Best gun for women

[68Charger]

I live in Lufkin, TX.

Longtooth, one of our Moderators, lives in the Lufkin area and he's a CHL instructor. You may want to contact him by and see if he can help.

Chas.

Yeah, just don't stare at his LongTooth..

*ahem*.. yeah, that was purdy bad. I'll go back under my rock now..

[Jim88]

Call around to some of the ranges in your area. A lot of them will allow you to rent. Just tell them what your goal is and those that rent should be able to hook you up with just about any of the popular manufacturers (Glock, S&W, Colt, Ruger) and calibers (.380, .38, 9mm, .40, .45) and most will let you have unlimited rentals for just a few bucks more.

[MoJo]

You can't go wrong taking your class from Jerry. The Bersa is a well made reliable copy of the Walther some say it's better than the Walther. The advise to try before you buy is sound.

[marinemom]

my husband has a Bersa 9mm Ultra Compact Pro.. it's an awesome gun to shoot .. but unless you are a rather 'large' woman, it would not be easy to conceal.. imo..

definitely try before you buy ANY gun..

[SewTexas]

I agree with Crossfire, the best gun for a woman is the gun that fits her and the gun she will carry and FIRE if need be. I have 2 a revolver and a Ruger LCP. I carry both. I carry the LCP most of the time. the guys around here don't particularly like the lcp's, they think they are too small, but it fits me and I will carry it, so it's the right gun for me; it might not be the right one for you, it's kinda snappy when shooting, surprisingly it doesn't hurt my tender wrist.

Spend some time shooting, you'll find the right one,

[Birdshot70]

Thank you for your replies. I already have a shotgun...which is why the home invasion didn't turn out so bad! Lol! Just wanted something to carry in my purse.

Excellent on the past choice on the shotgun.
Now for carry...my wife has shot a number of different pistols, and as others have mentioned, it's all a 'feel' and how you can handle it.
My wife prefers my Ruger SR9c 9mm to my Taurus 732 TCP .32mm simply because the .32 is just too small in her hands. It is small in mine as well but I digress.
To be honest the best feel she had was a buddy of mine's Walther PPK she shot recently. A bit pricey for you I would say for a first purchase but her birthday is coming up so I'm working on it.

My suggestion would be find a good range with a good line up of pistols in their rental fleet and shoot through them over a couple of days. Cheapest way I know to find out what doesn't work in your hands...

[rremt_p]

My wife loves her Glock 27, I love my M&P 45c. we tried a couple of others, Taurus, XD's etc. Glock works for her, try a few different ones, until you find the best one for you, in the largest caliber that you can shoot well. I think the most important thing is to find one you will carry everyday. Then get some training, both in using the weapon and in general self defense.

A gun will do you no good if you leave it at home, or can't get it into play. Evans bros in Huntington has a good range and provides CHL classes. I am not sure if I know Mr. Young but he sounds like another good source, cant remember the name of the gentelman that taught my chl class, but he was very helpful, as I had just smashed my leg in a motorcycle wreck two days before. Yes, I live Lufkin as well.

You can also take Teakwondo, Kung fu, and Karate in Lufkin. The Karate classes at Livwell are very reasonable, and you do not have to be a member. Contact Clay Hall @ http://www.sakkarate.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Or feel free to PM me for more information.

Just remember that self defense is a mindset, the more you are prepared the better you will perform under stress.

[XinTX]

Lot of things to factor in. How experienced are you with handguns? How large are your hands? How strong are your hands?

The MUCH better half is a munchkin, well under 5'. She has tiny hands and almost no hand strength. What fit HER the best was a SIG P238. It fits her tiny hands well, and even with her lack of hand strength she can fully operate it (load, cycle the slide, etc.). Many autos she couldn't even work the slide. She loves that little mousegun. But she also has a revolver that she had when we met and she's a real good shot with that one. It's her nightstand gun given that it's a bit large to CC. The little SIG is easy to hide. But those are what works for her. Long before I met her I was dating another munchkin (what is it with me and short women?). Found the gun she was most comfortable with was an Officers 1911. She had no problems working that one. There's no way the MUCH better half can cycle the slide on any of my 1911s. I'd like to get her to try a 9mm version, but that's another story.

Point here being, two ladies roughly the same size chose two different handguns. Best thing is to handle a lot of them. Some you can strike right away as they won't fit your hands. Some you may have difficulty operating. But once you weed out the non-starters, then you can go shoot a few to find the one you're most comfortable with.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Texaskd:

If your friend's Bersa Thunder is in good working condition, I'd say buy that in order to get you your
first gun. Not on this thread, but in previous threads there are forum members who say they really like
theirs. I have handled them often and they feel great in the hand.

If money is an issue and you don't feel that you can spend $ to get the Bersa, then follow it up with a "move up"
pistol, then try a bunch of pistols and revolvers. Spend your only gun money on "the one". Many guns nowadays
have multiple grips available. You would probably be happiest with the smallest ones available.

A Ruger SR9c is a 9MM 'c'ompact pistol with a very slender grip made of glass-filled nylon. It feels great to hold.
The standard mag contains 10 rounds, and a 17 round magazine also comes with it. The 10 round mag will give
you a smaller weapon. The 17 round mag gives you a longer grip + 7 more rounds. About $399 at a gun show.

New CHL's tend to think a smaller gun is better, but larger guns are easier to shoot since they have more mass with
which to soak up recoil.

As far as caliber goes: Anything smaller than a .38 is considered a mouse gun. Try to find something you like in
.38, .380, 9MM, .40, or .45. Don't get a .22, .25, or .32, IMHO. They'll just aggravate the person you have to shoot. :-)

Happy hunting. Getting your CHL is the right thing to do. Thumbs up on you getting in touch with "longtooth" via this
board. He will definitely get you up to speed on this CHL/handgun world!

SIA

[fickman]

My wife carries a Springfield XD Sub Compact in .40. On some occasions she'll take a Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolver, but she'll only shoot .38 in those. . . never .357 magnum.

She tried a Glock 9mm and Glock .40 and didn't like them. She likes my Kimber .45 ACP 1911 and Sig P229 for shooting but feels they're too big to carry. We were looking at Smith & Wesson M&Ps for her when the Springfield fell into our lap from a family member who needed money. . . and she's great with it.

Definitely try different calibers, sizes, and styles. Consider how you'll conceal it. . . how you dress. . . your daily routine. Pay attention to how it fits in your hand, how well you can manage the recoil, etc.

Meeting somebody who can show you a few different types is the best plan IMO.

[RPB]

Also try a Keltec P11 (with 12 round mag +1 =13 rounds of 9mm and the grip "feels" smaller than a Glock 26 and light recoil with critical Defense ammo)
BUT seriously
Really, you are asking what shoes are best, and no "other person" can tell you because either they will not match your car color/lipstick shade or else they'll be the wrong height heel or they'll be too tight... you just have to try several on. I don't know your hand size, preferred grip angle (which you are most comfortable holding/most accurate with etc)

Consider carrying somewhere besides the purse a purse snatcher will grab first.
Police Officer's wife I know lost her gun in a grocery store parking lot to a purse theif

really, go to a store and just hold several first, if it feels wrong, eliminate it, the ones which feel right, try them out somewhere, someone may rent or even loan you ones to try.

Keep your finger off the bang switch and watch the muzzle sweep, even in Academy/whatever store with the theoretically "unloaded" ones

[woodsong]

A Bersa UC 9 is a fine handgun. It's weighty and absorbs recoil, so it's easy and comfortable to shoot. Very accurate, too. The only downside is that extra magazines are kind of pricey (like $35 or so). A website specializing in Bersa accessories (http://www.condorsflight.com/) occasionally has them on sale. There's an avid Bersa enthusiast's forum at http://www.bersachat.com. If you register as a member there (it's free), you can get a code that'll give you a discount at Condors Flight. The Bersa is also really easy to break down and clean.

I don't really consider a Kel-tec PF9 a range weapon. It can be painful to shoot.

[remington79]

This is something that will vary from woman to woman. I let my wife hold and shoot a variety of pistols. We took being able to rack the slide into consideration and had her do that. Of all the different pistols she tried she liked the Glock 19 the best.

[edmart001]

I completely agree with all of the recommendations to try before your buy and to be an informed buyer.

Having said that, when it came time to get a handgun for my wife, I took her to a Cabela's, located a gentleman behind the gun counter who seemed to be frendly and knowledgable and had enough white hair to possibly know what he was talking about (other clerks were going to him when they couldn't answer the questions). We flagged him down, told him what we wanted and I took a step back and let him go through just about every handgun in the case (within reason) with my wife. The pistol my wife kept going back to was the Ruger LCR, which is a .38+P rated, five shot, polymer framed, snub nose revolver with a Houge rubber grip. It's the gun that she said felt best in her hand (possibly because of the grip), had a very smooth trigger, wasn't "too heavy" and pointed most naturally for her. And, while I'll agree that this wasn't as good as actually shooting the thing, we already knew my wife could hit with a snub nosed .38 because she'd shot them before (two of our kids have had snubby's). I'll also agree that Cabela's usually isn't the cheapest place to buy a gun, but they do usually have a good selection and I've always been able to find at least one knowledgeable person behind the gun counter - and I'm willing to pay a little bit more for that.

As was said before, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. There is no perfect gun, or gun type or caliber or trigger or feed mechanism. It's all about what works for you and what works for you may well be different than what works for the next person.

One saying I'll always remember is that when it comes to handguns, if you can't hit with it, you'd be better off carrying a whisle to scare the bad guys, because all you really have is a noise maker and there's a lot less liability with a whistle.

[The Annoyed Man]

Echoing what others have said about finding one that works for you, and then actually practicing with it and being familiar and comfortable with it. My wife has three pistols: a Kahr CW9, a Glock 19, and a S&W 642 revolver. Of those three, she most likes the Kahr, and that is her daily carry weapon. All three of the pistols have an overarching theme: light weight and ease of operation. She prefers the Kahr over the Glock because it fits her hand much better and it is lighter to carry. She prefers the Kahr over her revolver because the Kahr trigger is much lighter. She prefers the Glock over the revolver because of the lighter trigger and the higher capacity.

She's sitting on the couch right next to me at the moment as we have our morning coffee and watch the news together, and when I asked her these questions, these were her answers. Overall order of preference: Kahr, Glock, S&W. However, when we go to the range together, she practices with all three guns to keep up her proficiency with all three. My wife has work-related neck/shoulder injury issues (30 years of sitting in awkward positions as a chair-side dental assistant) which have resulted in problems with her hand strength, which is why a small grip frame, light weight, and a light trigger are so important for her, particularly in a carry weapon.

Comparing the Kahr CW9 to the Bersa Thunder:

• Both are roughly the same size.
• Both have the same magazine capacity.
• The Bersa weighs 20 oz. to the Kahr's 15.9 oz.......advantage Kahr due to its polymer frame.
• The Bersa is chambered in .380 while the Kahr is chambered in 9mm.......advantage Kahr due to more effective caliber.
• The Bersa is mechanically more complex to operate while the Kahr is more "point-and-shoot" like a revolver......advantage Kahr.
• The Bersa can be found for roughly $320 (Academy), while the Kahr can be found for $358 (Bud's Gun Shop).....advantage Bersa due to being $38 cheaper.

I would submit that the $38 difference in price is more than offset by the advantages in carry weight and capacity. There is no doubt in my mind that if size and weight are not an issue for you, the Glock 19 is a probably a better gun than the CW9, just based on build quality and it's long-held and well-deserved reputation for reliability....and my wife enjoys hers. For the record, I also own a couple of Kahrs and I do like them......but also for the record, there are competing alternatives in the same class from Kel-Tec and Ruger which would also be good choices. Really, what I'm sold on is not so much the brand as the concept of a lightweight, polymer framed, single stack, striker fired, light trigger pistol in sufficient caliber.

As others have pointed out, you don't need a CHL to have a gun in your home; nor do you even need a CHL to carry one in your car. But sooner or later, you're going to run into a situation where you wished you could have had the gun with you—if for no other reason than feeling safer. Get the CHL.