Posted on 11/29/2008 2:02:31 PM PST by 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?
My mom has the tomcat and my wife has the bobcat. The only thing I’d suggest is that you have the trigger pull weight adjusted to be comfortable when you shoot, or your shots will be all over. Fine hand guns for their designed purpose and definitely suitable for a ladies smaller hand size.
Find an indoor shooting range. They have a nice selection of guns and you can practice at the range. Personally, I like the Lady’s Smith & Wesson.
Thank you
I love my single six, but would hate to try and shoot effectively without using my thumbs.
Problems with kick? Go to the range and practice, don’t waste your money on a .22 that any mugger can absorb before he grabs it away and smacks you upside.
If you are looking for a plinker, I suggest that you get something similar to your primary handgun. So, if you purchase a Smith and Wesson Ladysmith in .38 special, consider a .22 lr revolver. You can plink with the later and you can apply the same muscle memory to both.
Regarding the Ladysmith, someone else here mentioned it and I think it is a good choice. As a man with medium sized hands, I find it comfortable to shoot. Yet, at the same time, it is designed for just the kind of carry (and gender) that you are describing. As an aside, if you choose to carry in your purse, consider getting a pocket holster or a purse designed to carry your firearm. This will help to keep lint and other debris out of your weapon and may help to keep the firearm oriented properly.
Someone else here mentioned the 1911. I am in awe of the 1911 and consider it to be, far and away, the finest handgun ever conceived (sorry to all who disagree, I am a happy bigot on this matter). It could be a good choice for the full size handgun. There are, however, a few reasons I would skip this design in your case. First, if you lack dexterity in your thumbs, operating the safety may be difficult. Second, if you follow the recommendation above for a .22 LR and a .38 Special revolver, the 1911 is a departure from an operational standpoint. Thus the owner will lose some of the training benefit of plinking.
Regarding training, NRA courses are a good start. However, firearms training can range from explaining which end the bullet comes out of to courses taught by retired Delta Force operatives. If I were you, I would start simple and then continue training as I thought was fitting to my personal needs. Less cryptically, this means taking an NRA course and, possibly, a concealed carry course in your state. Often, these are one and the same.
Finally, another post recommended going to a range that rents weapons and trying several out. This is excellent advice. I wish I had followed it myself when I was getting into firearms. It would have literally saved me thousands of dollars and heaps of disappointment. If your local range doesn’t offer this service, several do so keep looking until you find one.
Anyway, I am banging this out quickly. I hope that this post makes sense and that you are a law abiding citizen. Feel free to ask me for clarification if I have failed to explain something clearly here.
Good luck.
Gander Mountain and Cabelas usually have a good selection.
I do it all the time on a Star BM that has a slide release my thumb wont reach
The first thought of somebody who has small hands, or problems with handling recoil, is to buy a small gun.
The smallest of semi-automatic guns tend to use a very strong spring to hold the chamber closed during firing. This makes them harder to operate than a slightly larger gun equipped with a locking chamber.
What is often needed is a small cartridge fired from the largest gun that the person can hold comfortably. The extra weight of the gun itself absorbs some of the energy of recoil, reducing the impact on the hands.
A five-shot, short-barreled, .357 hammerless revolver is a pretty simple "point-and-shoot" device. The recoil can be reduced by firing .38 special ammunition. If you can find a friend who owns one or rent one, you can determine if that is still too much recoil.
Slide releases are not safeties, and they don’t move in the same kind of arcs on most pistols.
Im mainly trying to think what will fill her hand with low recoil
You may be right. I’ve not shot the pistols you mentioned, but I have a P230 and it doesn’t seem that bad to me. It’s a bit small for my hand and always bites me between my thumb and index finger, but it’s an easy point and shoot pistol.
THank you. I will try to find such a range here in the hinterlands.
Seriously, go to your local gun shop, pick up a few of the smaller guns and see how they feel. If you can, rent one for an hour or two on the range, get a feel for the recoil and handling. The MOST important thing in a self-defense weapon is that YOU are comfortable with it and it feels like an extension of your own body; a firearm you are afraid of or unfamiliar with is little better than no firearm.
For the occasional shooter and general self-defense situation like you're in, I'd consider this firearm. It's not so small that large men can't shoot it, it's affordable, compact, reliable, and easy to shoot.
Then PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Go through 500 rounds to get a real good feel of how it operates. Practice dropping and reloading magazines. Concentrate on single and double tap shots at 5 and 10 yards (distances beyond that are "run the heck away" distances). Get used to the operation of your "baby gun" and you will be miles ahead of your neighbors with their 45 ACPs and 9mm that never practice.
I will look at Gander Mountain, thank you
cute
but accurate?
I tend to agree
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.