Recomendations for daughter to carry

[irishrob]

My youngest daughter wants to get her ccdw. She is about 5 ft tall & 90 lbs. Cannot rack the slide on my keltec 380. LC9 or M&P automatics. We have a couple snub nose 38s but they rock her pretty good. She has a Neos & can operate the slide on it OK. Does anyone know of a good automatic, maybe 9mm that has a fairly easy slide? Other option I was thinking of was the new LCR in 22 mag but would really prefer something with a little more punch to it. Ruger has a new LC380 coming out also that is suppose to have a easy slide but have not seen one yet to try it. Any recommendations?

[inthewaterky]

What about a Beretta Tomcat in 25 or 32? Don't have to rack the slide, as it has a tip up... Pretty good design for the ladies.

http://www.jetguns.com/beretta-3032-tom ... 25541.html

[youtube]JHpbPosi5d4[/youtube]

[Bama]

bersa thunder .380?

[ken6881]

Have you tried different techniques of racking the slide? My fiance could not rack the slide on her lc9 and I sat down with her and we tried different ways until she was able to rack it.

[ChopperDoc]

My youngest daughter wants to get her ccdw. She is about 5 ft tall & 90 lbs. Cannot rack the slide on my keltec 380. LC9 or M&P automatics. We have a couple snub nose 38s but they rock her pretty good. She has a Neos & can operate the slide on it OK. Does anyone know of a good automatic, maybe 9mm that has a fairly easy slide? Other option I was thinking of was the new LCR in 22 mag but would really prefer something with a little more punch to it. Ruger has a new LC380 coming out also that is suppose to have a easy slide but have not seen one yet to try it. Any recommendations?

After witnessing the horrid penetration and non-expansion of most 380 rounds, I am not certain that is a better choice than a 22 magnum.

Either way, I am betting that the lack of ability to rack the slide has less to do with physical ability and more to do with fear / lack of confidence. I have seen that on multiple occasions with females new to shooting. Practice more, don't go straight for the tiny guns. Take her to a range that has rental guns and shoot some full sized 9mm (Beretta 92, Glock 19/17) and build her confidence.The slide on those weapons are much easier to rack than the micro guns anyway. Once she has some experience and confidence is built I am betting she can work one of those tiny guns with ease.

Get her to an RWI basic pistol course.

[son of liberty]

Yep , get her in an RWI course. Her problems with racking the slide is technique not strength, Recoil springs are under 20 pounds.

I would not turn her loose in to the world without something 9mm or larger and the training to be able to use it.

[Paula]

Some of the problem with the inability to rack a slide comes from 1) poor technique and 2) using the weak hand to rack.

Try having her cup the slide, low palm on closest side to her and all four fingers on the other side. Also, she can hold the slide and actually push the gun forward with her right hand. This work better for a lot of people because the motion is using their strong instead of weak hand.

The best gun for her is one she will have confidence in shooting and she will carry everyday. "A 380 in her pocket will be better than a 45 locked in her car".

I have seen a lot of women go for a large caliber gun to leave it behind more often than not.

Good Luck!

[DDgunslinger]

Yep , get her in an RWI course. Her problems with racking the slide is technique not strength, Recoil springs are under 20 pounds.

I would not turn her loose in to the world without something 9mm or larger and the training to be able to use it.

Truth

[Wyldman]

A G26 is easy to carry, easy to shoot, easy to handle, accurate, and easy to maintain. All of it just requires some practice & confidence building.

The RWI idea has great merit.

[SonicBlue02]

Some of the problem with the inability to rack a slide comes from 1) poor technique and 2) using the weak hand to rack.

Try having her cup the slide, low palm on closest side to her and all four fingers on the other side. Also, she can hold the slide and actually push the gun forward with her right hand. This work better for a lot of people because the motion is using their strong instead of weak hand.

The best gun for her is one she will have confidence in shooting and she will carry everyday. "A 380 in her pocket will be better than a 45 locked in her car".

I have seen a lot of women go for a large caliber gun to leave it behind more often than not.

Good Luck!

Exactly.
At the end of the day its all about shot placement.

[Whootsinator]

The best gun for her is one she will have confidence in shooting and she will carry everyday. "A 380 in her pocket will be better than a 45 locked in her car".

I have seen a lot of women go for a large caliber gun to leave it behind more often than not.

Good Luck!

Exactly.
At the end of the day its all about shot placement.

Shot placement is incredibly important, but if I'm throwing rocks from a gravel driveway at you, it doesn't matter. Now before someone gets stupid, NO I'm not going to stand down range while you shoot at me with a .22lr, or even throw rocks at me. Any firearm can kill a person. The body doesn't care what object causes enough trauma to cut off life support, be it a bullet or a tomato stake. That said, the likelihood of causing the necessary trauma, as long as you put it where it needs to be, goes up drastically with an adequate firearm.

To determine whether a firearm is an adequate defensive firearm we have to define a few simple criteria by which to judge it.

• First criterion: Is the firearm mechanically reliable? Will it fire, and keep firing, when you need it?

• Second criterion: Is the projectile it fires capable of delivering consistently effective performance (performance being the necessary trauma that was referenced earlier) when it reaches the target?

So, further defined, an adequate defensive firearm is a reliable firearm that is chambered in an adequate defensive caliber. If the firearm is lacking in either reliability or caliber, the firearm is inadequate for the task of self defense. These are the firearms up to the task of reliably and effectively defending your life against an aggressor.

If someone isn't comfortable or confident with an adequate firearm, giving them an inadequate firearm that makes them feel warm and fuzzy is NOT the answer to the question of self defense. Now they have an inadequate firearm and the thought they've now done enough to be safe in the world. The right answer is building their confidence and training to the point that they can handle an adequate firearm. Bring yourself up to a level of adequacy; do not bring the firearm down to your level of inadequacy.

Training can come from anyone who actually knows what they're doing, but be wary. Many more people think they know what they're doing than actually do. A professional combat/defensive firearms instructor can do wonders in a single day. While that one day of instruction alone won't make you a defensive shooting expert, it will provide you with the base necessary to build true proficiency.

[Frailer]

The vast majority of people who stop what they're doing after being shot with a handgun do so voluntarily--because they don't want to get shot again.

Arguing over handgun calibers is akin to arguing which fast food hamburger is best. They all suck, so what's the point?

[Whootsinator]

Though conventional pistol rounds are less effective than rifle rounds, the difference between a pistol round that performs poorly in ballistics tests and a pistol round that performs adequately in ballistics tests is large enough to warrant choosing the acceptable one.

It's not really arguing one caliber over the other as you are arguing poor terminal performance vs acceptable terminal performance... As long as it has demonstrably effective terminal performance, the round is acceptable. There are many rounds that qualify, and the one you use is your personal preference. All that do not demonstrate acceptable terminal performance should be avoided unless they are the only option given the circumstances, circumstances that I personally can not think of. The most obvious that someone will bring up is concealment but with today's selection of reliable and very small pistols in 9mm, concealment is less of a justification now than ever.

Can anyone offer a reason to choose .32/.35/.380 over 9mm/.40SW/.45ACP?

[etownguy]

find her a PMR30

[son of liberty]

In Any case no matter what gun she has , get her out to take just a simple class. The guys at RWI are local and affordable, I have seen a woman on there staff pictures. With that said there are plenty of great schools or teachers out there.

Honestly I would see if you could get her to a class before you buy her a gun and let her try out various flavors , Many people would gladly let her run there guns in a course to help her figure out what she wanted.





Now for the record, My little LCP is the meanest little gun I have ever shot. Its like a Declawed Honey Badger in your hands.

[DDgunslinger]

In Any case no matter what gun she has , get her out to take just a simple class. The guys at RWI are local and affordable, I have seen a woman on there staff pictures. With that said there are plenty of great schools or teachers out there.

Honestly I would see if you could get her to a class before you buy her a gun and let her try out various flavors , Many people would gladly let her run there guns in a course to help her figure out what she wanted.





Now for the record, My little LCP is the meanest little gun I have ever shot. Its like a Declawed Honey Badger in your hands.

Hahaha best analogy yet!!!

[Frailer]

...Can anyone offer a reason to choose .32/.35/.380 over 9mm/.40SW/.45ACP?

Sure. I, for one, frequently carry a J-frame in .38 Special. While it's not nearly as capable as my Glock 19 or 26 it sits in a "sweet spot" of reliability, concealability, and effectiveness.

I will, however, agree wholeheartedly that training and frequent practice are of crucial importance.

[Dashammer]

Paula nailed it. That the way my sister she is a "Little Bit" too racks her Bersa 380. At the hip at an angle off hand over grip and then she drives the strong hand and hip at the same time, more of a push that a pull. 9mm, 40 cal, 45 cal, 10mm, 357mag, 44mag, one of them 500 and 5678 cal moose hunting S&W and so on and so forth go for it with a 90 pounder and her cluth hand bag and skinny jeans. Like someone said teach her to shoot first. Ain't any thing wrong with one of them tip up barrel PT-25/22 or a tomcat. My neice uses a S&W police 32 long cal six shot if you can find one works great for her. She will shoot your guts out with it. Small compact, goes bang every time and throws a big hunck of old school lead real fast.

[Dashammer]

Try one of them Baby Glocks and that racking system Paula was talking about.

[Van Zan]

my daughter carries a SP 101 stainless. 38's for pleasure and 357's for bidness.

[irishrob]

Took daughter to shooters supply today. Salesman worked with her on her technique & now she can rack several different pistols. For some reason she wouldn't listen to Dad but would listen to him. Now for her to decide on what she wants. Only thing she has shot so far is her Neos but can shoot the spots off a leopard with it. I'll take her to the range to shoot my 9, 38 & 40. Only 380 I have is a keltec & I don't like shooting it much myself but it does fit in the back pocket nicely. She liked the M&P 9 but all they had was the pro. She may wait to check out a compact or shield if they get any in soon. Checked out a XDS for myself. May head back out there tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your input & will see about getting her to take a class once she gets her weapon.