Regarding the Fairer Sex

[RevRay]

OK Everybody, Here's a question for those of you who've been around for a while.

I recently had a conversation with my secretary during which she said that she had been thinking that she would like to have a gun at home. She's a single Mom and she lives in a less than ideal neighborhood, so it's certainly an idea worth considering on her part. So I told her that if she got herself a permit (which is not simple in Connecticut) I would help find her a gun.

So my question is simply this, what would be a good gun for a woman who is not an Amazon. Is there any Kahr that is easy enough to rack that it would be ok for her, or am I pretty much going to have to look for another name? She's probably not looking to carry, just looking for something for her home.

[addictedhealer]

I have let my mother and my soon to be wife try to rack my kahr's slide and both failed. Only issue with the kahrs is how stiff the slide is. I would probably say a revolver. J frames are so simple and safe. My o'l lady has taken over my lcr for its simplicity, no hammer just a trigger.

[chrish]

Second the LCR. Good suggestion. Trigger not overly difficult to pull, probably the best stock revolver trigger out there. I don't know that I'd bother w/ the .357. The .38 should be more than adequate w/ modern SD ammo. The .357 in a lightweight snubby like the LCR or a S&W alloy is brutal, particularly for a new shooter (woman or man).

Another suggestion, easy to rack, DAO only trigger (perfect as a HD firearm) is the Sig P250 in 9mm. It gets a bad rap in some circles, but it's a fine firearm if you ask me. I loved mine, but sold it to fund another purchase. Look at the 'compact' version (mid-sized). If the grip is too large, you can order a new small grip frame for <$40.

[addictedhealer]

Second the LCR. Good suggestion. Trigger not overly difficult to pull, probably the best stock revolver trigger out there. I don't know that I'd bother w/ the .357. The .38 should be more than adequate w/ modern SD ammo. The .357 in a lightweight snubby like the LCR or a S&W alloy is brutal, particularly for a new shooter (woman or man).

Another suggestion, easy to rack, DAO only trigger (perfect as a HD firearm) is the Sig P250 in 9mm. It gets a bad rap in some circles, but it's a fine firearm if you ask me. I loved mine, but sold it to fund another purchase. Look at the 'compact' version (mid-sized). If the grip is too large, you can order a new small grip frame for <$40.

I agree, .38 +P are plenty enough. The .357 in 17oz is just to much and I guarantee most girls will refuse after the first shot.

[7shot]

Unless she plans on going to the range on a regular basis, then a Kahr pistol would be on the list of possibilites. If not I'd say get her small frame .38 revolver. Maybe even two, she can go all Josie Wales on someone if she has to.

[nuke]

My wife initially bought herself a Taurus 85UL .38 Special mainly because she had issues racking my CW9 AND, if I was out-of-town on business and she practiced with a semi, she wouldn't want to do the tear-down bit. She currently has a S&W Bodyguard380 that she can work just fine but the whole tear-down aspect is on me. And I recently bought a Ruger LCP which is a tad smaller than the BG380 and as if not easier to use.

If she wants something just for home defense and NOT to carry, then a wheelgun in .38 Special is about as simplistic and easy to operate as they come. Ammo is relatively inexpensive and plentiful on the 'net.

[jeepster09]

I would suggest a 20 guage shotgun. One of the small youth models.

[otium]

A 38 special in the j frame or the lcr may be the ticket. Very simple to use/operate and it does not take much in the way of maintenance to keep it running good. Only negative is the recoil so that could reduce to not doing much practicing at all.

If the revolver is not what she wants, then I'd have her look at the smaller glocks if you do not have to worry about any kind of a 10+1 capacity limit. Some feel they are easier to rack than the Kahr. My sister-in-law found it hard to rack the Kahr and she carries the G26 and does quite well with it.

Your secretary needs to try some different handguns and see what works for her. Do you have a range where you can take her so she can rent a couple different models and types to try?

If she did not grow up with guns in her house or was not in the military, it is a good idea if she can take some professional training on how to use, maintain and properly store a gun. If that instruction includes range training, so much the better. Some courses may be available for "women only" and some women may find that experience less intimidating.

[K9_Two_Tone]

I agree with the previous commenters. A 38 special revolver is less complicated (and safer?) for new shooters. They do not have to worry about racking slides, limp-wristing, clearing failures to feed, failures to eject, etc.

Another suggestion would be to start with a 22 cal. This would help train a novice shooter not to flinch. 22 cal. pistols/revolvers plus ammo would be cheaper. She could practice a lot inexpensively. A 38 cal. would come later.

Another suggestion would be to look for a Beretta 86 with the tip-up barrel. No racking required.

Good luck.

[yqtszhj]

Let her shoot your pistol and see how she handles the recoil. if she handles it OK then you have an idea how she will do. An LCR with +p may be too much for a beginning shooter.

My petite wife likes her Beretta Nano. She can rack the slide but it took some work to get that gun to run reliability. It has more weight than my CM9 and a lot more than my LCP which she shot once and said she would never shoot it again.

If it's for home or car, weight is not that big of a deal. Just some things to think about. A revolver is good but weight and recoil has to be balanced whatever she ends up with.

[Alfonse]

I have an LCR and none of the women at my house like to shoot it, even with light loads. If you look at a revolver, it should be all steel, preferably stainless. The LCR and airweight ones are too light and the recoil is sharp and can be painful.

A Stoeger Cougar is 9mm, easy to rack, and has low recoil. It also holds 15 rounds and is very reasonably priced if a semi is in the running.

My suggestion is go to a range and rent several pistols to try, a revolver or two, a 9 mm pistol and maybe even some .22.

The shotgun is a good suggestion, but with kids they take more room and effort to lock up and store than a pistol.

My humble $.02.

[Planedude]

I see a lot of calls for a J frame, But might I suggest a K frame with a four inch bbl. These steel frame guns are plentiful the weight won't matter in a non carry house gun. The other reason I recommend a K frame is the huge number of grips available all over the place. The right grip can make shooting the gun right for her.

I'll also second the 20gage shotty. I bought one for my Son to keep at a shady apartment he lived in a few years ago. I taught my never-shot-a-gun-before-other-than-a-water-gun Daughter-in-law how to shoot it well one afternoon with less than a box of shells. She was fine with it and felt it was enough for her. In the ensuing couple of years my Son has scratched his SIG itch, twice and he keeps those handy for home defense. But the little sawed off Stevens sat in the special place in the closet steady and ready.
About 10 months ago my Son was working graveyard shift with his wife and young Son at their little house. Around midnight someone started jiggling the front door and finding it locked started fooling with the windows. Alarmed my Daughter-in-law went right past two loaded SIGs to her closet and her little Stevens. She kept the hammer down on it's first click but her thumb on it. when the guy came back to the front door she opened it and latched the storm door. It was by then, all over, the old, very drunk Hispanic guy seemed to speak no English, my Daughter-in-law no Spanish, but the sight of that woman pointing a shotgun made him throw up is hands with a wailing "NOOOOOooooooo..." and he staggered off to someplace else.
It's very simple and with the little elastic ammo holder on the stock, surprisingly quick and easy to reload. I bought it in a pawnshop for $98 bucks out the door...
Good luck on the search.

[yqtszhj]

I see a lot of calls for a J frame, But might I suggest a K frame with a four inch bbl. These steel frame guns are plentiful the weight won't matter in a non carry house gun. The other reason I recommend a K frame is the huge number of grips available all over the place. The right grip can make shooting the gun right for her.

There you go.

[Speckled_Tiger]

Regarding the Fairer Sex

My nightstand gun is a Ruger SR9c. My wife had never handled a gun much less shot one. We spent a few 15 minute training sessions at home so she could learn the right muscles to use to rack the slide. Went to the range after that and she had no problems putting 10 rounds in a 8" spread and fully operating the weapon. I believe all self defense guns should have a round chambered at all times so the little struggle she has with that motion is limited in a stressful situation.

[Alfonse]

I do like the bigger revolver idea. My wife and daughter enjoy shooting my 686 and it could sit in storage for 30 years and probably fire every round in the cylinder. But, it doesn't matter what I like.

My daughter and wife expressed interest in pistols so I attended an NRA basic pistol class. Everything from safety to cleaning was covered and then they got to fire some rounds through a variety of pistols.

They each had firearms they preferred. Let her choose, your job it to get her the exposure she needs to make a good choice.