Posted on 10/23/2014 11:33:12 AM PDT by PROCON
Excuse me for my 2nd vanity in as many days but I always appreciate FReeper advice.
My adult daughter, who lives by herself in Seattle finally confided to me that the pepper spray she carries doesn't make her feel safe anymore and wants a handgun.
Her only input was that she would like a purple gun. Hey, she's a girl :-)
My daughter wanted a pink handgun but her first priorities were fit and caliber. She found out by shooting my handguns that she not only liked to shoot either 45ACP or 40S&W but also she was more accurate with them than the 9mm and 380s.
We went to my favorite gun store (they have a huge selection) and checked the fit of everything from inexpensive to Kimbers and she found that the Beretta PX4 Storm Compact had the best fit for her hand so her Christmas present was that chambered in 40S&W. It isn't pink but she loves it and carries it everywhere, which makes me feel much better now she is armed. She is also trained by not only me but by professionals and also her boyfriend is a Marine Reserve who loves guns and they go out and shoot regularly.
Revolver. Best first gun. Simple. No jamming. You can fire it through the purse too. Safety is generally the easiest to work too.
Speaking as a woman...please do discourage foolish purchases of pretty colored guns. So Stupid. There were pink guns for sale last time I was at the gun shop. The salesman and I laughed at them and he said ONLY DRUG DEALER’S GIRLFRIENDS buy them, because then the thug boyfriend won’t take their gun because it’s pink.
My apologies to readers who like pink guns. Just in my opinion, they are stupid. Everyone has their own taste about this matter.
Anyway, it is good news that your daughter wants to learn to shoot and be responsible for her own safety. That is great.
She might find it very enjoyable and become a gun enthusiast, might even find that soon she will have a nice collection,,,and then they all fall out of a boat into a very deep cold lake....
I had to locktite all the screws on a SW revolver I used to have. They would back out and the gun would quit going bang.
And living in a purse is not a good environment for a gun, even the most reliable revolver should be pulled out every month, cleaned and checked for function.
There was a cop killed a few years ago when his back up revolver wouldn’t fire because of built up lint from his socks. Apparently, he hadn’t checked in it a long time.
My wife showed me that an auto wouldn’t make a bulge in the side pocket of her purse where the revolver did. I tried to talk her into a hammerless .38 but she is a happy owner of a subcompact 9 instead.
“Its more of a contact weapon.”
Exactly. It is something people would carry regardless of how they are dressed. A 45 does no good if left at home
because it is too heavy or bulky.
My wife has every handgun style known to man, but the LCP is something she carries every day.
I would never put a (semi) automatic in a woman's hands for self defense. Range yes, defense no.
Most people (not just women) don't get enough practice with their weapon to be truly proficient clearing jams, especially under duress. A wheel gun is the only way to go, point anc click. My wife carries a Tarus model 85 lite weight. It rolls around in the bottom of her purse for months between cleanings/firing. Pull the trigger 5 times, you get 5 .38+Ps going down range EVERY time.
Thanks Top, buying a revolver vs. a semi makes sense if it’s going to lie in the bottom of a purse.
Just a thought here . . . if she pulls it out of her underwear drawer and aims it at a would-be rapist (I’ve been told that the underwear drawer is a good place to keep a gun, since many pervs, for some reason, want the girl to get fancy underwear first) — is a bright purple gun going to look like a toy to him? Looking at the photo of the purple gun . . . looks like a toy to me (though of course I realize it’s not). Maybe a “regular” pistol with a purple flower painted on it or something?
My main reason for adoring Free Republic: the education I have gotten (as a born and bred blue-stater - sorry about that) in firearms. Thanks to you guys I’m a faithful member of the NRA. I’d like a pink gun, though.
Excellent points.
Get the “S” model- new striker fired.
Better trigger, IMHO.
My wife, who is a smaller person, likes her “Baby” Glock 26 with hollow points.
It has a kick, but, with practice, she handles it well.
She can shoot my 17, but, has to use two hands.
Whichever she chooses, get her hollow points. They go in and tend not to come out the other side, and, if they do, they usually won’t go very far afterwards. Don’t have to worry about hurting folks across the street or on the other side of a wall.
Actually kind of like the idea of a purple gun for your daughter. Criminals don’t think girls/women will shoot them much less with a purple/pink looking gun.
+1 on the revolver for the same reason.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/915_801/page/1/sort/6a
I am personally a fan of Bugs Gun Shop for their low Internet prices and fairly good service (for an online store). Whether you eventually buy from there or not, it’s a good place to look for options.
This link is from their “lady buds” listing: “women’s” firearms, sorted by price. They have pink and purple in .32, .38, .357, and 9 mm that I noticed, and even a couple of .22, which is easy to hit with and won’t make her flinch if that’s an issue with bigger guns (and even a .22 is effective for most self-defense situations if she’ll shoot a thug who needs shooting).
There are good reasons to buy online - both price and I’d guess there are many posting on this thread who have bought from Buds, so you can check that it is reputable. There are good reasons to buy local - the chance to shoot it right there in the store, and the local service can be important. She can also shoot the handgun of interest in black and if she likes one special order the desired color, which is better than taking pot luck online and then finding that the kick or the fit is an issue.
Thanks FRiend!
“Doesn’t it just warm your heart when your kids ask for a gun?”
Yup, as long as you are getting along fine! :-)
Get the XDM for more rounds and fuller grip.
A difficulty with the 380’s is the strength needed to chamber that first round. So she needs to test that with several different guns. If she wants single stack, then why not an 8-round S&W 357 Mag? S&W 327 Night Guard?
The Bersa Thunder 380 Plus. It`s a 15+1 380. that’s small and lite but packs plenty of rounds. My one complaint is its equipped with a carbon steel barrel so cleaning after carrying while exercising is a must or you will get bore staining.
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