Handgun questions....

[iOWNme]

Hey guys,

I own a couple weapons already, and am looking for a handgun for my fiance. I am not a pro when it comes to buying guns. It has been a long time.

Basically looking for something small and compact, 9mm or so, and fairly light. Any suggestions?

Also, what name brands should i stay away from?


Thanks!

[NOOB]

Is your fiance experienced with firearms. My go to answer is always a small revolver for folks not into guns. Hell, I carry one and I am into guns.

[iOWNme]

Is your fiance experienced with firearms. My go to answer is always a small revolver for folks not into guns. Hell, I carry one and I am into guns.


No she is not experienced. Thats why i would like some feedback from people, before we go check some out. Then off to the local firing range so she can get comfortable with her new weapon.

Any specific maker/model? Something reliable obviously and hopefully affordable.... $300-$500 range or so?

Thanks again

[hoarder]

Ditto on the revolver. A simple, reliable 38 special like a S+W J frame or a Ruger SP 101.

Avoid the real super lightweight ones unless you are certain she can handle the extra recoil.

[iOWNme]

Ditto on the revolver. A simple, reliable 38 special like a S+W J frame or a Ruger SP 101.

Avoid the real super lightweight ones unless you are certain she can handle the extra recoil.



Very good point on the light v recoil. Thanks for that input.

I do like revolvers, although i have never owned one. I wasnt even considering one, but i am checking out what you posted,,,,...

[NOOB]

I carry a smith but for less money a taurus would be ok. The advantages are there is no thought process involved. Pull weapon ,point and squeeze trigger. No bang? Squeeze trigger again. No tap rack drill, no wondering is there one in the chamber etc.

You do lose capacity and a small amount of concealment but I feel the pro's outweigh the cons. 38 special is a good round and much better than a .380 imho. A nine mm is fine but again keep it simple.

My wife carrys a smith airweight with crimson trace laser grips. The grips are bigger thus harder to conceal but she will appreciate the bigger grips. Those little 3 finger boot grips are not fun to shoot.

[illumin19]

While I do agree with the revolver idea that NOOB gave, an alternative for an autoloader you might want to look into is..........................



With an MSRP listed at $349--meaning you will probably be able to buy it for around $320 at a gun show--the Stoeger Cougar could prove to be one of the industry's "best buys" for a service-grade defensive pistol.


http://www.handgunsmag.com/featured_handguns/cougarb_071807/


I actually was speaking to a chief of police yesterday and he said th Cougar surprised him....especially for the PRICE!! I might want to check one out.

Good luck.

[the riot act]

My wife had a problem with the DA trigger pull on a snubby .38.

We got her a compact .9mm semi auto SA and that seems to have done the trick.

[Heimdhal]

if its for concealed-carry, as the others suggested, a good revolver isnt a bad way to go. Rugers and Tarus both make great revolvers in your price range. Tarus is somewhat iffy on their autoloaders reputation, but they make fantastic revovlers. You do lose capacity though, and the DA pull of the trigger might be alot for some people, so have her actualy dry fire some at a store/show first.

Theres also things like the kel-tec pf9, p11, p3at or p32 which are 9mm, 9mm, 380 and .32 caliber respectivley. These are autoloaders that are about the size of a deck of cards, very small, easily concealable and time-proven and all well within your price range.

[willie pete]

if its for concealed-carry, as the others suggested, a good revolver isnt a bad way to go. Rugers and Tarus both make great revolvers in your price range. Tarus is somewhat iffy on their autoloaders reputation, but they make fantastic revovlers. You do lose capacity though, and the DA pull of the trigger might be alot for some people, so have her actualy dry fire some at a store/show first.

Theres also things like the kel-tec pf9, p11, p3at or p32 which are 9mm, 9mm, 380 and .32 caliber respectivley. These are autoloaders that are about the size of a deck of cards, very small, easily concealable and time-proven and all well within your price range.



Ditto, there are good choices in a small concealable auto out there these days

[Sparky]

...
I actually was speaking to a chief of police yesterday and he said the Cougar surprised him
...

But was he talking about guns? :P

[Black Blade]

The Stoeger Cougar (9mm and 45 ACP) are very good guns. Surprisingly good handguns (same as a Beretta).

http://gold-silver.us/forum/firearms/stoeger-cougar/

I did give my sister-in-laws CZ-82 pistols for their CCW guns. They are 12+1 capacity with an ambidextrious safety. The price is right as well ($200-$220 + shipping).

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/84316e1baa281e3c95483755b5908fb90dd34928.pjpg

[iOWNme]

Fantastic info here guys, thanks so much...

I went and looked at some glocks yesterday. G22 full size and a G26 sub compact. We really liked the size and feel of the G26 for her. But i know holding is not the same as shooting.

There is an indoor range down the road, and we are going to shoot some rentals this weekend to get a feel.

Thanks again GSUS'ers!

[madfranks]

Ruger LCP (http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-LCP.htm) - I have one with the crimson trace laser grips, and it's very easy for me to carry everywhere I go.

[hoarder]

Fantastic info here guys, thanks so much...

I went and looked at some glocks yesterday. G22 full size and a G26 sub compact. We really liked the size and feel of the G26 for her. But i know holding is not the same as shooting.

There is an indoor range down the road, and we are going to shoot some rentals this weekend to get a feel.

Thanks again GSUS'ers!
Like 1911's, Glocks are not very good first guns. There have been many accidental discharges with Glocks.
The best safety feature on a handgun is a long and heavy first pull. No other safety is desireable because a gun should go bang when you pull the trigger....no matter what or when.

For a trained experienced handgunner a 1911 or Glock is great as long as it's their only handgun.

I'm a multiple gun kind of guy, carrying a 44 magnum in the woods one day and a concealed 9MM semi-auto another day and a .38 special under the pillow. In my selection of defense handguns there is no confusion about different operating mechanisms. None have safeties and all go bang first time every time. None go bang first time without long heavy pull (unless I deliberately cock the hammer with my thumb).

The Cougar sounds like a good deal but unless it's different than other Berrettas, there is the danger that the decocking lever is in the wrong position when you need it to go bang.
A decocking lever should have no wrong position. There is no logical reason to have it. The decock lever should be spring loaded to return the firearm to the ready to shoot double action mode.

[SLV^GLD]

Already mentioned but would be recommended by me to pretty much anybody:

Glock G26 (wins on capacity and caliber) (also can be fitted for .22 kit for cheap practice)
Ruger LCP (wins on concealability and price)
Kel-Tec PF9 (wins on the balance of the 2)

All of the above will be available for rent at any indoor range worth a hill of beans.
Go try them all, give the range operator feedback on what you liked or didn't about each and he may be able to put you on a gun not in the list that works better for you.

Excellent suggestions throughout this thread, though.

[Sparky]

..
The Cougar sounds like a good deal but unless it's different than other Berrettas, there is the danger that the decocking lever is in the wrong position when you need it to go bang.
...

Is this true of the Beretta 92FS?

[hoarder]

..
The Cougar sounds like a good deal but unless it's different than other Berrettas, there is the danger that the decocking lever is in the wrong position when you need it to go bang.
...

Is this true of the Beretta 92FS?
I'm pretty sure it is. I haven't had one in my hand in over 15 years. They are otherwise excellent guns.
A decade a go I had handguns of many types, 1911, Taurus with 3 position safety, single action mouseguns...you name it. I learned fist hand of the confusion between operating systems and I got a table at a gun show and unloaded a bunch of handguns that were not suited for people who own more than one firearm.

If a Beretta were my only handgun I would habitually run my thumb over the safety to make sure it was ready to fire. No problem....but if I owned a 1911 I would have to run my thumb in THE OTHER DIRECTION to disengage the safety.

As it stands now, I have many different kinds of handguns but there is no conflict in precedures as mentioned above.

Not trying to put down other people's firearm choices, just trying to save them the hassle and expense of learning a lesson as I did.

[Johnny Ringo]

Lots of good suggestions so far - but it's a tough, personal call.

I carry autos myself, but I also have revolvers. Mrs. Ringo has had her CCW license for months, but we have yet to decide on a carry weapon for her. Carpal Tunnel and arthritis make have made it tough to settle on a piece.

Autos: I suppose, if we could find one with a fairly light DA trigger pull, it would do the trick - as long as I'm around to rack the slide and chamber a round for her before I send her out the door. Because with most autos, even my little Kel-Tec P3AT, she can't rack the slide. Better hope she doesn't have a malfunction, too. I can count on my Sigs go "Bang!" every time (these are P220/229 - can't speak for the newer models), but DA trigger pulls are probably too much for her. Expecting her to remember to cock the hammer back, and then decock - under stress - may be too much. A DAO like a Glock or Springfield XD? It's honestly been awhile and I can't remember what the trigger pull is like. But for me, I REALLY like the XD. I'd trust it to work every time. I'll have to have her try that one again - it might be a player.

Revolvers: Easy, right? Well, no. Aside from caliber (.38 Special will do just fine), do you want a regular hammer, bobbed hammer, or hammerless. With a regular hammer, it can catch on clothing or purse parts when drawing. With a bobbed hammer or hammerless, it's just like a double-action only auto. You need to make sure your lady has the strength for the trigger pull.

While trying to figure out her comfort level for a carry weapon, I handed the Mrs. an old Taurus .357 Cowboy type model I had. I asked her to test the trigger pull. Instinctively, the first thing she did was bring the hammer back to single-action. I'm thinking, "Okayyyy." Then I said, "Threat's gone - now what?" Well, we're going to need a lot of practice to manually move that hammer to half-cock is what. And to expect her to do it safely in the middle of the adreneline rush you'd have in a draw situation? I don't want to be downrange.

The hammerless revolvers I had all seemed to be too much for her as far as trigger pull. What I'm looking at is probably taking something to a gunsmith and getting a trigger job done to make the trigger pull manageable for her.

That all said, if your lady is young and strong and can handle a DA trigger pull from a revolver, I'd go with a hammerless, lightweight revolver. As far as recoil, I've shot +Ps out of a Taurus CIA 850 Ultralight (.38 Special, gun weight 16 oz.), and I didn't really notice the recoil or muzzle flip - and I was impressed by it's accuracy at 15 yards. In a life or death situation, your lady and any bad guys probably won't notice the muzzle flip, either.

Good luck to you both - it's not an easy choice.

[Johnny Ringo]

..
The Cougar sounds like a good deal but unless it's different than other Berrettas, there is the danger that the decocking lever is in the wrong position when you need it to go bang.
...

Is this true of the Beretta 92FS?
I'm pretty sure it is. I haven't had one in my hand in over 15 years. They are otherwise excellent guns.
A decade a go I had handguns of many types, 1911, Taurus with 3 position safety, single action mouseguns...you name it. I learned fist hand of the confusion between operating systems and I got a table at a gun show and unloaded a bunch of handguns that were not suited for people who own more than one firearm.

If a Beretta were my only handgun I would habitually run my thumb over the safety to make sure it was ready to fire. No problem....but if I owned a 1911 I would have to run my thumb in THE OTHER DIRECTION to disengage the safety.

As it stands now, I have many different kinds of handguns but there is no conflict in precedures as mentioned above.

Not trying to put down other people's firearm choices, just trying to save them the hassle and expense of learning a lesson as I did.


It's late and the Beretta's in the safe (can't open it without waking the Mrs.), but it was my first handgun purchase almost 25 years ago. And I love it so much, I bought a second about two years ago. But from what I remember, you're correct, Hoarder - the safety and the decock are the same lever. In other words, if you decock the gun by moving the lever down, you have also engaged the safety - and the lever will stay down in that "Safe" position unless you remember to move the lever back to the up/"Fire" position. If you leave it down, you pull the trigger all the way back and nothing happens.

It's also been awhile since I've had my CZ's out, but I think they work the same way. I could be wrong, though.

On the other hand, the Sigs (at least my 220s and 229s) don't have a safety. They DO have a decock, which releases the hammer back to half-cock, and then the decock lever returns to its original position. So you decock the weapon, and it's ready to go in double-action mode. You only need to remember two things - aim and squeeze the trigger.

As much as I love the Beretta, the Sig P-229 is my primary carry piece. I usually carry the .40 S&W, but I also have one in 9mm. I've also got a couple in .357 Sig, but them's mostly for show....

[hoarder]

Autos: I suppose, if we could find one with a fairly light DA trigger pull, it would do the trick - as long as I'm around to rack the slide and chamber a round for her before I send her out the door.
Beretta got around the issue of racking the slide by producing mouseguns with tip up barrels. I don't think you can get them any larger than .380 and most likely will have the decock down disadvantage as we discussed. Many older people and women bought these guns and seem to be happy with them. Berettas are well made, I just don't like the safety.

[JDRock]

.... i vote for the S&W ladysmith. .38 revolver made to fit a womans hand.

[hoarder]

.... i vote for the S&W ladysmith. .38 revolver made to fit a womans hand.
Those are nice revolvers but I think they are misnamed. They are more of a man's gun because they're so light they kick too much for most women. I'd be more inclined to give a woman a stainless steel version.

[Johnny Ringo]

.... i vote for the S&W ladysmith. .38 revolver made to fit a womans hand.
Those are nice revolvers but I think they are misnamed. They are more of a man's gun because they're so light they kick too much for most women. I'd be more inclined to give a woman a stainless steel version.




.... i vote for the S&W ladysmith. .38 revolver made to fit a womans hand.


I don't know if they still make them, but we bought the Mrs. a LadySmith 9mm auto years ago. It's got a bobbed hammer (I've seen one guy able to manually cock it - I can't), so the first shot is always DA. Holy cow, the trigger pull must be 20 lbs - and long. Last time I had it out at the range my 16 year old daughter couldn't even pull it. I mean it's a good looking gun, got a nice feel and it's compact, but it's a booger to shoot. I wouldn't call that a lady's gun, either.

[kregener]

Bought my wife this one:

http://www.ozarkguns.com/Smith%20642/163810_large.jpg

Smith & Wesson Airweight 642 hammerless 5-shot .38 +P, with extra speed loader.

But this would work:

http://www.sigsauer.com/upFiles/catalog/product/P232-detail-L.jpg

The SIG SAUER® P232® is our smallest and lightest pistol. Chambered in .380ACP and featuring a fixed barrel blowback action, the P232 is one of the most reliable back-up pistols available with a well-earned reputation as a rugged, accurate shooter. Its proven design of perfect balance, smooth contours and rounded, snag-free edges make it ideal for personal protection. It’s the pistol’s small size that makes it easy to carry concealed whether in a discreet holster, purse or on the ankle and yet the outstanding ergonomics of the grip design allow for comfortable shooting even in large hands. At under 18oz in the Blued version, the sleek single-stack P232 is a pleasure to carry throughout the day. No wonder it’s one of the premier off-duty guns carried by federal agents and law enforcement professionals today.

[SLV^GLD]

Kregener:
That S&W airweight also has significant recoil due to its reduced weight.
I personally found it a bit snotty to shoot for very long at all.
I'd say it is a great carry piece but how often you can practice with it would be a concern.

[kregener]

Kregener:
That S&W airweight also has significant recoil due to its reduced weight.
I personally found it a bit snotty to shoot for very long at all.
I'd say it is a great carry piece but how often you can practice with it would be a concern.


Recoil at this level is totally controllable by practice, sheer determination and a loss of fear or it.

[JDRock]

do you really think a .38 with say, 110 grain bullet would kick?.....not flaming here, just asking

[hoarder]

do you really think a .38 with say, 110 grain bullet would kick?.....not flaming here, just asking
We're talking about "kick" by girlie standards. :D I haven't tried them, but some shooters suggest that heavier (like 148 grain) wadcutters are the solution.

[willie pete]

My small pocket wheel gun, Charter Arms Bull Dog Pug 5-shot DA .44 spl ; I keep her loaded with these, 200 gr Gold Dot once you're used to the recoil, it's not bad at all, I like it 'cause it makes big holes and lets a lot of air in....

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/2823/0000157a.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9707/0000158.jpg

[iOWNme]

Thanks so much for all the replies. There is a ton of great info here. I am currently sifting through all of it.

Kregener : I was looking at a hammerless S&W revolver yesterday. I like the idea of the reliability of the revolver, along with the small compact hammerless design. We just need to go fire one at the local range to see just how back the 'kick' is for her.

I am learning a valuable amount of info here guys, thanks again,


On a side note, i was looking at this for my home: M4 w/ Launcher

http://imagesb.backpage.com/centralimages/phx/65/65ba5edd7624f8054730937971889493--1--1000130gif--large.jpg

:)

PEACE

[kregener]

Nice gun, but too much for 'home defense'.

Unless the zombie plague begins...

[crazychicken]

Here is our "car gun".

Very minimal recoil, fair capacity-LOL, pistol, easy to learn, easy to shoot.

.223

Reasonably intimidating.

Bad situation--put it on your dashboard.

My sixteen year old, 120 lb daughter's favorite piece.

CC

[SLV^GLD]

Sui Juris: That looks like it might be a bit of a problem to shoulder for very long. I'm a really small guy so I may just let my perceptions get in the way of what is suitable for the average build.

On a tangent, I've often wondered if there is some manner of loading a launcher with a projectile you intend to hit. Kind of like auto-skeet; fire launcher then attempt to hit lobbed target by firing the main weapon.

[JDRock]

My small pocket wheel gun, Charter Arms Bull Dog Pug 5-shot DA .44 spl ; I keep her loaded with these, 200 gr Gold Dot once you're used to the recoil, it's not bad at all, I like it 'cause it makes big holes and lets a lot of air in....

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/2823/0000157a.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9707/0000158.jpg




hhaaaha is that the "son of sam" autograph model? :lol