I have carried a concelaed handgun for years. My wife has shown interest in learning more about guns and carrying one hereself. What is the best handgun for a novice to carry. I was thinking the Smith & Wesson 162810 M442 Centennial Airweight Revolver 38SPL. Can anyone weigh in?
Best handgun for a novice
- Thread starter JLanglais
- Start date
justxboxin
New member
Take her to the range and let her find out what she likes
The gun that she likes, that she can operate and shoot well, and that she can conceal (if that is a concern) would be my pick for the best gun for anyone to carry, novice or not. Did you notice the words I highlighted?
Even if it is this:
Babarock
New member
You didn't say if she has had any training or experience. Assuming little or none on both these, a basic training class and then exploration. This will take a little time to do it right.
For her to carry it and be comfortable, as others have said, it must be her choice. Take her to the range, answer her questions when she asks them and let her try everything. SWMBO absolutely hated every firearm I have until she tried my Kimber Ultra Carry. Didn't like the grip angle, way they felt in her hand, the safety (or lack thereof) or the safety trigger. But boy when she got hold of a 1911 - Katie bar the door.
For her to carry it and be comfortable, as others have said, it must be her choice. Take her to the range, answer her questions when she asks them and let her try everything. SWMBO absolutely hated every firearm I have until she tried my Kimber Ultra Carry. Didn't like the grip angle, way they felt in her hand, the safety (or lack thereof) or the safety trigger. But boy when she got hold of a 1911 - Katie bar the door.
Just joking train her and let her find what works for her.
ADNY
New member
Since you say she's showing an interest, it doesn't sound like she has much experience. She probably shouldn't carry until she can handle it safely and confidently. She should shoot a variety to see what she likes best and whether she'd prefer a semi-auto or a revolver. The learning process is fun, get that lady to the range ASAP!
MadsMomma
New member
My husband has been carrying for a year now and shooting much longer. I have only been really shooting for about a year, maybe a little less. If you are like my husband, you probably have many different guns and different calibers so just take 'em all to the range and have her go from there. Make sure you explain to her which is the best way for her to hold it too. No teacupping, or whatever that is called, show her the right way to hold it, let her know if it has a little more kick to it whatever. If need be, stand behind her and just let her know you are there to support her in case she needs it.
My husband always told me he wouldn't let me shoot anything he didn't think I could handle. You know, he wouldn't treat me like he would his friends. lol He started me out with smaller calibers and then as I got used to that he would move me up. If she hasn't taken her class yet she has plenty of time to figure out which one she will be comfortable with before you go out and buy it for her to carry. Taking the class is great, lots of information.. it is a process, waiting on all the paper work and your license so she will have time to get more comfortable.
In my opinion I would do as I suggested above BEFORE taking the class so that if she decides she really doesn't like shooting then you aren't out the money for the class and the gun... you could use that to get you a new one!
My husband always told me he wouldn't let me shoot anything he didn't think I could handle. You know, he wouldn't treat me like he would his friends. lol He started me out with smaller calibers and then as I got used to that he would move me up. If she hasn't taken her class yet she has plenty of time to figure out which one she will be comfortable with before you go out and buy it for her to carry. Taking the class is great, lots of information.. it is a process, waiting on all the paper work and your license so she will have time to get more comfortable.
In my opinion I would do as I suggested above BEFORE taking the class so that if she decides she really doesn't like shooting then you aren't out the money for the class and the gun... you could use that to get you a new one!
raikay
New member
Like has been said, let her shoot many guns so she can see what she likes and can handle. If possible, go out with a bunch of friends and have them bring theirs so there's even more for her to shoot. Almost every gun that I was told would be good for me/easy to shoot/etc wasn't a good fit for me. It took renting a number of guns from one of our local ranges and shooting as many of my friends' guns as possible to find the ones I liked.
Our local Sheriff offers the equivalent to the NRA First Steps intro to handguns course for free. Despite having my permit already, I took the course along with my wife, but I was hands-off during the shooting portion and stayed out of the instructor's way. My wife discovered two things that day - this really is fun and with her shoulder issues she really wanted a revolver. The next gun show she went and tried out every revolver there as well as a few smaller autos. She fell in love with the S&W J-frames and after a demo of a belly band decided on the "Hammer-less" model 442. I tried to warn her about it being an "expert's gun", but she is a stubborn woman who will not be told what to do. I figured that if she didn't like it I now had my BUG and we would go shopping again for her. Well, after several trips to the range she tells me how much she loves her "perfect little gun".
Now, don't take this as an endorsement for the small revolver as first-timer's gun. Gun selection is a personal choice, as we are all built a little different, and if you want to keep someone shooting, give them a gun they will want to shoot. But first, before they buy any gun, get them into a training class, at the very least a basic intro to gun handling and safety. Once they know how to shoot and what to look for, them take them shopping.
Now, don't take this as an endorsement for the small revolver as first-timer's gun. Gun selection is a personal choice, as we are all built a little different, and if you want to keep someone shooting, give them a gun they will want to shoot. But first, before they buy any gun, get them into a training class, at the very least a basic intro to gun handling and safety. Once they know how to shoot and what to look for, them take them shopping.
Kymaureen1
New member
Wish I had started with my Glock 17...my first pistol was a .38 special, great gun, but the trigger pull is very heavy affecting accuracy. My second gun was a sub compact with a short barrel- difficult to grip, even though I have small hands and the short barrel is less accurate. The Glock is very easy to shoot accurately with just a little practice and so so accurate. One of the most important factors for me as a woman, is reliability and Glock has that too, I KNOW it will never fail (however I did train on what to do should it ever). Let her try one and see how she likes it, maybe the 17 or 19. I also liked the XDM but wasn't as accurate as the GLock for me. Good luck and be patient and supportive of her desire to learn, if she has one bad experience she may be turned off forever. 
Aili McKeen
New member
Agree - get her to handle as many as possible and let her instinct be her guide. I doubt you'd want a gun chosen for you, or you could end up with something you'd be unhappy with later. Show her where she can look up specs online, what specs mean, and then go look in person. Take a step back & let her talk to the salespeople. It annoys the hell out of me when I'm looking to buy something and salespeople talk to my husband (truck shopping makes me really angry), but he's awesome & says "Don't talk to me, she's spending the money!"
PS: if a pistol slide is too hard for her, tell her in advance to ask the salesperson about getting a lighter spring. The spring is very easy to replace and you can get one as much as half the weight of the factory spring, and for about $15. Don't let a hard slide deter her from an otherwise perfect pistol. If you tell her in advance, then she will feel more knowledgeable in front of the sales staff.
PS: if a pistol slide is too hard for her, tell her in advance to ask the salesperson about getting a lighter spring. The spring is very easy to replace and you can get one as much as half the weight of the factory spring, and for about $15. Don't let a hard slide deter her from an otherwise perfect pistol. If you tell her in advance, then she will feel more knowledgeable in front of the sales staff.
badboyshop
New member
I have to agree. Let your wife try different guns at the range. I tryed to talk my wife in to a gun but it was to much for her. So i listen and we found the right one for her. A SIG P238 ranbow 380 and it is a great gun for her. And my two girls can shoot it np BUT my oldest girl loves my SR9 she is 15. Listen to the ladies or you will regret it.
