Getting my girlfriend her first gun...

[DaveTN]

Okay, that narrows it down. Smith & Wesson 686 4” revolver.

She doesn’t have a carry permit, so she can’t carry. Worry about that when the time comes.

Dual caliber .357MAG or .38 Special, whichever she chooses to shoot.

Dual action. Can be used as single or double action. Single action for beginners, double action for more advanced shooters learning trigger control.

One of the most popular home defense handguns ever made. (The most popular if you count its heritage).

One of the most accurate out of the box handguns you can buy without spending big $.

No levers, switches, or magazines; the original point and click interface.

American made and guaranteed for life from the company with the best customer support in the industry.

EDIT: if she’s not interested in a .22, she shouldn’t be interested in a .380.

.380 is a terrible choice for a self-defense round. Sell your .380 and get into self-defense guns. Both your life and hers are worth it. Just because a gun is cheap doesn’t make it a good choice for SD.

Edited November 18, 2012 by DaveTN

[Guest D.B. Cooper]

[quote name='DaveTN' timestamp='1353282163' post='847839']
Okay, that narrows it down. Smith & Wesson 686 4” revolver. She doesn’t have a carry permit, so she can’t carry. Worry about that when the time comes. Dual caliber .357MAG or .38 Special, whichever she chooses to shoot. Dual action. Can be used as single or double action. Single action for beginners, double action for more advanced shooters learning trigger control. One of the most popular home defense handguns ever made. (The most popular if you count its heritage). One of the most accurate out of the box handguns you can buy without spending big $. No levers, switches, or magazines; the original point and click interface. American made and guaranteed for life from the company with the best customer support in the industry.

EDIT: if she’s not interested in a .22, she shouldn’t be interested in a .380..380 is a terrible choice for a self-defense round. Sell your .380 and get into self-defense guns. Both your life and hers are worth it. Just because a gun is cheap doesn’t make it a good choice for SD.
[/quote]

Great info, thanks... a 686 will be something to look into. I already have .38 special, and she did enjoy shooting my Rossi revolver. So this will be something we look into next.

My P3AT is my BUG. My primary carry is a G22 or G23 (depending on my situation).

[Oh Shoot]

Duck out.

She'll blame you when she decides she needs something different.

You'll be selling and buying handguns till kingdom come; and I'm more than half serious.

- OS Edited November 19, 2012 by OhShoot

[Erik88]

[quote name='DaveTN' timestamp='1353282163' post='847839']
.380 is a terrible choice for a self-defense round. Sell your .380 and get into self-defense guns. Both your life and hers are worth it. Just because a gun is cheap doesn’t make it a good choice for SD.
[/quote]

This is terrible advice. My GF walked through the entire gun store and ended up picking out a Sig p238. If this is the gun she is comfortable carrying then that's a hell of a lot better than carrying nothing at all.

.380 has killed plenty of people around the world. She'll be just fine. Edited November 19, 2012 by Erik88

[Guest D.B. Cooper]

[quote name='DaveTN' timestamp='1353282163' post='847839']
.380 is a terrible choice for a self-defense round. Sell your .380 and get into self-defense guns. Both your life and hers are worth it. Just because a gun is cheap doesn’t make it a good choice for SD.
[/quote]

[quote name='Erik88' timestamp='1353294017' post='847951']
This is terrible advice. My GF walked through the entire gun store and ended up picking out a Sig p238. If this is the gun she is comfortable carrying then that's a hell of a lot better than carrying nothing at all.

.380 has killed plenty of people around the world. She'll be just fine.
[/quote]

I was wondering if this was going to turn into "Caliber Wars".

Edited November 19, 2012 by TheBisch

[jtmaze]

You said you didn't want another caliber to feed. I shoot a xd40 that is really snappy. My FIL's xd40sc shoots as flawless as my full sized but less barrel flip which makes it a lot easier to stay on target. My wife has a Bersa thunder.380 that she loves(pink grips). It has run flawless except for some Promag problems. Stick to Bersa mags and all is well.

[mikegideon]

[quote name='TheBisch' timestamp='1353297798' post='847998']
I was wondering if this was going to turn into "Caliber Wars".
[/quote]

Don't worry about it. You probably won't have to really shoot anybody anyway

[Ratfink]

I took my wife to the gun store and let her hold everything when she picked her own. She chose narrowed it down between a glock 19 and a h&k p30 and we walked out with the glock and she has been to three shooting schools with it already. Best to take her to pick out what she wants.

[LCPfraTN]

[quote name='TheBisch' timestamp='1353269648' post='847743']
Well, my real concern here is her ability to load her own magazines. I'm also not sure if her accuracy issue with my G22 was a result of the larger caliber or the fact that it's not a revolver (less moving parts). She also didn't seem as comfortable about holding the G22 as opposed to the Rossi revolver.
[/quote]The PK380 single action trigger will make it much easier for her to shoot it accurately. I still think you should give serious consideration to it since you know she likes it. The Sig p238 that was mentioned is also a good choice, but will cost you. The recoil of the p238 will also be a little snappier than the PK380, but not as snappy as your P3AT. Let the .380 bashing continue.

[mikegideon]

[quote name='LCPfraTN' timestamp='1353301523' post='848034']
The PK380 single action trigger will make it much easier for her to shoot it accurately. I still think you should give serious consideration to it since you know she likes it. The Sig p238 that was mentioned is also a good choice, but will cost you. The recoil of the p238 will also be a little snappier than the PK380, but not as snappy as your P3AT. Let the .380 bashing continue.
[/quote]

I like the PK380. I took a friend to buy a gun about a year ago, and he walked out with a PK380. He's an older guy without a lot of strength. Had a problem racking the heavier slides, and didn't want much recoil. The gun was perfect for him. It's perfect for some girls too, if they have the same issues.

The LCP is a little beast. I actually like shooting mine, but my girlfriend hates it. She likes 9mm and 45. She doesn't like .40 either. Too snappy.

[MississippiBoy]

The PK380 is nice. I shoot it as much as my Glock 34 and the PK has pink grips.... my friends make fun of it until they shoot it. It probably gets shot more than any of our other guns unless it is the P22.

[Jonnin]

you are in chattanooga? It would be my pleasure to let her try my p238 and makarov if you want. And anything else she might like to look at. Hit me up if she wants to actually fire a few. My mak is a little odd due to a trigger job, though.


as for the .22, it does not do a thing for me either but its cheap, and I am cheap, so I shoot it by the box (of 500!). Like it or not its hard to turn down a 10 to 1 ratio per bullet. Edited November 19, 2012 by Jonnin

[-Bristol-]

Another plug for the PK380. Just plain comfortable in the hand; easy slide operation; low recoil; SA/DA, tolerates limp wrist. The manual safety option appeals to many women (and those standing near-by). Mine eats every ammo I tried, 100%. At around 19oz it is not snappy at all. Edited November 20, 2012 by -Bristol-

[Mark A]

Trying to make one gun fit a bunch of different roles is never easy. 22 or a soft shooting nine of at least medium size will help her get the basics down and enjoy shooting. Either will work to start for a home defense gun. Then after she shoots some she can make a more informed choice on a carry gun and the method of carry

We rented a bunch of guns for my wife to try. She hated every revolver she shot. Hated Glocks. Tolerated my Sigs for a couple of years. She still keeps a sig on the nightstand though.

We were at a class where Randy Lee (Apex) was one of the adjunct instructors. She tried his M&P 9 and ended up shooting the rest of the weekend with it. About 1/2 way through we were at lunch she told me to make sure she had one when we got back home. So, being the smart hubby I (rarely) am I did exactly that. While we were at the class we bought a bunch of goodies to stick in it from Randy.

When I picked hers up there happened to be one for me there as well. After all, if I was going to be a good training partner I needed to have the same experience as she did. (I know you see what I did there...)

Ended up learning to reload to keep her in ammo. That girl surely loves to pull the trigger.

Have her look up the cornered cat site. Good info there. Finally, get her to sign up here and check out the women's section. If she isn't comfortable discussing in an open forum I will bet a few of the ladies will be willing to have email conversations with her.

Have fun!

Mark Edited November 20, 2012 by Mark A

[timcar86]

[quote name='Ratfink' timestamp='1353299570' post='848020']
I took my wife to the gun store and let her hold everything when she picked her own. She chose narrowed it down between a glock 19 and a h&k p30 and we walked out with the glock and she has been to three shooting schools with it already. Best to take her to pick out what she wants.
[/quote]

I've gone through all of this too. We bought a sig238 and she decided she didn't like it. We went back to several gun stores and she ended up with a Glock 19. I don't know what it is about the Glocks but a lot of women that I've taught to shoot really like the ergonomics of them. Just my 2¢.

[Guest richief]

Another Husband here that helped his wife choose a gun.
I never liked .380 small guns, they bark more than a 9mm, have less stopping power, ammo costs about as much as .45ACP, and if ya go a bigger gun, might as well get a 9mm, soooo we didn't try any of those. LOL My hammerless J frame I thought would be perfect, but she couldn't hit with it. Full size G17 she had alot of muzzle flip, and was developing a flinch. G19 she shot great, and liked it. G26 w +2 she shot almost just as good, and realy liked the smaller profile for carry, so I had to buy another G26, cuz I carry one often too. She's happy and likes to shoot it, I'm happy cuz she has what I feel is the min defensive caliber, and it's a reliable pistol that holds 12 rnds.

[Guest TankerHC]

I started a post a while back about my wifes "First gun". Well it wasnt the first gun I gave her. I gave her a PT111 for carry. She hated it. I gave her a S&W SW9VE, she hated it. I gave her one of my 1911's, she gave it back (Im thankful). Then I took her out to several of the gun shops I go to, in one she picked up a S&W Bodyguard .38 with laser. I didnt care much for it, but she loves it. She says it feels right, she loves the laser option, so it took me to let her pick out her own gun. Then she joined the NRA and took (Is taking, still has to finnish up) Enhanced Carry Permit Class and Safety Class.

[Guest D.B. Cooper]

I really appreciate all the input you guys have given me!

Several have alluded to "letting her choose".... As I've mentioned before, if I leave it completely up to her, we'll still be talking about this 20 years from now and she still won't have her own gun. She's very indecisive and usually wants me to make decisions for her. So I *am* letting her try things out and really the issue is coming down to revolver versus semi. Here's a recap:

- She liked shooting my .38 Rossi revolver on the range
- She said she liked the way a Walther PK380 (not PPK, not the Bond gun, so many people confuse the two) felt while she held it in the store. I don't own this weapon, therefore she hasn't fired it.
- She did *not* like my KelTec P3AT (also a .380, but also a much smaller gun)
- She did *not* like how "hard" it was to load my G22 magazines.
- She seemed to like shooting my G22, but felt that she much less accurate with it. The truth? She was only a little less accurate with it.
- She is left handed.
- This will be a range gun at first, with the ultimate intention of being a carry weapon.

The original question was is there anything else I'm missing here? Are there other guns [b]in these calibers (.38 special, .380, .40)[/b] that I should be looking at? Has anyone had success at a particular gun [b]in these calibers[/b] when faced with a similar situation to the above?

[Guest DarylDixon]

[quote name='TheBisch' timestamp='1354020273' post='851220']
I really appreciate all the input you guys have given me!

Several have alluded to "letting her choose".... As I've mentioned before, if I leave it completely up to her, we'll still be talking about this 20 years from now and she still won't have her own gun. She's very indecisive and usually wants me to make decisions for her. So I *am* letting her try things out and really the issue is coming down to revolver versus semi. Here's a recap:

- She liked shooting my .38 Rossi revolver on the range
- She said she liked the way a Walther PK380 (not PPK, not the Bond gun, so many people confuse the two) felt while she held it in the store. I don't own this weapon, therefore she hasn't fired it.
- She did *not* like my KelTec P3AT (also a .380, but also a much smaller gun)
- She did *not* like how "hard" it was to load my G22 magazines.
- She seemed to like shooting my G22, but felt that she much less accurate with it. The truth? She was only a little less accurate with it.
- She is left handed.
- This will be a range gun at first, with the ultimate intention of being a carry weapon.

The original question was is there anything else I'm missing here? Are there other guns [b]in these calibers (.38 special, .380, .40)[/b] that I should be looking at? Has anyone had success at a particular gun [b]in these calibers[/b] when faced with a similar situation to the above?
[/quote]

How about a Springfield XD .40 subcompact? If I were buying for my wife and had to chose between the calibers you listed, that would be my choice. The loaded chamber indicator can bring a great amount of peace of mind to a new shooter and the guy who has to live with her. Everyone who has gripped up any of my XD's really like the way they feel. Even my friend who is a Glock fanboy (who wanted to hate it) really liked it.

[Jonnin]

left handed, you have 3 choices, and they all suck in their own ways.

1) get a left handed gun. There are like 10 total of these, many of them hard to find. The cz83 / 82 (used milsurp) in 380 or 9x18 is one of the BEST of these. Problem is that 99% of "left handed" guns have something that is still right handed. Makarov comes up again: if you slingshot the slide to close it, it has a neutral heel release mag and the safety is not useful so you can leave it on FIRE all the time (da first pull is long and heavy, its safer than a glock). Even so, the slide release proper is right handed.... you can't win. My beretta nano let me reverse the mag drop but the trigger takes a horse on a chan to pull it and the slide release is still wrong handed. If you have the hands of a gorilla it may be a decent choice.

2) custom gun, which usuall is a 1911 format, and usually costs a fair amount to be 100% converted.

3) just shoot a right handed gun and live with it.

Currently I am using a sig 938. Better than the 238 because the safety is ambi, it still has an irreversible wrong handed mag release and slide release. I slingshot the slide so its just the mag drop that I have to contend with --- that is a huge deal, though, on a low capacity gun.

The cz is my favorite lefty gun but it was fat (double stack), big, heavy, and the trigger left a lot to be desired. Still, with ambi safety and ambi mag release, its a winner. Trigger is about like a beretta 92 or ruger p89, long DA pull and sloppy SA pull.

[Guest D.B. Cooper]

Well, here's what I came up with. I bought her a Sig Mosquito... .22lr is cheap to shoot and there's very little recoil. I'll get her used to shooting and then move her up to something bigger. We'll see how this goes.....

[QuietDan]

[quote name='timcar86' timestamp='1353705940' post='849855']
I've gone through all of this too. We bought a sig238 and she decided she didn't like it. We went back to several gun stores and she ended up with a Glock 19. I don't know what it is about the Glocks but a lot of women that I've taught to shoot really like the ergonomics of them. Just my 2¢.
[/quote]

Still got the Sig?