Mule Skinner

Mods, if this wrong place feel free to move. Mrs. Muleskinners birthday is next week and thinking about buying her a gun and of course a safety class. All of the guns I have came from private sellers along time ago, been a while since I made a purchase. These days - is it best to go to a pawn shop, one of those big sporting good stores or a private seller? Thanks for suggestions

jstone44720

I have found good pricing at budsguns.com and impactguns.com. They will ship to a local ffl, and then you pay the ffl a small fee and take the gun home. It is usually a better deal. Did you find the gun yet?

Lary Ellis (Top)

I would take her to a reputable shop where she can hold the weapon and find one that is comfortable for her...lots of places have a range there where she can try it out and get her safety class as well.

It is important to get her a handgun she can be confident with or you risk just giving the bad guy a gun to take away from her. If she doesn't like it, it doesn't fit her hand or she is just plain scared of it, it is worse than no gun at all.

Shorts

Safety class first, then gun. REason I say this is because good classes and good instructors will have examples of gun - revolvers, semiautos and rifles. Your wife will be able to get a feel for the type SHE'D like. Once she has an idea of how they work comparatively she'll be able to shop better. It'd be a much more enjoyable experience, for HER. And will set a good foundation to get her into shooting and firearms for the long run.

You cn probably do classes and purchase a firearm in the same day/weekend/week. So its not a long process.

First if it were me, I'd go to the shops and stores in the area. Many are family owned and do regular firearm safety/edu classes. Plus you can purchase firearms. And a big plus is they have indoor ranges for use. So, kind of like a one stop shop. And you can build a working relationship. Often they have gunsmith services too if you find yourself needing one. Just find a place with the kind of people you like and are comfortable with and meet your criteria.

Good luck

hamilton71801

Another thing to consider especially if she's getting her concealed carry license. In AR, if you qualify with a semi-auto then you can carry revolver, etc. but if she uses a revolver then she's stuck with that & can't carry anything else.


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soulezoo

^^^ I'll second what Top said above. This kind of purchase is far too important to leave to chance.

And also, by far the most expensive gun is the cheap one you can't use or doesn't work when you need it. Buy the one that works for her regardless of cost.

Lary Ellis (Top)

Being a Licensed Gunsmith myself I deal with a lot of different types of handguns and as a general rule I prefer a good revolver for self defense purposes for a woman that isn't going to shoot a lot and OFTEN in order to stay proficient with the weapon.

My Wife can handle anything in my arsenal and does quite well with the Autos and even the big bore Magnums but I like the idea of her having a weapon that she just grabs and pulls the trigger...no safeties to worry about or mags to drop by hitting the wrong button in a terror filled moment (which can and does happen to ANYBODY)

I am currently looking at the Taurus Judge 3" barrel revolver in .410 shotgun/ 45 long colt cartridge. That thing should be a hell of a man stopper especially if you load it 00 buck and 45 colt every other cylinder.

Mule Skinner

I like the safety class first idea, then she can decide what her comfort level is. Thanks for the replies!!

Bark

I agree. My wife just doesn't trust or like the glock but feels real comfortable with a revolver.

ctnv

My wife did not like my Springfield 40 xd subcompact at first and settled on a SW 38 sp +p j frame with a larger grip. Now she likes the 40 more than the 38 sp. I also have a SW bodyguard 380 and she likes shooting that also. We are both CCW in NV as residents and CT as non-residents. Good idea let her take class first.

Reelay

I agree with a wheel gun for a lady. I bought my wife a Berretta 32 auto and after purchasing it without her trying it out I found out she could not pull the slide back. So I use it for one of my carry weapons and got her a small cal. revolver.
My son came home for Xmas this year from Mo. he had that Taurus 3" SS with him. We took it out and fired off several rounds of both the 45 and 410. His load for the 410 was a three disc layered shell. That weapon would stop any person or persons trying to cause you problems. The shells are not cheap the 45 bullet are the long type and you can not use the standard 45 cal. bullet. Nice weapon though.

Shorts

I can agree with that.


I cannot agree with that.



As far as slide manipulation, it is a matter of technique and practice assuming a healthy person without disability or reduced function.


That said, I prefer semiautos and I can rack one handed, without doing it on the belt loop.

Shovelhead

I agree with the others, find a local range that will let you rent firearms and let her try several.

I picked up a Ruger GP100 4" in stainless steel.
Wifey loves it,.. as long as she shooting 38 spl.
.357s .... notsomuch. too much recoil.
Avoid the 'lightweight' revolvers for a first time shooter.
Mass = less transmitted recoil.

Revolvers, the original point-and-click interface.

Shorts

You guys buying women small guns, you're doing them a disservice. Smaller semiautos are harder to rack the slide 1) because of recoil spring weight in a small distance and 2) the gun is to dang small to hold on with the whole hand. Women usually have less grip strength, particularly finger strength. They can't pinch small guns to hold them. You need to start them on larger semiautos rater than smaller so they can gt proficient at the basic functions of a semiauto. Once they do that, they can work any gun out there.

Also, shooting small guns is tough on palms. They pop rather than thump or push. I hated shooting the 38spl snubby. Love shooting the 1911 variants. Carried 1911s, Beretta Cheetah 86 and 2" Jframe(which promptly went away). Hate double actions. Love singles. Traditional doubles are eh, but prefer single.

Get good ears. Sound is often the main contributing factor to flinching.


Anyway there is a huge capability gap between a woman who regularly trains/shoots and the opposite. The important thing for women and anything firearm, make it enjoyable and successful or they won't do it or won't like it.

grouch

My ex-girlfriend wanted to buy a pistol and I let her try my weapons. She didn't think the .22 revolver was enough punch, the .22 semiauto was useless and the .38 was okay but just didn't feel right. Then I let her try my 45LC revolver. It's a Taurus copy of Col. Colt's equalizer. She fell in love with it.

It has enough punch to stop a man short yet not so much recoil she couldn't aim her second shot. About 2 boxes of ammunition later, she became as good a shot as me and probably quicker to aim because of her shorter arms.

I personally like revolvers as they have a slower rate of fire but are more accurate. Plus there's the psychological factor of the heads of the bullets peeking out.