What kind of gun should I get

[MamaLynn]

If I do eventually get a gun for protection I have no idea what kind I should get. My arms are really weak. Years ago my husband had me shoot this shotgun and it about knocked me down. On one of his guns I can't even pull the trigger and I'm not joking. Thanks!
Lynn

 

[gunman41mag]

Find a gun that fits your hand & you're able to pull the trigger, go to a gunshop & try all the guns you can, you'll find one

 

[terrythegamer]

A .38 is always a good choice easy to use little kick and some are very light weight

 

[CTS]

A .38 is always a good choice easy to use little kick and some are very light weight

Very light weight and "little kick" rarely go together when you get beyond a .22. I've got a small S&W j frame .38 that will make wish you had a new hand after 50 rounds using the stock grip.

My best advice is find a friend who has a few you can try out or find a place that will do handgun rentals. Taking time to select a gun you like and are comfortable with is very important, because if you don't enjoy shooting it you're not going to practice, and practice is important.

 

[kludge]

It may seem like a simple question, but it's one that is very difficult to answer. Much depends on you... and what the gun will be used for.

www.dccsafety.com/whatgun.pdf

It would be best to find a friend or instructor that will let you try several and take a class.

It's probably best to start learning with a .22 and when you get the basic mechanics start working your way up to some things have more recoil. I love my .22 handguns. I've been shooting all my life and I still shoot 22's about 10:1 over all my other guns. My feeling is that new shooters' skill improve faster shooting 22's thatn anything else. And no matter how many guns come and go in your life you'll always have the .22's.

 

[88GT]

If I do eventually get a gun for protection I have no idea what kind I should get. My arms are really weak. Years ago my husband had me shoot this shotgun and it about knocked me down. On one of his guns I can't even pull the trigger and I'm not joking. Thanks!
Lynn

Couple of observations, if I may. Weak arms are less of a factor than weak hands and the ability to keep your wrists locked if you are shooting a semi-auto. You may tire more easily from holding the firearm in the shooting stance, but there should be little need for super arm strength.



I once had a firearm with a monstrous 12+lb trigger. It took everything I had to get that bad boy to shoot. Even the Mr had issues with it. If you can pull the trigger on other firearms, then there's nothing to worry about...so long as you don't choose to carry a firearm you can't operate.

You should get what you can shoot well with. Period. Nobody here can make that determination for you, so beware the responses telling you this or that is preferable. There are some good reasons for some of the suggestions, but they must all be viewed as general advice to be used as it applies and not to be taken as gospel.

Very light weight and "little kick" rarely go together when you get beyond a .22. I've got a small S&W j frame .38 that will make wish you had a new hand after 50 rounds using the stock grip.

QFT. I've got a Taurus Model85 in the lightweight config. Factory grips were rubber and it has such a significant kick upward that it was rubbing a blister on my thumb webbing as it "moved" in my hand. New grips helped, but it is still not a firearm for a beginner.

I like the idea of a revolver for teaching basic shooting fundamentals, but not that light weight stuff.

 

[Wysko]

Like the above poster stated go to a few gun stores and let the sales person know that you dont have strong hands. A good gun shop will show you some options and let you try out the triggers. Semi automatics often have lighter triggers but the slides are hard to pull all the way back and the mags are hard to load. If you like the trigger on a semi auto dont forget to see if you can pull the slide back. A Para Ordnance LDA in 9mm might work for you. Light trigger and not too hard to pull the slide back. As for revolvers the Ruger sp101 is a good start, ask if you can pull the trigger on one. J frame (5 shot snub nose) Smith & Wessons are nice but the light weight models tend to kick hard. Stainless steel is the way to go on a J frame IMO. Going to gun shops and seeing whats out there is half the fun. Let us know what you get and how it works out for you.

 

[Gibster]

Lots of good advise here already.

Comfort and fit are important. Handle them all. Go to a range and rent some. Better to spend $10 to find out you don't like to fire it.

Revolvers are great for beginner train and practice with due to their simplicity and visibility of functional components. Light weights are great for EDC but a harder to control for follow-up shots.

Use nothing less than a .380 for self-defense. Revolvers are available in .380.

Good luck in your selection process.

 

[the1kidd03]

I highly recommend you taking a basics class with an instructor who will allow you to try several different types of their firearms. An alternative would be to try to find someone in your area to make a range trip or two via this website. Many here would be willing to spend some time with you to help you make an appropriate selection. My wife and I would offer if you were closer, but I'm sure there are others who are closer to you.

Anyhow, like others have stated fit and comfort are important. With proper technique it is RARE that anyone is unable to work the slide of some pistols such as a Glock 19. Hold, feel, and SHOOT as MANY as you possibly can before you buy as well as soak up all the training/information you can in the mean time.

EDIT: I forgot that you mentioned a shotgun and "weak arms." Typically, a shotgun for home defense is an excellent choice provided you need not move room to room (which is not recommended unless necessary.) However, assuming you may have kids which require such movement a pistol can be a much better choice by not only allowing you to move room to room easily, but also allowing for the use of a free hand if need be. A free hand which can move a child out of the way, block an attacking movement, close/open/hold closed doors, hold a flashlight, and last but not least...call the police. A pistol may very well be the better choice for your needs.

It's important to point out however, that a pistol does require a bit of training and/or a lot of practice to GET and MAINTAIN proficiency/accuracy with it. So the ability to do so will be an important consideration, both in time to dedicate and money for ammo. Hope this helps.

 

[CindyE]

Try as many as possible. A gun is a very personal choice, if you get something someone else tells you is right, you'll probably be disappointed. Ultimately, the one you buy doesn't have to be what you are stuck with- you'll probably learn a lot, and your preferences will change over time. I did some trading today, and ended up with a Springfield XDS 45 ACP. I used to find 45s very harsh to shoot, but every time i went to the range with hubby, i'd shoot his, and i got used to it. I've bought and traded quite a bit since getting back into shooting about 18 months ago. I liked all the guns I had, for different reasons, I just can't afford to keep them all! Right now, I have 2 handguns- a 45 and 9mm, and a 12 GA O/U shotgun for clay targets. I would also like a good quality .38 revolver sometime, and a high-capacity 9mm.

 

[indyjohn]

Try as many as possible. A gun is a very personal choice, if you get something someone else tells you is right, you'll probably be disappointed. Ultimately, the one you buy doesn't have to be what you are stuck with- you'll probably learn a lot, and your preferences will change over time. I did some trading today, and ended up with a Springfield XDS 45 ACP. I used to find 45s very harsh to shoot, but every time i went to the range with hubby, i'd shoot his, and i got used to it. I've bought and traded quite a bit since getting back into shooting about 18 months ago. I liked all the guns I had, for different reasons, I just can't afford to keep them all! Right now, I have 2 handguns- a 45 and 9mm, and a 12 GA O/U shotgun for clay targets. I would also like a good quality .38 revolver sometime, and a high-capacity 9mm.

^^^^Exceptional advice^^^^

OkieGirl (my wife) had her heart set on a Ruger LCP, so we got her one. Then we became educated when we took it to the range. We learned on the very first outting that, for her anyway, the LCP is a "6 foot gun", meaning it's not viable for confident personal protection beyond 6 feet. Her current EDC (everyday carry) is an M&P 9c, which is a fat gun (sorry, I meant "full figured") because it's a double stack magazine. So now were looking at a single stack 9mm like the M&P Shield (good luck finding one) or the Kahr CW9.

Unless you have a big toy budget, take your time & be choosy.

 

[churchmouse]

I highly recommend you taking a basics class with an instructor who will allow you to try several different types of their firearms. An alternative would be to try to find someone in your area to make a range trip or two via this website. Many here would be willing to spend some time with you to help you make an appropriate selection. My wife and I would offer if you were closer, but I'm sure there are others who are closer to you.

Anyhow, like others have stated fit and comfort are important. With proper technique it is RARE that anyone is unable to work the slide of some pistols such as a Glock 19. Hold, feel, and SHOOT as MANY as you possibly can before you buy as well as soak up all the training/information you can in the mean time.

EDIT: I forgot that you mentioned a shotgun and "weak arms." Typically, a shotgun for home defense is an excellent choice provided you need not move room to room (which is not recommended unless necessary.) However, assuming you may have kids which require such movement a pistol can be a much better choice by not only allowing you to move room to room easily, but also allowing for the use of a free hand if need be. A free hand which can move a child out of the way, block an attacking movement, close/open/hold closed doors, hold a flashlight, and last but not least...call the police. A pistol may very well be the better choice for your needs.

It's important to point out however, that a pistol does require a bit of training and/or a lot of practice to GET and MAINTAIN proficiency/accuracy with it. So the ability to do so will be an important consideration, both in time to dedicate and money for ammo. Hope this helps.

'
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

88 has good advice as well.

 

[MamaLynn]

Wow! I didn't expect to get so much good advice! Thanks
My husband and I had a great experience at Openrange just outside of Louisville this weekend. The sales guy was awesome! He was very patient and let me handle a bunch of different guns.
I have got so much to learn! I'm not in a big hurry. My husband (Mackey) really wants me to get my permit, so I might as well work on that now.

Below is a pic of me trying a 22 revolver. The sales guy was letting me try the trigger pull (I'm so weak!).

He also tried me on a 38. I could pull the trigger but it was a little hard. He said I could get a trigger job by a gunsmith but he thought I'd be better off with a semi-automatic. Either way he encouraged me to get some training too.

Thanks again!!!

 

[kludge]

One of these days someone is going to design and make guns that fit women's hands.

Sounds like you got a great start!

That Ruger LCR you've got in your hand there has a rather good trigger pull right from the factory, in fact it probably won't get much better than that without affecting reliability...

Also, be aware that the trigger pull on a .22LR (which is a rimfire) is, generally speaking, going to have a heavier trigger pull than the LCR in .38 Special, which is a centerfire. But to be 100% forthcoming, I haven't pulled the trigger on a LCR in .22LR, but the Smith & Wesson and Taurus rimfire snubbies I've shot have had terribly heavy triggers.

And just going on one photo, it looks like the trigger "reach" it a bit too long for the size of your hand, very similar to my wife's, ergo, my comment about the need for someone to make guns that fit women's hands better. Your second knuckle is pretty straight. Trigger manupulation is going to get a lot easier if you can get some bend in that knuckle.

As for semi automatics, the one gun in my collection that fits both my wife and niece the best is the Bersa Thunder .380 CC. The grip on the "CC" version of the Thunder .380 is thinner than the standard version, and it makes a difference.

A couple months ago I was thinking about this issue and I took my wife's hand and traced it while she made her fingers into the shape of a gun. Then I took some of my guns and laid them on top of the drawing, and it was pretty obvious the the Bersa was going to fit her better than anything else. Practice and technique is more important than sheer strength when racking the slide of the semi auto, but she doesn't have any problem with the Bersa's slide.

There are other guns similar in size (the Bersa is a "clone" of the Walther PPK) like the Walther PK380, and I hear Colt is going to make the Mustang again... maybe it's because Sig Sauer starting making one almost just like it.

If you like the feel of the PK380, make sure you try using the magazine release. I have a bit of a problem with it, and my hands are on the large side (9-1/2" from tip of thumb to tip of pinky when extended)

About a month ago I shot the new Ruger SR22 and I REALLY like it. I think I may have to get one for my wife, I think she'll really like it too, if not my daughter certainly will. It's not what I would use as a defensive caliber, but as I already said, I love those .22's!

... enough rambling...

 

[88GT]

Wow! I didn't expect to get so much good advice! Thanks
My husband and I had a great experience at Openrange just outside of Louisville this weekend. The sales guy was awesome! He was very patient and let me handle a bunch of different guns.
I have got so much to learn! I'm not in a big hurry. My husband (Mackey) really wants me to get my permit, so I might as well work on that now.

Below is a pic of me trying a 22 revolver. The sales guy was letting me try the trigger pull (I'm so weak!).

He also tried me on a 38. I could pull the trigger but it was a little hard. He said I could get a trigger job by a gunsmith but he thought I'd be better off with a semi-automatic. Either way he encouraged me to get some training too.

Thanks again!!!

If trigger is an issue, striker-fired may be a good option provided you can find a pistol platform/frame to suit you in other ways. Striker fired have the same pull for every shot so you won't have to worry about a heavy first double-action pull (or cranking back on the hammer to shoot it single-action because that's not an ideal defense scenario IMO).

 

[seldon14]

If hand strength is an issue slide racking may cause issues on some semi autos, but technique can usually over come this. If you are recoil sensitive and do decide to go with a revolver take a look at a .327 federal. You can fire everything from .32 short to .327 mag. You get an extra round over a .38/357. .32 short out of a Sp101 is the softest shooting round I've ever fired other than .22. .327 is pretty stout but also fairly potent, if it is to much you can also fire .32 H&R mag which is going to fall someh were in the middle.

 

[DRob]

Two hands

Uh...............Use two hands!

 

[PaulKersey]

I think that beginning shooters or those with weak hands are better served by revolvers with a decent amount of mass to absorb the recoil. Lightweight guns are nice to carry but frightening to shoot for a weak-handed shooter.

 

[pleiades]

While you're in the investigation stage, work on developing hand strength. Like a squeeze ball while you watch TV, or the little grip thing (yeah, so specific... they have them in the weight lifting section at Walmart). You can do wrist curls with stuff around the house, like a jar of salsa. I did this and I now am the proud owner of a .45 1911 that I can CONTROL!!!

 

[netsecurity]

I'm looking into a Walther PPK for my wife. Small lightweight, and SUPPOSEDLY (haven't shot one, but other .380's have been a disappointment) very low recoil. .380 is good for self defense, unlike a .22. Similar choices are Bersa Thunder, and CZ-83.

You won't have any trouble pulling the trigger if you stay away from double action revolvers.

Hee is the CZ: