What's a good CC gun for a female newbie?

[9mm Lassiter]

Hey everyone. I have a friend who's turning 21 and wants to get her CCW. She has no guns as of yet and from what I know is not an experienced shooter.

She told me she wants a pistol. I told her a Kel Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP might be ideal as they are good pistols and not that expensive. My coach then corrected me in that it might not be good for her to get one if she's very new to them as they give lots of kick. I confessed I had not shot either, snubbies making up most of my small-gun shooting experience. My coach said that a snubby might be a better choice for her due to lower recoil. What do you all think? Any thoughts?

Perspectives from women shooters who've been in similar circumstances would be great. Again, this woman is not experienced and this would be her only gun. I'm not sure what her budget is, but I'm guessing not more than $500.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[NY27]

I think that a P3AT or a LCP would turn her off from shooting. They are not fun at all to shoot. I would say that a Glock 19 would be easy for her to handle. With the stock 5.5# trigger spring, they are easy to pull and minimal recoil in a compact frame.

Snub nose revolvers do still have some kick because of the short barrel. Especially the airweights.

[limatunes]

If you are on a budget and need a good little shooter that won't kill her then I would go with a Taurus PT111 or 24/7 or a larger Kel Tec or Kahr. Bersa is also a good option.

Your coach was right, stay FAR away from the P3ATs or other tiny tiny firearms as they kick hard and often and usually only discourage a new shooter.

A PT111 or something similar will give her good practice but will be small enough for her to conceal if she chooses. It's also a decent caliber.

[9mm Lassiter]

It occurred to me that she might do very well with a Glock 26. I've heard such great things about them as far as recoil, and that could be much more fun to shoot with a pearce grip or extended mag.

[fknipfer1]

I think a small S&W 442 or a Ruger LCR 38 Special with Hornady CDI rounds would be ideal for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience. Revolvers are so much easier to handle, no rap, bang, tap and eject, plus they fire anything JFN, LFN, HP and with the new CDI bullet from Hornady the muzzle energy is right at 300 lbs ft. Plus they are a good size to carry and they conceal easily. Plus you could use lighter rounds that have less recoil and still have a good ccw weapon.

fknipfer1

[searcher 45]

The P3AT's recoil is not as bad as 38sp light weight revolver's recoil in my hand.

Take her to range that rents firearms and let her try out the different firearms.

[BugDude]

Bersa Thunder .380 is a smooth shooter. A buddy has one and all of our female friends love shooting it. Small enough to be comfortable in hand and carry, yet large enough to not be punishing to shoot. .380 isn't the best SD round, but it is a good starting point.

[MinistrMalic]

For a new shooter a revolver is IMO a better choice than a semi. The revolver has fewer moving parts and no need to worry about FTE or FTF. If it does, just keep pulling the trigger. So for a newbie with no experience, I always think that a snubnose revolver is the best place to start.

[phair12]

p32 would be good to conceal and light on recoil.

i would start out shooting plinkers then work the way up. best advice i have had- buy a good cheap gun and go from there. you will learn what you like and dislike.
i didnt listen too go i got a p95 great gun but not what i needed, too big to carry, but too good a gun to let go of. so from there i purchased a p64 and a keltec or two.

[rogerdodger]

Take a look at the Kahr CW9. They are light weight, good grip for small hands, and very little recoil. A fun gun, even my wife likes to shoot(and she is not a gun nut like me).

[dukalmighty]

My daughter loves her M&P 9 compact

[AZ Husker]

How's she going to carry it? If she has room, you can't beat a G19.

[BikerRN]

Instead of worrying about concealed carry I would urge your friend to learn the basics on a 4" Revolver or a Glock 19 as a first gun.

While the Glock is less forgiving of mistakes, it can be a good first gun for a new shooter. I am of the opinion that nothing beats a revolver to start with however, and once that is mastered it is easy to transition to other platforms.

My wife is a new shooter/owner. As much as I tried, I just could not get her to warm up to a revolver. We did the next best thing and went with a Glock 19. Maybe later she will desire something else, but when asked about the Glock compared to the Sig 226 she responded that she favored the Glock.

Many new shooters seem to favor the simplicity of the Glock platform, or platforms similar. I would urge your friend to not look at this first gun as a one gun in a lifetime proposal, but rather as the first of many down a long and ever changing road of firearms ownership and usage.

The revolver is more forgiving of mistakes, IMO. However, the revolver is also the hardest platform to master. If your friend likes a challenge then it seems to me that the revolver as a first gun would be the way to go. Now that my wife has a Glock 19 she is showing interest in the Sig P250.

Biker


EDIT TO ADD: http://www.corneredcat.com/

Have your friend spend some time at Cornered Cat.

[Keltyke]

The "best" gun is the one YOU like, not anyone else. It will be a compromise of:

1. Fit - It should fit in your hand like you were born with it there.
2. Reliability - It should go BANG about 99.8% of the time you pull the trigger.
3. Accuracy - In YOUR hand. It's how well YOU shoot it.
4. Concealability - It should be comfortable enough to wear and easy enough to conceal so you won't leave it laying on the dresser at home.
5. Cost - You don't want to scrimp on your "life protector" weapon, but you probably don't need a $1,000 Kimber, either.

That being said, my wife carries and loves her Keltec P-32.

[Paymeister]

A couple of recent threads you might find interesting:

Smallest (most concealable) 9mm and

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...gnificant.html