Im taking my first gun class next friday, and am looking for reccomendations on what gun to purchase?

Question

im a girl, kinda small frame, 130 lbs, 5' 5"- and have never before fired a gun. this gun will be primarily for self protection, so i want something with real stopping power, as i am home alone for long stretched while hubbys on the road, and lets face it, insurance can only protect so much.

Answer 1

Being a firearms instructor myself, with your frame and size I would recommend something with a smaller cal. but yet with stopping power towards a would-be attacker. The max you would probably want to go would be a .40 cal. For that choice I would recommend the Springfield XD-40. It has numerous safety features for a beginning shooter. Plus it is easy to handle and durable as hell. If you go smaller, I would recommend the .357 or .38 special. If you choose the .357, I would go with a Glock 32 compact or the Sig P239 or P229. Sig is probably the "cadillac" of handguns. If you choose the .38, the Colt makes a great Government .380 Pocketlite .

Whatever you choose, I would take the gun out and shoot it and get used to it. Make sure that you like the feel and kick before you make the ultimate purchase. Most dealers will recommend that you shoot the gun that way you know if you are going to like the feel of the gun in your hand. If you have any questions, let me know. I have been training law enforcement officers for some time with shooting and qualifying.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

I agree with Victor, a Glock .9mm or even a .45 acp (if it fits your hand comfortably). Glock has a new 'short-frame' .45 acp, the Model 21-SF specifically made for people with smaller hands. This should be a great personal defense/home defense handgun (as is any .45). A friend of mine (she's 5'-3" n 120 lbs.) carries a P-90 Ruger .45 acp and she is very comfortable with it, so who says ladies can't carry .45s???

If a .45 is still too big for you, try the Glock Model 19 or even the baby Glock, the Model 26. With the .9mm you'll just have to be sure to use good defensive ammo (115 to 127 grain jacketed hollow point or pre-fragmented bullets).

The smaller .380s tend to have too much snap for smaller hands and I've heard of women who have complained about it hurting their hand to shoot. The polymer frame of the Glock does absorb a lot of the recoil. With the Glock you just have to keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot and keep or carry in a holster that covers the trigger guard completely. Glocks are safer than revolvers in this regard: A Glock accidentally dropped will not go off; a ****** and loaded revolver accidental dropped will probably fire.

I applaud you for taking the gun course and assuming responsibility for your own safety in your hubby's absence. Best of luck.

H

Answer 3

I speak as a father who maintains the arms and ammo for six daughters. A nice little 12 gauge double 18" is ideal for home defense as just looking down the barrels tends to weaken the old bladder. If you want something to stick under the belt then get a EAA 9mm witness or S&W 9mm as they are fairly light and easy to carry. One of my daughters borrowed one of mine and swears by it; I have long since bought another one for myself. Whenever a daughter borrows a case of ammo or something I simply replace it as I know I am only going to get it back if and when hell freezes over. The EAA Witness Compact 9mm fits a smaller hand perfectly; and hollowpoint ammo or hydrashock shells really do ruin an intruder's day or night. There are a quadzillion calibers out there but I recommend the 9mm as it is inexpensive, since so much of it is made by so many manufacturers, and does the job without giving you carpel tunnel syndrome or something. With any handgun you should figure on spending a few hours each week practicing just to keep your hand and eye in. Good luck and happy shooting. I chuckle at the small frame and yadda; I have always worried that the state would make me buy a license for a weapon of mass destruction because of my six daughters.

Answer 4

Good for you!!! This is a very complex question, with no right or wrong answer.

1. Don't rush out to buy a firearm if you don't have to. You might be able to borrow one from a friend or the instructor.

2. A self protection piece is not about comfortable, its comforting. At the same time, it should be something you want to put your hands around.

3. Practice, practice, practice. Take a defensive handgun class from your local area. Take one from Gun Site or Thunder Ranch. Take a class.

5. Ignore anyone who thinks this pistol is better than that. We all have opinions. The only opinion that matters is yours cause you will be shooting it.


The beauty of not having any experience, you have no bad habits to unlearn. Plus in the class I've been in, the women smoke the guys every time. Again, less bad habits.

My thoughts. I like the Springfield X-D. Its got a good grip for smaller hands.

There is also the Smith and Wesson M&P, which has interchangeable back straps which will allow you to find the right one to fit your hands.

But I like the 1911 better. Its made by several manufacturers, and comes in a variety of sizes. Its also a proven design, but can be a little daunting to learn at first. I think it fits smaller hands much better.

Glock, HK, Sig, Beretta, Smith and Wesson, Kimber all make good pistols. But sometimes you get a bad apple, so make sure you practice with it, a lot.

There are several more firearms. It can be overwhelming. Get to a good gun shop, not a Wal Mart type store, and get a feel for a lot. Take notes of which one you like, and do some more research.

The other consideration is caliber. This is not an all inclusive list.

9mm - light recoil, easy to handle, cheap to shoot. I guarantee you will be able to handle this.

.38 Special - very similar to the 9mm.
.357 Magnum - kicks like an SOB until you are used to shooting it. It also depends on the size of the firearm you use with it.

.40 SW - bigger bullet, more recoil than the 9mm, but easy to get used to once you practice shooting it.

.45 ACP - slightly bigger bullet, a little more recoil.


Recoil is a little tricky. Heavier guns will reduce the felt recoil. A light weight gun, shooting .40SW might feel like it kicks more than a heavier gun shooting .45 ACP. And vice versa.


And that doesn't even cover rifles or shotguns. Whew!!!

Answer 5

Well, if I was younger and single, I would save you the cost of the class and the gun and simply offer my services. Although, I suspect your husband would object. . .

Seriously, a good self defense gun, for a novice shooter, is probably the Smith & Wesson Model 10 heavy barrel. Get the four inch version. This is a six shot, double action revolver, with fixed sights. The model has been around for almost 100 years. It is a rock solid design and utterly dependable. Load with a standard 125 gr. Jacketed Hollow Point and recoil will be light. This is a good practice round and a decent defensive round. If you find the grip a bit big you can put on a set of Houge rubber grips which will improve the gun's feel.
As you become more comfortable and experienced with the gun you may want to consider more firepower with one of the high capacity autos, like a 9mm Glock.

Enjoy the class. . .

Answer 6

C'mon people think about it....a good revolver S&W, or Ruger.
The good ol standard saying of nobody ever raped a 38 still holds true today!
The novice shooter can handle the recoil, does not have to rack a stiff slide on an auto, no safety or magazine to fumble with in the heat of the moment, and more than enough power and accuracy to fill the task.
As others have mentioned on here a gun is a little better than a rock without training and practice.
Keep it up and keep yourself out of harms way so ya won't have to use the firearm.

Answer 7

Nothing less and preferably a 357 Magnum or 45 Acp and you can shoot 38 caliber ammo in the 357 Magnum { two guns in one*}.. The 12 gauge Shot gun also makes a excellent home defensive weapon, loaded with #4 shot size*...

Answer 8

a 22. rifle doesn't kick much, a shotgun say a 20 gauge would stop someone in there tracks yet kicks some, I would get a small gun since you've never shot before. The problems with guns are that you shouldn't keep them loaded in the house, so if someone broke in it would be tough to get and load it quick enough. I have nothing against guns I own 3 or 4 myself and hunt when I can, but a good safe self defense tool is the cobra flashlight it shines very bright stunning the attacker, then it has a lazer that makes them think twice about what your holding and it is used to aim, and it also has pepper spray that shoots up to twenty feet. I know it is used by many cops. You might want to look it up on the Internet I'm not sure what the site is.

Answer 9

Ruger 10/22 or Mosin Nagant of any version. The ruger purely as a results of fact it is so modular and this way of advantageous advent to weapons customization. I even have had one considering that i grew to become into sixteen, and have been including directly to it for years. It now has the physique of an AK, laser, flashlight, 30 around mags, collapsible buttstock, and a rotary upload on for the set off. we could purely say that i'm nonetheless no longer uninterested in it as a results of fact i'm no longer accomplished construction onto it yet. or you would be able to desire to get your self a Mosin Nagant. it quite is an incredible peice of protection rigidity historic previous and intensely low-value. And in case you have ever considered Enemy on the Gates, you already understand of it quite is mythical status as a results of fact the weapon of determination for Soviet snipers. It shouldnt run better than one hundred twenty five dollars (if it does and doesnt incorporate upload-ons, you have become ripped off) and is for my section the suited conflict rifle ever made.

Answer 10

Springfield XD 9mm 4inch barrel. Recoil is much lighter than other 9s out there and my gf likes the trigger better than the Glock 19 9mm. She's 115 lbs, 5'3 and she didn't like the Glock 23 40cal, you sound like you have a bigger frame so you might be able to handle it. Give the Springfield XD 9mm a thought or if you can rent it at a range somewhere I guarantee you you'll like it a lot.