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Don't do the skateboard tape until you check with her. A lot of the women I teach don't like the roughness of it on their hands - including myself.

Women lean back as they are trying to keep the gun up out in front and away from their face. When you add in our natural build and way of standing well it is just the way God made us.

SlowDave wrote: I guess I do have one more question: why is the general self-defense crowd (stereotype coming next) okay with having your gun in a safe, which requires a key or more typically a combination to get the gun out, but absolutely against having a safety on the gun, which requires a one finger flip of a lever to have the gun ready? Maybe that you never have the gun in the safe and incorrectly think it's ready? (As opposed to holding the gun, thinking you are ready for the BG, and then pulling the trigger to surprisingly get nothing because it's on safe.) Maybe I just answered my own question, but if not, someone correct me please.

The info has been very helpful. Thanks everyone for the input!

This is my answer others may have a different view point. The reason behind the safe is to keep those you don't want to have access to your gun from gaining access. It is not a safety for the gun owners benefit but for others. In my household I don't have issues with children... My home defense guns are loaded, out, and ready to go. If I had young children or more likely friends of those children in the house I would keep home defense guns available in a small personal safe and out of the hands house guests. I don't have any issues with mechanical safeties. I think the gun owner should get a gun in whatever configuration they are most comfortable with. I prefer not to have them on my carry guns as the gun I shoot the most (300-500 rounds per week) doesn't have them. The important thing is to practice to the point that the administrative stuff like gun presentation, mechanical safeties, reloads, and clearing malfunctions is at the very least a habit but preferably in muscle memory. I am an IDPA 5 Gun Expert and so I feel I comfortable carrying what I like. This is the biggest advantage of shooting a sport like IDPA - comfort and competence are increased.

One more question: you say that "each are excellent guns" of the M&P, XD, and Glock. Would you not make the same statement about the Ruger? (I would, up to this point, as I have nothing against them.)

SlowDave,

I truly have nothing against any gun that functions. I am pleased there are so many choices. We all have our preferences and a chance to find the one that works best.

My preference is for the standard size M&P9. I have them all - all sizes and calibers. I don't care for safeties as they aren't needed if you follow the three safety rules. However, I can understand her concern when there are children in the house. I have a woman student that had the same concerns. My suggestion to her was to get a personal gun safe form Academy and keep the gun in it fully loaded and ready to go. I went so far as to suggest, if she had the funds, to put one in all the major rooms in her home so she would a gun available to her and safe from her children.

LIMP WRIST OR UPPER BODY
I believe that a gun that is easy to shoot and fits your hand well will make it easier to shoot well. Your friend needs to be encouraged to keep tension across her shoulders and down through her arms and wrists. Tell her she need to be aggressive and lean into her gun. Make sure that she is completing every shot! By this I mean getting a sight picture AFTER every shot. It is very important that she doesn't look for her hits on the target until she is completely done shooting and the gun is put down or holstered. Looking at your target for the hits before completing the shot will lead to relaxing too soon and so limp wristing.

SlowDave,

If you haven't got things sorted out by the weekend after the 4th of July. I will be at the San Antonio Gun Show at Cypress FireArms' tables. Please stop by and bring your friend. Stop by even if you have everything sorted out, I would like to meet you.

About the trigger on the M&P, they come from the factory at about 5#. It is a very nice light trigger but not a hair trigger. IMHO it is a smoother trigger then the Glocks. It is a gun that is set up to be comfortably shot with small hands. The XD has a decent trigger as well. The M&P doesn't have any mechanical safeties to bother with and the XD has just about all of them. This allows shooters to choose what method of carry they are comforatable with. The M&P sits low in the hand which allows for easier recoil management. Again gun choice is personal and all three of the above guns have their following and each are excellent guns.

Age of the gun doesn't matter. Keep those machines running!

SlowDave,

I think it is great that you are interested in helping your friend. Without seeing her shoot her gun I would be only guessing as to what her or the gun's issues are. I have been running shooting classes for women for several years now. Problems like that are either caused be fatigue if the malfunctions happen at the end of the shooting session, the gun isn't lubricated enough or dirty, or the gun just isn't the right from for the shooter. Other possibilities or ammo related or mechanical issues with the gun.

I am in the Houston area and if you are too and would like to get together with your friend drop me a PM.

My honest opinion is to encourage her to shoot the 32. She likes it, She shoots it well. Far better to have a good hit with a smaller caliber then to have a bad hit or a malfunction with a larger caliber.

Besides if she likes her 32 and is willing to practice with it then eventually she will be ready for something larger. I fail to see any reason to push someone to a larger caliber until they are ready or want to shoot it.