How do I decide on a reliable hand gun?

[andrewP]

To the OP: if for some reason the many offers of help already put forth in this thread don't work out for you, another good option would be to contact Terrie Williams: http://www.trainingoptionsllc.com/Home_Page.html

She's another local instructor who occasionally runs Women on Target classes, and she does a fair amount of private instruction as well. My wife got a lot out of both WoT and private lessons, and can't say enough good things about Terrie. We even did a range session/lesson together with her once, and I can definitely say that she does a good job, and, almost as important, builds a great rapport with her students.

[XDM45]

To the OP, there is a plethora of great advice on here, so don't be overwhelmed bu it, which is easy to do. I second Don L's "Women On Target" class and his training courses. I took my PTC class from him.

One thing I wanted to address is that a revolver is a simpler and much more reliable gun than a semi-automatic (one with a magazine) is. Like yourself, the amount of ammo, self-defense, and a SHTF situation(s) are all a concern to me, so while I bought a semi-automatic which holds 13 rounds in the magazine plus 1 more in the chamber for a total of 14 rounds; I still want to get a revolver for the reasons mentioned above about simplicity and reliability.

For me, I buy calibers first and guns second. I own a Springfield XDm .45ACP and a Springfield XDs .45ACP, same caliber, different guns for different reasons. It can get expensive to one a ton of ammo in all different calibers, which is why I purchase calibers and then guns for that caliber. I can have multiple guns but use the same ammo. I also own a Ruger Mark III 22/45 .22LR and plan to buy a Ruger 10/22 .22LR rifle, along with a Ruger or Smith and Wesson .357 magnum, a shotgun, an AR-15, and probably a 30-06 or something along those lines. (Yes, those last 4 guns do not share calibers, but I really do try and limit such things such as buying one gun per caliber, but if I want those, I don't have much of a choice.) Why all of the different guns? Different purposes. In time, you may find that you too will want certain guns for certain purposes, or maybe you'll just buy them because you want them. For me, each gun I own is a tool with a purpose. That's just my way, it doesn't have to be yours or anyone else's way; that's just how I see things and do them.

For now, start small.... take a familiarization course, research guns, buy one, find someone trained who can properly teach you safety, cleaning and care, proper handling and use of your firearm be they are friend or a paid instructor, then train with it, get your PTC and continue to train. One can never have enough. Contact jshuberg on here. He offers free training and may be a good place to start, although many others have offered things for free as well, so check them out too. There's a ton of good people and advice here. I thank you for taking responsibility for your own safety and welcome you into the community of responsible gun ownership. I wish you the very best.

[gdubya]

My wife has carried in her purse going on 10 years and has yet to catch anything in it. She has it in a pocket holster. It's really funny how some members can turn questions and methods into a your gonna blow your head off.....

A pocket holster is the ONLY way you should be carrying a gun in a purse, or a murse, and that's fine, but you have to fish it out of the purse and then unholster it, which might be a problem. That's a personal choice. THIS person was talking about a gun in a purse, and firing it IN THE PURSE, which is way different. I don't think you can draw a pistol out of a holster INSIDE a purse with just one hand unless the holster is clipped into the purse for a fast draw, and then you'd want to just pull, aim, and fire. So the only way to reach quickly into a purse and fire a gun from inside it is if it's loose in the purse with all that other stuff in there.

To be quite honest, I have no idea how much stuff my wife has in her purse, but I know I don't want to start looking through the jumble sale she has in there, and I sure wouldn't want a loaded and unholstered gun in there mixing around with all that stuff. ONLY a GUY would think of something that unrealistic, and good luck aiming gun inside a purse, and what if you have something in front of the barrel? Firing a gun THROUGH a purse as a self defense strategy is a ridiculous premise on the face of it, and an uncertain one to boot. That was my point.

No offense intended, but about 15 years ago when I bought my Mom the little tupperware .380 that she liked as a retirement present, I also bought her a very nice leather purse with a center pocket that was closed and hidden by velcro on the side and could be easily "ripped" open to get access to the pistol and had a nice little velcro patch in there as well to be able to stick a holster to if desired. Separate pocket (especially with a holster) means less chance of things getting in the way or interfering. When I bought it, the folks who sold them had a couple examples of ones that had been shot through as someone tried to snatch a purse away, which they replaced for free. YMMV, but for my Mom, she really liked the fact that she could open the pocket, and put her hand on the gun ready to draw without anyone thinking that she was doing anything more than reaching in a purse.

[XDM45]

Don't they also make special purses that are designed for guns? Where it's built into etc? I know they cost more, and some women like my wife only want to spend $20 on a purse, but I thought they made those?

[Hmac]

Falia's channel might be useful for the OP to subscribe to...

[sawgrass]

http://www.corneredcat.com/

A good link for women and a few of you too evidently.

[XDM45]

http://www.corneredcat.com/

A good link for women and a few of you too evidently.

I've read that entire website. It's one of the best on the Internet out there for gun advice.

[Seismic Sam]

No offense intended, but about 15 years ago when I bought my Mom the little tupperware .380 that she liked as a retirement present, I also bought her a very nice leather purse with a center pocket that was closed and hidden by velcro on the side and could be easily "ripped" open to get access to the pistol and had a nice little velcro patch in there as well to be able to stick a holster to if desired. Separate pocket (especially with a holster) means less chance of things getting in the way or interfering. When I bought it, the folks who sold them had a couple examples of ones that had been shot through as someone tried to snatch a purse away, which they replaced for free. YMMV, but for my Mom, she really liked the fact that she could open the pocket, and put her hand on the gun ready to draw without anyone thinking that she was doing anything more than reaching in a purse.

Yes, those purses are also nice, and IIRC are advertised in in The Blue Press and some other places. Any purse designed for concealed carry where you can grab, pull it up to the target and shoot are great! The patently ridiculous part I was objecting to was reaching into the purse, grabbing the gun, and shooting the perp through the purse, or something near the perp since you really can't see what you're doing. The only point shooter I know good enough to pull that trick off is HammAR, and being a Marine Gunnery Sgt., he'll die and be reincarnated 10 time before he would ever be caught dead with a purse on him.

[jenniferever]

Wow, thank you all so much! This seems like a great community with very knowledgeable folks. I was overwhelmed but you guys have made me realize I don't need to run out and buy the first semi-automatic handgun I see. I appreciate everyone's willingness to help my journey into gun ownership a safe, responsible one. I am going to print out this thread put the resources everyone has either offered personally or recommended to good use.

[gunsmith]

I'd second the recommendation for Falia's YouTube channel (faliaphotography)
Here's her review of the S&W M&P Shield 9mm which is her everyday carry.
She's a 'gun-nut' (in a good way)
And is exceptionally articulate which is not always the case with these You Tube Broadcasters.

Good Luck.

Published on Jun 16, 2012

http://www.FaliaReviews.com - I LOVE my M&P Shield - It's my favorite concealed carry pistol at this time because it's very accurate, reliable, comfortable to hold & shoot, and it fits my small hands very well. It's also more slim than my M&P compact, so I can conceal it easier and more comfortably. Be forewarned - If you get the chance to shoot this pistol, you may buy one!

And just discovered this while looking up her vids http://www.faliaphotography.com/ she has her own blog about firearms and just yesterday posted a review of this concealed carry purse.

[Seismic Sam]

Sawgrass is a member at Oakdale Gun Club, and members are permitted to bring guests free during non-public hours. She lives nearby, and her knowledge of guns, reloading, bullet casting, and carrying is very substantial. If Oakdale isn't too far away, I doubt you can get a better coach.

[AFTERMATH]

Thanks for all the replies. The problem I think I have with a revolver is the limited round capacity and reloading if necessary......I like the idea of having high capacity magazines loaded and ready to go. Please correct me if I am not using the correct terminology here. What I fear is that "**** is going to hit the fan" in the city and if it does and I have to evacuate to get to my family land way up north (very secluded - you need to take a boat from the landing to get there) I will need some kind of protection/defense. All of my family lives in the outer suburbs - no where near me in Minneapolis. I just want to be somewhat prepared for a "worst case scenario" here if that makes sense ...... I also want to be able to carry legally if I wish to and I would not feel comfortable doing that without some substantial training in how to effectively use the gun to protect myself.

A hand gun is a great start - But when the defecation hits the oscillation, you're gonna need a rifle.

Welcome to our community and listen to these folks - Some of 'em actually know what they're doing.

[sawgrass]

Sawgrass is a member at Oakdale Gun Club, and members are permitted to bring guests free during non-public hours. She lives nearby, and her knowledge of guns, reloading, bullet casting, and carrying is very substantial. If Oakdale isn't too far away, I doubt you can get a better coach.

Thanks for the kind words Sam. I've been lucky to have grown up in the Appalachian Mtns. Guns are part of the culture. I leaned firearm safety and how to shoot a long time ago on a Winchester 67. A lot of what I've learned since then has come from Wrench. She is an excellent teacher. I believe that I first met you at one of the Women on Target Days at OGC when we both helped out. I remember a young woman who started out trembling with her eyes closed and by the end was asking for more ammo for your .50.


The next time you're at the club take a look at the new garden down by the pump house. It's going to be better than the other one when it matures!
Jerry will have the best view around while sorting brass.

[Seismic Sam]

[quote="sawgrass]

Thanks for the kind words Sam. I've been lucky to have grown up in the Appalachian Mtns. Guns are part of the culture. I leaned firearm safety and how to shoot a long time ago on a Winchester 67. A lot of what I've learned since then has come from Wrench. She is an excellent teacher. I believe that I first met you at one of the Women on Target Days at OGC when we both helped out. I remember a young woman who started out trembling with her eyes closed and by the end was asking for more ammo for your .50.
The next time you're at the club take a look at the new garden down by the pump house. It's going to be better than the other one when it matures!
Jerry will have the best view around while sorting brass.[/quote]

Yes, I remember that young woman quite clearly. She used up all of my 50GI +P self defense ammo, and fired two full cylinders out of my Smith 500... I went home defenseless that day...