first gun for girlfriend?

[Captain Morgan]

She lives in IL and just got her FOID card. She doesn't own ANY guns yet, but can only afford one right now. Should we get her a shotgun for home defense, or should we get her a handgun in case IL allows carry soon? She can NOT get both right now, so which one should she get first?

 

[IndyDave1776]

She lives in IL and just got her FOID card. She doesn't own ANY guns yet, but can only afford one right now. Should we get her a shotgun for home defense, or should we get her a handgun in case IL allows carry soon? She can NOT get both right now, so which one should she get first?

She can carry while outside on her property. One doesn't often think of it in such terms, but stuff can happen while mowing, gardening, lounging on the porch, etc. A shotgun can be a bit cumbersome combined with those activities.

 

[Popacap]

If she is a new shooter or a female which doesn't shoot much. I'd recommend a revolver. If to be carried an aluminum frame/scadium .38 special, if to have at the house, like in night stand, then a four inch barreled revolver. It will be heavier, less recoil and better for learning shooting skills.

I wouldn't recommend the shotgun for a female not unless she has experience with shooting shotguns (skeet, trap, competitor, etc.) and she has a level of comfort. She obviously could learn, but wouldn't start with it.

 

[DungeonCrawl]

I would go handgun. I know it is not legal to CC but you never know.... depends on her neighborhood.

 

[Aaron1776]

It's been my personal experience that shotguns aren't typically good fits for women. They're usually too unwieldy, heavy, loud, and recoil too much for most women to enjoy them. Thus she won't feel comfortable with it. Thus she won't learn to use it. Thus she won't practice with it. Thus she won't be familiar with it. Obviously this is a generalization, and I'm sure people on here could tell me about there grandma who duel weilds full auto 12 gauges, but that has been my experience.

Get her a semi-auto, high capacity 9mm. The M&P 9mm, XD, XDM, or Glock all do nicely.
If she likes bigger calibers like .40 or .45, great. Get her one of those.

But for home defense use, a pistol is usually your best bet.

Whatever you do. Do NOT let her get some "cute little gun" chambered in some worthless sub-caliber like .380, .32, or .25.

Every time I see a woman get one of these, she ends up regretting it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

+1 on the revolvers. Many women have difficulty cycling autos.

 

[Aaron1776]

+1 on the revolvers. Many women have difficulty cycling autos.

This is easily overcome by showing them how to properly power stroke the slide. Especially when you get a 9mm like the M&P which is so easy to cycle you can rack it off your belt without issue.

My mother has weak hands and is about 100 lbs. She easily racks her XD subcompact (double recoil spring) now after I showed her how.

Don't go revolver. Terrible ergonomics, heavy weight, nastier recoil, super hard to reload under stress, and severely limited ammo capacity do not a good first home defense gun make.

 

[IndyDave1776]

For picking a specific gun, the obvious choice is to go shopping, let her feel up as many of them as possible and decide what is comfortable. No substitute for that process.

 

[bingley]

Re: resolver vs. semi-auto, I once started thinking about getting a revolver when I hurt my hand so badly that I couldn't rack the slide. So "normal strength" isn't always an issue.

With threads like "what gun should I get my girlfriend," I always wonder what the girlfriend wants. Maybe get her involved a bit more, though some people might like for you to do the "groundwork" & give her some choices.

In any case, you'll have to get her to some classes, right? Having a gun but no training is not really what it means to be armed. I don't know the laws for Illinois. With the FOID, can she take the gun to firearms classes or to the range? Would she be able to take only, say, long guns?

 

[46321]

I would encourage her to go with a handgun for versatility (home defense/potential future concealed carry). I might suggest a Ruger LCR (light and eliminates the potential of limp wristing) or a Beretta Nano as light, reliable and customizable (they even come in pink now). But she should go to a range that provides rentals so that she can fire several and chose the one that suits her best.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Thanks for the responses. I was not aware she can carry it outside on her own property in IL. I'll have to review their laws to be certain, but hopefully that's a moot point in a few weeks. Anyway, I was leaning toward a handgun because of the ability to carry anywhere, unlike the shotgun which would only be a home gun. Between me, my cousins, her dad, sisters and brother-in-law, she will get to shoot all types of guns and calibers to decide what she likes best.

Thanks for the help.

 

[AD Marc]

There is always a plethora of bad advice when people ask about guns for women. Revolvers and shotguns are terrible choices as they have a complicated manual of arms and are less robust and more prone to user error than modern semiautomatic pistols and rifles. Lightweight revolvers are especially difficult to shoot well. If a person lacks the strength to manipulate the slide on a pistol (usually due to poor technique rather than ability), then they lack the strength to repeatedly pull a heavy, long double action trigger and make accurate hits.

The advice to just let them shoot a bunch of guns and pick the one they like is similarly foolhardy. If a person is not educated in what makes a suitable defensive firearm, then they are incapable of making an educated decision.

I offer the same advice I offer anyone: buy a Glock or M&P in 9mm and seek professional training in its use.

 

[sampo]

if she has Man Hands get her a Desert Eagle! If not, get her a new Colt Mustang PocketLite. If she doesn't like that, You'd get to keep it! That's the beauty of the whole thing!

 

[Spike_351]

could always do what I did tell her to get what she likes/wants/is comfortable with and if she doesn't like it, it can go in my safe and we will buy her another

 

[Echelon]

M&P Shield 9mm, XDS in 9mm (once it comes out), Taurus 709s.
...or if she likes double stack the Glock 19 is always a popular choice, as well as the larger XD and M&Ps

OR you could start her off right, and pick up an Officer's Model 1911 in 9mm

 

[SEIndSAM]

There is always a plethora of bad advice when people ask about guns for women. Revolvers and shotguns are terrible choices as they have a complicated manual of arms and are less robust and more prone to user error than modern semiautomatic pistols and rifles. Lightweight revolvers are especially difficult to shoot well. If a person lacks the strength to manipulate the slide on a pistol (usually due to poor technique rather than ability), then they lack the strength to repeatedly pull a heavy, long double action trigger and make accurate hits.

The advice to just let them shoot a bunch of guns and pick the one they like is similarly foolhardy. If a person is not educated in what makes a suitable defensive firearm, then they are incapable of making an educated decision.

I offer the same advice I offer anyone: buy a Glock or M&P in 9mm and seek professional training in its use.

Gotta agree with Mark.

But remember, Joe Biden says you should get a side by side shotgun and just shoot it in the air.

 

[tetsujin79]

Glock 19

 

[SSGSAD]

There is always a plethora of bad advice when people ask about guns for women. Revolvers and shotguns are terrible choices as they have a complicated manual of arms and are less robust and more prone to user error than modern semiautomatic pistols and rifles. Lightweight revolvers are especially difficult to shoot well. If a person lacks the strength to manipulate the slide on a pistol (usually due to poor technique rather than ability), then they lack the strength to repeatedly pull a heavy, long double action trigger and make accurate hits.

The advice to just let them shoot a bunch of guns and pick the one they like is similarly foolhardy. If a person is not educated in what makes a suitable defensive firearm, then they are incapable of making an educated decision.

I offer the same advice I offer anyone: buy a Glock or M&P in 9mm and seek professional training in its use.

I personally, do NOT agree with the revolver part. If a revolver, does not fire, you simply pull the trigger, until it does. With a "modern" semi auto, if striker fired, then you must rack, and then pull the trigger again. With an "old fashioned" semi like my model 59, I can pull the trigger as many times as I want .....

 

[Cameramonkey]

If a person lacks the strength to manipulate the slide on a pistol (usually due to poor technique rather than ability), then they lack the strength to repeatedly pull a heavy, long double action trigger and make accurate hits.

My wife would disagree wholeheartedly. She does quite well with a revolver. The #1 problem with women and autos is a specific set of upper body muscles that they just dont use on a day to day basis. This lack of strength limits how well they can rack the slide. It is completely detached from the forearm strength required to pull a ~10lb trigger. (especially if she has lots of practice wringing your neck as wives are often doing to us)

I offer the same advice I offer anyone: buy a Glock or M&P in 9mm and seek professional training in its use.

With all due respect, Your "One size fits all Buy one auto and make them learn it from a pro mindset" is equally foolhardy... unless that expert also "prescribes" specific upper body exercises to build those muscles that are lacking in strength to allow them to rack the slide effectively.

And as another member pointed out, wheel guns are incredibly simple. If you pull the trigger and if it doesnt go boom, you pull again! (which is relatively instinctive) Its NOT instinctive to start tap/rack and other malfunction drills.

Yes, you can fire off MANY more rounds from an auto, but in many circumstances the first 2-3 are your most important.

Personally I'd rather have a simple 5-6 rounds "guaranteed" downrange in a couple seconds in a platform that is nearly 100% reliable over 15 rounds that may be prone to jams/malfunctions.

 

[jtbriles]

Thanks for the responses. I was not aware she can carry it outside on her own property in IL. I'll have to review their laws to be certain, but hopefully that's a moot point in a few weeks. Anyway, I was leaning toward a handgun because of the ability to carry anywhere, unlike the shotgun which would only be a home gun. Between me, my cousins, her dad, sisters and brother-in-law, she will get to shoot all types of guns and calibers to decide what she likes best.

Thanks for the help.

Excellent idea to to let her decide what she likes best. I took my wife out to the range and let her shoot everything from .22 to 45 and everything inbetween. She shocked me when she said she like H&K USP 45c the best.
I would agree with the handgun over the shotgun. A handgun can be used for HD and CC.