I am Buying Handguns and Need Some Recomendations

11.30.06 | chickensoup

[Chickensoup]

I need to purchase handguns for my family. I prefer private sales. I need a plinger like a 22 and something that is protection. The protection would come in two sizes, one that a full grown adult could use, and one that I could use. I have problems with my hands and need something that won't kick so I dont drop the gun. Something that will fit in the Cabelas purse holster. Are ther also between seat car holsters?

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Umm, not sure if you’re being sarcastic! A 45 ACP will kick like a mule compared to a 32 ACP. And the Glock weighs 34 ounces loaded, versus 9 ounces for the Kel Tec.

Now, I don’t know too many women who want to carry around 3 extra pounds in their purse!

Not to mention for the price of the Glock you could get two of the P-32s, four extra magazines (two for each firearm) and a couple hundred rounds...

Of course, the face of a newbie shooter experiencing the first kick of a 45 ACP is priceless...;)

[saganite]

Poster Hi Jinx corrected me and it is the new .327 magnum I’m thinking of. I believe I read about it in Rifleman magazine. I’ll have to sort through the back issues to find it.

[Chickensoup]

Wont people reload?

[mylife]

This is common for women.

No woman I know can work a Makarov slide with ease

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Take your youngest as soon as you can. Under supervision, a child should learn to shoot as soon as physically possible, IMHO. Especially if there are firearms in the house.

[Chickensoup]

ok

[Chickensoup]

I have a bunch of children most are in their teens and were trained through Royal rangers. We do have one rifle in the house.

[Uri’el-2012]

In answer to all of your questions,

I would recommend training from an NRA Certified Instructor

in

NRA training for women
Refuse to be a victim
Basic pistol
Personal protection in the home
and the newly released
Personal protection outside the home

[Chickensoup]

I was thinking of making this the spring family project.

[ßuddaßudd]

Yes, Birdshot for the birds and Buckshot for the humans and large game.

[Chickensoup]

leaves big holes doesn’t it?

[mylife]

A gal needs help here.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

I bought my wife a Keltec P-32. She can’t grip the slide strongly enough to pull it all the way back for laoding.

Try trimming a few turns off the inside recoil spring, then stretching it to fill the entire outer recoil spring length. That will lighten up the slide action considerably. Now, you won't be able to use light loads (no subsonic things), but it will still cycle with basic Fiocchi 73 grain without any concerns (great, cheap ammo for the 32 ACP and it packs a whallop at distances up to 10 yards).

[RightWhale]

my youngest to the range she is 11

22 rifle pump or bolt. A couple blocks of 22 long is 1000 rounds. She'll be proficient before they are gone.

[Eagle Eye]

Don’t they also have the tip up barrel that reduces or eliminates the need to operate the slide?

[Wilhelm Tell]

You probably should get a revolver. A semi-auto pistol is probably a bad choice for several reasons: It may be hard for you to rack the slide and you need to be able to hold the gun in a safe manner when you rack the slide. Depending on what position your thumb is in, when you fire a semi-auto pistol, your thumb could get broken if it is in the way of the slide. Someone mentioned that it may be difficult to load a magazine. For these reasons, I think you can pretty much rule out a semi-auto pistol.

Perhaps a double-action only revolver in .38 special would be suitable? I think .357 magnum would have too much recoil. Also, the shorter the barrel of your revolver, the harsher the recoil will be. That does not mean you need to get a revolver with a long barrel, just keep in mind that everything is a compromise. Also, I think a stainless steel revolver (or maybe titanium) would be better than a blued steel one. I am assuming that since you have problems with your hands, you might also have difficulty cleaning your gun after firing it. Stainless steel is more resistant to corrosion than blued steel so it would be more forgiving if you did not clean and oil it properly. One thing I am not sure about with one of the lightweight titanium revolvers is how bad the recoil would be - the lighter the gun, the greater the perceived recoil. Stainless steel is heavier than titanium so the same gun in stainless steel would have less recoil (I don't know how much a difference it would make).

[aphid]

No, I wasn’t being sarcastic. Last year or so, I asked a somewhat similar question here and several suggested the Glock 30. I bought one and it’s sat in the drawer since. The more I learn the more I realize that it was not the gun for me (arthritis, crooked hands.) So, I guess I was looking for confirmation that it is not the right gun for her or for me.

[Melinda in TN]

I carry a snubnose Taurus .357 Magnum. I'm a small to medium size woman and believe it or not, this gun doesn't kick, much. I am also an experienced shooter. Taurus makes good affordable handguns.

The upside to this gun is that it shoots .357 Magnum or .38's. I shoot .357 shells in it. It's very concealable and light. The downside is that it's light :-) and it's a 5-shot revolver.

I figure that it's fine for self-defense because I wouldn't be shooting at somebody for any other reason. That means they would be close. It's a lot of power in a small package.

Before I bought this gun I carried a small frame .380 semi-auto. It held more shells but didn't have the fire power of the .357 Magnum. My husband was afraid that the .380 wouldn't be enough against a large man and encouraged me to trade.

Here is an actual picture of mine.

My advice is to try on several. If a gun isn't comfortable in my hand, I don't want it. For instance, my .357 might not be a good gun for a man with large hands.

[mylife]

Yup. Baretta Tomcat