Pistols for the ladies

[Tensaw]

It continues to strike as slightly ironicable that us fellows spend a lot of time, energy, and money on firearms and other protective tools/measures whilst, frequently, our ladies - who present much softer, and in many ways, more desireable targets, move around all day either completely without any sort of protective tool, or at best, very minimally armed (speaking in generalities here).

This situation is hardly new - but what is new, is the release of the Glock 48/43X (and 43 & 42). No offense to you guys who are really digging these, but the 48 strikes me as a great option for a lady's house pistol. Like a G19 for girls. I'm just wondering how many 48's and 43X's are going to find their way into nightstands and purses across the country.I am thinking that they will end up be very popular with the ladies as time goes on.

Anybody have a different take on this? I have a wife and two daughters (one daughter in college out-of-state). As it stands right now, the wife has a PPS stashed in the center console (no lectures please), and PPS stashed in the house, and an LCP in her purse. The daughter at college has a .380 EZ which replaced the Walther PPQ .22 she had previously. The youngest daughter is my shooter, but is not yet old enough to carry. She presently loves my G19X; but she has yet to shoot a G48 (as have I). The wife is okay with firearms, but is by no means an enthusiast. The daughter in college is okay with them in concept and is all about self-defense, but actually shooting a gun is pretty low on her list of enjoyable things to do. For her, having a pistol is like going to the dentist. The youngest, as noted, is all about shooting. Cool thing is, I can see the G48 being the pistol that they prefer/gravitate to.

I would be interested to hear what firearms the ladies in your households gravitate toward for defensive use and how they are carried/stored.

[Duelist]

When my wife can be bothered to carry, its a GLOCK 42. She used to have a Makarov because it was easy to shoot, but it was too heavy to actually carry in her opinion. She shoots about 2x a year, and finds the 42 a good fit for her small hands, controllable and shootable, and a nice size/weight for carry. The 43 was too much recoil for her to put a full magazine through.

Our adult daughter has anxiety and depression, and thinks that her owning a gun at present is ill-advised.

[Clusterfrack]

I've been through a similar process with quite a few females, including Daughter #1, #2, my wife, and her friend (we'll call her Princess Di).

Daughter #2 is strong, athletic, and shot her first USPSA match at 13. She isn't a big girl, but can run pretty much any gun, including .44 mag, 12 Ga, and ARs. Best choice for this girl: Glock 19 or 17, or whatever.

Daughter #1 is very tiny, and has the strength of a child. She has not had great confidence with firearms, but with some hard work, she can now shoot a Glock 43 and a LCP quite well. Her hands simply aren't large enough for a G19, and she causes stovepipes because her grip is weak. Interestingly, the 43 runs perfectly for her, even SHO or WHO. So I think a G48 could be a great choice.

My wife does Crossfit 5 times a week. She is strong and athletic. She does not like guns, and has zero interest in shooting. She can shoot a Glock 19.

Princess Di wants to be able to shoot because she is often home alone. But she has very little strength, is recoil sensitive, and has no tolerance for discomfort. She cannot rack the slide on any Glock, and doesn't like the way a serrated trigger feels on her finger. I have settled on a .22 revolver or OC spray for her.

[Bigghoss]

I've seen petite woman with big guns that could put anyone to shame.

[OlongJohnson]

There's a thread about "grandma gun" or something like that here. The P250 .380 is strong in that one. I have been shooting one, and agree it is likely the perfect girl gun. Available with grip modules in compact and subcompact with "small" grip circumference/trigger reach. The DA trigger is extremely smooth and light, the slide is extremely easy to rack, the manual of arms as simple as a semi can be. The Compact length mags hold 15 rounds, so 16 with a plus-one. I had serious back surgery a few months ago, and will spend a few months shooting it when I get past .22LR. I have a special person in my life who is half my size and has expressed dislike of recoil. It would be perfect for her if she didn't live behind the West Coast Wall.

FWIW, my LCP is on consignment at the LGS right now, because I realized that my trigger finger was injured every time I took it to the range. It's simply so small I can't grip it strongly enough to keep it from flipping around and doing bad things to my XXXL hands.

[hufnagel]

got arthritis or some other compromised hand strength condition, and still want a semi auto? H&K VP9 with the charging wings was a total selling point for a lady friend of mine. It's her go-to gun, even with the ever expanding collection between her and her companion.

[ChaseN]

Yeah trying to pigeonhole "girl guns" is a non starter IMO. I took my 22y/o workout fanatic 5'2" sister in law to a rental range last year so she could pick out her first gun for SD in the home as well as range practice. She shot everything under the sun and ended up buying a M&P9 2.0 FS. The process was really no different than that of men I've advised on purchasing their first gun - other than she approached her purchase with an open mind vs whatever last month's gun rags said is an appropriate man's gun and caliber.

Some women are weak, some are strong, some are 5'0", some are 6'2", the criteria isn't different than men that fit in those same categories.

[Drang]

My take is, unless she decides she wants to learn to shoot, and/or to carry, don't waste your time and her patience.

Once she decides so, seek beginners classes for her, don't try and teach her yourself. Doing much more than saying "This works for me/some" to a significant other/daughter/sister/etc. will pressure test your relationship much like trying to teach her to drive.

And do not, I say again DO NOT make assumptions about what gun she can or cannot shoot. Take her to an indoor range with rental guns, and let her try a variety. She may need the lesson in applied physics that a lighter gun may be easier to carry but nastier to shoot. Or that what Uncle Bud carried isn't for her. Or that the gun that catches her eye isn't All That.

I loathe the idea of "ladies guns". "Guns for the inexperienced", sure, "guns for the less physically capable", perhaps, but nothing I wrote above is exclusive to ladies, however you define "lady".

[ChaseN]

This reminds me, I carried a .357 P229 for the US Secret Service for long enough to observe that the average woman we hired off the street does just fine carrying & shooting a 2.5lb pistol with a 12lb trigger pull in a nasty little caliber, with high quality instruction.

[Sauer Koch]

For people with trigger reach issues,the HK V1 LEM is a great option. My wife chose the P30sk, and has been very happy with it.