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by Janis Cortese
The women's firearms market is growing by leaps and bounds, and given that on the whole, women tend to be more easily intimidated by firearms and related information, this translates to a large number of interested people who need not only hardware but education as well.
One of the first questions a woman who is considering a firearms purchase for self-defense will ask is, "How strong a gun should I buy?" The advice I give here will hinge on two assumptions:
If you find yourself intrigued by the mechanical aspects of firearms and have the money to indulge, by all means purchase what interests you. But if you are looking for one handgun for home defense, you'll want to be a bit more selective.
"That's a big gun for a girl!"
When you start shopping around for your first handgun, it seems that everyonehas advice to give: revolver vs. autoloader, Magnum or no, what size grips you need, and especially what caliber. I was lucky enough to receive my first in-depth instruction from a friend, Ron Moore, who also happens to be a law enforcement officer and firearms expert. He is also utterly without the preconceptions revolving around which firearm is best for a "girl," and thinks instead in terms of what is suitable for an adult gunowner. (It's probably also helped by the fact that he is married to Cindy, a brown belt in aikido who shoots a .357 Magnum!)
As a result of this, I was never told that such-and-such was too big a gun for a girl, too strong for a girl, or kicked too hard for a girl, and it surprised me when I would hear people solemnly advising women to purchase the weakest and smallest handguns on the market, the .22 or the .25 caliber. While these guns can be fun to practice with since their ammo is very cheap, for a market concerned primarily with self-defense, it seems preposterous to advise us to get the weakest handguns ever made!
Much of this advice stems from the misconception that a stronger caliber will kick too hard for a "girl" to control. There seems to be an image in the minds of some advice-givers that even a .45 will fly out of the hands of a woman who shoots it while remaining rock-solid in the hands of a man. This just isn't the case. Remember Cindy, who I mentioned above as a brown belt and .357 Magnum enthusiast? She's 5'2"! A friend of mine with whom I test fired a S&W .357 Magnum loved the gun and shot quite well with it at a diminutive 4'10". While Magnum caliber handguns might not be ideal for the noise they make (staggeringly loud, especially indoors in a quiet bedroom at 2am), the recoil is simply not a problem, even for smaller women.
What determines how well you can handle a large caliber handgun is not so much brawn, but proper stance. There are a number of accepted stances for shooting a handgun (see my page at http://www.io.com/~cortese/resources/guns2.html for a more thorough treatment), several of which go a long way toward rendering the kick from a .38 or even .45 quite manageable even by small-statured women. The primary reason why a smaller woman might not want to purchase a large-caliber handgun comes more from the fact that the guns are physicaly bigger and hence reaching the trigger might be difficult for someone with small hands. Often, however, even this can be cured with the proper choice of grip.
So far from the popular image believed by many women of a handgun kicking itself out of your grip when fired, it is quite easy, with good training, for even a physically small woman to keep control of large caliber handguns.
"So what do I buy?"
There are many considerations that you should review before purchasing a handgun for defense, but they can often be boiled down to only a few issues. You want to get something large enough to stop an attacker (meaning the .22 and .25 are right out), manageable enough that it will not intimidate you, and sized properly for your hand. Magnum caliber ammunition is also a poor choice for the reason stated above; in a darkened, quiet bedroom, the muzzle flash and noise will temporarily blind you and possibly permanently damage your hearing. When you may need to listen up for a second home invader or call the police and an ambulance for the first, it's not the time for a dull ear!
However, most all Magnum caliber handguns are also capable of shooting less powerful ammunition as well, and it's not unsafe. A .357 Magnum revolver is designed to shoot .38's as well although the reverse is definitely not true. A good choice can be a .357 Magnum revolver since you can shoot any of the various flavors of .38/.357 during practice, and load it with .38's for defensive purposes. (It's like getting two-for-one.) If you aren't interested in shooting a .357 Magnum at all, a .38 is the perfect choice.
But don't let anyone tell you that a .357 Magnum or a .45 is "too much gun for a girl." It may indeed be too much for a girl, but for a properly trained woman gunowner, it could be just right!
The Bottom Line
In summary, you'll want to avoid anything overly small or overly loud. The .22 and .25 is a poor choice, and the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum are overly loud (the .44M may indeed be too difficult to control as well. It was designed for big game hunters and while it's terrific fun at a range, it kicks far too hard for most men to handle it in a home defense situation. It's a great second purchase, but not a first.). This leaves you with a .38 or .357M loaded with .38's, and possibly a .45 if you like something a bit chunkier. If you prefer autoloaders, a 9mm is another good choice.
And if the handgun seems a bit too big for you to reach the trigger comfortably, try asking about different sized grips before putting it back on the shelf. Size is an important consideration in how well you can handle a handgun since it affects how well it fits in your hand. However, strength is another matter entirely, and you certainly don't need to be Xena: Warrior Princess, Arnold Schwarzenegger in heels, or a man to shoot a large caliber handgun with accuracy and confidence!
Copyright 1996 by Janis Cortese
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.io.com/~cortese/
by Janis Cortese
The women's firearms market is growing by leaps and bounds, and given that on the whole, women tend to be more easily intimidated by firearms and related information, this translates to a large number of interested people who need not only hardware but education as well.
One of the first questions a woman who is considering a firearms purchase for self-defense will ask is, "How strong a gun should I buy?" The advice I give here will hinge on two assumptions:
- You are purchasing one firearm, a handgun, and
- You are purchasing it for defensive purposes.
If you find yourself intrigued by the mechanical aspects of firearms and have the money to indulge, by all means purchase what interests you. But if you are looking for one handgun for home defense, you'll want to be a bit more selective.
"That's a big gun for a girl!"
When you start shopping around for your first handgun, it seems that everyonehas advice to give: revolver vs. autoloader, Magnum or no, what size grips you need, and especially what caliber. I was lucky enough to receive my first in-depth instruction from a friend, Ron Moore, who also happens to be a law enforcement officer and firearms expert. He is also utterly without the preconceptions revolving around which firearm is best for a "girl," and thinks instead in terms of what is suitable for an adult gunowner. (It's probably also helped by the fact that he is married to Cindy, a brown belt in aikido who shoots a .357 Magnum!)
As a result of this, I was never told that such-and-such was too big a gun for a girl, too strong for a girl, or kicked too hard for a girl, and it surprised me when I would hear people solemnly advising women to purchase the weakest and smallest handguns on the market, the .22 or the .25 caliber. While these guns can be fun to practice with since their ammo is very cheap, for a market concerned primarily with self-defense, it seems preposterous to advise us to get the weakest handguns ever made!
Much of this advice stems from the misconception that a stronger caliber will kick too hard for a "girl" to control. There seems to be an image in the minds of some advice-givers that even a .45 will fly out of the hands of a woman who shoots it while remaining rock-solid in the hands of a man. This just isn't the case. Remember Cindy, who I mentioned above as a brown belt and .357 Magnum enthusiast? She's 5'2"! A friend of mine with whom I test fired a S&W .357 Magnum loved the gun and shot quite well with it at a diminutive 4'10". While Magnum caliber handguns might not be ideal for the noise they make (staggeringly loud, especially indoors in a quiet bedroom at 2am), the recoil is simply not a problem, even for smaller women.
What determines how well you can handle a large caliber handgun is not so much brawn, but proper stance. There are a number of accepted stances for shooting a handgun (see my page at http://www.io.com/~cortese/resources/guns2.html for a more thorough treatment), several of which go a long way toward rendering the kick from a .38 or even .45 quite manageable even by small-statured women. The primary reason why a smaller woman might not want to purchase a large-caliber handgun comes more from the fact that the guns are physicaly bigger and hence reaching the trigger might be difficult for someone with small hands. Often, however, even this can be cured with the proper choice of grip.
So far from the popular image believed by many women of a handgun kicking itself out of your grip when fired, it is quite easy, with good training, for even a physically small woman to keep control of large caliber handguns.
"So what do I buy?"
There are many considerations that you should review before purchasing a handgun for defense, but they can often be boiled down to only a few issues. You want to get something large enough to stop an attacker (meaning the .22 and .25 are right out), manageable enough that it will not intimidate you, and sized properly for your hand. Magnum caliber ammunition is also a poor choice for the reason stated above; in a darkened, quiet bedroom, the muzzle flash and noise will temporarily blind you and possibly permanently damage your hearing. When you may need to listen up for a second home invader or call the police and an ambulance for the first, it's not the time for a dull ear!
However, most all Magnum caliber handguns are also capable of shooting less powerful ammunition as well, and it's not unsafe. A .357 Magnum revolver is designed to shoot .38's as well although the reverse is definitely not true. A good choice can be a .357 Magnum revolver since you can shoot any of the various flavors of .38/.357 during practice, and load it with .38's for defensive purposes. (It's like getting two-for-one.) If you aren't interested in shooting a .357 Magnum at all, a .38 is the perfect choice.
But don't let anyone tell you that a .357 Magnum or a .45 is "too much gun for a girl." It may indeed be too much for a girl, but for a properly trained woman gunowner, it could be just right!
The Bottom Line
In summary, you'll want to avoid anything overly small or overly loud. The .22 and .25 is a poor choice, and the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum are overly loud (the .44M may indeed be too difficult to control as well. It was designed for big game hunters and while it's terrific fun at a range, it kicks far too hard for most men to handle it in a home defense situation. It's a great second purchase, but not a first.). This leaves you with a .38 or .357M loaded with .38's, and possibly a .45 if you like something a bit chunkier. If you prefer autoloaders, a 9mm is another good choice.
And if the handgun seems a bit too big for you to reach the trigger comfortably, try asking about different sized grips before putting it back on the shelf. Size is an important consideration in how well you can handle a handgun since it affects how well it fits in your hand. However, strength is another matter entirely, and you certainly don't need to be Xena: Warrior Princess, Arnold Schwarzenegger in heels, or a man to shoot a large caliber handgun with accuracy and confidence!
Copyright 1996 by Janis Cortese
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.io.com/~cortese/