Helping Daughter Find Her First Semi Auto For Concealed Carry

[RVTECH]

If you want to get together sometime so she can test fire my shield 9 let me know.

Hey thanks Green! Might take you up on this soon!

 

[Greenbug]

Hey thanks Green! Might take you up on this soon!

I have a shoot this weekend, but in the evening sometime after work this week would be good.

 

[AK0perator47]

If a revolver is on the plate then start with a K-frame and .38's. I always tell people a J-frame is not a beginner's guns, it is a pro's gun. Carry may be easy, but shooting well is not.

Funny thing is that she is a great shot with it. Just too much recoil. I have sold it since then and I am waiting to get a day off work to get the replacement revolver.

It's paid for and waiting for me to do the paperwork. I opted for the Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp.





This is the one!

 

[titsonritz]

Funny thing is that she is a great shot with it. Just too much recoil. I have sold it since then and I am waiting to get a day off work to get the replacement revolver.

It's paid for and waiting for me to do the paperwork. I opted for the Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp.

View attachment 474802

View attachment 474803

This is the one!

You should make a comparison video.

 

[AK0perator47]

You should make a comparison video.

I am...

She will be a little hesitant at first but she will definitely try it once.

 

[brenty]

m&p 380 EZ, no question. amazing pistol.

 

[Massolo]

You need a 3-4" barrel to get any power from a .38.

How about a LCP in .380 ? The one with the older style safe trigger. Smith has a newer 380 as well.

Nice choice with the .380, with the new modern ammo, it is a deadly round. I can only pocket carry at work, so it was the LCP until the Taurus Specter came out. So much smoother to shoot than my LCP, and the beaver tail is longer, so the slide doesn't cut my fat hands. Combined with my ARX bullets, it weighs nothing.

 

[DedPyro]

Don't pick out a woman's carry gun. You wouldn't want someone picking out your carry gun. Take her to gun shows and shops and let her pick up and play with anything she wants and repeat as many times as she wants.

My wife is 5'1" and 100-110lbs (she won't tell me). She wears fitted clothes and won't change her clothes to fit her carry. She carries a Kimber Micro .380 (Sig P238 but more attractive) in a Can Can Concealment hip-hugger holster. We started with 9mm but she needs just about the smallest thing possible to effectively conceal it. I would put the LCP2, Glock 42, P238, etc. in that group.

380 is fine but since penetration is the most important thing, put some Underwood Xtreme Penetrator rounds in it.

The Walther PK380 is a fairly good pistol and I've heard good things about the Shield 380EZ but they are definitely bigger in size.
Just my $0.02

 

[Dan Adams]

Daughter is getting her CCL and wants to find a SA - she wants .380 but I'll 'talk' her into a 9 mm. What are you ladies carrying or what is Youse Guys ladies' carrying? Hint - my daughter is on the 'petite' side. Likes, dislikes & general info appreciated.

I suggest you leave your caliber prejudices at home if you go gun shopping with your daughter. There's nothing wrong with .380 Auto as long as she trains enough to hit vital spots when under stress. I also suggest she goes to a range where she can rent several different handguns and see what feels best and shoots most naturally for her. My friend's daughter (5 ft. 2 in, maybe 105 pounds) did that and ended up buying a 1911 in .45, which surprised us all. She carries in purses with wide straps so she doesn't mind the weight, and she knows, from training and trying out guns, that the weight mitigates recoil. When she has to leave the big purse behind, she carries a G43, though she says it doesn't point as naturally for her as the 1911 and the trigger sucks.

 

[KEMOSABEJR1]

Daughter is getting her CCL and wants to find a SA - she wants .380 but I'll 'talk' her into a 9 mm. What are you ladies carrying or what is Youse Guys ladies' carrying? Hint - my daughter is on the 'petite' side. Likes, dislikes & general info appreciated.

My wife has carried a sig P230 for years. She practices with it and is a better shot than I am! The joke in the family is that if we get broke into, I throw her the piece and let her take care of it! The 380 might be under powered, but she will feel more comfortable with the recoil and have a better chance of having it on her.... vs something she doesnt like to shoot! Just my 2 cents! a .22 in the pocket is better than the 9mm on the night stand!

 

[bgdawgrr]

We just bought a S&W P.C. Shield 9mm for my fiance to use a couple of weeks ago. She has smallish hands.

I just bought a Sig P290 RS a couple of weeks ago to replace my snubbie and I'm loving it. With the six round mag it's pretty small so it might be good for your daughter.
I keep the extended mag in it because the grip is tiny and I don't have big hands. It's also super flat.

The early P290's had some issues that they supposedly fixed in the RS model. They made some changes, but Sig discontinued them shortly thereafter for a different series, so beware.
Mine's fine so far but it's not even broken in yet.

View attachment 473964

My daughter's first ccw as well. 290RS. She is very petite and easy to conceal with extended mag. Favorite carry is appendix and flashbang holster.

 

[I594 Sucks]

While not a SA, you should be able to get a sig 365 for about $1 after all the bugs are worked out.
If I had a daughter she'd carry a snub .38 and no backtalk.

My wife carries an ultralight .357 snub in her purse. It's an upgrade to the .22 she used to carry.
No, she doesn't carry magnum ammo, only .38 standard, due to the recoil issues. BUT, she can carry them when she wants.

 

[Tillikum]

Let's ask an RSO what he sees most frequently on EEGC's very busy public range. Not to mention the substantial number of female shooters he shoots with...

First and foremost, you need to take your daughter shopping. Let her handle as many pistols as possible, and pay attention to what she finds COMFORTABLE. If it's not comfortable, she will never shoot well with it. DO NOT steer her into what you think she should have (serious Dad mistake, seen it MANY time).

Learn to live with what SHE is comfortable with.

Remember that munchkin guns are not made for women, they are made for concealment. They are an incredibly POOR choice for a first time gun owner. I cannot begin to count the number of LC9s, Shields, Taurus', munchkin SIGs and assorted very uncomfortable pistols have bought for women without even consulting them and then found that the woman hates the pistol and doesn't like shooting it. Never suppose, involve your daughter. Get it right the first time.

And include this on your list of pistols to show her. It is a leading favorite with nearly every woman I have let shoot it. And it is the pistol of choice with 12 of my 15 female shooting partners:


Accurate, dependable, outstanding ergonomics and a wonderful fit for all people with smaller hands. And fairly affordable. Who would possibly want a 7 round munchkin gun that hurts to shoot when the P-07 is at hand?

BTW, if she really wants to go a little smaller, the Grand Power CP380 and P11 9mm compacts are good fits for small & medium hands, terribly accurate, hold 12 rds. each and have outstanding recoil due to the rotational barrel design. Which makes them easy to shoot, not to mention having a 250,000 - 300,000 round life span...



Ask an RSO what their female shooters like, not what husbands THINK their wives should have.

 

[Tillikum]

Let's ask an RSO what he sees most frequently on EEGC's very busy public range. Not to mention the substantial number of female shooters he shoots with...

First and foremost, you need to take your daughter shopping. Let her handle as many pistols as possible, and pay attention to what she finds COMFORTABLE. If it's not comfortable, she will never shoot well with it. DO NOT steer her into what you think she should have (serious Dad mistake, seen it MANY time).

Learn to live with what SHE is comfortable with.

Remember that munchkin guns are not made for women, they are made for concealment. They are an incredibly POOR choice for a first time gun owner. I cannot begin to count the number of LC9s, Shields, Taurus', munchkin SIGs and assorted very uncomfortable pistols have bought for women without even consulting them and then found that the woman hates the pistol and doesn't like shooting it. Never suppose, involve your daughter. Get it right the first time.

And include this on your list of pistols to show her. It is a leading favorite with nearly every woman I have let shoot it. And it is the pistol of choice with 12 of my 15 female shooting partners:


Accurate, dependable, outstanding ergonomics and a wonderful fit for all people with smaller hands. And fairly affordable. Who would possibly want a 7 round munchkin gun that hurts to shoot when the P-07 is at hand?

BTW, if she really wants to go a little smaller, the Grand Power CP380 and P11 9mm compacts are good fits for small & medium hands, terribly accurate, hold 12 rds. each and have outstanding recoil due to the rotational barrel design. Which makes them easy to shoot, not to mention having a 250,000 - 300,000 round life span...



Ask an RSO what their female shooters like, not what husbands THINK their wives should have.

 

[DuneHopper]

S&W 686, 6" barrel

Shield seems a good fits for the ladies, and its a pretty darn accurate firearm for its size.

 

[Skier]

We picked up an LCP2 for my wife. She shoots it well, the slide racks pretty easy, and because it is so small and easy to conceal, she carries it everywhere, so that's been great. I found myself borrowing it when wearing running shorts (perfect with the little pocket holster it comes with), and after I while, I ended buying my own (in black and gray camo, since I couldn't possibly have the same color as her black one and get them confused). LOL I carried my G19 reasonably often, but now I carry just about all the time. I'll still carry my G19 when I would normally have carried it before, but for all those other times, when it wasn't as convenient to carry (e.g. wearing running shorts, etc), I'll carry my LCP2. BTW, we had intended on getting her an LCP or maybe an LCP Custom, but after comparing the LCP2, we both liked it better.

 

[Certaindeaf]

My wife carries an ultralight .357 snub in her purse. It's an upgrade to the .22 she used to carry.
No, she doesn't carry magnum ammo, only .38 standard, due to the recoil issues. BUT, she can carry them when she wants.

Yep. And there's two steps up in .38 power and then the magnums, if one has/wants to shoot those.. not many do out of an 11 ounce gun, even though they "can".

 

[tkdguy]

My daughter, 29, 5'3" purchased a Ruger LCP s because she could operate the slide. Kinda important. She also has a Ruger SP 101/357.

 

[tkdguy]

But it all depends on her what gun does she shoot best .if she can hit the target with a 380 .
And can't with a 9mm I would say get the 380

Agreed totally. If the 380 is here ticket go with that.

 

[DeanMk]

AND this may happen once she tries my Mod 60 Smith - I gave her a Taurus 605 as her first gun a few years ago as she shot it really well and liked it but being a .357 it is a bit bulkier. I have a feeling once she tries my Mod 60 she is going to want one - or a Mod 36.

How about an LCR in .327 Federal?
Even though I've heard S&W isn't quite the gun it once was, I bet a new model 60 would still be a sweet shooter.
Good luck and let us know what she ends up with....please. =)


Dean