New Gun Purchaser

[freedomgirl]

I am a small sized girl looking for the perfect handgun.
Please give suggestions.

[SgtLumpy]

Bazillions of questions probably need addressing -

- What do you want to DO with the gun? Carry for defense? Keep in your nightstand? Join the local combat shooters club? Reinact Western cowboy single action shooting?

- What, if any, shooting experience do you have?

- What area do you live in? What are the laws regarding guns like there?

That's only three out of a Bazillion.


Sgt Lumpy

[thedudeabides]

No such thing.

My small (5', 90#) wife shoots a Walther PPS in 9mm.

[Bluestarlizzard]

*chuckle* 5'4 and admitadly a little chunky, but I have small hands with stubby fingers.

I shoot double stack .45's and the biggest thing I've shot to date is a .454 casull.
I also can outshoot my Dad with a Siaga 12.

Don't think little makes you less capable of handling what is out there. Skill and confedence opens the doors to whatever you want.

So, the question is, what do you want?

[Buzzcook]

Sorry there is no perfect gun. At least not for all uses.

If this is a first gun I usually recommend a .22 caliber of some kind.

A Beretta Neo is a well made gun that fits smaller hands.

A Ruger Bearcat is a small frame single action revolver.

The Smith and Wesson J frame Model 317 or Model 63 are smaller frame double action revolvers.

The reasons for starting with a .22 are all over this forum. A quick search will bring up many threads on the subject.

They break down into, low cost of operation and lack of recoil.

Unless you have an immediate use for a centerfire handgun, it's a good idea to develop some skill with a .22 first.

[Sevens]

...and the biggest thing I've shot to date is a Smith in .454 casull.

It is definitely possible to chamber and fire a .454 Casull round in an X-frame Smith & Wesson .460 Magnum revolver. Is that what you were shooting?

Otherwise, Smith & Wesson has not built a .454 Casull chambered revolver.

For the OP, looking for the perfect handgun: Get to a gun store or a gun show and get different guns in your hands. It'll be important that you can get the kind of fit you need, to be able to comfortably reach the controls. Only after the gun feels right in the hand(s) can you then take in other factors.

A good rule of thumb is to get the gun as large and heavy as you feel comfortable with...while sticking with a common, smaller caliber. If a semi-auto is what you are looking for, a 9mm is a fine place to start. And the larger and heavier the 9mm is, the more enjoyable it will be to shoot.

Some folks new to guns will pick something -small- because it seems to be less intimidating...but the lack of weight and size makes the entire action of shooting them more violent & energetic.

Shooting handguns is very, very personal and each person's experience can vary wildly. It just not possible to buy the perfect handgun on a recommendation from someone else.

[TailGator]

If you can tell us more about your experience and what you intend to use the handgun for, we can help a lot more.

The perfect handgun for every purpose doesn't really exist, because every feature has benefits and detriments attached. More weight is bad when you have to lug it around, good when it is absorbing recoil. Larger calibers make bigger holes, but the pistol has lower capacity (and perhaps more recoil). A light trigger might make you more accurate, but also more likely to have an accidental discharge if you are not as careful as you should be.

In a very real sense, your choices will all be compromises befitting your values and tastes. We can help educate you, but the choices will ultimately be yours.

[BalooTheBear]

I definitely agree that the choice of a handgun is very personal, and that there's no such thing as a perfect gun. I started (40 or so ago...) with a 1911, and quickly learned I was much more comfortable with medium to large-frame revolvers, which I carried while stationed outside Yellowstone for a number of years.

The most important thing is to find a weapon you are comfortable with, can handle well and depend on. You might do well by checking out the local gun range. Several (at least in my area) have 'rental' weapons that you can try out to see what works for you and what doesn't.

Whatever you decide on, be sure to take a bit of training. There's absolutely no shame in learning how to correctly handle your weapon.

Now, what's my pick for a weapon to start with? My choice would be a .38/.357, probably Smith and Wesson 686. With the .38/.357 family, you can greatly vary the recoil by choice of load, and the 686 offers enough heft for steadiness.

Whatever you choose, be safe!

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by freedomgirl

I am a small sized girl looking for the perfect handgun.
Please give suggestions.

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for asking our advice.

I recommend a 22 rimfire. Taurus revolver is a decent gun and I have heard few complaints about them. I have one and like it pretty well. It is also affordable.

Ruger's SP101 22 is also a good choice, but a bit more money.

For sure, get something accurate with good sights.

In Semi-automatic handguns, the Browning Buckmark and Ruger Mark III (or a used Mark II or Mark I) will do very nicely.

Even if you intend eventually to get a centerfire, my recommendation is still for a rimfire for several reasons.

1 They cost a fraction of the money to feed. You have to practice if you expect to be accurate.

2 Having a gun will put you on the shooting range. If you show safe gun handling skills and any interest at all you will get to see a lot of guns in action and very likely be offered the chance to try a few rounds. We gun enthusiasts LOVE to show off our best and will describe at length the advantages and disadvantages of various features.

3 Initial purchase of a good 22 rimfire is a good investment. They lose very little value if you decide you want to sell it in the future.

4 Learning to shoot any handgun is a challenge. Many skills must be mastered simultaneously and the lack of recoil of a 22 removes one distraction and the lesser amount of noise also helps.

"Perfect handgun" depends more on you than anything the gun brings to the partnership. Choosing a handgun for someone else is as fraught with difficulty as choosing their spouse.

A Inherent accuracy is important and good sights, too. If you can't reward yourself with decently accurate shooting your training and enjoyment will suffer.

B Get something you can, and will, practice with, a lot.

C Learn good, safe, gun handling skills and you will get a LOT of time observing other shooters and their guns.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

[power5]

Not sure how this fact was missed but there is no way to accurately pick a perfect gun for you without a picture of yourself...

I have never liked the recommendation of a .22 as a first gun. Lets say you pick one up. Lets say you like shooting it. Lets says you want to move up to a 9mm or .380 next. If you don't have the disposable income to purchase another gun you would have to sell your .22. Everyone seems to think that is an easy task for someone who is not currently into guns.

Also not sure about others, but .22 is not a penny a round anymore if you can even find it.

[Bluestarlizzard]

Then not a Smith.

*shrug* apologies, I don't know much in the wheel gun world.

[Garycw]

Sounds like a TRICK question !

[EnoughGUN]

Years ago I was dating a slight girl and she wanted a gun. We found what I think was a Taurus revolver in 357 mag. It was very small and a perfect fit for her. It also fired 38 so it was easy for her to practice with and even 357 was not too obnoxious out of it.

[davidsoc]

like someone above stated .22lr isnt so cheap right now if you can even find it...that being said its going to come down in price sooner or later hopefully back to around $20/500

do you prefer revolvers or semi autos? any preffered action type (SAO,DAO,DA/SA)?

[mxsailor803]

Sevens probably said it the best. Overall without some more information about your experiences and uses, we can't help very much. Welcome to the forum.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Bluestarlizzard

Then not a Smith.

*shrug* apologies, I don't know much in the wheel gun world.

Why not?

I have a friend whose wife is a petite ballet instructor. Her carry gun is a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver. When she took her CCW class the instructor handed her an un-tuned piece of junk revolver in .38 Special with a horrible trigger, and she was having trouble hitting the central region of the target. She asked if she could use her own gun instead. When he saw what she had he laughed and said, "Go ahead and try." She shot a ragged one-hole group in the center of the bullseye and the instructor struggled to pick his jaw up off the floor.

But ... she's married to my friend, and he's a gun nut. She knows how to shoot, the class was to get a permit. Small shooters can handle big, powerful guns (to a point), but it's generally not a good idea to start out with one.

The problem, Freedomgirl, is that what feels "right" and comfortable is very subjective. The shop at the range where I shoot sells a LOT of Bersa .380s and 9mms to women for carry. A young woman of passing acquaintance, an Army veteran of Gulf War #1, bought one without trying it first, and she found it to be very uncomfortable. I let her try my CZ-82 (which is an Eastern European, cold war military surplus semi-automatic in 8mm Makarov) and she liked shooting it. It was more comfortable in her hand. But -- the CZ-82 is an all-steel, double stack pistol and the young lady decided it was too big and heavy to haul around in her purse. I know she sold the Bersa, but I don't know what she replaced it with.

My suggestion would be to find a range where there are guns to rent, and try as many as you can to get a sense of what feels good in your hand, and what makes and models you shoot better than others.

[Bluestarlizzard]

because I havn't had the time or inclination. Jeez.

[Aguila Blanca]

^^^

I was responding to the "Why not a Smith?" part. The Taurus is a clone of a S&W.

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

[lee n. field]

I am a small sized girl looking for the perfect handgun.
Please give suggestions.

For what purpose?

Don't let the gun counter guy sell you a lightweight .38 snubby revolver. That's not the gun to start with. (It's the gun you end up with, once you can master it. )

[Garycw]

Does anyone get the feeling yet that (op) she's Not coming back??

[Bluestarlizzard]

It did feel like a drive by from the get go...

[Sevens]

Aguila Blanca & Bluestarlizzard, I'm not sure either of you is entirely sure what you guys are discussing with each other.

It seems like AB looked at Bsl's post of "then probably not a Smith" as a suggestion to the OP that a S&W is -not- what she wants or needs. However, I believe Bsl was merely responding to my query on the identification of the revolver she launched .454 Casull with. I don't believe Bsl was saying that a S&W is a bad choice.

[Bluestarlizzard]

^ what he said.

Oh! Yeah, no, just saying that the .454 casul was apparently not a Smith.

Defenatly not saying she should refrain from buying a Smith & Wesson!

Hell, my first gun was a S&W model 19! A solid .357 magnum with a decent length barrel is a great newb gun, IMHO. Simple to operate, no fruatration issues that come along with semi auto's and subsiquent malfuctions, and you can shoot .38 wadcutters for almost no recoil as you're getting started.

[Garycw]

Originally Posted by Bluestarlizzard

It did feel like a drive by from the get go...

Well op signs up yesterday, makes one post and "poof" Gone !

[Sevens]

Always makes me laugh when folks "circle the wagons." Let's note the fact that many of us are hardcore shooting aficionados, and many other folks are much more casual. We are also (c'mon, admit it!) discussion forum junkies, at least on this topic, and SO MANY other people just aren't.

There's a fine chance the OP never returns to this forum or never posts again to this thread. but hey, crazy gun forum people (of which I include MYSELF), it has literally been like a day, huh? Not everyone out there spends a lot of time on internet forums chatting guns.