Need help choosing a CC gun for my daughter

[swmshoot]

Looking for a gun for my daughter and would like to know about this one (S@W Airweight 642) anyone know anything about this gun? Would you recommend this for your daughter? I know its all-aluminum and there have been some issues with it concerning the finish. Can someone fill me in on this?Capture.PNG

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[pgrass101]

I would not recommend it for a first time shooter or a shooter who doesn't have a lot of handgun experience.

Snubnose revolvers should not be anyone's first carry gun. They take practice to get accurate with due mainly to the short barrel.

Light weight snubbies might be a dream to carry but they have much more recoil which make follow-up shots harder (slower and less accurate).

I would recommend a smaller single stack 9mm or .380 like Kahr's CW380 or a Bersa Thunder in .380

[sdnet]

Have you already narrowed down the caliber that's right for her? Consider taking her to a local gun range and rent a couple of guns to see which one is the right one. If you haven't decide on caliber, don't ignore the .22. Establishing good shooting and safety habits with an easier to handle and control gun is definitely the safest and most responsible way to go in most cases.

[dangerranger]

Or..... a slightly larger revolver. Snubbies work the same for the experienced as for the Newbies.

The alloy finish is not as hard as a stainless, or even a blued gun. But the attraction is that they are lighter weight making it much easier to carry day in and day out. If its easy to carry it will be much more likely that she will have it with her when she needs it. The trade offs are that the light weight makes them harder to shoot well, the lack of a hammer makes them double action only, and the short barrel has almost no sight plane for proper aim.

The reason a lot of people still choose a small revolver is that they have a short learning curve, they are easily concealable, they are easy to load and unload, and easy to see if they are unloaded and safe.[ just open the cylinder ]. A lot of new shooters aren't comfortable working the slide on a semi auto.

The difficult thing about small revolvers is that it takes a lot of shooting to get good with the short sights, double action trigger, and light weight.
Good luck, DR

[Fitch]

If your question had been: "How do I help my daughter choose the right carry gun?" you would be asking the right question. She, not you, needs to choose it. Your role should be to help your <daughter, wife, sister, girlfriend, etc.> get the information she needs to make a good choice.

Fitch

[retsupt99]

To start...a .380 - 9mm, but let HER do the picking. Would you just go out and buy her a pair of shoes without her seeing them?
You certainly should point out potential no-no's for her, but let HER decide.OMOYMV

[Goat_Herder]

you'd be surprised at what your daughter or significant other would choose once they tried things out. Go to a well stocked range and start from a .22 revolver up to a 9mm semi. Choose a wide range of trigger type, action, caliber. You'd be surprised to see what she tells you. and LISTEN to what she has to say.

I went thru that with my wife. Although she had ruled out a few, she still doesn't know what she wants. She really dislike the lightweight 38 revolvers. It's way to snappy. In the end, she enjoyed shooting the 1911 in .45 the best. Go figure....

[Superhouse 15]

Airweight snubs are for experts, not beginners. No beginner will shoot one enough to get good with it. If you want to help an important female in your life get a carry gun, pay for a good training class for her, then drop her at a range that rents and wait outside until it's time to come in and pay.

[rawdawg1217]

no I would not recommend any snub nose for a beginner how ever if you do get her a revolver make sure its a da/sa revolver mines a dao and my wife ha problems pulling a trigger

[hardluk1]

swmshoot DO NOT pick your daughters gun. Drive her around, find handguns for her to try that buddy's and there girl friends or wifes have. Figure out how much recoil she is willing to endure. Rent if you have to. Most ranges that have rental will let you shoot with in a cartidge what ever they have.

Now with 2 daughters and wife they shoot 380's from a taurus tcp and bersa one carrys a ultra light 38+P revolver.

What your daughter carrys MUST be her choice.

[Tundra5.7]

I went through a similar situation with my wife. She decided on the Ruger LC9 after handling and trying several other pistols.

[CZRex]

I bought a Bersa Thunder .380 for my oldest daughter. It racks easily and she shoots it pretty well. My 18 yr old daughter asked for the same gun so I got one for her. She shoots the snot out of it!! Much less recoil than pocket .380's, too. Very affordable guns and they've never failed to go bang.

[KoriBustard]

To the OP. A few questions. You mention that this is for CC, but you didn't mention whether or not she already CC's and what she uses. If she doesn't CC already, what has she fired on the range, what has she shot most often, and what is she comfortable with? Also, how does she plan to carry (on body, in purse, etc.). I do agree with others that a snubby, especially an airweight, isn't usually a good choice for beginners. Have you considered an S&W Shield (or similar semi-auto)? The nice thing about a semi-auto (especially polymer) is that they can have a nice capacity in a small and light weight frame, even with a 4" barrel. Take into account her body type and what she may be able to conceal effectively. I must admit, I prefer semi-auto to wheel guns for CC (I'm sure I'll get opinions on that).

[KoriBustard]

I went through a similar situation with my wife. She decided on the Ruger LC9 after handling and trying several other pistols.

My only issue with the LC9 is that it is so light weight that the recoil and muzzle lift is substantial. Shooting side-by-side with my M&P 9c both the owner of the LC9 and I agreed that the the LC9 fails in that respect. However, I've never seen the LC9 fail to cycle or have any other performance/reliability issues and it is undoubtedly very concealable.

[Rock and Glock]

If your question had been: "How do I help my daughter choose the right carry gun?" you would be asking the right question. She, not you, needs to choose it. Your role should be to help your <daughter, wife, sister, girlfriend, etc.> get the information she needs to make a good choice.

Fitch

Great answer!

To start...a .380 - 9mm, but let HER do the picking. Would you just go out and buy her a pair of shoes without her seeing them?
You certainly should point out potential no-no's for her, but let HER decide.OMOYMV

Another great answer.