What gun is best for a girl?


Hi I am new to the boards and have been lurking for a few months. You have got some very very good advice here already but still wanted to offer my experience.

I recommend renting a gun and taking a class. Some ranges offer classes and rent guns.

Also as a woman my issues with guns are:

Trigger - Some are really rough and heavy to pull. My Taurus has a heavy trigger. Takes alot to pull.
Recoil- Learned in class that position is a big part here.
Racking the slide- My Ruger SR40c is a sweet gun, but the slide is tough for me, and I can rack the slides to all of my DH's pistols rather easily.
Fit- I don't have the smallest hands for a woman but a lot of guns I really wanted just didn't fit my hand well.

I don't live in a carry state so I can't offer any info there. Best of luck to you and most of all have fun choosing one thats right for you and don't be intimidated!
 

thank you everyone for the great advice, didn't expect so many people to answer so quickly.... but i just found out my cousin owns a gun shop and told me i can try out as many as i want, ill let ya'll know what i end up with.
 
Does your county

Does you county offer a gun course? My county offers a gun course every Fall, we can bring our own & shoot some of their's! Excellent instructors and I feel more confident when I carry. I carry Sig. P238 most of the time, and when I go to range always go for the chest. Get a good self defense round, and practice often. Personally, I do not care for Glock, they jam with me, but it could be me...but they jam with hubby as well. Know your gun laws and know what to do if stopped while carrying.
 
God Love ya for wanting to express your Constitutional right to carrry. You have certainly recieved a lot of good information here but all of it is for naught.

There was no information given by you in the OP (original post) for anyone to base thier answer on or to give accurate suggestions from.

What weapon platform you decide on will be based on several factors, the first of which would be your stature. Are you 4'5'' and 95 pounds or are you 5'10" and 150 pounds? Without the specifics there is no way you can get a good answer other that what has been expressed, "go to your local range and try some on."

Welcome to the blog and good luck with your selection. After it's all over just remember, practice, practice, practice!
 
Think about this as you try out the many weapons you have to choose from. Try each one in a concealed carry practice posture. ie: from inside waistband, outside waistband, purse carry and vest). This may help you decide which one will be right for you. Also consider doing a night time practice as this may be more inline when you are placed in a threat situation where all your practice will keep you with the right mind set.
 
The smith and wesson bodyguard is fun. small and easy to conceal.
I agree with the post about the XD. I loved mine, but the slide was sometimes a little hard to handle.
 
My personal suggestion would be the Ruger LC9, but that's just what works best for me, almost anything could work best for you.

Link Removed
 
I agree about the LC9. My husband originally bought it as a pocket gun for himself, but after I shot it at the range a few times and carried it around the house awhile, he suggested I keep it. I didn't say no.
My personal suggestion would be the Ruger LC9, but that's just what works best for me, almost anything could work best for you.

Link Removed
 
What gun is best for a girl? The best answer I can give applies to all genders. Get a gun and caliber you can control and shoot accuratly and also one that you aren't affraid to shoot.:pleasantry:
 
The best gun for a girl? The one her boyfriend/husband is carrying!

The best gun for a WOMAN however would be the biggest caliber they can handle and conceal, just like men shooters
 
You're about to get a barrage of suggestions. Mine? Borrow every model you can find, try them all, choose one that's relatively compact and feels good to shoot.

This is by far the best advice. Find one you are comfortable with. I would also suggest buying a 22 to get started the ammo is cheap and you can practice with little expense.
 
For a woman looking for a first gun:

Step one: Decide to succeed in building the gun into your life. Many people never get the gun they buy into actual defensive service due to a variety of obstacles. You can succeed and it is very doable!

Step two: Gather Information & Experience. You will run into much info and comments that are misleading and won't get you where you want to get. Intentionally seek out the best input you can access. There are many great suggestions on this string so far. Classes can be a great help. Make sure as best you can in advance that the quality / respect level is high. Range rentals are a big part of the answer where you have access to this service. Otherwise you may borrow from friends or family if possible.

Step 3: Decide to make a successful Selection. Many women get that first gun not really having a strong sense that it will work out well for them but more to break the ice and see how it goes. Some people make the right pick and that gun works great for them for life and they never need to buy another unless they want to for fun or other purposes.

Step 4: Make clear decisions about storage, vehicle use & concealed carry including access (getting to your gun) in a variety of types of clothing and situations that are a part of your life. An integrated perspective on gun keeping makes all areas simpler.

An easy tip if it is needed: We've seen the Ruger SP101 38spl Revolver be the answer for many women. If you are not sure what to buy this is a reasonably priced sure-fire place to start that you will never regret. There are several reasons this is a great choice for a woman making her start. Fits a wide range of smaller hands. Felt recoil is reasonable due to 27 Oz weight. It is good for carry, home defense and range practice (many guns are not!) and the gun is solid, built to last. It is certainly possible to start with an automatic, it is just much harder to succeed at first and have one that works well in all three capacities, so you might end up buying more and there is not a reason to have several compact autos for self-defense. The more you have, the less familiar you are with the one you are carrying.

If you would like to talk to an NRA Certified Lady Instructor: 970 242-6245 please leave a message and we will have one of our women instructors call you back. We specialize in high level of respect to the student. No charge! Just help using your rights.
Graceful Guns by SAFETY SOURCE, division of Strategy Resource International,LLC.
 
From what I've seen, gender has very little to do with it. Locally, an attractive young mother of two decided that she wanted to learn about shooting and safety. Not owning a gun, she took a class where the instructor brought a variety of firearms to try out and show off. She insisted on trying his .44 magnum with full power loads...something he was used to having big men showing off unwilling to fire a second shot. She apparently not only emptied the .44, but did so very accurately with good control. So really, gender has much less to do with attitude, training, and capability.
 
So much great advice here, can't wait to see what you decide on. Best advice from me...be sure to take a gun safety course, and practice until it feels comfy & practice some more!
 
Ruger LCP

The Ruger LCP is an amazing summer light clothing gun. But since it is only a .380 and when winter comes along and you have to consider BG's wearing heavy leather coats etc. Then you probably want to have a winter carry gun also.

I have a Taurus Millennium Pro PT.145 (I don't recommend one of those because I can only carry about 6 rounds in the 10 round magazine because of an issue with the Magazine, and Taurus sent me 2 replacement magazines that do the exact same thing)

I want to get a Ruger LC9 but would love to see Ruger come out with an LC40 or 45, which should get through winter attire.

I have a Ruger Mark III .22 for target and as you can see given a choice after a couple of really big disappointments I am going to stick with Ruger. If I had an endless pocket I might look at SIG or Karr, but Ruger is priced right and is always, I repeat always, a good accurate, reliable, tough gun, that doesn't try to break your finger to pull the trigger.

No I don't sell Ruger LOL, just experience.

Now I love Remington's 1100 semi auto 12ga shotgun, but I don't think I could conceal that very well. LOL I have tried to beat that thing up in the woods and it just keeps on shooting weather I drop it, fall on it in the mud or bang it against a tree as pull it up on a string.

Remember to take the advice above and test shoot, you can go to most ranges and rent guns, You can shoot used guns also at a range, if you are looking to buy, you will probably pay more at a Range than a gun show, but its better to get a gun you are happy with than one you got a deal on.
 
The only Revolvers I have are a hand cannon, .357mag with a LONG barrel made by Taurus, and a coupld of .22 revolvers, also LONG barrels so not conceal guns. The .357 makes everyone at the range stop and look cause it sounds like a cannon just went off. The .22 revolver is IMO not a good target gun cause of the time it takes to reload every few shots, I like a semi auto .22 for target cause you can have several magazines loaded and you can shoot for a long time without having to stop and re-load. But many ppl feel safer carrying a revolver as a carry gun and there is nothing wrong with that, my LCP is only a 7 bullet gun which is only one more than a .38 revolver. If you feel more comfortable carrying a revolver then that is what you should carry.
 
Now honestly that depends a lot on the women in question here, I know a couple that could carry a desert eagle, and the gun would be intimadated, although i would not carry one as a primary defence weapon the small 380s are real popular, my advice for the first time carry for a women would be the Bersa thunder 380, a little larger than most small autos, but super comfortable
 
Every girl is different and every new shooter has the daunting task of learning what works for them. My wife got a 1911 because of her familiarity with it from military service and eventually decided she didn't like it. She got a 4" stainless S&W .357 which she liked better because it didn't "convulse and spit" and allows practice with .38spl but the Ruger LCR really appealed to her because it's small and light. Now, she likes the S&W best because the greater weight and longer sight radius improve accuracy. It's not easily concealable on-body, but fits in a concealment purse.
 
Another vote here for the Sig P238 (.380 ACP). I don't own one, but I've handled and fired one and that's the one I'd choose if I had a chance at getting a CCW.

I have a Beretta Bobcat .25 but that's because that's what my uncle bought me a loooong time ago when I was a single female living alone. And the P238 wasn't on the market. I'd really rather have a .380 for carry. I have a .45 for home.

As others have said, it's all what YOU are comfortable with. Try as many guns as you can and decide what you're most comfortable with.
 

New Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
49,542
Messages
611,255
Members
74,961
Latest member
Shodan
Back
Top