Posted on 11/28/2012 5:44:32 PM PST by fatima
Thinking about getting a gun.It has to be easy to handle for a lady.Any suggestions welcomed.
You can buy a Marlin model 60 .22 semi-automatic for about $150, brand new. It is easy to shoot, reliable with good ammunition, and it holds 15 rounds. It would be a good start and is so cheap and cheap to shoot that it would serve you until you decide you need something else.
Buy some bulk ammo to play with it, and some velocitors to use for self defense. Shoot at least 500 rounds (about $20 of ammo, bulk) so that you feel comfortable with it and with clearing stoppages. You will always be able to sell it for $100 if you do not like it.
Marlin model 60:
http://reviews.walmart.com/1336/17200691/marlin-model-60-rifle-22-lr-reviews/reviews.htm
A Smith and Wesson J frame revolver in 32 S&W long. It is 6 shot, very accurate, and should fit a small hand well. This caliber was a police service round for years. There are bigger, more powerful guns available, but this one in a 2” barrel version, it would easily fit a pocket or purse and serve you well. In a 4” barrel version, it would fit well in a larger purse or nightstand drawer.
This caliber has very little recoil, and is easy to learn with. Make no mistake, bad guys do not measure barrel diameter, they know a woman will shoot once she feels threatened.
True,I have fired shotguns but not handguns.
Pretty wife:)
If you’re gonna do it, please make sure you include the 2” results with the laser turned off. Lasers can have batteries go dead, whereas 4” barrels never lose their sight.
(imho) most decisions of to fire or not to fire are made with five feet or less, or the decision is made when the aggressor fires first. This has been my understanding. To answer your question, I have not an answer. There possibly has been a study yet one which I have not read. Accuracy at five feet or less and/or twenty-five feet or less is due to practice with or without a laser. Practice is important as well as safety. Proper training does not instill safety and only the person holding the firearm can practice the required safety. The laser is a tool, same as the firearm is a tool. Without proper training and practice, both the firearm and a lasered firearm are useless (imho).
If she’s totally new to shooting, I’d suggest a .22 to start with - ammo is dirt cheap so it’ll allow her to get comfortable through practice. Plus, there’s virtually no recoil. Then she move up in caliber from there, as she becomes more accustomed to shooting.
That’s the way I did it. I’m a petite female & had no shooting experience whatsoever 2 years ago. A friend took me to the range & I tried out a couple of his 9mm pistols - their kick was more than I was ready for at that time. Bought myself a .22 to start with (Ruger Mark III - major PITA to reassemble but a good learning experience). Then switched to a revolver (Smith & Wesson Model 15). Next one was a S&W M&P 9mm - doesn’t seem to have much kick at all, but then again, I’ve gotten much more comfortable with shooting. I expect it would’ve been too much for me when I first started out.
I’m happy with all 3 of my choices, but the 9mm is now my favorite - it’s dead accurate & 9mm ammo is still relatively inexpensive.
Go to the big box sporting goods and check it out, hold it, get some info, then go to the mom and pop gun store and buy it cheaper :-)
Great to hear from a female.
A revolver in .38 Special caliber. It has the advantage of being simple to operate, doesn’t kick hard, and is always ready to fire, without being a safety hazard. They generally tend to be reasonable, and I would recommend shopping for a used Colt Detective Special of more recent manufacture (they don’t make them anymore, but the later ones are safe to use with +P loads if those are desired.)
I’m thinking about my 12 year old daughter. I think I’ll be lucky if I get her to fire off 20 or 30 rounds at the range before she gives up. Given that this is the amount of training she will endure, a laser would give her more confidence in a high-stress situation than a pin sight. It doesn’t take much training to realize that the red dot you’re looking at is where the bullet will go, whereas it’s hard to remember pin-sighting unless you’ve practiced and practiced. So with those considerations, a laser sight is superior today.
*
For carry, two choices:
If you have the money, a Sig P232 alloy with Hogue grips. You’ll think they formed it around your beautiful hand. But it’s a 9mm Kurz or .380, and some think that’s enough power.
If that is too much money, or not enough power, then a Ruger LC9 with laser.
But if you don’t practice, no weapon you carry will protect you.......
Mrs. HossB86 picked her own handgun after learning to shoot—she chose…wisely when she picked out a Kimber SIS Pro .45ACP. She has small hands and has no trouble with accuracy or recoil.
She shoots better than I do—and I taught her!
:)
Hoss
Accordingly, she has a Remington 870 and we are getting a small J frame revolver.
The 870 is the youth model (20 gauge and the stock is not as long as the regular model). It is very good (correct size, inexpensive, and she can handle the recoil). But being a pump, she has to practice so that she remembers to pump in a round after every shot.
Concerning the revolver, if you have small hands, then a J frame is the way to go. The J frame is a small frame for a Smith and Wesson revolver, but most other manufacturers have revolvers of the same size. My daughter shot my Smith and Wesson M38 revolver (J frame, aluminum frame, soft rubber grips, 38 special round) this weekend and liked it, but she is also going to look at some small Taurus revolvers. With pistols, it is very important that you find one that fits your hand, because if it does not fit properly, then you will have a more difficult time shooting it properly.
I can go on and on, but the the most the two important things are to get the gun you are comfortable with and practice. It is amazing how easy it is to miss, when you are not familiar with your gun.
Yup, that'd be my choice as well. My wife has one and loves it. 
Wife also has a Ruger .380 LCP. After a half dozen trips to the range with it myself, my son, and my wife don't much like it. Sure it is small and dirt simple to operate. No sights to speak of (no big deal, not a long range weapon, but somewhat annoying). Long trigger pull. It has jammed (failed to extract properly) 4 times in probably 300 rounds through it, on 3 different kinds of ammo. (including decent Federal) Conversely, I've fired a friend's Walther in .380 and I'm in love. (one of those will become my pocket gun someday)
Other guns - wife hates my Mossberg 500 12GA. Too big, too heavy, too intimidating. (gee, all the things I like about it! ;-) I did replace the pistol-grip only option on it with a small adjustable/collapsible stock.
I'm currently looking for a 5.56 AR style carbine - will also no-doubt intimidate the wife. Want to pick one up for a bit more range than current defensive weaponry provides. Also figure I had better get one now before these so-called "assault weapons" get banned again. I *want* a 30 round mag, and I *need* the freedom to have one. Had a beautiful dark-haired brown-eyed beauty try to sell me an Olympic for about $650. But they don't have hardly any of the features I'm looking for. But she was beautiful...sigh
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