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Powderman · September 22, 2012, 01:53 AM

Folks, there are plenty of helpful intentions on the board.

That being said, there are also a lot of (unintentional, I'm sure) efforts to buttonhole this lady into a .380.

Why?

A quick story...

We had a female officer who had just been hired and was getting ready to go to the Academy. She chose to use a personal firearm, instead of the issued Glock 22.

Well, some gun store salesperson talked her into an XD40. Great guns, and I love the entire XD series--but they do not fit small hands well. Her grip put the base joint of her thumb right into the backstrap. She was not happy, the gun actually hurt--and she could not manage to qualify.

After watching her try to qualify for the second time, I had an idea. I asked her to unload and clear, and set her pistol to the side.

I then handed her my duty sidearm--a Colt Gov't Model enhanced 1911, in .45. It's not box stock--there are Champion night sights with a trijicon front, an Ed Brown beavertail, a mainspring housing checkered at 20 LPI--and a short trigger. I also have it fitted with Hogue rubber grips.

She accepted the pistol, gripped it and looked at me with some surprise. "It fits! This gun feels good," she said.

I handed her two magazines with duty ammunition--at that time, 230 grain HydraShok. For those who have used this round, these things are HOT (right at 960 fps from my gun).

We had targets set at 7 and 10 yards. She ate the X-ring out on both targets--no flyers. I asked how firing the .45 felt. She said, "It's comfortable. More of a push, no sharp recoil, and it settled right back on target."

Once again, let her pick what she wants, and what she feels comfortable with. That includes caliber.

September 22, 2012, 01:53 AM	#40
Powderman Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 2,166	Folks, there are plenty of helpful intentions on the board. That being said, there are also a lot of (unintentional, I'm sure) efforts to buttonhole this lady into a .380. Why? A quick story... We had a female officer who had just been hired and was getting ready to go to the Academy. She chose to use a personal firearm, instead of the issued Glock 22. Well, some gun store salesperson talked her into an XD40. Great guns, and I love the entire XD series--but they do not fit small hands well. Her grip put the base joint of her thumb right into the backstrap. She was not happy, the gun actually hurt--and she could not manage to qualify. After watching her try to qualify for the second time, I had an idea. I asked her to unload and clear, and set her pistol to the side. I then handed her my duty sidearm--a Colt Gov't Model enhanced 1911, in .45. It's not box stock--there are Champion night sights with a trijicon front, an Ed Brown beavertail, a mainspring housing checkered at 20 LPI--and a short trigger. I also have it fitted with Hogue rubber grips. She accepted the pistol, gripped it and looked at me with some surprise. "It fits! This gun feels good," she said. I handed her two magazines with duty ammunition--at that time, 230 grain HydraShok. For those who have used this round, these things are HOT (right at 960 fps from my gun). We had targets set at 7 and 10 yards. She ate the X-ring out on both targets--no flyers. I asked how firing the .45 felt. She said, "It's comfortable. More of a push, no sharp recoil, and it settled right back on target." Once again, let her pick what she wants, and what she feels comfortable with. That includes caliber. __________________ Hiding in plain sight...