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Thread: Pistols for the ladies

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChaseN View Post
    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.
    So much this.

    I’m comfortable with just about anything though, and am kind of an Amazon. my spouse, also female, also very strong and tall, knows the fundamentals (was taught when young) but doesn’t like firearms and never has. The bigger question for women is how to carry effectively given various wardrobe options, imho.

  2. #12
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    Living across the Golden Bridge , and through the Rainbow Tunnel, somewhere north of Fantasyland.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rapid Butterfly View Post
    So much this.

    I’m comfortable with just about anything though, and am kind of an Amazon. my spouse, also female, also very strong and tall, knows the fundamentals (was taught when young) but doesn’t like firearms and never has. The bigger question for women is how to carry effectively given various wardrobe options, imho.
    That was going to be my point. For women it's often about the concealment options, or lack of them, with a women's wardrobe. Having been asked for advice by numerous female officers over the years, this has been my number one takeaway. One savvy young female officer, who is also and excellent shooter, had already discovered the websites "The Well Armed Woman", "Kornered Kat", and "Gunterist". Those seemed to be decent resources

    On point, I think the new Glocks would be attractive to any smaller statured person as a concealment option ..
    Or a tall guy wanting a smaller gun.

  3. #13
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    Southwest Pennsylvania

    Pistols for the ladies

    After trying my wife on almost every 9mm in existence as well as some .38 revolvers, a few .380’s, and a .45 1911, she was most comfortable and did her best shooting with a Springfield XD9. So far it has been trouble free. That is her home defense gun. For carry it is usually a Kel-Tec P-32, primarily for the concealment issues discussed above.

    When I was helping with my range’s NRA Basic Pistol, I found myself working with a disproportionate number of the older ladies, often with hand issues. Some general observations:

    About 40% percent of the ladies I have worked with have difficulty with trigger weights over 9 lb. Either SA autos or guns that start from a partially preset position (Glock etc.) are advantageous.

    Recoil mitigation will vary from shooter to shooter. While I tend to encourage semiautos with tilt barrel designs for this reason, two ladies with hand/wrist issues found revolver recoil to be more comfortable. One used two index fingers on the trigger for DA shooting.

    Weight is s good thing for recoil reduction. I do not recommend small and lightweight unless it is really needed for a given application, and am careful to recommend a caliber that will be easy to shoot in that size/weight gun.

    Expect the ladies you try to help to surprise you with their preferences. Let them try a wide variety of designs.

    Unlike a man’s elbow, a lady’s elbow is not straight when it is locked. Shooting with s slight bend in the elbows will reduce elbow pain for them.

    Often the characteristics that make a gun a good man’s gun also make that same gun a good lady’s gun, but these characteristics are even more critical for the ladies.

    One of the biggest mistakes I made with my wife was focusing too much on minimum calibers and not enough on what will actually be carried and yet make good hits easy to obtain. Focusing more on the latter criteria makes it more likely that something will actually be carried.

    While I am presently underwhelmed by the larger single stack Glocks, if more ladies start buying, carrying, and shooting them, and find that these guns work well for them, I will completely change my opinion of these guns.


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    Last edited by BillSWPA; 02-09-2019 at 12:45 AM.
    Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.

  4. #14
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    Dec 2015
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    Wisconsin for now
    My wife likes shooting my 45 Shield more than her 9mm version. She also played with the 43x at the gun store and liked that as well.

  5. #15
    Site Supporter Totem Polar's Avatar
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    "Ladies guns." Judas Priest on a pogo stick. Ladies are pretty much individuals. I’ve seen ladies in the sub 5-foot/100lb range go totally queer for a Browning HP in .40 S&W, and seen other reasonably petite women go for SP101s in .357. An old college roommate’s mom carried a 2 1/2" model 19 with silvertips in it (we got along ok). The 1911 seems to capture the female shooter about as much as the male shooter, per capita, of course.

    That said, beginner females have gone for the G42 in alarming numbers on the occasions when I let new distaff shooters try a representative set of exemplars from my collection, so there’s definitely something there. But I like the G42 too, so it may just be the puppy dog nature of the gun, and not the gender. The G42 is my wife’s second favorite gun, after my Reichard-tuned NY-1... but she really isn’t a gun person.

    At any rate, I’ve seen as much or more variety of iron in the hands of women than men over the years.
    ”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB

  6. #16
    At one beginner class I attended that had a variety of guns for the students to use, the woman I was partnered with got the biggest smile shooting a 686. I know a couple of women who prefer full-size 1911s. Tastes vary.....

    That said, some guns do work better for smaller hands and/or people with less arm & grip strength. The G42 and Shield EZ are popular for good reasons.

    My wife doesn’t shoot much any more, but with her tiny hands and recoil sensitivity the only thing she enjoyed shooting was a Ruger Bearcat.

  7. #17
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    Nov 2012
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    WA state
    I have never found a "girl gun". The biggest hurdle most women have is finding a holster that works with what they wear and is comfortable for a woman to wear. Most holsters are designed for men. Appendix works well for some women, others prefer behind the hip. Most of the ones I have helped do not like IWB which provides an even bigger challenge. I will say the gun that gets pushed on most women is a small revolver and with those being the hardest to shoot dissuades a lot of women from carrying or shooting. The M&P shield in 9mm seems to be a very popular gun as it is light recoiling and small enough to carry.

  8. #18
    Site Supporter Rex G's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
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    SE Texas
    My wife favors J/K/N S&W revolvers. Her sister favors a rounded-grip-frame S&W L-snub.

    For OPSEC reasons, that is all I will say.

  9. #19
    A friend of the feminine persuasion upgraded from a 642 considerately selected by Hubby to a LCP. She doesn't like it much better and is definitely interested in a Slimline. She shoots IDPA and USPSA with a G34 so I figure she can handle it.
    Code Name: JET STREAM

  10. #20
    Mine has done a few classes including FOF. She’s aware and actually a great shooter but she lacks the passion for it.

    Anything beyond purse carry isn’t going to happen, so the guns size isn’t a factor.

    She does keep a blade on her person


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