Posted on 12/07/2008 6:54:45 PM PST by Mamzelle
Have small, weak hands and I play an instrument and am an artist and don't want to hurt my hands. Menfolk seem to want to encourage me to pistols too large, heavy and complicated. Seems to me if I cannot handle a weapon properly, it won't matter how big the bullets are that it can shoot because I won't manage to shoot at all. I want something small even if the bullets are small, too, because I'll have more confidence in shooting it.
You may want to include the new Ruger LCP in your evaluation. these are very direct competitors to the KelTec P3AT. Both are adequate 380’s and are small, lightweight autos with equal dimensions. Early reviews indicate the Ruger is built with more quality.
I would agree with everyone here though, try before you buy! See what fits in your hand, what has appropriate recoil you can tolerate. Also consider taking some lessons and pursue getting your CCW so you have full knowledge of all the laws about carrying a gun for your state.
After you make a purchase, practice, practice practice!
I will throw my suggestion in the ring, too. I had to pick up a home-defense handgun. It also had to be wife friendly for my wife who is under 5’ tall. I picked up a .38 5 shot revolver. She doesn’t care to shoot guns much, but this one is something she can handle easily, and is not afraid to pick up and use.
You sound like an ideal candidate for a .22 revolver or semi-auto like the Phoenix Arms HP22. Load it with Remington or Winchester jacketed hollowpoints. When you shoot it, it will not jump around in your hand, you can practice cheaply with either hand, and you will build confidence in handling and relying upon a weapon, to the point of making a head shot if required to defend your life or the life of a family member. Eventually, if you practice often enough, you may want to move up to a nice semi-auto .380 or even a 9mm semi-auto. But you cannot go wrong with a .22 six shot revolver and lots of practice to make you comfortable.
BTW, I’m a strong older man and I have a concealed carry permit in my state, and I carry the Pheonix arms ten shot semi-auto at cewrtain times when I do not feel as comfortable for concealment with a .38 special 2 inch barrel snubby or my .45 1911 spitter of flying saucers.
Thanks. I plan on going to a gun store and trying a few, but I thought it would be nice if I had a couple of recommendations to start. :)
I once pulled out a S&W .22 revolver on 8 guys who wanted my camera equipment. Apparently, there weren’t 6 volunteers in the 8 to find out how good a shot I was, which was good for them - I had fired 10,000+ rounds thru it and the first 6 would have died.
Small, very easy to shoot accurately, very reliable and very cheap to practice with.
Keep in mind that the amount of felt recoil is inversely proportional to the weight of the gun. In other words, a very light gun is going to produce much more recoil, and be more painful to shoot, than a heavier gun firing the same ammo.
She should try a semi-auto. In a semi, part of the recoil energy goes into operating the slide, resulting is less recoil energy going to the hand. (This presumes she's able to hold it firmly enough to ensure reliable cycling)
Please, please, please don’t worry about sounding like an idiot. I’d think most reputable gun dealers understand the importance of finding just the right gun for YOU and your needs.
I’ll admit I thought the same thing when I started looking. The local dealer was such a huge help and never made me feel stupid or intimidated at all. (And I’m the person that explains car noises like this: “It was sort of a weee-oooo-clank-thud kind of sound...”)
If they’re a successful dealer, I’d say you won’t have been the first person to walk in saying, “I don’t know what I want but this is what I need to be able to do.” And, the upside is you’re not the first customer they’ve ever had and this won’t be the first gun they’ve ever sold. The dealer I went to was also able to pass along feedback from other customers in addition to his own experiences yet I never felt pressured to go one way or the other. His help was invaluable!
Agreed. S&W 442 Airweight, hands down.
It's best to carry on your person. This can create issues for women, since clothing choice may result in having no place to put it.
The solution generally is to first think "Am I going someplace where I want to carry?" and then think "OK, what can I wear which will enable me to carry on my person?" (and somewhere preceding that "What should I have in my wardrobe that allows me to carry concealed?")
There are terrific purse holsters. Check cabelas
I was in a similar situation many years ago. As a group, they knew they could take me. As individuals, they knew I would kill the first one to make a move towards me. Nobody wanted to be that first guy.
Any firearm has the power to make somebody decide he'd rather not get shot today, and a .22 in the hand beats a .44 magnum left home in the safe. That said, a .22 has killing power, but its stopping power is mainly psychological unless you hit the brain stem. A drugged up or drunk assaulter may get shot, and then proceed to kill you before he goes down.
I wouldn’t want to try to stop a drug crazed nutcase with a .22 - but like you said, a gun you can carry is better than a gun you leave behind due to weight. I don’t plan to shoot anyone at a distance. At 10 feet, and after 10,000 rounds of practice, hitting someone in the head wouldn’t have been hard.
I don’t carry now, but would seriously consider a .22 if I get my concealed carry permit. I lugged a 9mm around in Afghanistan, and truly enjoyed taking it off when I left!
The M9 is 33 oz, which is a lot to carry around all day. The 9mm Glock 33 is 20 oz. There’s lots of light subcompacts that have decent stopping power.
I am now looking for a purse to carry it in.....the nice looking handgun purses are pricey...the cheap ones are soooo ugly
That's what I carry. Love it.
The Tomcat is a POS. Put anything other than full jackets through it and it stove pipes. I wouldn't let my wife near one if her life depended on it.
Ladysmith with low grain soft points. That is all I would ever reccommend to anyone with smaller hands.
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