# Female gun?



## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

Ok I went to the range today with my wife and she was itcheing to shoot so I rented a range gun the kel-tec PF-9 and seemed to fit her all right wondering what you think about I like the price but want something that will last what do you all think would be a good gun for her.


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

did she do ok with the 9mm?
if so then the xd9 or the glock 26 are very reliable
but so are A LOT of 9mm to choose from


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

It was a little big she shot 30 rds was was done shooting she said her hand was sore she did not say why. Caliber too large? She never shoot a hand gun before.


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

or grip wrong should we try other smaller frame gun?


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I have a PF9. It is a lightweight pistol meant for pocket or ankle carry, not fun shooting at the range. She'd be much better off with a heavier pistol that kicks less.


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

Ok then can you give me on ideas for the $400 range(if she don't get into it) then?


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## teknoid (Mar 12, 2007)

turtlesdaddy said:


> Ok then can you give me on ideas for the $400 range(if she don't get into it) then?


M&P9c maybe? It's probably going to be a lot more comfortable to shoot, has adjustable palm swells, and is $439 at Bud's. If you can find one to rent, have her try one out.


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## SemoShooter (Jul 5, 2007)

The PF9 is a great gun for a concealed weapon. My wife has one. The recoil is quite snappy for a range gun that you might shoot 50 to 100 rounds with.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

The M&P9 sounds good to me since I have had one, they work great and have adjustable grip size. You might want to stay away from the compact version if light weight of the PF-9 was contributing to the problem. The little bit of extra weight can make a big difference. Full size plastic guns are pretty light without going compact. You can adjust their weight by how many rounds you load them with.

:smt1099


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

*Local rental guns I live 10 min from both.
http://www.billsgs.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11*


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

turtlesdaddy said:


> Ok then can you give me on ideas for the $400 range(if she don't get into it) then?


The M&P suggestion is a good one, but you won't find a new one in your price range. Here are some models to consider within your price range:

Stoeger Cougar
Smith & Wesson Sigma
Ruger P series
Taurus Milleniums
Kahr CW9
Bersa Thunder 9

The first three are medium-sized pistols suitable for range or home defense use. The last three are small enough to use as conceal-carry weapons.

You might find the Steyr MA1 in your price range, but I'm not sure.

PhilR.


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## 1911 driver (Apr 12, 2008)

*handgun*

"daddy",
After you have selected an appropriate handgun....you need to get her some professional firearms instruction so she can learn a proper grip. That way she can learn to shoot accurately and with precision and she will also enjoy shooting. Also recoil will become less and less a factor.


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## sniper350 (Jan 6, 2007)

The SIG 250 is a very impressive pistol and built on the small side. Since it is the new modular design ............you can change out the pistol to many calibers and frame sizes with ease! The 9mm and 40 S&W's are out now ........with the 45 acp coming later. This pistol has one of the BEST DA trigger pulls I have found straight from the box. Good work SIG !

JF.


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

1911 driver said:


> "daddy",
> After you have selected an appropriate handgun....you need to get her some professional firearms instruction so she can learn a proper grip. That way she can learn to shoot accurately and with precision and she will also enjoy shooting. Also recoil will become less and less a factor.


Of Course I have been planning on taking a class together for Basic Handgun Familiarization Class and see how it goes would like her to take her CCW class at same time as me if she feels comfortable. I don't want to push her.:mrgreen:


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## themayer78 (Jan 23, 2008)

Wow, what a selection of rentals. I can have about a tenth of that selection after a 45 minute drive!
Your price range is just a little restricting. I think attending a basic gun safety and orientation class will be great, and fun. I think you should then rent and shoot as many guns, that feel good to hold, as you can, leaving the XD9SC, 4" XD9 and 4" XD45C for last. I am biased and I only have two guns but I have shot many and believe in the XD. I think you could find a good used one in your price range.


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## bluehandgun (Jul 13, 2007)

smaller is not always better. i would stick with a 9mm with a smaller grip, easy trigger reach and lower felt recoil. after she gets better with shooting, handling recoil, etc, then go to a smaller size.

ruger p95
glock 19 or 17
xd 9 mid or full size
mp 9 mid or full size
stoeger cougar


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## NDB_MN (May 18, 2008)

I love Bill's Gun Shop! Great selection of rentals, lots of lanes, and good service too.

I have an XD40 and my wife says the grip is a bit too large for her to handle comfortably, and she doesn't like the recoil of the .40. The 9s we rented were better for her. It's mostly about the recoil and the grip, rather than the weight (within reason...).


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## redcards (Apr 16, 2008)

This may or may not be helpful, but my two cents... and please, someone stop me if I seem to be off base with this.

I think what type of gun you get depends on what she needs it for and/or how experienced she is. If there's a chance she may need to shoot it defensively, I would recommend some type of revolver. It's certainly will not be the case with every woman, but I know that my girlfriend has a hard time racking the slide of anything bigger than a .22, to the point where she simply can't chamber one in my Glock .40, esp if the mag is full. She isn't _very_ experienced, so a lot of it may be her technique, or lack there of. She _can_ shoot, but needless to say, she would be in trouble if she had to chamber one on her own in a stressful or defensive situation. So, being that they are low maintenance, very reliable, and can very safely remain loaded, I'm thinking of getting a good revolver for her to keep at the apartment when I'm not home. Something similar may (or may not) work for you as well.


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## grb (Apr 5, 2008)

If she can operate (confidently) an automatic, great. My wife has been out shooting my Walther P-38 with me and knows how it operates. She is actually is a good shot with it. However, when I sometimes reached in the nightstand and handed her the Walther and said "burglar in the house", she would struggle. Sometimes she would flip off saftey, cock the hammer and forget to rack the slide. Sometimes she would rack the slide and try to cock the hammer without taking off the safety. I was concerned that in a situation where I was on the road and she really needed to be prepared to defend herself and the kids, she might not get the sequence right and be standing there with a Walther club. 

I went on a mission and found a Colt Detective Special. (I wanted one anyway, but that's not the point :mrgreen. Obviously, it is point and shoot. Period. Two extra speed loaders (which she is actually as fast at loading as I am) and she is good to go. She says that she does not like the kick of the DS, BUT, she knows that all she has to do is pull the trigger. The .38 special may not be the best self defense load, but I figure she is more confident with it and therefore much more likely to make 3 or 4well placed shots when necessary. Just my 2 cents as well.


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

NDB_MN said:


> I love Bill's Gun Shop! Great selection of rentals, lots of lanes, and good service too..


yea I have been there 4-5 times asking questions trying guns


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

redcards said:


> This may or may not be helpful, but my two cents... and please, someone stop me if I seem to be off base with this.
> 
> I think what type of gun you get depends on what she needs it for and/or how experienced she is. If there's a chance she may need to shoot it defensively, I would recommend some type of revolver. It's certainly will not be the case with every woman, but I know that my girlfriend has a hard time racking the slide of anything bigger than a .22, to the point where she simply can't chamber one in my Glock .40, esp if the mag is full. She isn't _very_ experienced, so a lot of it may be her technique, or lack there of. She _can_ shoot, but needless to say, she would be in trouble if she had to chamber one on her own in a stressful or defensive situation. So, being that they are low maintenance, very reliable, and can very safely remain loaded, I'm thinking of getting a good revolver for her to keep at the apartment when I'm not home. Something similar may (or may not) work for you as well.


She is a pretty big girl so I don't think the muscle part is much of a problem as being comfy to shoot is for her. If I am gone I am fairly sure if the time to use it came up she could do it after training and time on the range


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

grb said:


> My wife has been out shooting my Walther P-38
> 
> I was concerned that in a situation where I was on the road and she really needed to be prepared to defend herself and the kids, she might not get the sequence right and be standing there with a Walther club.
> 
> I went on a mission and found a Colt Detective Special. She says that she does not like the kick of the DS, BUT, she knows that all she has to do is pull the trigger.


I think the DS is a great choice. We had one, but decided to sell it when my wife handled a friend's 642 and decided that she liked it better. I am curious though, as to why would your wife "not get the sequence right" for the P-38. We have one too, and it is just like your DS -- all you have to do is pull the trigger....

PhilR.


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## grb (Apr 5, 2008)

PhilR. said:


> I think the DS is a great choice. We had one, but decided to sell it when my wife handled a friend's 642 and decided that she liked it better. I am curious though, as to why would your wife "not get the sequence right" for the P-38. We have one too, and it is just like your DS -- all you have to do is pull the trigger....
> 
> PhilR.


Phil,
I don't know, maybe it is a female thing. The whole semi-auto thing with a separate magazine, racking the slide, cock the hammmer / don't cock the hammer...Whatever. She was shooting it once and it had a FTF and I thought it was a good thing so she could learn what to do in such a situation. She, on the other hand wanted nothing to do with trying to eject a jammed cartridge. With the DS, as you said, it is literally PULL THE TRIGGER. :smt082


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

grb said:


> I don't know, maybe it is a female thing...if you can figure out why women think the way they do sometimes, let me know. :smt082


That's the second outright sexist post on the forum in a week. This will stop *right now*. If members can't police their own comments, I will be happy to do it for them.

It may be that your simply wife needs more training. My own wife - at only 5'2" - can run 1911s, CZs, Glocks, and KelTecs with perfect ease.


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## matheath (Jan 18, 2008)

*censhorship*



> I don't know, maybe it is a female thing...if you can figure out why women think the way they do sometimes, let me know.


Mike, it seems that comment really offended you. I can understand that. I believe censorship has its place as long as it's well regulated. Yeah, it was a sexist comment - although it looks like it was made with tongue-in-cheek. And we all know women make comments like that about men as well.

At any rate; respectfully, are you sure it needs to be censored from a forum?


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

matheath said:


> Mike, it seems that comment really offended you. I can understand that. I believe censorship has its place as long as it's well regulated. Yeah, it was a sexist comment - although it looks like it was made with tongue-in-cheek. And we all know women make comments like that about men as well.
> 
> At any rate; respectfully, are you sure it needs to be censored from a forum?


I would agree with the above -- it didn't seem to be a comment made in a true insulting fashion, and IMO seems to be pretty harmless. After all, I've seen worse here. But at any rate Mike, we do appreciate your efforts.

regards,
PhilR.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

matheath said:


> At any rate; respectfully, are you sure it needs to be censored from a forum?


I'll chime here in with a simple, "Yes". Why? It's just common courtesy not to insult someone based on their gender or demographic. Additionally, those are the rules that js made when he created the forum and we have all agreed to abide them.

http://www.handgunforum.net/misc.php?do=page&template=forum_guidelines

*• POST CONTENT:* *Choose appropriate language. "Flaming", insults, name-calling, and foul language are not acceptable*.* Any material (including topic titles, links, avatars, images and signatures) that, is hostile, harassing, defaming, derisive, offensive or abusive will not be allowed,* and will result in the post being edited or removed from view. We do not allow personal attacks on other members either in public forums.


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## kenn (Dec 13, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> That's the second outright sexist post on the forum in a week. This will stop *right now*. If members can't police their own comments, I will be happy to do it for them.
> 
> It may be that your simply wife needs more training. My own wife - at only 5'2" - can run 1911s, CZs, Glocks, and KelTecs with perfect ease.


The guy pointed out that he doesn't understand why women think the way they do. How is that offensive?

I don't see him being "hostile, harassing, defaming, derisive, offensive or abusive".


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

The member edited the original post at my request, so what you are seeing reflects the edited version. In any case:

_• CRITICISM OF MODERATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: The forum is an inappropriate venue for publicly discussing any problems you may have with the rules or the administration of the forum. Please contact the moderators or administrators privately by email or PM if you have concerns about rules and administration. _


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## grb (Apr 5, 2008)

So, let me take a second here and apologize to anyone on the forum I have offended. The comment was made without the slightest intent to offend. I was merely commenting (not articulated well perhaps) that there are differences in men and women. Not sexist, not insulting, just a feeble attempt at humor. Certainly didn't attempt to cause a firestorm. My bad.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

grb said:


> So, let me take a second here and apologize to anyone on the forum I have offended. The comment was made without the slightest intent to offend. I was merely commenting (not articulated well perhaps) that there are differences in men and women. Not sexist, not insulting, just a feeble attempt at humor. Certainly didn't attempt to cause a firestorm. My bad.


No worries. *grb* quickly and cooperatively edited the post once I pointed out the problem with it. We want to keep the forum welcoming to _all_ shooters. While a post may be intended as humor, tone is often hard to get across in print.


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## turtlesdaddy (May 17, 2008)

What do you think?


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## Black Metal (Jan 16, 2008)

I would say have her take a look at the kahr cw9 or pm9 we decided to replace my wifes bersa with one because of cost of ammo as well as I prefer the 9mm to .380


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## sesquipedalian101 (Apr 19, 2008)

My $.02 worth (and that's inflation) would be the best firearm is the one that fits and functions most "naturally" for your DW. She can probably learn to shoot most anything with enough instruction, practice, and time; she can probably shoot best, particularly under pressure, with the "best fit." Renting and trying is great; however, just spending a day or two checking out (as in picking up and holding) various firearms at a local gun show or congenial dealership may well yield an "ah ha" moment -- that one firearm that just feels like a natural extension of her arm -- the one where the weight, shape, balance, et cetera just "work" for her. 

I know, in my own case, I have a .38 that is the only handgun on which I regularly have to use two hands. It doesn't have much kick; it also doesn't have much (for me) grip. I feel like I am holding a postage stamp. I can get three fingers, counting my trigger finger, on it reliably -- yet for somebody else it might be perfect while the .44 I love would be hard for them to control. I got to try a friend's Glock 10mm recently. The grip was too big front to back, I couldn't hold it comfortably (fingers are wide, but comparatively short). For him, it was a perfect fit; for me it would take a lot of practice -- and two hands... Which is why he bought it and I would not care for it. 

Bottom line: Recommendations are a great starting point; but "fit and hit" count for more than "name and flame."

-101-


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## LiberalCCW (May 26, 2008)

turtles... while I'm sure that it's a perfectly effective firearm... my first thought was (and maybe I'm wrong.. I'm open to that).. I don't know that an aggressor would find it as threatening as a standard finish... possibly even wonder if it were real.

idk... just try'n to see it from an attacker's point of view


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