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Don't let .45s intimidate you, or your wife. They're just big pushovers :yup:
My big ole heavy 1911 is a pleasure to shoot. It recoils less than a .380 LCP. Ya gotta remember that the weight of the gun has as much, or more, to do with recoil as the caliber it's launching.
Personally I would direct her away from any gun with an external hammer because they are a liability (many accidental discharges caused by them statistically). I would also direct her away from revolvers in general because, among many other reasons, dangerous gasses may escape from around the cylinder.
Get a small, lightweight and concealable micro-compact automatic pistol. Ideally, have it chambered in 9mm, because it's an effective man-stopper but comes in a smaller package and doesn't have as much recoil as the other alternatives (you don't want her to be scared of her own gun). If she really wants a tiny purse gun, .380ACP would be acceptable. Get something with a decent reputation.
Based on the above, I think the Khar PM9 or the new Kimber Solo Carry would be excellent choices (my vote goes to the latter). If this is out of your price range, consider the Ruger LCP.
Take it SLOW! Give her information, point her to informative resources (corneredcat.com is a great example), start her with the .22, let her find her way and proceed at her own pace. It sounds like she is receptive and headed in the right direction, don't spoil it by overwhelming her and taking the fun out of it. My wife, daughter and sister all enjoy shooting and have CWP's, but they are very different in their likes and dislikes about weapons, calibers, methods of carry... Just be happy she is interested and support her effort to learn.
Myself I am the opposite. I don't see where a external hammer is a liability at all. Though I would recommend a hammerless pistol or revolver for a beginner. Sure a revolver ha gasses escaping around the cylinder but how many times when a revolver is shot properly has anyone got hurt by them. A revolver is also simple in its use. If it doesn't go bang you just pull the trigger again. Try that with a semi-auto pistol.Quote:
Originally Posted by sentioch
My wife started out using my Taurus m85ul .38 special and after trying just about everything I have she carries my Glock 26 more than anything. She really doesn't like the LCP, will use the PF9 but still prefers the Glock. I want even consider letting her carry either of my 1911's until she takes the time to shoot them more and learn there functions more. But then again she purse carries and a 1911 in my opinion wouldn't be good for that type carry.
Good luck, I ha a slow time getting my wife to get her CCW.
Lots of good info here, thanks guys. I just got home from work and she's still sleeping. The sun is out and its gonna be a perfect day to go shoot, im gonna see if she wants to shoot the .22. I'll let yall know how it goes.
The 22 is a good place to start. My wife loves to shoot the Ruger Mark III. She has shot all calibers and does not like the snappiness of the 380 (small gun), 40 and 45. She is most comfortable with the 9 mm and in fact has a Taurus PT111 that she loves to shoot. My LCP is too snappy and she does not like the small grip (she only gets a 2 finger grip). If you have a good gun store or better yet a rental place nearby, let her hold several different 9 mm guns to see what she is comfortable with. Make sure that she racks the slide, does a mag drop, etc. Once she finds something that she likes, then rent one and let her shoot it before making the purchase. My daughter has some handicap with her left arm and does not do well racking a slide. She chose a Ruger LCR with the full sized Hogue grip as her choice. Good luck!
Make sure you have good hearing protection, friends of mine (female) seem to be bothered a lot by the sound more than recoil.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gasmitty
^^^^^^All terrific advice which you should adhere to^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^I think he means YOU take her to shoot various pistols, AND then SHE decides which one she likes^^^^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwave
Not go shopping by herself!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by vietnamvet66
^^^^^^YEP^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. :) I personally feel that there are a lot more liabilities associated with revolvers as opposed to automatics although I know this isn't the general consensus. Since I could use a distraction I will explain more specifically my reasons for feeling this way....Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigrat
A while back I scanned the internet to find all the documented cases of accidental firearm discharges and then categorize them according to the reason. The two primary reasons I found were: 1) discharge while trying to de-cock due to slipped finger on a gun with hammer, 2) on an automatic, failing to remove the magazine before emptying the chamber, followed by pulling the trigger for takedown. So I do think that de-cocking a revolver is a major liability.
Here's a more specific example. Let's say your girlfriend is walking to her car in the parking garage when she is jumped by a thug. She pulls her revolver and screams at him to get back while cocking it. He runs away, and then she, still stricken with panic, points the gun down at her feet and attempts to de-cock the revolver which requires performing a very specific sequence of actions in an exact order. In her panic her thumb slips and the hammer strikes, accidentally firing a round which strikes the metal I-beam 2 feet away, bounces back and hits her.
In a slight variation, lets say after cocking the revolver the thug doesn't run away but instead smacks the gun out of her hand, it falls on the exposed hammer which causes the revolver to discharge a round in some random direction.
Because the hammer is exposed its also subject to problems while being stuffed away in her purse filled with lint, dirt, little pieces of paper, chewing gum etc. All of this can get in-between the exposed hammer and could cause a failure to fire when it is needed most.
Now on the issue of dangerous gasses, you say this never happens but it does happen. Look at this picture and see how simple it is to lose your own thumb simply due to holding the gun imperfectly. I can easily see someone making the mistake of holding the gun this way under a stressful situation, especially a female who is carrying a gun for SD purposes without having spent tons of time training with it and becoming totally familiar with it.
Now in all fairness, it is also possible to hurt oneself by gripping an automatic poorly as well. I will admit that I was once shooting my G26 using the straight-thumbs/IPSC grip, and I was trying to grip it as high up as I could to get a low bore axis, and the bottom edge of the slide (which has a sawtooth pattern from the slide grip) kept grazing the top edge of my right hand. I didn't notice until I had emptied the magazine and saw the blood. Still, this was only a very minor injury, not at all comparable to having one's thumb blown off entirely.
Another liability associated with a revolver is due to the double action nature. Perhaps she decided to keep 1 round of the revolver empty so that she could "rest easy." Then one night she is a little scared and she decided to adjust the rotation to line up a shot, but she forgets that the first action of the trigger is to rotate the cylinder. Later that night she is approached by a thug he pushes himself onto her, she quickly grabs her revolver out of her purse and points it in his face and pulls the trigger; click, no boom. She is surprised and confused that it didn't go off, and the thug seizes this opportunity to grab the gun out of her hands before she has time to pull the trigger again.
From a mechanical perspective, a revolver does have a very simple action but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the more reliable than the complex action of an automatic. I can think of a way for this very simple action to become dangerous, all it takes is for the cylinder rotation to be SLIGHTLY off when the hammer falls and then the bullet nose can become lodged in the barrel. Revolver rounds are often loaded quite hot, and most revolvers have an inherently small amount of metal connecting the frame to the barrel. As a result the lodged bullet can cause the entire barrel to explode and break off the gun. I've seen several pictures of this having occurred for the exact scenario I just described.
I don't shoot revolvers much but I also suspect it is somehow possible that the nose of the bullet could snag on the barrel causing it to be aligned not quite right so the hammer doesnt hit the primer properly and doesnt ignite it, and if this is true then its not always the case that "You could just pull the trigger the second time" because the cylinder is now jammed.
Cheers!
Everyone has already covered it, don't make her shoot what you like. Find what she likes!
Check out this thread already running........
I think there is something to be said for a revolver for a beginer. They are easier to learn the mechanics of. Some people have problems racking the slide of a semi-automatic. There is no safety to remember to release under stress, yet a good long DA trigger pull makes them safe.Quote:
Originally Posted by zip777
The Ruger LCR in 38 special +p is very popular. It's light weight for carry, conceals well and you have quite a selection of ammo available for it.
The items in bold are things you do NOT do with a modern double action revolver. You should never shoot a double action, single action by cocking the hammer back. This makes the trigger way to light.Quote:
Originally Posted by sentioch
Modern revolvers have hammer block safeties. There is no reason to keep one cyilnder space empty. The gun will not go off if dropped and you would be reducing a 5 shot to 4 shot.
Purse carry is not recommended. If someone snatches her purse she looses the gun along with her money.
As far as the blow by gasses, this is only an issue on very powerfull handguns, like S&W 500, or 44 magnums.
your last point is actually valid however in that there have been cases where lead bullits in light frame 357 magnun's have been known to jump crimp and jam the cylinder rotation. Proper ammo selection eliminates this. There have also been as many or more cases of semi-auto ammo suffering from bullet setback, causing exploded barrels, injury to the shooter. There are also some semi-auto's that will fail to feed a second shot if the shooter limp wrist the gun, or the ammo has not been proven to work in that particuler gun. For me, I think revolvers are less prone to misfeeds. There's a reason the saying is "Five for sure".
I recently bought my 12 year old daughter a Browning Buck Mark model 051442490 Truglo sights, ultragrips - she has a ball with that pistol. It is truely fun to shoot and extremely accurate. Let her fall in love with the fun and challenges of shooting with something like this and she will naturally progress to larger weapons for the challenge. Soon she will know exactly what she wants to carry. It will be the one she feels confident with and enjoys shooting.
Yes. Absolutely true. I've started 4 females shooting with .22LR revolver and semi automatic, and they've all graduated to something more. My wife ended up with three revolvers when all was said and done - S&W Model 17-1 in .22LR, a 6" barrel 686-1 .357 magnum, and a Ruger LCR in .38SP. My daughter ended up with a Mossburg 500 20ga and a 4" Ruger GP100 .357mag. My sister shoots her daughter's P22 and wants a Ruger LCP, my niece bought a P22 and is saving for an LCP and a Glock 19.Quote:
Originally Posted by Armydad
I started them off slowly, exposed them to the fundamentals and let them come along at their own pace. They are ending up with guns they choose based on their experiences. My wife thought a .22 had recoil when she started, now she's able to shoot full house .357 mag ammo with good self defense accuracy.
Start with a .22, I try to have them shoot 500 rounds of .22 before they move up to anything more. They develop good habits, and when the time comes they are ready for more.
Fitch