Helping Daughter Find Her First Semi Auto For Concealed Carry

[tkdguy]

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

My daughter has a 38 SW Model Lady Smith (Mdl 60) and likes it. It is about 20 plus years old with Rosewood Grips.

 

[Wolfcry]

The standard advice is to carry the biggest thing you possibly can, so you should get your daughter some trench coats and an SBR! Better send that tax stamp now.

Jokes aside it is true that a full size pistol in any caliber is going to be easier and more accurate to shoot.
Choosing a carry gun is also like trying to find your favorite flavor of ice cream, you have to try a bunch of different ones and see what you like. No one else can tell you what you like or decide that for you.

+1 though for not going for a "munchkin" gun by default. I see too many women at the range, new to shooting and they've got a subcompact something or other. Sure the grip is slim, but the recoil is annoying at the very least.

As for my own experiences I was able to pick out something that worked out really well just by handling a few different models in a store, I was lucky in that I picked up something I really liked on the first try. Nowadays I would rent and shoot before buying another gun intended for carry, turns out more experience makes you more picky rather than less.

I carry a full size XD(m), 4.5 inch, in 9mm, yes I have to change my wardrobe a little to accommodate it, but it is worth it for me to do that. It's the pistol I've practiced with the most and the one I tend to be most accurate with.

My husband however doesn't like the XD as much, he prefers the Glocks. Generally we are complete opposites, I'll be amazing with something, while he will be average, and by the same token he's much better with certain pistols ( full size 357 and 44mag revolvers for instance). Snubby revolvers are practically a contact weapon for me, my accuracy falls to pieces with our S&W 642. If I had brought something like that to our last handgun class I would have been miserable, instead of having a good time and being one of the best shots in the class to boot!

The only pistol we own and both like is the CZ 75 (metal frame, a little different from the polymer version mentioned earlier), so if you get a chance to try the CZ do so. M&P, Glock, XD, are all excellent brands to choose from, but as always personal preference is key.

Good luck in your search and have fun.

 

[Tangent123123]

Another vote for an M&P Shield, or a small Glock (whatever your preference is). There is a reason they are always on the top 5 or top 10 lists as best conceal carry. I'm a shield guy myself and my wife loves to shoot it. As an added bonus, the performance center looks dead sexy.

 

[muppetman]

Take her to a range and rent the entire gun case, have her go through as many different ones as possible. I did this with my wife and she came back with something she liked something she shot well and something she felt she could carry. All of those things will determine what gun it is. Just so happened to be the Kahr CM9 with pinky extension for her. Something I have had before so was pleased with her choice, but it was 100% her decision based upon experience at the range.

Never felt comfortable with the Shield in hand, ergonomics just never worked for me. Enjoyed my XDS in 9mm, even the Bodyguard with crimson trace in 380. Next up will be the Sig P365, just hoping they will have worked out all the bugs by then!

 

[Skier]

Like I said, my wife has really enjoyed her little LCP2, and she shoots it well, but like others have suggested, going to a range (either with friends that have guns she can try and/or renting some) is a great idea. If it's not too far away, the Clackamas County Public Safety Training Center is reported to be a decent place to try different guns (though I can't confirm, as I've not been there yet):

Public Safety Training Center & Indoor Shooting Range | Clackamas County

Has some pretty reasonable prices, at least from what I heard from others who have been to other ranges:

Public Safety Training Center: Rates and Fees | Clackamas County

(Range fee of $18 and #12 gun rentals for non-members, though they also have half-price range fee for women on Friday nights, and half-price for anyone on Thursday night, if you bring a box of cereal to donate.)

You have to buy their "clean fire ammo," and here's the prices on that.

Note: If I remember correctly, you must come with at least one firearm to be able to come use the range... I think this is maybe so they don't have people who don't own firearms just walking in, renting one, and then trying to do something bad, but that's just a guess.

 

[NWGlockgal]

Glock 43 or Glock 19, depending on weather and what I am wearing. Occasionally I will carry a Shield, but obviously prefer Glocks

 

[tkdguy]

Maybe she should go to a gun store and see a women sales gal and she what she like for her self? Maybe dad should stay out of the decision?

 

[DeanMk]

NWGlockGal got me thinking...I'd like to see a comparo of a Glock 43, a Kahr K9 and a Taurus 709.
Among basic stats, ease of concealment and accuracy issues, other criteria I'd like to see addressed....Is the single stack Glock really that slim (comparative to other makes beyond the test subjects) and how does the "cheap" gun stack up in feel and functionality to the "good" guns.

 

[titsonritz]

NWGlockGal got me thinking...I'd like to see a comparo of a Glock 43, a Kahr K9 and a Taurus 709.
Among basic stats, ease of concealment and accuracy issues, other criteria I'd like to see addressed....Is the single stack Glock really that slim (comparative to other makes beyond the test subjects) and how does the "cheap" gun stack up in feel and functionality to the "good" guns.

The 43 is smaller than a K9 but not quite a small as their PM9. I don't play with Taurus

 

[Wolfcry]

how does the "cheap" gun stack up in feel and functionality to the "good" guns.

Cheap guns? What are those? I only seem to find more expensive ones over time...

But I get what you mean.

 

[DeanMk]

...you know, you make a good point.

 

[Tillikum]

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.

Sounds like several of the women that I shoot with. Never pre-suppose what someone else will prefer to shoot...

 

[U8395279]

Lots of good suggestions.

I like the revolver suggestion because some women do not like racking a slide.
And 38 Special is a good self defense round.

Ruger LC9s Pro is a great suggestion (insist on the Pro)

SIG P938 is what a friend's wife uses

My sub-compact is a Walther PPS-M2
Like a Glock 43 with Walther ergonomics

The best procedure would be to visit a range that has a nice selection in their rental fleet.
Rent and shoot until she says "I want that one."
Buying based on the ol' "Gun Shop Fondle" will not guarantee anything other than your wallet will be lighter.

I would second the Walther PPS second generation M2, and highly recommend it to you. Extremely well made compact German handgun that is very ergonomic and super comfortable to shoot, and is also very accurate. Takedown disassembly for cleaning is just like a Glock, and is thus super simple to do. They now come with the same tough Tenifer finish that Glocks have.

They are also surprisingly affordable, for such a quality firearm. $340 from Bud's Gun Shop:

Walther PPS M2 9MM 7RD

Felt recoil on the Walther is very mild. It is so comfortable to shoot. And one can also buy low recoil 9mm ammo, if one wants to make the recoil even lower.

Great compact size for carry, but still big enough to be able to shoot accurately. I own a first generation PPS. Here are photos of it first next to my Beretta PX4, and then my full size S&W M&P You can see how compact and thin it is.

I had my pistols refinished by Robar Guns in their NP3 Plus finish, which is why they all have the same finish on them.