What is a best gun for a petite female?

Question

I've never own or held a gun before so not sure what is the best beginners handgun for a petite female. I guess some criteria would be
-light weight
-easy to use
-managable recoil
-acceptable in gun clubs for practice

Answer 1

Almost all weapons are "acceptable" at ranges. You just have to ask what calibers are not allowed.

Since you have never fired a weapon before, I recommend that you go to a range and ask a female there for some assistance.

For starter weapons, I would recommend a .22 (long gun or hand gun). This weapon meets the criteria that you have expressed above, and will give you a feel for how the weapon reacts.

Once you have shot the .22 (pistol) for awhile, move up to the .380 or 9mm. These are still smaller rounds, but will impress the difference in recoil and handling. For a rifle, when you feel you are ready to move up, I recommend a .223.

Once you decide that it's time to buy, you should have shot a lot of rounds thru a variety of weapons. You will know which caliber is right for you, and for the purposes you want to use it (target, skeet, trap, hunting). The brand, style and caliber are entirely up to you. It all depends on how the weapon feels in your hand.

Good luck

Answer 2

My 21 year old daughter is comfortable with a Glock M-26 .9mm. The polymer frame of the Glock absorbs a lot of the recoil. My daughter is very petite.

While purchasing her Glock we met an Asian couple. The lady was even more petite than my daughter. They were trading in her Beretta Tomcat M-3032 in .32acp because it hurt her hand to shoot it. I suggested the stainless steel version of the Tomcat, which is a little heavier and recoils a bit less.

I can't recommend anything smaller than a .32acp for self-defense (and that's a bit small), but I can certainly understand your predicatment. Plan B dictates that 'any gun is better than no gun.'

Consider a .25acp Beretta. Or better yet, a Walters P-22. In blue steel they are right around three hundred dollars, hold ten rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammo and are really accurate and easy to shoot. I'm assuming you are familiar enough with handguns to select an auto over a revolver. The P-22 is available in several very handsome finishes, and you can add a laser sight for about a hundred dollars.

Ammo is plentiful and inexpensive. The P-22 has no discernable recoil and comes with two magazines, and you can change grips for a better fit. It comes with two sets.

One last point. The .22 is not a toy. It will kill as dead as a .45acp, usually not as fast, though. Be careful. Be safe. Always practice firearms safety. Keep you gun out of the reach of unauthorized users. Treat every gun as if it were loaded. Don't ever point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. If you are going to use your .22 for home defense, load the best, hottest .22 Long Rifles hollow-point ammo you can find.

Good luck,

H

Answer 3

Do you want the handgun just for target practice or do you plan to use it for personal defense too? If you want a nice target gun buy a Smith & Wesson Model 63 - SS 22lr revolver. The grips are small as they come from the factory, perfect for small hands. The 22lr is a great round to practice with, very low recoil and at $10 for 550rds you can shoot all day and not break the budget. If you want a pistol try one of the Ruger 22's.

If you're looking for a personal defense handgun, I highly recommend the Charter Arms SS Bulldog 44sp. The 44 special is an effective round for defense. Bulldog's are light weight, small and easy to conceal..My 71 year old(little old lady) mother has one as her carry gun, she has no problems with the recoil. Again, if you would rather have a pistol over a revolver, take a look at a Colt Gold Cup or a Wilson Combat 45ACP.

If you're buying for personal defense I can only recommend the 45ACP and 44 special.. Don't buy anything less.

Answer 4

i like to shoot, and have an old work related injury to my right hand (i shoot and write right handed). personally i dont like shooting the glocks or similar guns as either the vibrations, or wide grips or both typically make it uncomfortable due to the before mentioned injury. As a result i turned to the 1911 style pistol. The 1911 comes in a variety of calibers and sizes as many people like this pistol. I have heard many women liking it too, simply because there is more frame support for the recoil. The pisol also has thinner grips, and would fit into a smaller hand better than a wider grip pistol. They make 1911's that are designed for various shooting acitivities, whether its personal defense, competition, or just plinking around. Either way, no one will make fun of you for having a 1911, and you will see many people at the range with them. The recoil is felt more on these, in the sense of the pistol rising, but there is less shock on the grip part of the pistol, so take your pick. I recommend going to the range and trying various handguns that other people have, if they are willing to share. If this doesnt work, buy something used and popular (colt, springfield, glock, smith and wesson) test it out, this way you can get your money back if you dont like it.

Answer 5

If you have never shot a gun before, look at the Smith and Wesson J-Frame. .38 Special caliber and snub nose, it is perfect for a small hand to shoot and to conceal if you choose to go that route. I have one for my wife in the Air-Weight model, which uses an aluminum frame to reduce weight. The good thing is if you get used to it, the S&W will hold value if you want to trade it in for something else. The recoil might be a little sharper than a larger gun, but the .38 is easy to manage overall.

Answer 6

If you plan to use this gun for hunting, I would advise a 20 gauge pump shotgun. Its light weight and recoil are very suited to a smaller framed woman, and it also has the option of shooting either birdshot or slugs.
If you are looking for a self-defense weapon, you cannot go wrong with the 9mm pistol. High magazine capacity, low recoil, and easy control have made this caliber the sidearm of choice for most nations armed services, and it is also the NATO standard.
Both these weapons are very suited to gun clubs and shooting ranges.

Answer 7

For self defense I would say a 22. I have a .32 snubby - a nice little gun, and a then a big .38 special that I mainly just target practice with. (I'm 5 foot 100 pounds myself)

If you go to a club and enroll in a class they would have guns to practice with and you could find one that you like.

Answer 8

a 9mm with a high quality hollow point to do more damage. or a .32. u want something with low recoil but will do plenty of damage. my sister use to shoot a .357 magnum pretty easy and she weighed 130 pounds. try a few guns out u might find out u want a bigger gun

Answer 9

Try a Taurus .38 Special. It won't break your pocketbook; you can get it in 2,3,or 4-inch barrels.
I bought one for my wife for when she'd road-trip.
There's also the Smith&Wesson 'Air-weight' revolver; it's a little more spendy than the Taurus.
Take a handgun course in your area taught by a professional.
Some gun dealers will have certified instructors at hand.
Stay away from semi-automatics for now; you can always sell your revolver & buy one later.

p.s. You can also check out www.nra.org. Use their search window for 'women's pistols'; women's self-defense courses'; women's firearm training.
And, though there are many American citizens who own firearms, many are not members of the NRA. You can also check out www.nraila.org for info about gun laws in your state.

Answer 10

.38 aka Saturday night special it is every thing you described hence the name it is small, light weight and easy to use. It got it's name cause you could hide it and go into a bar and take care of business and easily fire all 6 shots quickly. If you are concerned about the knock down power the go with hollow points, and you can use it at ranges.