Buying a Gun for the Women in Your Life

[Jeremiah]

No, it's the total package. I have an airweight, I have a good friend witha stainless charter arms snubby. If they don't know trigger control, learning on a snub nose is a very unrewarding place to start. Very few people I have ever meet can shoot a snub nose revolver well. They just have a very steep learning curve. Combine a stiff trigger, noticeable recoil even with wadcutters, and crude sights and you have a package that is difficult to control, not fun to shoot ( not fun to practice with), and is gonna set in a draw not on a hip. There is nothing inherently stupid with women that dictates they can't handle semi autos. Also try to teach a reload with a j frame. I can empty 15 an reload in the time it takes and unpracticed revolver shooter to reload. I am always amazed at the number of people I meet at various ranges that put silhouette targets out at 5 yards and struggle to keep their precious snubbie 5 rounds in the torso. There is some schools of thought that preach taking your worst day at the range double the group size and that is what you can expect under stress, minute of torso becomes minute of crowd. If she wants a revolver track down a k frame in a 2.5"-4" configuration ( longer if she just plans to target shoot). The extra inch of sight radius you gain from an 1.7/8" barreled j frame to even a 2.5" k frame, coupled with a lighter trigger, better sights, added heft and larger grip, add so much to aiding a new shooter it's almost unbelievable. J frames are about as thick in the pocket as a glock 26, there is just no real gain with buying a snubby ex pet saving weight, the trade offs for this weight savings are apparent after the first trigger squeeze

 

[StreetStrip01]

NEVER BUY a gun and give it to a Capricorn, Italian woman!!

Italian women scare me anyway, but you give them a gun?



Faaageddaboutet!!!

 

[twisyblackmetal]

my wife acclimated to pistol shooting WAAAAY too easily. Interestingly enough, she seems to have more trouble shooting accurately with small bore rifle than with pistol.

 

[70worm]

I think the point is some people have wives who dont want to shoot & have no interest in guns, they just want a chance if some body breaks in to the house and they are home alone. Small caliber revolver is good. Point and shoot, and the recoil shouldn't scare them. I took some body with me to the range once that dropped the gun while shooting due to fear of the recoil. A revolver also dosnt have a safety. I learned by taking the kids hunting that they forget to turn the safety off when they shoot. I dont want that to happen to my wife when some breaks in. I know people should learn thier firearms inside and out, but the reality is that dosnt always happen so a revolver is a simple way to protect yourself with little gun knowledge.

 

[Judy]

buying a gun for the women in you life

To be honest guys most of us don't have alot of time to target practice.

 

[HCRMPD1]

Points very well made. Buying a gun, regardless of its purpose: (1) personal protection, (2) target shooting for relaxation, or (3) competition shooting, it is a personal event. The weapon must fit the shooter; not the shooter fitting the weapon.

I speak from experience in my agreement with this post. I bought my wife a .40 S &W believing that a .45 would be too much gun for her and a 9mm was less than effective as a personal protection weapon. The first day at the range she picked it up and retorted that the gun felt ackward to hold and made her hand feel funny. Talk about egg on the face.

I took her to one of my favorite gun haunts, Bradis Guns. She picked up thirty different handguns if she picked up one. The one she said felt comfortable to hold, dissessamble, and holster was the Beretta 9000S. Personally I am not found of that gun, but that is a subject for a post of my own. I will say that once we got to the range I would rather stand behind her than in front. Simply put, the woman put a hurt on some paper.

Again, well said!

 

[watwill79]

Highly suggest to take the woman with you and have her in the process of buying the gun. Womens hands are much smaller than mens and I have problems finds guns that fit my hands. That is a big one with me to find a gun and a grip that I like and like the feel. Also nice to be able to shoot it at a gun range as well and get comfortable with it. I myself like a 9mm but a lot of women like a basic 38 special as well because they dont have to mess with any clips, simple so let the lady chose would be what i would do

 

[daspurlock]

Took my wife to gun shop last Saturday.She picked out her own gun and I watched the kids, her gun her choice. I am gald she went with something I like too( cz 75 b). I haven't even shot it.

 

[Safe@Home]

I have shot many guns mainly as a young woman in a family of gun people, especially with rifles and shotguns. My mom was an amazing shot back in the day. Last week had an attempted break in while at home alone and recovering from surgery. So I sat in my locked bedroom with a bat, waiting on reinforcements and hoping they didn't come back. Because if they did and there was more than one, I'd have to swing for the fence, hoping to hit both and then knowing I would be on the floor writhing in pain and bleeding to death.

I decided to get some pepper spray. While in the store I was looking at some sales on some guns and the next thing you know I'm holding a gun. As a nurse, I've always been worried about hurting someone else. And knowing that if I pull a gun, I'd better be prepared to use it. My husband was amazed, he's been trying to get me to buy one for years. He didn't say a thing, the salesman tried to tell me the one I picked was too heavy. But it didn't feel heavy to me at all. My husband made sure it felt right to me, fit my small hands and said, that the one you want? I liked that it was all steel and with a slightly longer barrel the recoil would be less. It was a .380. Got it home, had the hubby shoot the first clip to see how bad the recoil was in case it hurt my stomach to shoot it. It didn't look bad, so I shot the next 7. However, the first bullet jammed. Hubby thought it was because I didn't pull back all the way and release. I shot the next 6 with no problem. Was out in our woods and hit within a foot of the milkjug with each shot. He tried shooting that bullet again and it jammed again. So thinking it might have been the bullet.

Talked to one of my brothers who is an aficianado and he met up with us at a pawn shop and talked to me about the fact that in an intense situation that I need a gun that won't jam. So I now have a 38 special revolver. I haven't had a chance to shoot this yet. Although reading some of the comments on here, I'm beginning to wonder about it. His reasoning was that a revolver is point and shoot, no safety, no jams. It's double action, so more like the semi auto from before-and it came with two autoloaders which is nice. I'm hoping to get to a range this week, try them out and practice with each to see what I like.

Hubby was helpful and considerate without pushing anything down my throat, thank goodness. But he has to go with me to the range, as I now want to also try his S&W MP 40 too. Who knows, he may have to get me another one soon.

Course when you've been with someone since high school, he'd have to be smart that way. LOL.

Luckily enough, Applied Ballistics here locally has rentable guns also, so I may find the absolute perfect one. I do worry about carrying a gun that has no safety, especially with a 6 y/o and 4 y/o sons. That is probably my biggest concern.

 

[Lees]

I SO laughed when I read the comment about the wife trying out 30 guns at Bradis and picking out what she liked. I went to Bradis with my husband and did the SAME thing. I didn't feel bad about having to pick each one up, either, and nobody rushed me or got impatient. I didn't really have any idea what brand I wanted, just that I probably wanted a 9mm semi-auto. I'm glad I've gotten to shoot enough that I know what feels "right" and what doesn't, or maybe I would have been lost, even with being able to hold all those. Sometimes I think it's easier to get started with firearms as a woman, because it's not like I have a man-card that I might have to turn in if I ask too many questions (kidding!).

To the above poster, I've also had male relatives push a revolver over a semi-auto for the same reasons. There are several revolvers I really like (and some I don't!), but personally I feel very comfortable with a semi-auto 9mm, and since that's my favorite to practice with, that's what I went with for personal carry use. You have to learn your weapon well if you're going to expect to use it in a crisis situation, anyway, so I don't think it's that big a deal to learn to use a semi-auto as well as a revolver. Just be sure that with any semi-auto you can rack the slide, etc. My hands are on the big side, so most handguns are at least ok for me size-wise, but I have trouble with racking the slide, etc. on some models. Being left-handed does not do me any favors with that, either. You can learn to use pretty much any weapon, but for your own personal use, I think it's best if you have something that's very well-suited to your needs and abilities, and that you love enough to be motivated to practice with it frequently.

 

[KoopaKGB]

My girlfriend has the same size hands as me (everybody laugh at my small hands now) and when I noticed this the first thing I said to her was "Whoa! You're going to love the way my firearms feel in your hand" she knew this wasnt a sexual reference either.

 

[zippy23]

if it fits..

if it fits her, then its for her, let her decide but guide!

 

[Clay]

'there has been a yellow flag thrown........ looks like the mods are going back for a review of a post on the forum'

 

[Mark 1911]

I took my wife to the shop and let her try several. The first gun I bought her was an Model 637 "Airweight" S&W, 38 spcl +P. That little gun is so small that it actually is no fun to shoot. It's too light, and doesn't absorb much of the energy, so it smacks your palm like a hot line drive at first base. So I let her try a larger frame S&W, a 686 Plus, 7 shot, .357 or 38 spcl. It's actually much more comfortable to shoot, and fits her hand nicely. She qualified for her MN permit with it. Some folks have told me that was sort of a sneaky way to buy myself another gun. I disagree, its her gun, and its there in the house for her when I am not there. And, she CAN shoot it well enough!

 

[spyder]

I don't shop for my wife... She shows me what she's bought, after she's bought it. She knows I won't care though as she can carry only one, and that leaves the rest for me to take to the range. Her latest ones have been G30's, which sucked, and were sold (even after heavy custom work), and she picked up an Hk USP 45 compact, which she loves.

 

[jacob.white27]

I had my wife shoot as many guns as possible and allowed her to decide on what caliber she could handle...then the shopping began. She wanted something concealable and she choose a M&P .40compact...nice gun. I want one for myself now...haha! My only concern was would she pull the trigger if she needed too... and for the safety of my family she assures me she could. Now we like to train as often as possible everything from unholstering from a concealed holster, to target aquiring, to seeing whats beyond the target she is aiming at...she is a natural.

 

[chrisjross85]

My wifes first handgun was the Smith and Wesson M&P 9c and since then have gotten a few others like a 357 Revolver. Well one day I had made the mistake of letting her carry one of my Kimber 1911c and well I aint seen it since because it's always on her hip. Small price to pay to keep her happy, and plus who's going to tell a women with a Kimber they want there gun back.

 

[HavokCycle]

my ex was a 100# Lebanese chick that was able to handle a .357 Taurus just fine.

not that it matters, i'm just bragging.

 

[Jarhead1775]

I asked my wife what she wanted for Christmas this year and I was informed that it had better be a firearm. This would be her first

I asked her if she had anything in mind. She told me she wanted something fun to shoot, somewhat accurate, not much recoil, semi-auto only, not magazine fed, reliable and nothing that we already had. So that left a tube fed gun. I was quite confused as this was a pretty specific request and just about eliminated everything since I already have a Marlin 60 and she very much disliked my 12ga after shooting it.

I talked with her for about a month on the subject, as I really do want to get her a firearm. I did my research and read reviews... talked with people to get ideas.

My suggestions to her were:
Ruger 10/22
S&W M&P 15-22

Yeah... both are magazine fed, but once again.

She said no to both that I offered... I asked for reasons why, so I could educate myself to make another offer.

She told me no on the Ruger 10/22 because it was mag fed and looks similar to my 60....

No on the M&P because it is mag fed and looks similar to my AR.

Ok now I'm confused.....

I waited a few days, as I knew she was looking at my initial suggestions even though she dismissed them.

I took her to the local gun store and told her "Look... this is what is commercially available and I'm not building a custom rifle for a first firearm". Yeah, I was slightly frustrated also... bad idea.. yeah I know. We examined every single variant of .22 that they had in the store, even if upon appearance she said no... as you can change that easily. I showed her the internal workings and I described the workings of the firearm as did the gentleman behind the counter... in his best car salesman mode.

After her looking at them and talking about them.... I asked if she had seen anything that had caught her eye or that she wanted.

She chose the S&W M&P 15-22... I was happy because she found one that she liked.

I asked why she chose that one and was told "I didn't want something like your AR, but after seeing it and holding it. That thing is super light and you can change just about everything on it. I am also comfortable shooting that type since I shoot yours."

Good... we have a decision and I agree with her choice. Now to get one and make it "Hers"

 

[Judy]

A friend of mine borrowed my Glock 26 to let his wife try it before he bought her one, after just one round she didn't like it.