Recommended handguns for a female?

[NP556]

Why not let her pick something out and support her decision?

Worst case, you get a new handgun, while she moves onto something else she likes. Try to stay with a gender neutral color.

EXACTLY!

 

[NP556]

+1 Especially wrt the training. Even with some previous experience she may feel the need to have a refresher course so that she will be comfortable. Take her to several different guns stores as has been suggested to see and handle different models and types. ...and the number one rule, let her pick it out.

Ha

 

[mikec]

I would concur with this! And also would like to say that how FAT you are has nothing to do with what caliber firearm you can handle! I own a glock 19C 9mm for home defense, also a colt 1911 as well as an M4 and am more than comfortable handling many other firearms. I am not from any kind of German stock... Not that there's anything wrong with that... Just saying. Size is not everything!
Hand size does affect grip, I would have to say. In addition, ability to rack the slide can affect which firearm feels best for which woman. Best advice is to involve her in this decision

Just a FYI, Joe, aka "august 1410" bashes his wife since he joined. She then joined and bashed him around. I feel sorry for her and their daughter. The kid must be a saint...

 

[NP556]

Just a FYI, Joe, aka "august 1410" bashes his wife since he joined. She then joined and bashed him around. I feel sorry for her and their daughter. The kid must be a saint...

I am confused.

 

[mikec]

Sorry, Joe and his wife make fun of each other on the forum. That is why he said what he did about her.

 

[NP556]

Sorry, Joe and his wife make fun of each other on the forum. That is why he said what he did about her.

Oh I guess I didn't realize that he was the one saying that. Anyway, what I said still stands.

 

[mrozowjj]

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?p=1464039#post1464039
View attachment 54880



training is still everything

I knew there was a reason I liked you.

 

[southpaw410]

I have a Walther P22 that my girlfriend loves to shoot. As long as rounds are on target, there's a good foundation. From that, (if she's comfortable) she can move up in caliber.

.22 is a lot of fun to shoot either way, but if she's looking for a PDW, I'd suggest something with a little more oomph. Although I don't have one, I do like the S&W Bodyguard.

 

[Cbreeze]

I often see men asking this question about what firearm to get a woman.

I think picking a firearm for another person is a dicey proposition at best. As many others have said, only the shooter can decide what she feels comfortable with in terms of weight, recoil, grip, etc. +1 on all the other posts that said that she has to do the shopping and decide what she likes by running a hundred rounds through a variety.

Sometimes men ask what pistol to get a wife/girlfriend and what they are really asking is, what pistol do I get a new shooter? But not all women are new shooters -- your wife isn't -- and some men are. I see another instructor recommends a revolver as a first gun because of simplicity. I don't have a revolver preference. Nothing is simpler to operate than my Glock and it holds more rounds.

There are only two ways in which I think gender is relevant to pistol choice *on average*. The first is that women tend to have smaller hands, requiring pistols with smaller grips, and the second is that female body shapes and height can make carrying concealed a different proposition than for men. But this is again very individual.

I'm petite, female, with very small hands and my favorite pistol is a .45 ACP Springfield Lightweight Operator with a 5" barrel, which the gunsmith at Engage customized for me with ultrathin grips and a short reach trigger. It shoots more smoothly and with less recoil than my 9 mm Glock 19 and I can actually reach the trigger without canting my hand, which is wonderful. So far it is eating everything I am throwing at it without a hitch -- about 300 rounds through it now. Downside is that .45 is expensive.

 

[Magnumite]

When I was doing handgun instruction as a certifed instructor, I provided the major design handguns for instructional and shooting purposes. Most new shooters, male and female, preferred a medium frame revolver in 22 and 38/357 caliber, and with a 4 to 6 inch barrel.

 

[mrozowjj]

I often see men asking this question about what firearm to get a woman.

I think picking a firearm for another person is a dicey proposition at best. As many others have said, only the shooter can decide what she feels comfortable with in terms of weight, recoil, grip, etc. +1 on all the other posts that said that she has to do the shopping and decide what she likes by running a hundred rounds through a variety.

Sometimes men ask what pistol to get a wife/girlfriend and what they are really asking is, what pistol do I get a new shooter? But not all women are new shooters -- your wife isn't -- and some men are. I see another instructor recommends a revolver as a first gun because of simplicity. I don't have a revolver preference. Nothing is simpler to operate than my Glock and it holds more rounds.

There are only two ways in which I think gender is relevant to pistol choice *on average*. The first is that women tend to have smaller hands, requiring pistols with smaller grips, and the second is that female body shapes and height can make carrying concealed a different proposition than for men. But this is again very individual.

I'm petite, female, with very small hands and my favorite pistol is a .45 ACP Springfield Lightweight Operator with a 5" barrel, which the gunsmith at Engage customized for me with ultrathin grips and a short reach trigger. It shoots more smoothly and with less recoil than my 9 mm Glock 19 and I can actually reach the trigger without canting my hand, which is wonderful. So far it is eating everything I am throwing at it without a hitch -- about 300 rounds through it now. Downside is that .45 is expensive.

Well said.

 

[Leeann]

I'm not a petite female. Short fingers but pretty big hands.

I love my 1911. Not as big in the hand as you'd think, not nearly as much kick as you'd think and a really big hole on the other end.

 

[balext]

If she has some experience she may want to look at a Sig or Berreta.

 

[NateTheShake]

I often see men asking this question about what firearm to get a woman.

I think picking a firearm for another person is a dicey proposition at best. As many others have said, only the shooter can decide what she feels comfortable with in terms of weight, recoil, grip, etc. +1 on all the other posts that said that she has to do the shopping and decide what she likes by running a hundred rounds through a variety.

Sometimes men ask what pistol to get a wife/girlfriend and what they are really asking is, what pistol do I get a new shooter? But not all women are new shooters -- your wife isn't -- and some men are. I see another instructor recommends a revolver as a first gun because of simplicity. I don't have a revolver preference. Nothing is simpler to operate than my Glock and it holds more rounds.

There are only two ways in which I think gender is relevant to pistol choice *on average*. The first is that women tend to have smaller hands, requiring pistols with smaller grips, and the second is that female body shapes and height can make carrying concealed a different proposition than for men. But this is again very individual.

I'm petite, female, with very small hands and my favorite pistol is a .45 ACP Springfield Lightweight Operator with a 5" barrel, which the gunsmith at Engage customized for me with ultrathin grips and a short reach trigger. It shoots more smoothly and with less recoil than my 9 mm Glock 19 and I can actually reach the trigger without canting my hand, which is wonderful. So far it is eating everything I am throwing at it without a hitch -- about 300 rounds through it now. Downside is that .45 is expensive.

+1 for great advice.


I will say I have found female shooters (and most shooters in general) prefer full-framed, full-size pistols. The increase in size and weight allows more control and less recoil over their miniaturized brethren. I have yet to find a female shooter who prefers a "woman's gun" (i.e. small-frame revolver or tiny 380 etc) over a full-sized pistol. My girlfriend took a group of new female shooters to the range and they had a G17, G19, Sig P220, and Walther P22. Of the ladies in attendance they all preferred the P220 (in "bone breaking" .45ACP) over the others. The additional weight of the P220 made the recoil more manageable than the polymer pistols and none of them had an issue with the supposed additional recoil.

Before anyone goes off saying small guns are good for a female they need to shoot a few themselves. My LCP is way more abusive to shoot than most of my full-sized service pistols.

 

[Magnumite]

Amen to that!

 

[Swoop]

Cbreeze and Nate knocked that one right out of the park. I would suggest looking at a Glock gen 4. The gen 4s allow for the adjustment to the backstrap making any grip issues less likely(trust me I know from dealing with experiance from going through the same thing with my wife). Plus you slap a CT on it and your in business. I would suggest taking her to a place to rent a few different models to find what is best for her. If she has confidence in her abilities and the weapon of choice you will reach your goal of having a home defense gun for your lady.

 

[NateTheShake]

A few follow-on thoughts after a recent trip to the range with my buddy, his girlfriend (new to shooting), and my girlfriend... and this really goes for all shooters not just females. The biggest factor in proper pistol selection seems to me to be mechanical ability and the shooter's willingness to learn the manual of arms for their chosen firearm.

Now I am perfectly comfortable switching from platform to platform be it a single-action revolver, double/single action auto, striker fired auto, etc. Different sight pictures also require minimal familiarization for me. That being said this is not usually the case. I have a lot of experience shooting different platforms and configurations and it has taught me how to adapt to different manuals of arms however a new shooter is coming in as a blank slate and will require lots of practice with whatever platform they choose.

So, as usual, there should be a good deal of "try before you buy" when making the ultimate decision. Some people do not like double actions or striker fired or aren't comfortable with engaging and disengaging the safety on a single action. Whatever it may be there is going to be a learning curve that must be overcome before the final choice is made. I say take them out and let them try a variety of different platforms with different actions to narrow down what they are and aren't comfortable with.

Just some thoughts I had after our range trip. I'm taking a group of basically inexperienced male shooters to the range soon and we'll see how different their learning curve is. So far most of the lady shooters I have introduced to the sport have set a pretty high standard for what I expect.

 

[cluznar]

Handguns for female

Have her look at the Bersa Thunder .380 which is dependable, accurate and fairly inexpensive.

If she wants pocket size have her look at the Beretta Tomcat .32 acp

 

[BigSteve57]

+1 for great advice.


I will say I have found female shooters (and most shooters in general) prefer full-framed, full-size pistols. The increase in size and weight allows more control and less recoil over their miniaturized brethren. I have yet to find a female shooter who prefers a "woman's gun" (i.e. small-frame revolver or tiny 380 etc) over a full-sized pistol. My girlfriend took a group of new female shooters to the range and they had a G17, G19, Sig P220, and Walther P22. Of the ladies in attendance they all preferred the P220 (in "bone breaking" .45ACP) over the others. The additional weight of the P220 made the recoil more manageable than the polymer pistols and none of them had an issue with the supposed additional recoil.

Before anyone goes off saying small guns are good for a female they need to shoot a few themselves. My LCP is way more abusive to shoot than most of my full-sized service pistols.

This is also my experience. My wife who is 5' 5" prefers the Beretta 92FS, full size Ruger GP100 in 357 and Taurus Judge over our Walther PPK/S in 380.

 

[THEKOONTZ]

My wife wanted a revolver but after a day at the range she was most comfortable with a 9mm. The next day went and seen Dan and Harry at GC and bought her a Glock 17. After getting it and taking the wife back to the range to try her new peice out, she loves it. Has no complaints and comfortable shooting it, she now enjoys going to the range opposed to going with me and my 45acp to shoot. But that just her, everyone is different take a trip to the range and find something she enjoys. Good luck in your search and have fun doing it!