Need Recommendations for My Daughter’s 1st Handgun.

[winch]

My adult daughter just completed the NRA Basic Pistol class and now has her HQL. She is looking to buy a handgun. She will not likely get a W&C but who knows with the SCOTUS decision looming. She thinks revolver might be the way to go.

I’m gonna take her to the range to check out my S&W 686 and 617.

She is not sure what caliber she wants.

Mostly this will be a home protection firearm, but she wants to do range stuff too.

I’m thinking 4” 686 type which would allow her to shoot .38. She has tried my 9mm P38 and seems ok with 9mm but probably nothing bigger.

Curious about your recommendation!!

Thanks

 

[Hibs]

I'm a huge fan of S&W Shield EZ... in .380 or 9mm, blinged out or not, plenty of options in that line.

 

[trickg]

Does she want a revolver or a semi-auto? Revolvers are easier IMO, and I do some of my most accurate pistol shooting with revolvers.

It'd be hard to beat a 686. They aren't the least expensive option out there, but they sure are smooth.

 

[Bertfish]

She should shoot as many different actions and calibers as she can first. Only she will really know what's comfortable. Then go from there

 

[trickg]

She should shoot as many different actions and calibers as she can first. Only she will really know what's comfortable. Then go from there

That always seems to be the standard answer, but I don't think that's absolutely necessary, and especially not if she takes a shine to a 686 - it's a revolver that's easy to shoot, feels good in the hand, and it can be loaded with 38s to a point where there's almost no recoil all the way to full-house 357 home defense loads. It's one of the most versatile handguns out there.

 

[Brickman301]

I'm a huge fan of S&W Shield EZ... in .380 or 9mm, blinged out or not, plenty of options in that line.

It’s funny, but I wasn’t a huge fan of them either. I didn’t really see the point.
Fast forward, my wife has had a bunch of surgeries on her shoulder, and sometimes has very little hand strength. I picked up a EZ9 for her to use. She has no problems racking the slide, even when her shoulder is acting up.
She likes the pistol, but only shoots it when she can’t operate other handguns. I have been taking it with me to the range, and I really like the thing. The more I shoot it, the more I like it. It shoots great, it points naturally, super reliable, and the trigger is pretty damn good. The only think I don’t like is it’s 8 rd magazines.

Op, don’t overlook the EZ9. I love revolvers, but right now 9mm is so much cheaper and easier to find, than 38.

 

[Michigander08]

Get her 2 pistols: M&P Shield Plus 9mm and S&W snub nose hammerless revolver 38 spl

or this revolver.

Gun Store Delaware | X-Ring Supply

Items

shop.x-ringsupply.com

 

[Huckleberry]

Another K Frame with a 4" Inch Barrel like the 617

19/66 is the obvious choice but M&P 10/64 is a cheaper alternative if she chooses 38 SPL or +P for SD/HD

Your L-Frame 686 may be too much of a heft for her.

2nd Alternative is a Ruger GP-100 4" for the weight and friendly grip.

 

[smokey]

"My daughter just got her motorcycle license, what bike should she get?"

...about the same thing. It could be a hybrid, apralia scooter, dyna low rider, or sport bike depending on what she fits with and needs. Finding the gun for her requires her trying some out and seeing which one is the easiest for her to shoot. It'll also depend a bit on what needs she has for the gun. For home defense and target shooting, something like a full-sized m&p 9 would be great. It'll give her more capacity and control than something smaller. If she plans on carrying it, then she should go through enough training to be able to choose for herself, but something g19 or g26 sized might work better.

Double action revolvers are cool for one reason... point and keep pressing the trigger until it starts clicking. If there's bad ammo, pressing the trigger again indexes away from that bad round automatically without a tap/rack...annnnnnnnd that's the only advantage they have over a modern semi-auto. Compared to a double action revolver, something like a m&p is going to have 3x the capacity while being much easier to shoot for the majority of people.

So the common answer of "take her to a range that rents guns and have her try as many as she can, then let her pick the best one for her" is the correct answer.

 

[Boats]

go to a range, rent a bunch. Whatever she shoots well is the one to get.

Because what works for some people won't work for others. If she wants a handgun then help her get the one she is good with.

 

[RoadDawg]

"My daughter just got her motorcycle license, what bike should she get?"

...about the same thing. It could be a hybrid, apralia scooter, dyna low rider, or sport bike depending on what she fits with and needs. Finding the gun for her requires her trying some out and seeing which one is the easiest for her to shoot. It'll also depend a bit on what needs she has for the gun. For home defense and target shooting, something like a full-sized m&p 9 would be great. It'll give her more capacity and control than something smaller. If she plans on carrying it, then she should go through enough training to be able to choose for herself, but something g19 or g26 sized might work better.

Double action revolvers are cool for one reason... point and keep pressing the trigger until it starts clicking. If there's bad ammo, pressing the trigger again indexes away from that bad round automatically without a tap/rack...annnnnnnnd that's the only advantage they have over a modern semi-auto. Compared to a double action revolver, something like a m&p is going to have 3x the capacity while being much easier to shoot for the majority of people.

So the common answer of "take her to a range that rents guns and have her try as many as she can, then let her pick the best one for her" is the correct answer.

And… that advantage disappears when the shooter needs to reload. Even with speed loaders, the revolver takes more time to reload and get back on target.

So the simplest, cutest, and most likable hand gun… may not be the one best suited for the individual in a true defense situation.

Going to a range, renting several different types, and finding out which one is the best for that individual… IS what I would do for anyone who I cared about. I want them to have what they need… if/when they need it.

 

[welder516]

Go to Bass Pro and ask the team members what they think .



then do the opposite

 

[Michigander08]

It's self-defense in the last resort. It's not shoot & scoot in the war in Ukraine where you need to carry 4 things: pistol, rifle, anti-tank missile, and a knife.

 

[trickg]

Everyone makes much ado about capacity and ability to quickly reload, but if you need more than 6 rounds in a home defense situation, you were probably fooked anyway.

 

[Michigander08]

Everyone makes much ado about capacity and ability to quickly reload, but if you need more than 6 rounds in a home defense situation, you were probably fooked anyway.

Yeah. However, if she practices enough to be good with one-shot one-kill action she is all good. For home defense, she needs this one that can use 35 rounds magazine.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ak-v-9mm-moe-triangle-folding-pistol-black.html

This woman is so bad with her shot! How can she even miss?

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

Everyone makes much ado about capacity and ability to quickly reload, but if you need more than 6 rounds in a home defense situation, you were probably fooked anyway.

^^^^THIS!^^^^ After two-three rounds the situation is usually resolved...one way or the other.

 

[trickg]

Yeah. However, if she practices enough to be good with one-shot one-kill action she is all good. For home defense, she needs this one that can use 35 rounds magazine.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ak-v-9mm-moe-triangle-folding-pistol-black.html

This woman is so bad with her shot! How can she even miss?

Easy - it's easy to suck with a handgun without putting in some work. I can't tell you the number of people I've seen at On Target who struggle to get it on the paper at 25 feet, and that's in a controlled environment taking their time. As soon as someone starts jerking the trigger, all bets are off about where that shot is going to go.

 

[Crosseye Dominant]

I love revolvers but will play the devil's advocate to the argument that they are simpler to new gun owners....

My pet peeve with new shooters and revolvers is with DA wheel guns they want to thumb back the hammer all the time at the range, but in real use that is probably not going to be the best idea.

And let's say that someone was good at doing that and then was in a situation where they had to shoot a shot, then situation de-escalated and they decocked a gun they had cocked... Even if that is done safely you aren't lined up optimally with the remaining rounds in the cylinder and would have to re-index the cylinder.

With those factors in mind, a semi auto is in many ways just simpler.

Also for home defense at night you are going to get a little more muzzle flash from the cylinder gap and if it is something like 357 in a snub.

 

[dannyp]

Another K Frame with a 4" Inch Barrel like the 617

19/66 is the obvious choice but M&P 10/64 is a cheaper alternative if she chooses 38 SPL or +P for SD/HD

Your L-Frame 686 may be too much of a heft for her.

2nd Alternative is a Ruger GP-100 4" for the weight and friendly grip.

either of these if she wants a revolver .

 

[alucard0822]

I'm with the "rent a few at the range, see what she likes" crowd. Have had a few new shooters approach me with the same question, and came up with different answers. For most something around a GLOCK 19 mid-sized pistol tends to be the answer. Revolvers are a really common suggestion, and I do bring a couple along with me when coaching new shooters, but they are usually not the best answer anymore for a couple reasons. First is while they are easier to shoot at first compared to autos, they are far more difficult to run well, and IMO give up too much for both training and defense. Where people claim they don't jam, well they do, some cases split, and reloading is very difficult, the bullets can pull under recoil and lock the cylinder. A semi-auto has options to clear a type 1 or 2 malf drill, revolvers=pull the trigger again, if it doesn't work, then it's a club. Same with reloading, revolvers are slow to load for most, fast reloads take clips and a lot of skill, that shooter would still likely reload an auto much faster. 5-8 rounds capacity can be sufficient, but not always, heavy recoil in lighter revolvers, modest performance from the usually recommended 38+p loads, and a new shooter that is likely to miss-a lot, and the larger capacity of an auto becomes a definitive advantage.

Where a revolver is easier to load and fire a lot of shooters have difficulty with double action, and end up trying to use SA if available, where autos usually just have a single trigger function that is easier to learn and use. Really slide manipulations are the main obstacle, and that can be taught to most any able-bodied shooter quickly, takes a lot more time and work to train DA pull, fast reloads and all the nuances of running a revolver competently.

So basically try a couple, but a mid-sized auto is a better reccomendation, also a braced short barrel PCC can be an ideal first home defense firearm. Really easy to shoot well, great capacity, recoil and manipulation can be easier to manage than a handgun. Most of the time with a new shooter running a standard 3 or 4 target drill with around 10 rounds needed, they take the longest with a revolver due to the reload, usually 1/2 the time with a semi-auto pistol, and much faster than that with much better shot placement using a PCC.