Picking your first handgun--woman's point of view
I am in the market for a new gun, and am signed up for my carry permit and am just interested on some opinions on the type of gun that would best fit me to carry. any opinions?
Welcome!
I am too old to be considered a "girl," but I will answer from a woman's standpoint.
Those that recommend that you TRY, TRY, TRY (meaning handle, shoot, and see if you can manage shooting/caring for/take-down of the firearm) are correct. The best firearm FOR YOU is the one that feels best in YOUR hand and the one that YOU handle the best.
I am a nerdy, research type by nature. I researched my first gun to death, narrowed my choice down to 3, and then headed off to a range that had a lot of rentals. Interestingly enough, I came home with a gun that didn't even make my research list.
I have since purchased 2 more handguns and a shotgun. I have to say that while I still LOVE my first purchase (H&K USP9 compact), I keep that one at home mostly. I carry a Kahr MK9 (metal ... there is also a PM9 model which is polymer) in a custom IWB holster every day, and for range work I prefer my XDM9 compact.
For me, nothing
feels better in my hand than the Kahr. It is very thin, and its heft--because it is metal and NOT polymer--makes it shoot very nicely for such a small gun. Simply put, it FITS ME. Add to that the THINNESS of the gun, and it conceals very easily on my 5'6" vaguely-athletic frame.
I shoot all the guns when practicing (regularly! It is, after all, carried for self defense), but the XDM9 is really a joy to shoot. It has a very soft recoil, which means quicker follow-up shots and a more pleasant shooting experience in general. It is very accurate, and it is also easier to clean that the others (I can clean the XDM in about 15 minutes LESS time than the others).
SERIOUSLY, GO HANDLE AND SHOOT AS MANY GUNS AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. You will know when you handle it and shoot it which gun is for YOU.
Oh yeah, don't
limit yourself to revolvers. Many women get revolvers because the men in their lives (relatives or salespeople) tell them that it will be easier for them because they won't have to struggle to "rack the slide." Unless you have some kind of limiting factors coming into play, you shouldn't have a problem if you use the SLINGSHOT technique explained here by Massad Ayoob (he has daughters that he taught to shoot at very young ages that use this method) :
Armed and Female by Massad Ayoob Issue #63
For example, most men operate a semiautomatic pistol by holding the frame in their dominant hand, and reaching across their chest with the free hand and grabbing the slide to “rack” it back. This is an upper body strength intensive technique, pitting arm against arm, and a lot of smaller or older women can’t do it well with many pistols. They’ll have better luck with the “slingshot” technique, in which the support hand firmly grabs the slide and pulls back while the gun-hand is pushing forward. This can be combined with a turn of the hips that puts the entire body weight into the movement, making it happen almost effortlessly.
Link Removed
I actually tip my shooting hand so that the top of my wrist is parallel to the ground. Then I grasp the gun with my support hand's thumb almost parallel to my trigger finger (which is along the SIDE of the gun, as shown in the picture), which allows me to grasp MORE of the slide than what this man is grabbing.
I use my WHOLE HAND (thumb and all my fingers) to grasp the slide--this man is using only his thumb and pointer finger. Someday I will post a picture....
All slides are a bit stiff to rack at first (especially if you are not used to doing it), but the springs will loosen up over time.
Best of luck,