Women and Revolvers

[cherishbarnwell]

I'm curious as to why when a woman asks what a good gun would be for her, guys always say Revolver as if it's the only thing we are capable of shooting? I've only ever shot one handgun, and it was a Sccy CPX-1 9mm semi auto. I have no problems shooting it, and now i'm looking into getting my own gun. Just curious about women and revolvers. Thanks!

 

[Glock Fan]

I make my recommendations based on what the individual intends to use the firearm for, along with other factors. I treat men and women equally, don't believe that there's such thing as a "lady's gun" and will make appropriate recommendations regardless of gender.



gf

 

[RightArmOfWyoming]

My wife carries a Glock, I carry a revolver. I hate Glocks and she hates revolvers.

I think people recommend revolvers for ladies because revolvers are good if you're not a "gun person", and guys assume the lady doesn't want to be a gun person. If you're not a gun person (i.e. you're not going to practice a lot, you don't study and collect guns, you carry a gun for self-protection but don't love guns), then a revolver is probably the better choice. Less chance of messing something up in the heat of the moment. A non-gun person would likely hit the mag release under stress or forget to take off a safety, both non-issues with a revolver.

Non-gun people will also not likely clean their guns often, which is less of an issue with a revolver.

I am a gun person, but for some reason I just love revolvers. Maybe because when I was a kid I had a metal toy gun revolver, so it feels right to me. Revolvers feel like guns to me. Glocks feel like toys to me.

I'm competent with a semi-auto, my first carry gun was a S&W 910, but I just love revolvers.

I have a rule though that both my wife and I have to put in SOME range time with every gun in the house. I shoot a little with hers, she shoots a little with mine. We keep all of 'em loaded (and hidden) all over the house, never know who's going to be closest to which gun if some scumbag kicks in the door. We also keep flashlights next to every gun.

I usually carry my revolver holstered at home too. I have it on my hip right now, loaded, with a speedloader pouch nearby.



MWD

 

[Jay]

Just because a revolver is functionally "simpler" than a semi-auto, doesn't make it any more of a ladies gun than any other firearm. To assume that a lady must "love guns" before being able to cope with a mechanical safety, is silly. Personal preference is one thing, and gender bias is another. You don't have to love guns in order to carry one, but if you carry without being proficient with your chosen firearm, you're a fool....male or female.

The age-old "trade-off" in handguns is especially applicable to the ladies..... short barrel, light weight, only 5 or 6 rounds equals much more perceived recoil. REGARDLESS OF GENDER. That being said, anyone can learn to shoot any caliber, as well as learn to shoot either a revolver, or a semi-auto. If the safety is that much of an issue, consider a double action only semi auto..... same basic function (point and pull the trigger) but you get 4 more rounds..... Just sayin' ..... the Para Ordinance LDA series has a double-action trigger that is far superior to ANY out-of-the-box revolver.

Shoes...... when you buy 'em, you try 'em on first...... if they don't feel good, you don't buy 'em..... if they feel good, and you buy 'em, chances are that you still might need to break in the shoes, and your feet.

Guns..... try 'em on first...... if they don't feel good, you don't buy 'em......... if they feel good, and you buy 'em, chances are that you still might need to break in the gun, and your abilityto use it.....

Buying a handgun simply because someone else has one is just foolish. If there were a "best" handgun, we'd all own it, and there wouldn't be the huge selection of handguns to choose from.

Hey lady........

GO SHOPPING :biggrin:

 

[Timmy Chonga]

I was never asked by a lady about" what is a good carry weapon"-but I had asked a friend of mine why she chose a revolver ( taurus .38 ulta light ) she said...with a semi auto---if it jammed on her,she didnt know if she could fight off her aggressor...as with a revolver----she knows with confidence that it will fire every time!!!!

 

[AvidshooterTX]

I would recommend a revolver as a first handgun for anyone, man or woman. After you're proficient with it and have learned all the basics then move on to a semi-auto if you're so inclined. Otherwise, there's too much to take in all at once. There are drawbacks to a revolver:
1. usualy less rounds than a comparable size auto
2. a BG up close can grab the cylinder and stop it from rotating
3. All shots are going to be double-action unless you have time to cock it
4. Slower reloading unless you have speed loaders
But there are advantages too:
1. No jamming/ejection issues to clear
2. If a round doesn't go off pulling the trigger again moves to the next round

Are there other pros and cons?

 

[RightArmOfWyoming]

pros:
--mine functions as a club after it runs out of ammo.
--Revolvers don't leave brass at the scene. Nice and tidy, and, um, environmentally sound! :biggrin:

 

[VTLO910]

Of all the ladies I know who shoot, few of them carry concealed, and those are the ones who train with any regularity...

I'm not saying every male trains, because this is a lie, but what I am about to say is based off of my interactions with women shooters.

I have found that the majority will carry a firearm more for safety then anything else (shooting sports, hunting, etc). Of those, very few train with the firearm, a revolver is simply the easiest for them to use... The ergonomics are usually not an issue, most are in .38 or .357 which can be loaded with .38, which is a reasonable round to shoot.

As mentioned above, if it fails to fire, squeeze the trigger again till it does...

a semi auto requires more manipulation if you have a mis-feed, and if you do not practice often, when the "Bad Situation" occurs is the worst time to be fumbling with a semi-auto...

Also, most female want smaller guns that fit their hands better... I fund that most women like a Kahr sized pistol... But along with that is that the Kahr, among other pistols, can have a very heavy slide, and women can often struggle with this...

It is not saying that a women can not manipulate a semi-auto, but if they are serious about doing so, they need to take the time to practice, and find ways to do so if difficulty is found.

I encourage EVERYONE to practice, man or women, it just happens that the physique of a man gives them the strength advantage of manipulating a slide...

All that being said, even I have trouble with the Kahr slides, especially if new...

A favorite of many women in a semi auto is a GLOCK 19 (9mm Compact).

If your willing to train regularly with whatever you choose, it's a mute point...

Find something in a caliber you can shoot accurately, and something that ergonomically fits YOU, not someone else...

Regards,

VTLO910

 

[Huklberyhound]

If you are a stranger or aquaintance and you are asking me this, I will assume you have no other person around you to show you how to shoot or spend time at the range with you. If that is the case, a non lightweight revolver is the least maintnance, least moving parts, least things to worry about shooter to have. I always cap off my advise with "weight is your friend" in dealing with felt recoil. If that question is being asked then I have to assume you have little gun knowledge/experience or you would have been out and tried a few or would have asked other women what they shoot and why. My wife is small and shoots a 1911 .45, I know what yall are capable of, but if that question is being asked, I have to assume you don't know what you are capable of shooting comfortably.

 

[MightyPirate]

I suggest a revolver as everyone's first handgun. It's much easier to learn on. There's a lot less to worry about, no flying brass, safeties, slide locks, etc. If you start with a revolver you can quickly learn how to shoot properly. It has nothing to do with gender, or strength or anything. If you start out with a .357 revolver you can shoot a variety of rounds. The heavier gun will lesson the recoil with the .38, and once you're comfortable with that you can move up to +p rounds, light .357 and finally full power 357 rounds. Plus, some models sell 9mm cylinders (don't own any, but I recall seeing a few) so with one revolver you've effectively got three rounds to choose from.

 

[AvidshooterTX]

Just my personal opinion but no matter how good they are or how well they shoot Glocks are butt ugly. :no:

 

[HK4U]

Two main reasons. One women generally are not as strong as men and some, not all, have a problem racking the slide on some automatics. Two an auto is more complicated to learn, a revolver much more simple. Anyone, women or men, that is not willing to spend the time to really get good with an automatic would be better served by a revolver as it is much easier to master in a shorter amount of time. Sometimes, again not always, women are not as willing for one reason or the other as men to spend the amount of hours it takes to become proficient with an auto. Whether you are male or female if you are not going to spend the time required to not only shoot well but do it under stressful conditions a revolver would be a better choice.

 

[HK4U]

Just my personal opinion but no matter how good they are or how well they shoot Glocks are butt ugly. :no:

Again beauty is as beauty does. I have a number of autos and I have never had a hick up out of a Glock. They go bang every time I pull the trigger with all kinds of ammo. Is it the best looking auto I own? Probably not but when the crap hits the fan I do not care it the BG thinks my gun is pretty. I want it to work. That is why I carry a Glock 19 as a back up to my HK.

 

[TXiceman]

A revolver for beginners for the simple reason they are less complicated and are easier to remember how to use in a heated moment.

My wife can shoot both revolvers and semi=automatic-pistols, but she has trouble working the slide on the .45acp. A typical woman and many men with smaller hands have trouble working the slide on a larger semi-automatic or even getting rounds into the clip.

ken

 

[AvidshooterTX]

A revolver for beginners for the simple reason they are less complicated and are easier to remember how to use in a heated moment.

My wife can shoot both revolvers and semi=automatic-pistols, but she has trouble working the slide on the .45acp. A typical woman and many men with smaller hands have trouble working the slide on a larger semi-automatic or even getting rounds into the clip.

ken

That's the reason I got my wife the Beretta Cheetah 86. It has a tip-up barrel. Here's a link with pic.

Beretta Model 86 Cheetah 380 ACP

She also has a taurus tianium .38+P 5-shot revolver and likes them both.

 

[Glock Fan]

A revolver for beginners for the simple reason they are less complicated and are easier to remember how to use in a heated moment.

My wife can shoot both revolvers and semi=automatic-pistols, but she has trouble working the slide on the .45acp. A typical woman and many men with smaller hands have trouble working the slide on a larger semi-automatic or even getting rounds into the clip.

ken

What's so difficult about loading the clip?

gf

 

[NDS]

That's why I recomend the Glock line of pistols. The Glock pistol does not use clips to feed its ammunition, it uses a detachable magazine. IIRC the only semi-auto pistol that did use clips to feed ammunition was the Mauser broomhandle. In general I don't see anyone recomending the broomhandle as a defensive sidearm of choice.

It would seem they were more common than you recall. Here's just 2 examples:

Link Removed
The Grendel may have usually been stuffed one at a time; I've heard of people using stripper clips with them but never seen anyone do so. I haven't even seen one of them in several years.
And, while there are other examples, none of them was a great success.

 

[MaBarker8]

I started out with revolvers but when I took my CHL class needed an auto. Bought a Bersa Thunder 380 and found out there was an ammo shortage. Boughta Ruger SR9 no shortage of ammo for 9mm. After getting CHL wanted soemthing smaller to carry around on daily basis. First small gun I bought was a Kel-Tec P11. Went to range with it and only shot 20 rounds and the web of my shooting hand and upper knuckle on thumb looked like hamburger. I couldn't hit the broad side of the targer cause the trigger pull felt like 30lbs. Asked store owner where I bought it, can I trade this? Got the Glock 26 a bit bigger but a heck of a lot easier to shoot and it didn't eat my hand. Then I got a Kel-Tec P32 no recoil on it and trigger pull was not bad either. Glock I had to use fanny pack to carry it and it is kinda heavy. Got a Ruger LCP very nice little gun. So that is my mostly main carry now. But I do love my Glock. I also have a Beretta Bobcat 21A I use that as back up and for shooting varmints around my house. Got to try to find that skunk that keeps stinking up the place. Seems like it only comes out at night. If I spot it during daylite it is a goner. Don't want to try hunting it down after dark. I could pay the price if I found it.:fie:

 

[Saber]

I’ve been fooling around with guns all my life and worked extensively in the defense industry and in the military. In fact, after Vietnam I became a LEO but didn’t much care for it. In my 30+ years, I carried revolvers and semi-autos. Today I’m a bit slower and I no longer have that razor sharp wit and reflexes to match. Last year I sold off my last auto-loader and reverted back to wheel guns. Now, somewhere in this tangled web of history is a message. I don’t advocate any particular platform over another like I use to, but I personally like revolvers more these days for a number of reasons. Instead of pushing an unwelcome agenda, I’ll just include this link for those interested.

Link Removed

Regards,
Dan Ortego

 

[GOV5]

I’ve been fooling around with guns all my life and worked extensively in the defense industry and in the military. In fact, after Vietnam I became a LEO but didn’t much care for it. In my 30+ years, I carried revolvers and semi-autos. Today I’m a bit slower and I no longer have that razor sharp wit and reflexes to match. Last year I sold off my last auto-loader and reverted back to wheel guns. Now, somewhere in this tangled web of history is a message. I don’t advocate any particular platform over another like I use to, but I personally like revolvers more these days for a number of reasons. Instead of pushing an unwelcome agenda, I’ll just include this link for those interested.

Link Removed

Regards,
Dan Ortego

Great article!!

There is a prevailing, unmentioned, "attitude/assumption" within the CWP people that those that carry the semi-autos are the more "elite" among us. The accomplished gunners, if you will. A class that you seek to join upon your own mastery of all that is known in Gundom. It's like the golfers of years back that carried 1 irons in their bags. Oh, you could tell THEY were players! It was your badge of honor and a sign of accomplishment, acknowledging that you have reached an often sought level of proficiency that eluded the mere mortals of the game.

Well 1 irons are too hard to use, and very few ever got proficient with them, and that included touring pros too. They are only in trash cans and dust covered sections of garages now. And that is where they should stay! Better technology has finally come along....for golf, AND guns!

With the advent of scandium, Titanium, polymer, etc., a revolver doesn't have to be wielded like a boat anchor anymore. It can be a small, lightweight, fire-breathing monster that can put down any bad guy out there. Generally speaking, we aren't going to a fight at the OK Corral. If you find yourself in that situation, you probably aren't going to have anything on you that will help. Your best bet would have been to remove yourself from the premises a LOT earlier.

Let's face it, a revolver is stupidly easy to use! And it goes "BANG" every time! What's not to like? I know a lot of REAL gun people..you know, the ones that have worked covert operations abroad in several countries that aren't quite as friendly to strangers as we are here on the Carolina Coast. And their MAIN carry weapon is the old, out-of-vogue, ugly, little REVOLVER! They all give me the same reason for carrying it...it works every time! They also say about semi-autos..."when you need it most, it malfunctions."

Hey, I have nothing against Semi-autos, and I have no agenda against them. If folks want to carry them, fine. They do have more rounds than a revolver, if you need more than five at a time. If they have to shoot 8 or 10 rounds to finally hit something, then that's the gun for them. The "accomplished" can continue with the REVOLVER. But don't worry, if they keep practicing with that auto, and they'll soon catch up to us.<G>

Hey, here's a thought. Get a REVOLVER for your back up gun. I think I'll look at a Kel-Tec PF 11 for my backup.