Woman's handgun?

danb · May 28, 2019

I know a lady of average statue who likes 6" 7-shot 357 mag revolvers with wood grips.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Many guns come in purple, pink,... something other than Glock-brand-Glock black. Thay all shoot the same 9mm.

My opinion is that the lady should choose the gun. After renting a few.

dist1646 · May 28, 2019

danb said:
I know a lady of average statue who likes 6" 7-shot 357 mag revolvers with wood grips.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Many guns come in purple, pink,... something other than Glock-brand-Glock black. Thay all shoot the same 9mm.

My opinion is that the lady should choose the gun. After renting a few.

Quite true, everyone has their idea of beauty.
The choice will ultimately be hers as it will be her gun. I plan to initially begin with letting her try some of my guns and gradually move up in caliber as her skills and comfort level increase. We will try rentals as well in order for her to find what she likes and works best for her.
The primary reason for the thread is to find out what is out there and what works for others so we have a "base line" of what to look at.

Uncle Duke · May 28, 2019

dist1646 said:
Quite true, everyone has their idea of beauty.
The choice will ultimately be hers as it will be her gun. I plan to initially begin with letting her try some of my guns and gradually move up in caliber as her skills and comfort level increase. We will try rentals as well in order for her to find what she likes and works best for her.
The primary reason for the thread is to find out what is out there and what works for others so we have a "base line" of what to look at.

Sounds like a good plan, as utility is job one IMO. No sense having a good looking gun that doesn't handle well, or won't otherwise do what you need it to do.

Once she finds a handgun that she likes and can shoot well, she can do a whole lot in the way of dressing up her handgun to be "pretty" and functional both with aftermarket grips. Wicked Grips comes to mind as a supplier of stocks that your gal might think would dress up her handgun.

V-tac · May 28, 2019

get whatever is best for her and have a good local shop cerakote it to look like whatever shed like

Biggfoot44 · May 28, 2019

The usual discussion starts with - No such thing as "women's gun " , everyone is an individual , try various, see what they prefer/ shoot well , etc , still applys .

In this instance , avoid combat tupperware .

And what do they consider "pretty " ? Pink or other designer colors ? More traditional bling ? aka BBQ Gun ? Some nickle or polished stainless, grips of figured wood, or Ivory, Stag, MOP ( or quality synthetic thereof ) ?

danb · May 28, 2019

Here, this is a very purty ladies gun:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/805254389

danb · May 28, 2019

and here is another one:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/815944143

Zorros · May 28, 2019

Jeweled, painted guns can attract kids. And i don’t want it sitting on a trial table during a homicide trial where the defense is self defense. Just my opinion. My wife’s experience ( carry) started with a 642. Needed too much strength to shoot with accuracy. And she is very fit. She Went to a G42 and then a G43. Good ergos, easy slide rack, easy carry. Shoots them both very nicely. Better than me. Now she’s onto a p 365. The smaller autos in 9mm were the perfect match for her. Suggest very strongly that the lady find a range with rentals and shoot a small number and then decide. Or come back and re shoot.

MackM · May 28, 2019

I am not a woman but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
My wife liked the looks of the Bersa Thunder 380 but the recoil (yes, from a 380) causes it to move in her hand every shot. She has to reset her grip every time. So I'm looking at single-stack 9mm guns for her now. Maybe for someone with a stronger grip, the 380 would be fine, but she has a weak hand grip. I like shooting it and I carry it IWB and it never prints, not even a little, so it might be OK for guys. But it isn't right for every lady. Have her rent one or borrow one, before she buys one, and you should watch her shoot it, to see if she can hang on to it properly.

Bob A · May 28, 2019

I'd submit that, if I were a woman, I'd find my pre-1968 PPK in 7.65 Browning to be the ideal compromise. 8 shots, very reasonable recoil (unlike the beastly PPK/S in .380), pretty easy to rack, compact, accurate, simple and elegant. It's incredibly pleasant to shoot, easy to conceal and carry, small enough for a woman's hand.

The PPK was designed around the 7.65 cartridge, and it shows. It may seem anemic by modern standards, but three shots delivered between collarbone and groin will give most everyone pause.

In a revolver, I'm partial to J-frame S&W. I have a nice Model 37 (Chief's Special Airweight) with a 3" barrel that encompasses most all the features one would want. The alloy frame makes carrying less objectionable, the 3" bbl gives sufficient sight radius to make use of the pistol's inherent accuracy. The drawback is the 5-shot cylinder. Not the pistol to stop a home invasion, but certainly better than a sharp stick. I think 150gr wadcutters would do an adequate if noot exemplary job of lead delivery, the flat face of the bullet punches nice holes rather than sliding thru tissue like the round nose ammunition, and the recoil is reasonable. Again, not the ideal man-stopper, but between increased accuracy and muzzle energy from the 3" barrel, light recoil making followup shots more readily delivered on target, and the increased tissue damage from a wadcutter, there are lots worse ways to go.

chauncey · May 28, 2019

V-tac said:
get whatever is best for her and have a good local shop cerakote it to look like whatever shed like

+1

MeatGrinder · May 28, 2019

My wife has a Beretta PX4. It fits her hand just exactly right

sxs · May 28, 2019

V-tac said:
get whatever is best for her and have a good local shop cerakote it to look like whatever shed like

Ha! Beat me to it! Any gun can be made pretty.. Or at last more pretty.

I've sold a couple lady customers on the SW 380EZ just because of ease of racking the slide. My other choice for a woman with little shooting experience is a revolver in 357 with a mid size frame. A 686 SW or similar size Taureus with a 4 in barrel. And any can be prettied up with Cerakote.

Art3 · May 28, 2019

Taking CCW (because, MD :rolleyes:

) and gender out of the equation, I think this is a great gun someone who doesn't know if they want to be a gun person:
https://ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/5771.html

The grip is small enough for my wife's little lady-paws, yet, somehow, my meathooks can still hold onto it just fine. With a 4" barrel and real sights, .38 special loads can offer economical comfort and success at the range when you want to shoot, while .357 magnum gives confidence when you need to shoot. Honestly, .357 mag isn't really that unpleasant to shoot out of it anyway. :shrug:

If the owner decides that maybe they do want to become a gun person ( :fingerscrossed:

) and expand into other firearms, it can still always pull duty in a nightstand safe. Being robustly Ruger, it isn't going to wear out.

As to pretty...well, I think it is. It's shiny :shrug:

Women are like crows; they like shiny things.

traveller · May 28, 2019

Shoyo said:
My wife carries a Sig p238. They are offered in many "pretty" varieties

That was my first thought when I read 'pretty'. They even make one in 'gay unicorn rainbow'. Same with the 938.

If she wants something idiot proof, the XDs comes in a two-tone version that doesn't have the 'black brick' look.

traveller · May 28, 2019

Art3 said:
https://ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/5771.html

The grip is small enough for my wife's little lady-paws, yet, somehow, my meathooks can still hold onto it just fine. With a 4" barrel and real sights, .38 special loads can offer economical comfort and success at the range when you want to shoot, while .357 magnum gives confidence when you need to shoot. Honestly, .357 mag isn't really that unpleasant to shoot out of it anyway.

I have one of those with the 3in barrel. With .357 it has the additional advantage that if you miss your opponent, you can still incinerate him with the ball of fire that follows the bullet.

JTH20 · May 29, 2019

Wife has a Sig P226. Was initially too big for her hand, but fits perfect for her when I swapped the grip to the slim Sig grips.

Very comfortable pistol and she can easily shot a couple hundred rounds without it hurting her hand.

POP57 · May 29, 2019

Art3 said:
Taking CCW (because, MD) and gender out of the equation, I think this is a great gun someone who doesn't know if they want to be a gun person:
https://ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/5771.html

The grip is small enough for my wife's little lady-paws, yet, somehow, my meathooks can still hold onto it just fine. With a 4" barrel and real sights, .38 special loads can offer economical comfort and success at the range when you want to shoot, while .357 magnum gives confidence when you need to shoot. Honestly, .357 mag isn't really that unpleasant to shoot out of it anyway.

If the owner decides that maybe they do want to become a gun person () and expand into other firearms, it can still always pull duty in a nightstand safe. Being robustly Ruger, it isn't going to wear out.

As to pretty...well, I think it is. It's shiny Women are like crows; they like shiny things.

I have this frame in 327 federal. Let's you "plink" using 32 rounds as well. Fun gun.

POP57 · May 29, 2019

traveller said:
I have one of those with the 3in barrel. With .357 it has the additional advantage that if you miss your opponent, you can still incinerate him with the ball of fire that follows the bullet.

Don't forget the ability to use it as a blugean. They are pretty hefty.

Biggfoot44 · May 29, 2019

You might be thinking of a GP100 , that's an SP101 pictured .

Yes, the SP101 is a good choice, if a smaller revolver than a K Frame is sought .

Woman's handgun?

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