Best 10 Guns for Women

[telpinaro]

I'm fairly certain the last one on the list is a necessity. :wink:

The 10 Best Guns for Women | Survival Spot

 

[Eidolon]

Why smash through the door when you can just trash the house with the coax from the street?

 

[Courtney.cj.chen]

Next gun I'd like to add to my collection: Walther P99.

 

[graciegram]

I was just looking for exactly this kind of information. I'm a 64 yr old grandma looking to learn more about smaller carry handguns for women. I used to have a Smith & Wesson 22 handgun years ago. A late husband with anger management issues prompted me to sell it 20 years ago. I used to think the Glocks were the thing. Now I'm looking at Sig Sauer and others. Can't say I want one with pink on it. I don't want the intruder to drop down laughing at "pretty in pink." My next door neighbor had an attempted break-in a month ago in daylight, this has prompted me to get back into thinking about getting a handgun. This article was from 2013. Are there any new handguns that others would recommend for women?

Thanks. Pat in Washington State, land of eagles and the Seahawks

 

[cds0699]

I have to admit, I chuckled at the predator drone... That was funny.

 

[Courtney.cj.chen]

Gracie do you have a caliber preference?

 

[Jones0430]

A friend just made her first two purchases. The first is a Walther PK380, the other is a Sig Saur P238.

Both are small, fairly easy slide action and controllable recoil. She likes them, and I'm looking at getting a PK380 for myself.

 

[Courtney.cj.chen]

Walther and sig are two very very good companies. Now you know what pistol(s) you want to test out at the range.

Next thing I suggest you do- is call around ranges and ask them if they have the pk380. Either that or find a friend who has one.

Remember a 9 x 17 (that's the dimensions of a .380) will feel different from gun to gun. For instance. In two exactly identical guns- you'll feel the recoil more in a 3" barrel vs a 4".

Are you trying to conceal carry this pistol? Bc I conceal carry in purse and am a fan of big guns. I usually carry a M9 in the centered zipped up compartment in my Chanel bag.

If you decide to purse carry- you have a lot more options (I've always felt that firearms are better in the 4-5" barrel range) and can use a purse holster to avoid the danger of getting items lodged in trigger. I've been cc in purse for 7 years. I always carry in a purse that has a dedicated separate compartment that has nothing else in it.

Here in St. Louis- we are allowed to OC but it varies from town to town. Most towns now do not allow OC.

 

[MDT]

Before I make a list of the "best" guns for anyone, I first determine the purpose. If it is self-defense, I'd eliminate the 22LR, but if someone just wants to have fun at the range, I'm all over the 22LR for that. I am not a Glock fan, they just feel like bricks with a trigger to me. I do like the Smith and Wesson M&P but prefer a CZ. I covet that Nighthawk but a 1911 is always a great choice. The list goes on and on.

What works great for me, someone else will hate. I'm all about fit because that reduces the perceived recoil!

 

[Jones0430]

I think most holters can be modified to attach inside a purse with the use of Velcro strips. I would really want a positive safety for any weapon in a purse.

 

[gt1972]

For a first gun, a revolver is safer and easier to learn. I am buying my wife a Smith & Wesson model 638. It is a 38 spcl with a shrouded hammer that will not catch on a purse or pocket but can be fired single action or double action. Later, maybe a Sig 239.

 

[MamaLiberty]

I was just looking for exactly this kind of information. I'm a 64 yr old grandma looking to learn more about smaller carry handguns for women.

I'm a 68 year old grandma, and a certified instructor for handguns and self defense. Don't let ANYONE tell you what the "best" gun is for a woman. Find out for yourself. First, take a basic pistol class of some kind, even if you had been shooting for years before. I learn more with each class I teach, and I suspect that any person who wants to use a gun can use a little refresher once in a while. The instructor will probably also be glad to help you find the right gun for you. This is especially true if you plan to buy a used gun. You need to be sure it is in good shape and doesn't have serious problems that might not be readily visible.

But you have to do the work of handling and shooting as many different guns as possible before you make up your mind. First, visit gun stores and handle a lot of guns. Find the one you feel good about, that fits your hand, that seems well balanced. You will know when you find one that feels "right." But you are not ready to buy it yet. You need to actually shoot it - or one just like it - first. What feels good in your hand may be too rough to shoot comfortably. You can do this by going to a gun range (or several of them) and renting that gun. Make sure that you can retain your grip as you shoot, and that the recoil is not so much that you become fatigued immediately. You do not want to buy a gun you are not going to be comfortable shooting, since frequent practice is the only way to be prepared to use it in an emergency.

Then make plans to do frequent dry fire and go to the range regularly to practice. Go with other women, if possible. Some instructors hold regular "clinics" so their previous students can get that practice in a safe and friendly environment. Ask your instructor if that is not offered during the class.

The "right gun" for a woman is exactly the same as it is for anyone else. Carry the largest caliber you can reliably control, and which is comfortable enough so that you are not discouraged from practice.

Then, after finding and becoming comfortable with shooting that gun, you will be ready to consider carrying it. Get more instruction if at all possible. And whatever method you choose, plan to practice faithfully. Carrying a gun is an awesome responsibility. The better you prepare for that, the more likely you are to be safe and happy with that decision.

I had to shoot a man to save my life more than 30 years ago. This is the story of that encounter: The Man I Might Have Killed | The Price of Liberty I wrote a book based on that incident, and my subsequent efforts to arm and train myself so it might never happen again. I'll be glad to send a pdf copy of that small book to anyone who asks for it. Directions for that will be found at the bottom of the page linked.

Good luck, and I admire your determination to be responsible for your own safety.

 

[SR9]

Absolutely agree with mamaliberty. Everybody that has a gun thinks they are experts and wants to tell you what you should have. I have been carrying for years and everybody said "Oh, you have to have a Glock". Well I tried several and didn't like them. I tried Sigs, and M&P, nothing. they lady at the gun store suggested the Ruger SR9. It felt right. Good balance, not too heavy, and not at all hard to conceal. I bought it. Have used it for range shooting. A while after I bought it they came out with the SR9C compact. I went to the store and test fired it. Although smaller, I still liked the big brother SR9. I think buying a 22 cal. is a waste of time for anything but range/target shooting. Besides why buy a gun that you can never count on being able to buy ammo for locally. I think a 9mm, 40 or 45 cal. is the way to go for knockdown power.

 

[telpinaro]

For a first gun, a revolver is safer and easier to learn. I am buying my wife a Smith & Wesson model 638. It is a 38 spcl with a shrouded hammer that will not catch on a purse or pocket but can be fired single action or double action. Later, maybe a Sig 239.

As long as she's the one who picked it out, I'm all for those selections! I'm not against husbands offering suggestions, but she's the one that has to be comfortable with it. You never know... she might be more comfortable with a semi-auto as a first gun, more complicated or not. An easy revolver is no good if she's not accurate.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using USA Carry mobile app

 

[r1derbike]

You don't have to have perfect aim with a 20ga. shotgun? I've gotta cry BS on this one. At home defense distance, you better have good aim. You've essentially got a rifle at 7 yards. The pattern hasn't expanded enough to allow the luxury of haphazard sighting with 00 buckshot (only load I'll use for my 12ga., for home defense, because I might have to shoot through a wall or something). You could use smaller buckshot in the 20ga., but it still will require good aim. Sure, outdoors at greater distances, it quits acting like a rifle. Ruled-out fowl loads. Just preference.

The typical AR-15 "assault rifle" BS got to me as well. The AR-15 is my goto longarm for home defense; there is no "assault" involved.

My wife can't rack the slide on any semis she tried over .22 cal. (smashed-up arm in accident), so she shot, and decided on a .38 snub Taurus 85 ultralite. Wanted her to get the SP101 3" when she decided she wanted a wheel gun, but she said it was too heavy, and the trigger pull weight was too much. She doesn't carry.

Had to put Hogue grips on her 85, and wear the trigger components with a thousand or so double-action dry-fires with mounds of spent brass, but she now loves it. It's a good 5 yard gun for her, but that's about it in the distance/accuracy dept.

 

[gt1972]

I agree that everyone is different and there is no one best gun for women, or for men. My wife liked the revolver a lot more than the semi-auto when she fired them, but others will feel differently. It is a good idea to try several types, sizes, and brands before purchasing a first gun. Many shooting ranges offer rental guns that allow a person to fire several models.

 

[gt1972]

I am from Illinois and many of our governors have followed that rule of a jail term following a term in office.