Need Advice on a Firearm Purchase (Only 2nd Vanity ever)

10/04/02 | me, myself and I

[seeker41]

Help me decide witch one of these firearms to purchase as I am confusing myself. Currently I own a SW 357 revolver and that's fine for home. I am female with small wrists and average sized hands, kinda long fingers and would value FReeper advice if you have experience with either of these weapons. Should I look at Glocks as well? I don't care for 9mms such as Ruger etc. Thanks in advance.

Here is my first choice
HK USP 45

Second Choice

[seeker41]

I really like this one alot
HK MARK 45 ACP

Educate me and please forgive the vanity post;)

[Mariner]

Does the .357 bother you to shoot?

My experience has been that most women start freaking out after 9mm.

That same HK USP Compact is made in 9mm, .40 and .45.........and you'd be a strong gal if you could reliably shoot either of that last two.

Learn to shoot well and get a top-notch .380 or 9mm that fits you, you can shoot well........and will run over $400........up to $650.

Personally I recommend the SigSauer P232 in .380. It weighs less than 1 pound empty, is DEADLY ACCURATE and is 100% reliable.

It's the first choice for women to carry in my book.

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[Glock17]

I have the HK 45 Compact USP. It is very nice but has a healthy kick that you may find objectionable.

What is the purpose, home defense or concealed carry? If just home defense, get a shotgun. Mossberg 500 with 00 buck will stop any crack-addict.

[Neil E. Wright]

Let's get this out where some people will see it.

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Toward FREEDOM

[seeker41]

Thanks for your advice. The 357 is fine, but I wanted to voyage into the world of semi-autos. I would like to learn to shoot really well and to be honest I just like guns (blushes at such a thought). In this day and age it can't hurt, in Texas we have CCL.

Is there really that much kick with the 45?

[RJL]

Personally I recommend the SigSauer P232 in .380. It weighs less than 1 pound empty, is DEADLY ACCURATE and is 100% reliable.

I concur. The .380 Sig P232 is my carry weapon.

[dmanLA]

Get the Sig. You won't be disappointed...

[seeker41]

C/C and I looked at the Compact USP, can I learn to handle it in time? Thanks for responding.

[seeker41]

Thank-you.

[blackbart.223]

If you have the money go with the Sig. A very reliable weapon. If you don't have the money go with a Smith And Wesson 3913. It's chamberd for .9mm but if you use 115 GR. JHP ammo I don't think you'll have a problem stopping the bad guys. Recoil is very light by the way.

[flashbunny]

Recoil isn't that bad. Depending on the launching mechanism, it can be milder than some 9mm's.

Some people like glocks, some don't. I don't like the grip angle. Feels like I'm holding a 2x4.

You're going to get a lot of advise, but no one here can pick the perfect handgun for you. Only you can. Find a range that lets you rent handguns and try out the ones that feel best in your hand. Then go to someplace like The Firing Line and do a search on your choices to see if there are any problems you should know about.

[seeker41]

My .357 can also handle .38s, I suppose that is common? I just want to venture out more, semis seem to be more challenging and fun. Thanks for your advice.

[seeker41]

Thanks for the recommendation. What is the going price for such a weapon? I think I paid 350 for my 357 a couple years ago.

[PoorMuttly]

You will NOT go wrong with either. You have excellent, intelligent taste. The .45ACP, in a normal, full-sized STEEL pistol is a dream to shoot...low pressure and velocity...and generally gets the job, whatever it is, done reliably. The 9mm is marginal, because being only .38 caliber, and a jacketed bullet, needs lots of velocity to expand a hollow point, and unlike a .357 revolver, when you get the complicated action feeding rounds all over the place really fast, you push the reliability envelope. The .45ACP flops out the barrel at moderate or faster speed, and doesn't need to expand at all to be lethal, or effective on target rings. When you raise the velocity...it's a big-bore cannon...which your autopistol should help to tame. Also, one gets more velocity from an auto, since there's no pressure loss from a cylinder gap, as with a revolver. So, you get full value out of a moderate load...easier to handle...and if already large diameter...finito la musica.

Try a Glock if you must, since it's always nice to know things from experience...but like anything else, there's no free lunch...plastic guns bend and are sensitive (jam) to limp-wristing...which could also be caused by haste or a wound...and a heavier weapon helps one to handle recoil...at least for me. I was also taught that it's handy to slug somebody on the noggin with a hefty piece of metal...the cowboys called it "buffaloing," and it was very popular...Still is, on the street...God forbid you'd need to.

[seeker41]

Thanks, that is good advice.

[efnwriter]

SIG and HK are both excellent.
If you can handle the .45 DEFINATELY go to that round. It is a stopper. If you get the .380 you will have to empty the magazine and hope for the best.

I also recommend you check out the Kimber line of compact .45's - superb out of the box,. Anything else and you need to spend ~ $200 for a good gunsmith to work the action, etc, for you.
http://www.kimberamerica.com/CDP_Series.htm

[Swordmaker]

Seeker,

I once managed the Old Sacramento Armoury.

My advice to you is to go to an indoor range that allows you to rent guns. Rent one of the models you are thinking about and shoot at least 25 rounds through it... then, on another day, rent another model and do the same. Find the one YOU find most fits your hand, that you can control best, and that you like best.

That is the best advice I can give... everyone can say they like a particular weapon or caliber... but THEY are not YOU. Their hands are not the same size as you, their levels of skill are not yours.

It has been my experience that if you do this, eventually one model will become obvious to you as THE BEST gun for you.

[glc1173@aol.com]

"My experience has been that most women start freaking out after 9mm."

The problem isn't the caliber or that it's a woman shooting it - it's the gun!

Ultralight guns just kick much more. In particular, avoid titanium ones for that reason. Snubbie revolvers - due to light weight - are often real troublesome; however, the Ruger SP101 is excellent when used with .38 Special ammo.

Of the two she mentions, the Sig is far better. The HK is overpriced, too light, and has a frame design that will quickly eat up clothing linings if carried CCW.

I'd suggest a police-surplused Browning HP - either Israeli or Argentine. The Israeli ones are FN-made in Belgium and excellent; so are some Argentine ones. Take the Belgian-made one over the Argentine-made clone if it's an Argentine police gun.

Avoid recently-made S&W products; poor quality.

GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - emphasizing woman-friendliness of tested guns!

[blackbart.223]

"I just want to venture out more, semis seem to be more challenging and fun. Thanks for your advice.

In that case go for a Colt 1911 A1 and use 230 GR FMJ's. It doesn't get any better than that!