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Girl Gun Help

golfgar

golfgar

Bueller.... Bueller...... Anyone....... Anyone?
Joined
Mar 15, 2004
Messages
6,413
Saturday my family and another family met at a farm club we belong to just outside town.  They have horses, skeet, trap, sporting clays and a newly installed pistol range.  We had a nice picnic lunch followed by busting a few clay targets.  While I am very comfortable around shotguns, not so much around pistols.  My eldest daughter is 21 and attends graduate school in Kansas City, she was home for the weekend and dropped somewhat of a bomb….she wants to get a concealed carry permit.  I have a few pistols for target shooting and snake defense at the duck club, but i don't shoot pistols very often or really know what the market has to offer.  I took the concealed carry permit class but never applied for the concealed carry permit.  But, if she would like to do it and have a gun there isn’t much stopping her as she is 21.  I would like to help her decide on the correct choice for her but feel woefully under-educated on such things.
 
My question is, what would be an appropriate firearm for her to have and carry?  She said she feels more comfortable with a revolver but what model and caliber would be best in terms of weight etc.?  I am not really sure so I was hoping someone around here might have a suggestion.
 
Well as far as a revolver im not a big fan. However my other half is 25 and is a fairly small build. I bought her a S&W M&P 9mm Shield as a carry weapon and I really like it.

It's a very compact weapon that's easily field stripped and cleaned. I prefer a 9mm over a .380 but that's simply my opinion based on the grouping I've experienced with both firearms.
 
The good thing about revolvers is, they always go bang, and they're not very complicated. Smith and Wesson makes very nice ones in many calibers and sizes.

Doc
 
Revolver. S&W Model 638. I'm a big believer shrouded hammers for concealed carry, especially for women that carry in their purse (oi!) Get a women's purse with a side pocket to concealed carry).
 
If she is comfy shooting a .357 Mag, then go with the S&W 60 Ladysmith .357 Mag. I'm not crazy about the fact that it doesn't have a shrouded hammer, but women seem to love it. 
 
I carry a S&W 642 in my pocket often, it's a fine gun.
 
I'd recommend your daughter find a range that offers classes, and take some if she hasn't already.  Better yet would be to find a range with rental guns, let her try out a few.
 
No substitute for practice and training.... :cool:
 
What BBS said. Find a range that rents and hopefully sells what they rent. She can handle some at the counter to see what feels comfortable with, then shoot as many different ones that she wants too. That will help narrow the decision. My gun store also deducted my range and rental fees (had to pay for the ammo) from the price of the pistol I bought.

A good forum that you might like for researching the topic is Defensivecarry.com

Let her make the final decision, because if she doesn't like she won't carry it. If she is going to grad school in KC I am willing to bet she has to venture in a sketchy part of town.
 
Another nice .357 for concealed carry is the Ruger SP101 model 5720.  Snubnose, shaved hammer, and like all Rugers, built like an absolute tank.   I have a GP100 with a shaved hammer and grooved sights, and it weighs a TON . . . this one looks more useful for your daughter.
 
Like Doc says, they always go bang.  :cool:
 
sp101%20%2012.jpg_thumbnail0.jpg

 
Longer trigger pull and fewer rounds, but does the job every time.
 
~Boar
 
Personally not a fan of revolvers for ccw... but confidence in what you carry is important.
 
A few tips that I learned when living in Florida... (Forget about ccw in SoCal).
-Don't underestimate weight of a ccw firearm.  Weight is a double edged sword.  A heavy gun tames heavier loads (you probably knew this already) which makes shooting bigger rounds easier.  But if it's heavy, they're not going to want to carry it all the time.  A ccw not carried all the time is a waste of money.  Make sure that she's confident that the weight won't be too much for her.
 
-Make sure that she is willing to put time into becoming very familiar with her carry piece. One of my pet peeves with younger ccw holders was that they got it more to show it off (not saying that your daughter is one of those types) and didn't really think it through. They go to the range only 2 or 3 times a year to "practice" and never dry fires or practice drawing.  The saying practice like you play, play like you practice would be very true here.
 
-Please tell her NOT to carry it in a purse... or an ankle holster... or a shoulder holster.  First, off body carry (in a purse or bag) is just a flat out bad idea.  A purse can be misplaced, snatched, or someone like a friend or family (or a kid of a friend or family) might discover it.  One should be always in control of the firearm and an off body carry doesn't really allow that.  Plus, it makes for an awkward draw.  Same goes for an ankle holster and shoulder holster (it seems like women tends to lean towards ankle holsters and men towards shoulder holsters).  For the most part, they're more fashion pieces with awkward draw and very limited circumstances where they might be more useful than an IWB/OWB (inside waist band/outside waist band) holsters.
 
-As for caliber, I say go as big as she comfortable with.  Comfortable meaning one where she doesn't flinch, doesn't instinctively blink, doesn't lean away from (another habit strangely seen commonly among women)... I would say aim for .38 at a minimum for defensive rounds.
 
Firearm is a very personal thing.  Like it was stated above, try to find a range and try them out.  How it feels in the hand, how naturally it aims, how the felt recoil feels. 
 
If she's willing to give a semi-auto a chance, I would like to suggest either the Springfield XD series (XD/XDm,XDs) or a Glock G19/26 or G30/36.  I know, I hate Glocks too... but those dang tupperware guns are good.  
 
With that said, I'm sure you knew most of these info.  :blush:
 
I'd recommend that you find a shooting club that offers some defensive pistol experience like IDPA and USPSA.  I was invited to participate in a match many years ago by a friend and had a blast.
 
CRQuarto said:
M&P Shield and a good basic pistol class.
Click to expand...
 
This is the route I'd take. I have one with the safety and one without. Great pistol.
 
There is this near you:  Indoor range with training and a full line of handguns to rent/try
 
Like others have said, the key is your daughters' comfort and practice. Different shapes and sizes feel different to each individual. It is hard to find something for someone else without them trying a few. More than once I've gifted my wife a handgun that I thought would be perfect for her "delicate" hands. An example: the Walther .380 blowback recoil did not work for her once she went to the range. 
 
Fit, feel, and practice will lead to comfort levels and competency (not to say that your daughter isn't comfortable or competent).
 
This is where I would suggest the Kahr PM9, due to it's surprising accuracy for such a small compact 9mm. ;)
 
Thank you all very much for the input.  She will definitely take training classes and practice is a must.  Since I have never been to the range, like Bullseye, as noted above, I have done a bit of research and found there are several close ranges and they rent guns to try.  Frankly, I didn't know you could go to the range and rent guns to try.  So that is a must.  Since she lives in KC I will look for some there as well.  Thanks again!  
 
I personally like the semi auto's, but for my wife I went with a revolver. The less moving parts, the less things to take up time with. I opted for a 4" S&W 357, and use 38+P for her to shoot. I will say my wife is petite, so I went with a standard size pistol. The shorter the barrel, the more impact in the hand.
 
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