Pistol for my Girlfriend?

[bar3353]

My girlfriend wants a handgun for personal protection. She has shot my walther ccp 9mm and didnt like it. She wants a smaller gun with less kick. What should i get her?

 

[oldpink]

It all depends on what she likes personally, but it's hard to beat the simplicity and easy of operation of a revolver in .38 Special.
Lots of options out there for that.
Suggestions?
Ruger SP101 or LCR.
Any of the multiple examples made by S&W.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Shield in 9mm? PPK or the Bersa near clones in .380?

 

[Ballstater98]

My wife loves her LC9s. Check out this thread too:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/women-firearms/375436-gun-my-fiancee.html

 

[bar3353]

What about a sig sauer p238? It was recommended to me by a friend at gander mountain. Does it shoot well?

 

[Bfish]

You need to try and let her shoot a few guns... Idk how well she listens to you, so giving her something to read, or having someone else talk to her may help.

But mainly I would stress to her from what you said is that smaller guns don't kick less. They kick more. I have seen this a lot with girls, and it's a common misconception. Then they shoot small guns and they don't like them because they "kick." I tried explaining this to my girlfriend about a little pocket pistol she got... Sure enough she shot it and now is buying a different carry gun!

 

[bar3353]

My wife loves her LC9s. Check out this thread too:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/women-firearms/375436-gun-my-fiancee.html

I thought the LC9s shot and handled really well too. Im not sure if she will like it because it is a 9mm.

 

[Bfish]

What about a sig sauer p238? It was recommended to me by a friend at gander mountain. Does it shoot well?

When I posted mine this popped up. The sig would be a great choice, especially with the hogue grip I don't think the recoil is bad whatsoever and is female friendly. My buddies' fiancee carries a P938 which is the same gun just a touch bigger and in 9mm. That would most certainly be my choice if I had to buy in this situation, I don't find there to be much of any difference in recoil between the 380 and 9mm with these two guns.

 

[ColdSteel223]

Small guns "kick" more. You need to have her try several guns. The .38 revolver is NOT a good starter gun. IMHO

 

[romad7]

I don't think a small light .38 will be any more pleasant than a small 9mm. Glock 42 might be a good option if she won't use a 9mm

 

[1775usmarine]

Get a new G/F who has her own gun?

 

[Gluemanz28]

I have purchased seven guns for my wife:

G26
G19
G17
G42
TCP
LCP
92FS

She keeps going back to the TCP or LCP because of ease of carry.

She got the most help from someone else besides me. Josh at MGE told her some of the same things that I did but hearing it from someone else allowed it to click with her. She took a ladies only three day SD class as well.

Find a class for her to attend and rent several guns before making purchases unless you want a lot of safe queens or sell them.

 

[digitalmonster]

go to a gun store that has a variety of rentals that she can feel, not all guns feel similar in same calibers. my lcp is less comfortable shooting than my 357.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

My girlfriend wants a handgun for personal protection. She has shot my walther ccp 9mm and didnt like it. She wants a smaller gun with less kick. What should i get her?

Smaller firearms = more felt recoil when it comes to modern defensive firearms. You can't change the Laws of Physics...

Don't "get her" anything except a chance to take a Familiarization class that exposes her to several different styles of firearms in the 9mm flavor. I know they exist, because I teach one for the local Well Armed Woman chapter. Mine can't be the only one...

She will probably need someone else to work with her (because I've found that couples don't often "teach" each other very well) on what fits her well and what she shoots well. Several times I have had ladies of all ages show up to the range with something that was given them by their husband or a local gun shop sales rep saying, "Every woman should carry one of these..." and they show up with a snubby .38 or a 380 and the new shooters typically don't perform very well with them on an 8" paper plate at 5 yards. I hand them an M&P 4.25" 9mm, a Shield, a Springfield XD, or a G19 and they are making quality hits on target within 5 shots and keep knocking holes...

REALITY CHECK - SMALL GUNS ARE TYPICALLY NOT STARTER FIREARMS

*These comments are made to help reduce buyer's remorse and the loss of several hundred dollars when trading in hardly used firearms*

Also reference THIS thread for an article another INGO member wrote after we discussed this topic following our Familiarization class / Well Armed Woman range trip

 

[dmazzio]

My wife's first gun was a S&W 442, .38 revolver. I would not recommend it as a starter gun, lot's of recoil and with an 18.5lb trigger pull she couldn't hit crap with it. She switched to a Kahr CW9 after looking a bunch of other 9's and she loves it. It had the best fit for her hand and she can hit what she aims at. It has some recoil but not bad, my 11 year old daughter loves to shoot it and is scary accurate with it.

As everyone else has said - Small guns kick.

Go to the range and try out a few different guns, it has to be comfortable in her hand.

 

[Moosegirl46052]

I liked the LCP for it's size however I have found the glock 42 .380 is perfect . The recoil is very control able and I have found a nice waistband kydex holster that fits snug and rides low to prevent falling out and is very comfortable .

 

[Snapdragon]

If you are considering a small revolver, I would recommend the LCR in .357 if she is planning on carrying it. I have compared it to Smiths of similar size and found that the LCR has less recoil, especially with .38 spl or .38+p rounds instead of .357. Stay away from anything "airweight" because recoil will be greater.

 

[TangoSierra]

My wife fell for the Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact in 9mm. She has been very happy with her choice.

 

[LoriW]

So much win in this thread.

Small guns are not fun to shoot for a newer shooter....usually. P238 or P938 are heavier framed so they absorb more felt recoil than the similar sized LCP. A revolver can be less intimidating to a new shooter (fewer moving parts, no slide/magazine, etc) but not necessarily easier to shoot (if she doesn't like shooting it, she won't practice and it's not worthwhile for a carry gun).
SHE needs to figure out what she likes and then go from there. A Well Armed Woman meeting would be in order if there's a chapter anywhere around. A trip to a range that rents guns too/instead.
The LCR is a good one if she wants a revolver...I liked shooting it better then the similar Bodyguard. LC9s, G42, Bersa 380, there are tons of options. But she has to pick the gun

 

[dusty88]

There is no one here that can pick a gun for her. I still have my LCP but I carry a much larger 9mm whenever I can. It's so much better to shoot.

Some of the intro classes have guns to try; some instructors will bring a few guns. Or she could take a basic class and then do some rentals.

We have friends who are new shooters try the 0.22 target pistol to learn on , and it gives them some perspective when they pick up something else (ie almost no recoil vs varying amounts in the self-defense guns of different sizes and shapes). I'm guessing a good instructor can be more helpful, though, at what might work for her.