Chicks and Guns.

moving0target

moving0target

Active member
With almost perfect timing with the latest brouha involving the NRA daring to suggest that women arm themselves (and know how to shoot), a drugged out psychopath forced his way into my girlfriend's apartment. She had a friend over and they raised enough hell that several neighbors came over to help so she was unharmed. The crackhead managed to escape and was long gone when the cops arrived half a :cens: hour later.

That she is going to have a handgun in the apartment within easy reach is a foregone conclusion as is the conclusion that she will take a class on defending herself with said handgun. Unfortunately I ran up against a brick wall or two. For one, what sort of automatic do I give a 5'3" woman with small hands? For another, where do I find a decent course for her to take?

I could set her up with a nifty C&R piece, but I'd certainly rather her have something a bit more modern. I can't exactly hand her one of my .45's and expect decent results. She's fired them before and, best I could tell, the round went "somewhere down range." She knows all about gun safety from all the times she's gone to the range with me. Anyone have any advice...other than moving me in with her?

Mods: Sorry if this post is in the wrong forum. I wasn't sure where to post, but "hardware" seemed as good a place as any. Please move it as necessary...not that you need my permission. ;)
 
I would suggest a .38 snubnose S&W with the internal hammer. Its not an automatic but then if you go small enough for her hands you end up with a .22 or worse a .380 like I had which jammed every three rounds (not good).

As for the course where are you geographically?

Perhaps some other members with more knowledge than I will suggest otherwise but that's my two cents worth.
 
Purchasing a firearm is like purchasing a car. There are certain questions you have to ask.

1. Is size a consideration, for a female, it usually is.
2. How much power do you need and can handle?
3. Is cost a factor ?
4. How much will it be shot?
5. Maintenance of weapon? (Some are more user friendly)
6. Ammo cost? Reload? (9mm cheap)
7. Weapons features (safety, grip, controls) What's most comfortable.

For a first handgun, I would suggest a ruger 22/45 or a Glock 19, 21, 26, 33.

What you really need to do is take her to a range that rents firearms, let her try several out. Make sure it feels comfortable in her hand, the trigger isn't too heavy, etc. If nothing else, at least take her to the gun shop and let her handle the weapons to find a good fit.

 
I would suggest you learn her a two handed grip so she can handle a M1911. Even if she misses, everybody wets himself looking down the barrel of a .45.
 
bulldogg said:
Well that explains a lot... :)
Click to expand...

I am afraid I can't follow you on this one, what does it explain? I believe in the scare-factor of large barrels attached to heavy hand-artillery.... even if the proprietor can't shoot diddly squat!
 
hahahahaha, can you smell it all the way overthere?? (Aren't we sort of hijacking this thread...)
 
The reason I went for internal hammer and snub-nose was for ease of use. It has nothing to snag on and the shortened barrel is enough for close encounters of the scumball kind. And also being a revolver as opposed to an automatic it doesn't require someone to chamber a round before use. It is common knowledge many women have difficulty mustering the strength to chamber a round on many models of automatic.

I also whole-heartedly endorse PJ's advice of taking this dear person down to a gunshop and if not fire, at least handle a variety and see what fits.
 
Since it's a house gun. The size of the weapon isn't that much of a problem./ No need to conceal it.

If she's new to shooting and firearms, the 9X19MM Parabellum is perfect for self defense and new shooters.

As for the type of firearms she can use.

GLOCK 17
GLOCK 19
GLOCK 34
Ruger P89
Ruger P95
S&W Sigma
S&W M&P 9mm
S&W 910
CZ-75
Beretta 92FS
Beretta PX4 Storm
Sig Sauer P226
Sig Sauer P229
Walther P99
Taurus 24/7

These are all large frame (Duty Size) Pistols. The main reason why these are good is because they are all in 9mm and I think that a woman will shoot very well with a duty pistol. The weight of the pistol will help reduce felt recoil.

If you want a Revolver

S&W Model 10 .38 Special
S&W Model 64 .38 Special
S&W Model 619 .357 Special
Taurus Model 65 .357 Magnum
Taurus Model 82 .38 Special
Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum

The .357 Magnum/.38 Special is also well suited for home self defense.

But the best tool is a Remington 870 Magnum or Mossberg 590 in 12 Gauge.

Pistol ammunition can go thourgh Dry Wall, and since she lives in an apartment. Since she has neighbors being seperated by dry wall. a stray round could be a problem. If she is going to use a pistol for self defense. She should use Glaser Safety Slugs or Fragmented Ammunition to reduce the chance of a round going through dry wall.

With a shotgun, if you use the right ammunition. She can futher reduce the chance of a round or pellet going through dry wall.
 
http://www.notpurfect.com/main/snub.html

My favorite carry pistol is the S&W .38 Special detective special. I use wadcutters but if I wanted a sure kill, I'd go the hollow nose route. As for accuracy, that's up to the person holding the gun, S&W takes care of the rest. Lady Smith sounds like a pretty good little pistol, made to fit small hands but with the same .38 Special round. Take a look at some of these little gems. Remember, the J frame is a 5 shot.
 
Glock 26

Glock%2026.gif
 
Well, if you want something cheap to load, there's nothing with cheaper ammo than a .22 of any kind. Then again, there's also not a whole lot else good to say about them except that ANYONE can shoot them. They can in fact kill someone, but I'd not make any bets. Then again, if all you want is a deterent, someone with a .22 slug buried in them isn't going to in much of a mood to give you much trouble. Still, if you're really strapped for cash and need to practice up on shooting, it's a decent poor man's handgun. The trouble is usually finding decent ammo. A good chunk of the .22 shells out there are pieces of crap.

As for what I'd take, most likely it's several sizes of Glock to cover all occasions. For a lady's gun? Find her a 9mm that works for her I figure.
 
I already considered the CZ52 since I have a few. It's a great pistol, especially for the price tag. The drawback is that it has one of the sloppiest trigger pulls I've experienced. The later CZ's improved drastically thankfully. I also considered a VZ70, but I'm aiming more for 9mm. She's had a bit of experience with the Baretta 92FS from her participation in the local police department Explorers program, but it isn't really a comfortable pistol for her since it's full frame.

Thanks for all the suggestions 5.56 (everyone else, too). I poked around a bit on the list you provided. Boy do I feel like a babe in the woods. As me about firearms from WW I through the Cold War, and I can answer questions with the best of them. Seems I miss a year or two of development, though. Just from looking around the web, I've settled on either the Glock 26 or the Walther P99C. I will, of course, have to take the little lady to a store or two to have a look. One of the shockers to me was price. I'm used to buying up Czech pistols for a $100 or so. Seeing Sig Sauers price at almost a grand sort of surprised me. The MSRP on the Glock and the Walther are in the more reasonable $600 range. Again my inexperience in newer arms is a bit of a handicap since the latest Walther I've fired is the P38.

I do like the shotgun idea. I doubt she would, though. She's fired whatever 12 gauge is issued to the local law and it wasn't a pleasant experience for her.

I guess we'll do a bit of shopping over the weekend. There's a local shop that rents just about anything short of antitank weapons so I'm pretty sure they'll have something to look at.
 
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