Regarding the Fairer Sex

[CJB]

Sorry to add my thoughts late... works been killin' my time.

When I was active as an instructor, I did five classes a week. I had the opportunity to give classes to as many as 25 individuals per class. The mix of women and men was about 50/50 - some might find that odd, but thats about what it was. Take ten years times five classes a week, times maybe 15 students on average... I don't know the real number... but it adds up to many thousands of students, and one really worn out CJB.

In all my experience teaching ladies, the issue of finger and hand and arm strength was at issue in almost every instance. Few ladies could reliably operate an autoloader safely. End of story. They need to make the pistol safe, they need to load it safely, lock open the action safely, check the chamber safely... decock the pistol safely, ...etc etc. Only a very few ladies could do that, in total, on any type of autoloader. Dexterity also had a factor.

Of the autoloaders, the one that ladies could operate were the flip up barrel type, which were only made by Beretta at that time. They had a nice .380 flip up. The thing with those, is that de-cocking was a problem, but the barrel could be tipped up before decocking was attempted, Similarly, the barrel could be tipped up to load /unload the chamber, and the slide did not need to be manually operated.

By far, ladies selected the hammerless revolver - those with totally internal hammers. Reason being - you cannot have it cocked and easy to fire. There is no need to decock it. You pull the trigger, it goes bang. You press the button, open the cylinder, and its instantly safe and ready to load or unload.

[Bawanna]

That's one of the reasons I went the 638 for my wife. It has a shrouded hammer so it can be c0cked but it's a strong hammer spring and I told her to pretend the hammer isn't there. After she tried it empty she agreed.

I don't like DA pulls much and I'd probably c0ck the thing if I ever had to use it. Just tricky letting it down.

[CJB]

even guys fail at it.... no shame there.

[jocko]

andIMO

Sorry to add my thoughts late... works been killin' my time.

When I was active as an instructor, I did five classes a week. I had the opportunity to give classes to as many as 25 individuals per class. The mix of women and men was about 50/50 - some might find that odd, but thats about what it was. Take ten years times five classes a week, times maybe 15 students on average... I don't know the real number... but it adds up to many thousands of students, and one really worn out CJB.

In all my experience teaching ladies, the issue of finger and hand and arm strength was at issue in almost every instance. Few ladies could reliably operate an autoloader safely. End of story. They need to make the pistol safe, they need to load it safely, lock open the action safely, check the chamber safely... decock the pistol safely, ...etc etc. Only a very few ladies could do that, in total, on any type of autoloader. Dexterity also had a factor.

Of the autoloaders, the one that ladies could operate were the flip up barrel type, which were only made by Beretta at that time. They had a nice .380 flip up. The thing with those, is that de-cocking was a problem, but the barrel could be tipped up before decocking was attempted, Similarly, the barrel could be tipped up to load /unload the chamber, and the slide did not need to be manually operated.

By far, ladies selected the hammerless revolver - those with totally internal hammers. Reason being - you cannot have it cocked and easy to fire. There is no need to decock it. You pull the trigger, it goes bang. You press the button, open the cylinder, and its instantly safe and ready to load or unload.

with ll the many new semi's out there todayt the statswill still show that women feel better withg a wheel gun be it hammerless or what ever over a semi for the reasons CXJB and what I have said on this forum sine I have ever posted about it. We men think we know best for a women with a gun and most of the time I think we are wrong when we move them to a semi.

I knw there are exceptions to the rule but IMO even more so with kahrs

Myopinion is based on 40 years of selling guns and CJBis basedon "teaching" new shooters for many years. There is some credibility behind both IMO..

[Popeye]

I also agree a SA/DA wheel gun would be the best choice. Semi auto's can be problematic for some women with limited hand strength. Having a semi auto pistol around with one in the chamber can be a bit risky with small ,children in the house. When my children were small I had wheel guns, when they got older I slowly switched over to Semi auto's.
Having said all that and on the flip side of the discussion, there seems to be quite a loyal following among women with the Bersa Thunder .380. Not the best caliber for sure, but HD is not necessarily about killing someone with many women as it is about stopping a threat. My wife and I have had this discussion and she would not want to kill anyone or anything, but she would pull the trigger to stop a threat aimed towards her or the family. I think men have the kill instinct more than most women do. JMHO ..........

[yqtszhj]

We men think we know best for a women .... I think we are wrong

You said it there, just ask them, they'll tell us we're wrong.

[jocko]

good point

I also agree a SA/DA wheel gun would be the best choice. Semi auto's can be problematic for some women with limited hand strength. Having a semi auto pistol around with one in the chamber can be a bit risky with small ,children in the house. When my children were small I had wheel guns, when they got older I slowly switched over to Semi auto's.
Having said all that and on the flip side of the discussion, there seems to be quite a loyal following among women with the Bersa Thunder .380. Not the best caliber for sure, but HD is not necessarily about killing someone with many women as it is about stopping a threat. My wife and I have had this discussion and she would not want to kill anyone or anything, but she would pull the trigger to stop a threat aimed towards her or the family. I think men have the kill instinct more than most women do. JMHO ..........

but as u khow when ever anyne pulls the trigger theyhave noclue to whether they are gonna kill or wound anyone either, so IMO if ur gonna pull the trigger, that shouldnot be anoption. Fire power is necessary, but confindence in the weapon ad the complete ability to use it right is #1 IMO.

Kahrs IMO is definitely not a womans gun, sure some of these gals on this forum might be comfortablebut the vast andI mean vast majority would not be comfortable with a kahr. TheBersa as popeye stated is a nice gun, not sure though other than maybe racking a roundin it,thatit would be any easier for a women to totally operate it, sure no comparison to what a wheel gun can offer, and there are some damn nice "lesser" power 38's wheelguns out there to. Alot of time it is mind over matter to and for women their "minds" are not worknbg like ours does when it comes to guns.
Not to say they don't have minds, aswe married men know that they do, and we prior divorced men absoluytley positively know that they dohave minds. Just sayin

[Chuck54]

My wife likes her late father's old 4" model 64 S&W.......also pulls it through double action....that's the way she likes it!

[Alfonse]

You have a 686? Why don't I have a 686?

Definitely let her choose. Give her good options but let her make the call.

I can't believe you DON'T have a 686. You need one. They are a standard in firearms which allow you to have a reference to use to evaluate every other pistol. Not owning one is like being a carpenter who doesn't own a tape measure. Does that explain it enough for your wife?

[Bawanna]

I wrote that down for future reference. I'm looking and have been looking, just need to find the right one with money in hand. Actually that's usually the issue.
One of the officers here is also on the prowl so that doesn't help that I have to search in his behalf knowing full well I want it myself.

And then there's my sought after Schofield whose fund continuously gets robbed for other "must have" items.

It's a vicious circle I tell ya.

[ltxi]

I can't believe you DON'T have a 686. You need one. They are a standard in firearms which allow you to have a reference to use to evaluate every other pistol. Not owning one is like being a carpenter who doesn't own a tape measure. Does that explain it enough for your wife?

I don't have a 686, either. Too newfangled for my taste. Do have four K-frames, tho. In pinned and recessed K's be reference standard enough for me. Favorite tape measure's kinda old too.

[Bawanna]

Most of my favorite things are old. Guess it took em awhile to become favorites.

With high hopes I ran Alfonses line past Mrs. Bawanna. It went over like a balloon, the Hindenburg. Wasn't pretty, almost like the real thing.
Also said I had a co-conspirator as she'd never heard me use such big fancy words.
I thought I had my notes pretty well palmed but guess it didn't work on her this trip. Seems to be getting more and more challenging.

[ltxi]

Most of my favorite things are old. Guess it took em awhile to become favorites.........

Well now, that be interesting. I've always kinda worked in reverse to that. Favorite things eventually became old. And, like my K-frames, didn't need to be replaced with something new/newer.

[Bawanna]

Well now, that be interesting. I've always kinda worked in reverse to that. Favorite things eventually became old. And, like my K-frames, didn't need to be replaced with something new/newer.

Well I guess in retrospect I have to agree more with your system. Favorite things became old, rather than old things became favorites.

One has to wonder where the age line of demarcation is set for old favorite things and not so old favorite things, or even new favorite things.
And perhaps modern replicas of old favorite thing need to be added to the equation.

Complex to be sure.

[ltxi]

Well I guess in retrospect I have to agree more with your system. Favorite things became old, rather than old things became favorites.

One has to wonder where the age line of demarcation is set for old favorite things and not so old favorite things, or even new favorite things.
And perhaps modern replicas of old favorite thing need to be added to the equation.

Complex to be sure.

This be gettin' hard. Very hard. I now plan to drink and ponder. Or ponder and drink. Both be old favorites. I will also consult with wife on the subject during vacation in Maine and get back to you with a consensual find after Labor Day weekend.

One thing I do know fer absolute sure even without wife consult.....wrt the replica thing.....despite my past love of Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, eyetalian, brazilian and other third world country copies of sa revolvers could never, ever make the fav list. Nor even the ownership list for that matter.