The right CC gun for a woman

I am having my sig. other take her CC class, and we are starting to look into a handgun for CC use. She is kind of set of a revolver, as much as I want her to get a semi. She doesnt want something that is going to beat her hands up. Any suggestions on a good gun and caliber for her?

ajvigs":s55jijni said:

I am having my sig. other take her CC class, and we are starting to look into a handgun for CC use. She is kind of set of a revolver, as much as I want her to get a semi. She doesnt want something that is going to beat her hands up. Any suggestions on a good gun and caliber for her?

Click to expand...

Wheel guns can work quite well. While there is less capacity, they do what you would want with a concealed carry gun. I recommended to my daughter that she consider a revolver.

What caliber would you recommend Dr. Mike? I hear that the 38spcl can pack a punch, and I was thinking of a 22 mag? :/

There is a good article in the current issue of American Rifleman. It raises the possibility of the 22 Magnum for self-defence. It seems light if one has to pull the trigger, but it still serves as a means of intimidation. I recommended to my daughter that she look at a .380. I was more concerned that she be able to handle the handgun well rather than put a big hold in a cretin if necessary. A double tap, or six rounds, of well-placed .380 lead may not always deter a meth-fueled cretin intent on mayhem, but it will put a hurting on most everyone else. And if the rounds are placed accurately, it may still do the job. A smaller round at lower velocity may not always kill, but it will deter most bad guys; they are certainly better than a stick in the eye.

When you are having an adrenaline dump, piss running down your leg, and choking for air with all you can see is the monster in front of you is not the time to be shooting a gun you cannot shoot well under times of no stress.

Let the shooter select the gun after trying various guns. My wife tried a revolver but found she did better and liked the autoloader better after some training and coaching. Lots of folks look to the smaller guns when in reality they shoot the slightly larger ones better. Instead of a J-Frame my wife packs a Glock 19, her choice.

Just get her access to some good coaching and let her shoot. She'll figure out what works for her. Another way to test a gun/caliber combination is the 5 Drill. For defense any gun carried should be able to pass the 5 Drill by the shooter.

5 Round in
5 Seconds at
5 Yards on
5 Inch target

Doc, for your info, I use a Sig P938 in 9MM for concealed carry. My wife has handled it, shot it and loves it. It fits her hand perfectly. While at our local range one of the range officers asked if he could have his daughter shoot it to see if it was comfortable for her and after 3 shots her comment was "I really like this gun". Have your daughter handle one. Because of its small size it does fit the smaller hands well. I use mine with the 7 shot magazine. (has the extra piece on the base plate)

It's an interesting question, and I really think the answer depends upon the individual.

It's natural for a bunch of us hairy-chested he-men to be concerned about our ladies, and making sure they're armed with something they can handle. That's good. But...

I know quite a few women police officers who handle their full size & backup .45 & .40 cal Glocks just fine. They committed to mastering those pistols, the same pistols the male officers carry.

Well towards the other end of the spectrum is the woman who seldom shoots, and isn't going to make the commitment to become an excellent pistol handler.

Most are somewhere in between, and thankfully few seem to have a closed mind about pistol types.

All that in mind - a few thoughts:

The shooter shouldn't carry a gun they can't handle. If they're not going to learn the manual-of-arms of a semi-auto with a decocker & other features, then don't carry it.

If they're not going to practice often, then select something simple to operate. A J-Frame revolver or a very simple semi-auto like a Glock or a Kahr comes to mind.

Recoil can be an issue. Interestingly several women officers I know quit carrying the .40 and went with a .45 cal Glock because they perceived the recoil of the .45 to be a push rather than a sharp slap.

Though I do not personally elect to carry the smaller cartridges such as the .22, .32, or .380 - I have yet to see someone hit with one "stay in the fight." Getting shot seems to turn many bad guys from aggression, to trying to leave and survive. This is based on seeing the results of bad guy on bad guy violence. Those fellows shoot each other.

Grip size and the overall balance of the gun are important. If it can't be held well, it's not going to work out well.

I've seen women who literally CAN'T pull a double-action revolver all the way to the point of releasing the hammer. That was a wake-up call for me as I've often steered women towards selecting a J-frame revolver of some type.

I've also seen women who CAN'T cycle the slide of a semi-auto pistol. We can work on that in class, there are ways to make it happen, but it's easy for them to get frustrated when they've just seen several other people work the same slide, easily.

Keep her involved in the selection process. Try a number of different guns. Something will suit the needs and wants.

Guy

I am going to have her shoot both my XDM compact and my new Glock 17 in 9mm. If she can handle either we will take it from there.

Sounds good!

My wife, who is small framed and has short fingers, loves her M&P 40 compact.

I think that gun in 9mm, or the Shield in the same caliber, might merit a look, too.

Ron

I think that a J-frame S&W would suit her needs perfectly.