Fiancée is Getting Her LTCH Soon, Need Some Advice

[Plague421]

My fiancée will be getting her LTCH in a couple months. We are just waiting for it to come in the mail.
Since it has been quite some time since I have shopped for any guns, I am looking to get some advice and/or suggestions for her first gun.
Really just looking to be pointed in the right direction in terms of the new stuff on the market.
I am thinking something in 9mm, NOT PINK lol, polymer frame, compact, reliable, low maintenance, and would be comfortable for EDC.
Price range would be between $300-$450, trying to keep it as low as possible.
So, thoughts or suggestions on guns to consider?

 

[Vendetta]

Let her hold them. That is the most important factor. Whatever feels right is likely the best for her. Take her to a store with large stock and specify your requirements and have her handle a large number of guns. There are plenty of quality choices that fit your requirements.

 

[hpclayto]

My fiancée will be getting her LTCH in a couple months. We are just waiting for it to come in the mail.
Since it has been quite some time since I have shopped for any guns, I am looking to get some advice and/or suggestions for her first gun.
Really just looking to be pointed in the right direction in terms of the new stuff on the market.
I am thinking something in 9mm, NOT PINK lol, polymer frame, compact, reliable, low maintenance, and would be comfortable for EDC.
Price range would be between $300-$450, trying to keep it as low as possible.
So, thoughts or suggestions on guns to consider?

Pretty much everything on the market is reliable and low maintenance now. Also comfortable for edc is too subjective, depending on the person and carry style. Glock 26,27,42,43. S&W shield, m&p compact, Springfield xds, Springfield xd, sig 938, Walter pps, Kahr. Just to name a few.

 

[SEIndSAM]

And I might catch some flak here, but have her stay away from the Taurus Semi-autos. I have had a couple and didn't like them. 1st one couldn't get a mag without jamming and the 2nd had a horrible trigger.

 

[Birds Away]

Try to remember that it's her gun, not your gun. Let her pick.

 

[indygunguy]

Parabellum in Avon has two events that she should attend:

1. Gun Handling 101
2. 9mm Smorgasbord (get to shoot a couple dozen different 9mm's)

She can do both of these events for less than $150 total, and after those she will have an opinion of what SHE likes.

That's the route I'd go.

 

[poppy]

I agree with the other posters and their advise. The only thought I might add is to not impose your restrictions on her. Let her handle and shoot as many handguns as she can. She is a big girl and she can make her own decision as to how comfortable a certain handgun feels and shoots to her liking.

 

[KittySlayer]

Teach her the four rules before heading to the gun store so she is safe and comfortable.

Have her rack your (gun) slide a few times and handle it (the gun). Not that your gun will be what she ends up with but when she tries the first gun at the shop she might like it is not a totally new concept. For my wife the slide action was a deciding factor, what she thought she wanted at first was simply too difficult for her to rack.

 

[Plague421]

Let her hold them. That is the most important factor. Whatever feels right is likely the best for her. Take her to a store with large stock and specify your requirements and have her handle a large number of guns. There are plenty of quality choices that fit your requirements.

Of course, she would be holding them. I am not buying the gun for her, we are going to shop together and I will be giving her advice on things.
Number one thing I'm going to be telling her is pick one that feels good in your hand, second would be the sights, and third would be the weight.

Try to remember that it's her gun, not your gun. Let her pick.

Absolutely, I am in no way going to be making the choice for her, only providing advice.

I agree with the other posters and their advise. The only thought I might add is to not impose your restrictions on her. Let her handle and shoot as many handguns as she can. She is a big girl and she can make her own decision as to how comfortable a certain handgun feels and shoots to her liking.

I am in no way imposing restrictions on her. She will be the one that chooses the gun she wants. We have talked about it, and based on the previous experience she has shooting, those are the things she said she wanted to look for. I wasn't telling her this is what she has to have. I was simply trying to narrow the scope of our search. I see how one might think that though, I should have chosen my words more carefully.

---

Basically, I was just looking for suggestions on brands/models to consider based on the criteria I had mentioned in my first post.
I realize that there are literally hundreds of models to choose from, I just wanted to get a good starting point from people that have had good or bad experiences with gun models within said criteria.
For example, of some of the new "must look at" guns and for what reason are they a "must see."
Or advice on guns to avoid due to reliability or manufacturing/design issues.

 

[Plague421]

Teach her the four rules before heading to the gun store so she is safe and comfortable.

Have her rack your (gun) slide a few times and handle it (the gun). Not that your gun will be what she ends up with but when she tries the first gun at the shop she might like it is not a totally new concept. For my wife the slide action was a deciding factor, what she thought she wanted at first was simply too difficult for her to rack.

That is something I had not considered advising her on.
Being comfortable with the slide action is very important.
I will be sure to mention that when we go shopping. Thank you!

 

[lrdudley]

When my wife and I went through this we must have tried 10 different guns at the range over multiple visits. Ended up getting a Walther CCP because it was easier for her to rack the slide. Also got a S&W 642. Her accuracy with the S&W is adequate, but I wouldn't want to be standing in front of her when she is shooting the Walther.

 

[Lees]

The 9mm smorgasbord is a good idea, along with going to a gun store with a large selection. I'd say not to buy anything before renting it, if possible. My choices were a lot more limited when I was less experienced. She'll learn to use practically anything as time goes by and she practices, but at first, racking the slide and stuff like that is harder to do. There were guns that I could not rack at all a few years ago, and now I don't even notice. It's technique, I guess, because my hands are still as weak as ever.

This question comes up a lot in women's groups - What's your EDC? Over and over again I see other women say they carry the following:

Shield 9mm (I don't like it all that much, but it shoots soft and is very popular)

LCP (I would not get her this to start out with...snappy...I always suspect that the women who carry this sure don't shoot it too often. I think there's a newer version now, maybe it's better)

LC9s (do not get the orignal LC9, I had one and it was way too snappy, the only thing I've owned that I hated shooting. I could not hit the broad side of a barn with it, either, and I'm not too bad a shot in general. My husband said it was fine. The new one is supposed to be better, but who knows. Sold it with probably 30 rounds through it.)

Glock 42/43 (I've never shot a 43 but I love the 42, it's very nice to shoot, and small enough to conceal pretty well, she may limp-wrist it at first and cause issues, but she can correct her grip and learn to fix it)

Sig P938 or P238 (A lot of women seem to like having an external safety)

The Walthers hardly ever get mentioned, but I know someone who carries one and they come up occasionally.

The Springfield XDs does not come up very often in women's chats, but this is a small gun that I like shooting in .45 (also comes in 9mm but I have never tried it, and I think the trigger on the one I shoot was switched to an Apex trigger). Most reviews seem to like the Shield better but for me personally, it's the reverse. Wish I had gotten an XDs in .45 rather than the Shield 9mm.

She might get tempted by something really small. The Kahr CW380 is tiny and is a soft shooter for its size, but I have a lot of issues with it that my husband does not, due to my bad grip and weaker strength, I suppose. It has a place but not as my EDC.

She might get tempted by something larger, which is fine to start out with (I did, and I still shoot larger guns a lot), but as an EDC unless she's a giant she'll really have to work to conceal anything larger than the sizes I listed above. That might be what she wants to do at first, until she feels more comfortable shooting a smaller gun, or if she just prefers to have more rounds and deal with dressing around the EDC.

 

[jwh20]

There are many great choices today for EDC. I agree with the earlier sentiment that how a gun "feels" in the hand is generally a primary consideration. My daughter got her LTCH last year and I told her that she could have any handgun from my collection or we could go shop for one. We went to the range with several and for whatever reason the loved the .45 ACP Glock 36. She liked the way it felt in her hand and was right on-target with it. I don't think I would have picked this one out for her, but it's her choice not mine.

 

[Bennettjh]

And I might catch some flak here, but have her stay away from the Taurus Semi-autos. I have had a couple and didn't like them. 1st one couldn't get a mag without jamming and the 2nd had a horrible trigger.

Owned one Taurus. It worked most of the time. Then it just started jamming every time. Bought an LCP, never looked back.

It sounds like you're on the right track for your fiancée. Letting her decide with your help. Good luck!

 

[Old Dog]

You take her to the LGS and let her pick the one she wants. Your role is to keep her from being misled or denigrated by some dumb-d**k behind the counter. There are a lot of good choices out there, just provide some guidance, but it is her choice.

 

[Bigtanker]

Parabellum in Avon has two events that she should attend:

1. Gun Handling 101
2. 9mm Smorgasbord (get to shoot a couple dozen different 9mm's)

She can do both of these events for less than $150 total, and after those she will have an opinion of what SHE likes.

That's the route I'd go.

^^^^^^THIS 1000%^^^^^^

This offering is EXACTLY tailored for people like your soon to be Mrs.

 

[bwframe]

Parabellum in Avon has two events that she should attend:

1. Gun Handling 101
2. 9mm Smorgasbord (get to shoot a couple dozen different 9mm's)

She can do both of these events for less than $150 total, and after those she will have an opinion of what SHE likes.

That's the route I'd go.

^^^ This right here! ^^^

I would also add that your fiancee or any other less than experienced person you are leading though this process is owed the best education that can be provided to make an informed decision. With all due respect to the adamant "let her decide" advice, any uninformed person can make poor decisions without experienced guidance.

Experienced guidance should be researched, not assumed. It could very likely NOT be the male of a couple or the salesperson behind the gun shop counter.

 

[K_W]

9mm - Kahr
NOT PINK - Kahr
polymer frame - Kahr
compact - Kahr
Reliable - out of box, Ruger / Glock, after 200 rounds, Kahr
Low maintenance - Kahr
comfortable for EDC - Kahr

My wife has a CM9... Wonderful little gun, one of the best all around guns I have held.

 

[indyjoe]

One site to recommend she read through is Cornered Cat | If you have to fight, fight like a cornered cat.

 

[m82mike]

Don't insist on only 9mm. The main thing is she is comfortable with carrying and firing it. Friends of mine went out and bought a pistol, Ruger lcr, using only the unloaded weight as criteria. They brought it out to show me and couldn't hit a 18"x18" target at 10 feet! ( She can now) JMHO.