For a women

[Just1more]

There are just sooo many guns of different designs
My suggestion as I have taught many ladies just starting out - stay in the middle Not too small not too big
It also depends on her hand size and strength
Revolvers - simplicity. Tough on trigger pull and recoil
Semi autos take lots of practice and preferably lessons to learn the idiosyncrasies of them
A middle gun - my suggestion. Shield 9mm. Glock 43 or 19 9mm no safety preferably- simple ...
Again she needs to hold them. Manipulate them and shoot them .
And ... get a similar gun in a 22lr for lots of practice - easier on the hands and pocketbook!!!
She will learn all the important skills from a 22 also

[jthrelf]

For a true beginner with only basic skills and won't try to practice much to get better - the new M&P .380 EZ looks like a huge winner. Back that up with an M&P 22 Compact for practice (they're nearly identical aside from caliber).

For someone who's mastered a .22 auto and has more experience, any mid-size striker fired 9mm is the ticket. Take your pick - G19, PPQ, M&P Compact, XD, etc.

[imashooter2]

NOT an Airweight revolver.

Amen to that. One of the most useless guns I've ever owned.

And that’s why ice cream comes in both chocolate and vanilla.

[Edg]

My wife likes her lc9. a little thin for me, but i shoot it well too. She shoots my G26 well too, but likes the thinner gun for carry.

[MarkS20]

I've struck out on every hand gun I've suggested for my wife. Renting and trying is the way to go.

[Brian Ahearn]

Sig P238 and the new S&W 380 EZ are excellent choices for women or men who have difficulty racking the slides , recoil is minimal on both. My wife carries the Sig P238 ,but her range pistol is a fullsize all steel Tristar P120 a Cz clonein 9mm. The best way is to let shoot as many as you can afford that will direct her choice based on what works for her.

[Ronin]

When my wife first expressed an interest in buying her first handgun I steered her towards a revolver thinking she would find it to be easier to operate. This wasn't because she was a woman, but just that was how I was introduced to handguns. While we were at the gun shop, she wandered down to the semi autos and found herself a Sig P226 that she liked the feel of better. She had trouble working the slide, but quickly figured out the push pull method. A week later she bought a P226 in .22lr and a couple of months later she bought the 9mm conversion kit. That was 11 years ago and now she owns more handguns than me.

These days, I'll take a new shooter out to the range with a variety of options and let them decide for themselves. It makes for a fun day all around, and offers a better perspective for someone looking to buy their first gun .

[Yoder]

Crisp 12 lbs trigger pull

Amazing 1 inch trigger travel, great sights ( I guess they are sights) and as comfortable to shoot as hitting your palm with a hammer. Just what every lady wants.

My ex picked a real nice .38 Smith and Wesson air weight snubby revolver for her first carry gun. It was great. She shot about a box of shells through it and couldn't hit a barn with it at 7 yards. She never shot it again.That gun was way worse to shoot than my .44 mag with +P loads.

Snubby revolvers are a terrible idea for a new shooter. If she wants one, make her shoot one first before you buy.

[rice rocket]

This needs to be in this thread.

[gummy jones]

The thread title is worth the price of admission