Gun for my fiancee?

[BlueGunGuy]

Take her to a gun shop and let her handle and if possible rent & shoot some different calibers, makes and models. Let her decide.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that's the right answer (unless she's naturally drawn to lobster, in which case you'll invariably be buying her a $1200 compact 1911 in 9mm.

actually, this gives me an idea for another gun possibility... if you're into the $700 range you could find a nice condition compact para in 9mm.

one other note i should have mentioned - the slides on small .380's are a bitch to rack (really heavy springs). they do soften up a lot very quickly though.

i'm going to repeat myself. check out the walther PK380. great $300 gun for a women who has a hard time racking a full size glock. soft recoil. accurate, great reviews. i do confess i've never shot it, but it's a good price and fits the bill. only downside is cost of .380 ammo.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CCcQ8wIwBA#

lol. here's a youtube video from some guy who bought one for his fiancee (note when i said "good reviews" i wasn't talking about rubes on youtube.. it has good reviews from real reviewers too): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Aysw5E-oo

[DonM55]

I have a LCP and love it for the purpose it's intended. Deep carry and close self defense. Not a gun to enjoy doing alot of shooting with. Recoil was to much for my 19 yr old niece. After shooting she decided she didn't like it for an overall use gun.

[mythaeus]

I think the LCP is a very ideal CCW for a woman. From personal experience (of my wife), we went through many guns before that (Glock 26, NAA Guardian 380, Beretta Tomcat, Walther PPK/S), but the LCP's caliber, size, and weight makes for the best for concealment.

That said, the LCP is the most difficult to shoot of them all. It's the lightest gun (9oz empty) and .380ACP isn't that much smaller than 9mm. The sights aren't ideal, best to paint the front sight with white paint. The trigger is also long and it can be very snappy if you have crappy techniques. It will take some work to tame, but do able, and worth the work. My wife is pretty good with it, but only began to like shooting it after the 3rd or 4th trip to the range.

Working the slide takes practice. I usually show women the "hug" technique: strong hand vertical on the grip, weak hand grabbing the slide like making a fist and perpendicular the the strong hand, move arms in opposite directions like you're hugging. I get most of them to rack a G19 slide usually the first time out. The LCP slide is actually a slightly harder to operate than any Glock because it's smaller and the fisting of the slide requires some avoidance of the breach.

Worst case scenario with the slide operation, consider the LCR.

Al
ETA: The LCP IS an accurate gun at short range. My wife puts anywhere between a 2" to 4" groups at 7-yard regularly.

[mythaeus]

Take her to a gun shop and let her handle and if possible rent & shoot some different calibers, makes and models. Let her decide.

There are some merits to handling a gun and even shooting it once, but that still falls short of finding a perfect carry gun vs. a range gun, especially for women. Some of the best guns cannot be rented, ranges tend to give you crappy quality guns, and range guns with 1000's of rounds may not accurately represent the gun. My first try at a 1911 at a range had the magazine fall completely apart after 3 shots.

Handling a gun alone can be misleading. Just about the only things you can determine would be the weight (which tend to be averagely tolerable for most shooters), the grip size (which is usually not noticed by novices), and the trigger pull length (another thing usually not noticed by novices). Comfort from handling may not translate to comfort in shooting. I thought I could deal with a 92FS grip, but I could never shoot more than 50 rounds through one without exhausting my hands due to the gun's rather large grip that felt comfortable initially.

For most women, size is everything (yes, guns too), in term on concealability. It must be concealable and the smaller the size, the better. A nicely fit gun that shoots very well the first time may not be ideal for concealment in the long run. Some women are willing to change their clothing style, most aren't, many can't (work dress code). Shooting a small gun is never a pleasant experience and it almost always need work (for both men and women). Overall, this generally means that women need 2 guns, 1 for range fun and one for carry.

Another factor, I know it sucks, but women need to work harder at getting used to a gun than men. They need more time to get acquainted to a new gun. The best thing is to find someone near you with a gun you want to try out, especially with the LCP, and make a few trips to the range, not just a one-time 1-box rental gun trip.

Al

[andrewjs18]

best bet is to let her carry and shoot some guns...what might work for you and us, might be terribly bad for her. for example..I love the accuracy and ease of concealment of my PF9, but it does have A LOT of recoil which might not be something your fiancee would tolerate.

[Philbert]

Very much truth to #14. Renting is helpful but you can't get all the guns you want, handling might eliminate some really bad choices but it's pretty limited in what it tells you.

[adubb4]

Wow. Thanks, Everyone, for the responses. And so quickly!

I guess I pretty much was reassured what I was kind of already thinking- that I can't use her as an excuse to buy an LCP . What I'll probably do is take her to a gun shop and let her feel some- and yes, like someone said, it won't tell everything just from holding, but it will help. And I'll just have to buy the LCP myself at some point.

So on the note someone else brought up- what are some other good smaller, relatively cheap 9mm out there. I guess 9 would be better with the lower prices and since my Glock is a 9, too. I have a G19 and she says that kicks just a little harder than she would like.

She's not looking to carry right now... so I might just get a .22 range gun (I've kinda wanted one anyways so we can shoot for next to nothing), and leave her my G19 or SP101 at the house.

Oh- also does anyone in the Erie area know any good gun shops? I've been to places like Gander Mountain and Dicks, but I'm looking for a REAL gun store. Just moved up here and haven't found anything yet.

Thanks again, Everyone! Glad to be part of such a great forum!!

[Philbert]

Wow. Thanks, Everyone, for the responses. And so quickly!

I guess I pretty much was reassured what I was kind of already thinking- that I can't use her as an excuse to buy an LCP . What I'll probably do is take her to a gun shop and let her feel some- and yes, like someone said, it won't tell everything just from holding, but it will help. And I'll just have to buy the LCP myself at some point.

So on the note someone else brought up- what are some other good smaller, relatively cheap 9mm out there. I guess 9 would be better with the lower prices and since my Glock is a 9, too. I have a G19 and she says that kicks just a little harder than she would like.

She's not looking to carry right now... so I might just get a .22 range gun (I've kinda wanted one anyways so we can shoot for next to nothing), and leave her my G19 or SP101 at the house.


Oh- also does anyone in the Erie area know any good gun shops? I've been to places like Gander Mountain and Dicks, but I'm looking for a REAL gun store. Just moved up here and haven't found anything yet.

Thanks again, Everyone! Glad to be part of such a great forum!!

Careful - lending a handgun to someone (with some exceptions) is illegal in PA.

If a G19 kicks too much, I think the smaller 9mm pistols are going to kick too much as well. I would not go below 9mm / .38 special for home defense unless I really could not handle a 9mm pistol competently. It doesn't have to be my favorite activity, as long as I can do it right. Target shooting conversely should be about fun. On that note, I think a .22 would be a great idea, just because I think everyone should have one. They are an excellent way to learn the fundamentals without dealing with harsh recoil, tough slide springs, or expensive ammo. I like the Browning Buckmark but JMO - there many Ruger fans on here.

[adubb4]

Careful - lending a handgun to someone (with some exceptions) is illegal in PA.

We live together... so leaving it where she knows where it is and could use it in an emergency is ok, yes?

And yeah I'm looking at possibly a Buckmark or MKII or III...

[Philbert]

We live together... so leaving it where she knows where it is and could use it in an emergency is ok, yes?

And yeah I'm looking at possibly a Buckmark or MKII or III...

Ah, sorry, in that case I think you are OK as long as the firearm stays in your shared residence.

http://reference.pafoa.org/statutes/...ms-prohibited/