Recommendation Needed - 21yo Female - First Carry Firearm

[PeskyGee]

Figured I'd put my 2 cents in on this one from experience. My GF wanted a gun for CCW. She tried all of the guns I had at the time. Glock, S&W, Taurus, etc. all of them but she was not happy with any of them. So I did a little research online for a gun that would be not too big for carry and not too small that it kicks like a mule when shot. I also had to consider the caliber of the gun (best bang for protection without a major recoil). So I showed her a few guns online and let he choose. In the back of my mind I thought that the one she would pick would probably be a .380 and I was right. She ended up getting a Bersa Thunder .380 w/the gold accents. She loves the gun and can shoot it very good. It fits just right in her hand and doesn't have major recoil. When I got hers I got one for myself also and to be honest, I really like the thing myself. I got the Duotone and have had no problems with it at all. Its a very nice gun. So, if the wheel gun is out and she wants a semi, you may want to take a look at Bersa products.

[Nomad]

Women-Only Basic Pistol Course.

Given that the post has been around for a while, this may be too little - too late. My gun club, outside of Gettysburg, Pa, has been conducting a women-only NRA Basic Pistol course on an annual basis for about 6 years now. It's Adams County Sport Handgunners Association (www.acsha.com).

We supply the guns and ammunition (although women are certainly free to bring their own if they like). 3/4 of the shooting is done with semi-auto .22s. Our instructors (who supply the guns) bring a selection of Ruger Mark IIs, Brownings, S & W for the ladies to use to learn to shoot. After that is completed, they have an opportunity to try a number of different guns. The usual selection is a Glock 19, Ruger SP-101 in 9mm (moon clip gun), a full size .357, full size Kimber 1911, Sig 380, and there are always other guns depending upon what the individual instructors bring. The ladies can try all the guns, or can just choose to try some of them. It's up to them.

Since the person who originally posted the question is from the Lancaster area - we're not that far away. This year's women-only course has not been scheduled (we're working on that), but it will be in the Spring. If the person who posted the original question is interested, information is on our club web site (including media excerpts from our students which have appeared in local newspapers and on the local Fox News affiliate).

On an entirely personal note, our instructors agree that the women-only course is the most fun to teach. And no, it's a not a "we're looking to pick up women" thing... The atmosphere is different. It doesn't get competitive, and the women are always more comfortable with no guys taking the class. Women pick up the basics much faster than men, and as a general rule seem to be better shooters with the same amount of training and practice.

For less than $40, students get all of the NRA instructional materials, all of our supplemental materials (we have supplies donated by some manufacturers and local dealers), the NRA basic pistol course, use of our guns and ammo, and donuts and coffee both mornings. It's a great introduction to handguns for new shooters and a good refresher for those with some experience.