Beginner, advice on making first purchase, any input appreciated
First of all, I want to say I have a lot of respect for you guys/gals who devote so much of their time to firearms.. It's an awesome but serious deal. Personally, I own a rifle (.444 Marlin, love it), but am looking to start expanding my library! Anyway, this post concerns my girlfriend getting her first gun (a handgun, for concealed carry/defense and definately fun range time).. She's wanted a handgun for a while, and I have been greatly supporting this... I want her to be safe and be able to defend herself (god for bid that ever have to happen), but none the less, be prepared... She'll be my wife someday, and I want to do good for her!! Anyway, she really really liked the Ruger SR9c and SR40c.. Of course the looks got her first. Now, I have two buddies, both of which were Marines, and both spoke highly of the 9c. I dont know if they shot the 40c. I have another close friend who is a Federal Air Marshal.. he bought his wife the 9c. So, I was pretty sure I could count on these, and of course I want it to be reliable, and the Marshal says he feels it is. Yesterday, her and I went to a range so she could rent them and try them out. It was very professional, and certified NRA instructors work there. We had a great guy help us through the whole process. Not sure if he was NRA but he was an instructor none the less. They had the SR9c, and the SR40 (not the 40c)... She put about 50 rounds through each.. She said she was very comfortable holding them, and that she liked how they felt in her hand. So far so good. This was her first time shooting with a handgun let me point out. She shot the 9c first, then the .40. When all was said and done, I was surprised to hear her say she felt the recoil was easier to manage on the .40. She stated she liked the .40 better. My question is, is this because the .40 was an SR40, not a SR40c, and therefore the recoil was less? Its basically the 40c but with a longer magazine, correct? So i figured the recoil was more manageable for her because maybe she had a larger grip to hold onto and it was just larger. If she shot the 9c and the 40c, maybe she would like the 9 better because maybe then the .40 will be too much in the C version. Anyway she is set on either of these, and I was going to get it for her for christmas, but I'm worried if i get her the 40c it will end up being too much for her because its not the full size SR40 that she shot (remember, we going with the C on either). The only reason we had to shoot the SR40 and not the 40c is because we couldnt find that to shoot. Only had the SR9c and SR40. So we are trying to make the decision between the SR9c or the SR40c... And im not sure what to think after this experience... Too bad they didnt just have both the 9c and 40c! Whew im sorry if that sounded more complicated than it is! Just wanna make sure she gets her best fit and shes happy and comfortable with it! Thanks so much everyone.
|