at a glance which is which!

Deaf
 
Second the advice to let her choose. If at all possible have her attend a course that will allow her to shoot multiple weapons.
Usually the best person to train a significant other is anyone but you.
My wife (lefty), loves her P95, but she has already put in her order for a HK P30 when possible.
YMMV Good luck
 
The biggest thing for my wife has been trigger pull when shooting. She doesn't have a lot of hand strength and has trouble with heavy double action triggers. I would consider that. Especially with revovlers which seem to have significantly heavier triggers when it comes to double action than striker fired pistols.

She doesn't carry concealed, but if she did I bet she would steal my PM9 away from me in a heart beat. :D
 
While your at it, you could buy her a new dress to go with it and matching shoes, or do the smart thing and just give her your wallet and take her shopping.
 
I'd suggest an NRA Refuse to Be A Victim class, a trip to a local range that rents pistols so she can pick and choose which one suits her best and then an NRA First Steps class. Training your significant other rarely goes well. Let somebody else do it.
 
While your at it, you could buy her a new dress to go with it and matching shoes, or do the smart thing and just give her your wallet and take her shopping.
Click to expand...

Ok, that's hilarious. And true.
 
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