need help with finding my Girlfriend a Pistol

[mn_smokeater]

as you can guess im trying to help her find the pistol that's as close to perfect to her as i can get. She has done some shooting and has about 50-75(guessing off hand) rounds in my Sig P6 9MM and a few boxes of .22LR through an old revolver i had.

not sure really how to layout her situation but she is semi confident with the P6 she has the basics down but iv been going slow for fear of being a bad teacher, we have run some drills and i feel that she can handle a defensive shooting with some more practice but i do feel that her having a better fitting handgun will much improve her skills.

She likes the way the P6 fits in her hand and its light enough for her but she does not like the SA trigger pull of it(its a DA/SA) to her it feels like she does not have the control she wants vs the long deliberate squeeze of the DA pull. She anticipates and sometimes will flinch when it fires. I also think her grip is affecting her.

I think that she could find the SA pull of a 1911 to work but my 1911 is a fullsize and is too heavy for her to comfortable hold. Her wrists are not very strong and she starts lowering it pretty quick. its 33oz on the spec sheet to the P6s 26oz not sure if they account of ammo weight when they state that or not?

so something to take into account is the weight, but then that leads to more recoil of course.

She has a strong draw to revolvers and i think that could be what would work best but would also like to find a capable semi auto for her as well.

sorry for pretty much puking up my mind on the board but i couldnt sleep and figured id get this started on. it seems semi coherent right?

[Thunder71]

Easy, let her pick it out.

Why do some people assume a woman can't pick out a gun?

[Paul]

Why do some people assume a women can't pick out a gun?

A women?

[mn_smokeater]

Easy, let her pick it out.

Why do some people assume a women can't pick out a gun?

oh i do not assume she cannot herself but id rather save her sometime an am seeking out the ones that fit her without the "get her a .50GI 1911" suggestions or the inane ones.

some we have been suggested are Glock and the M&P.

[Thunder71]

Why do some people assume a women can't pick out a gun?

A women?

It was early and I added the 'a' after the fact.

My wife likes .22's, and even though it's not the most recommended caliber, I'd rather have her use one of those than nothing at all. Furthermore, I'd rather have her put 8-10 shots of .22 on center of mass than miss all together with something she's not comfortable with.

First, figure out the right caliber - then find the gun.

The XDM with swappable backstraps might be a good one to look at too.

[rugersol]

She likes the way the P6 fits in her hand and its light enough for her but she does not like the SA trigger pull of it(its a DA/SA) to her it feels like she does not have the control she wants vs the long deliberate squeeze of the DA pull. She anticipates and sometimes will flinch when it fires. I also think her grip is affecting her.

Sounds like ya already found a nice one!

Plenty of dry-firing will cure most of her ills!

[mn_smokeater]

She likes the way the P6 fits in her hand and its light enough for her but she does not like the SA trigger pull of it(its a DA/SA) to her it feels like she does not have the control she wants vs the long deliberate squeeze of the DA pull. She anticipates and sometimes will flinch when it fires. I also think her grip is affecting her.

Sounds like ya already found a nice one!

Plenty of dry-firing will cure most of her ills!

she told me this morning that she does not like how she dont seem to get a good grip with it it does have a pretty short grip, il have her elaborate on what she does not like. maybe its the grip angle that she likes, il have to see what Sigs match that as well. perhaps i could also change the grip panels.

is there a resorse for the different holds one can use?

[rugersol]

She likes the way the P6 fits in her hand and its light enough for her but she does not like the SA trigger pull of it(its a DA/SA) to her it feels like she does not have the control she wants vs the long deliberate squeeze of the DA pull. She anticipates and sometimes will flinch when it fires. I also think her grip is affecting her.

Sounds like ya already found a nice one!

Plenty of dry-firing will cure most of her ills!

she told me this morning that she does not like how she dont seem to get a good grip with it it does have a pretty short grip, il have her elaborate on what she does not like. maybe its the grip angle that she likes, il have to see what Sigs match that as well. perhaps i could also change the grip panels.

is there a resorse for the different holds one can use?

http://ipsc.krok.us/?show=basics ... the pic on there is purdy much a perfect grip ... can't see 'em, but the thumbs should simply stick out, as they may (not employed into gripping it, at all) ... strong-hand 3 fingers should squeeze on front-strap, pulling it into her palm ... weak-hand 4 finger should wrap around the strong-hand fingers, and squeeze them against the sides of the grip ... neither hand, squeezing more than the other!

No need to squeeze the oil outta it ... but firmly!

With a revolver, weak-hand thumb should come back a bit, and fold over where the strong-hand thumb meets the hand ... to keep it away from the cylinder-gap! Do NOT do this with an auto!

It may feel awkward, at first ... so does a golf club, when ya first start to grip/swing it right! Sayin' ya don't like it is fine ... but that's not how ya improve!

Same with the trigger-pull ... it's fine ... dry-fire will make her far more confident with it. More live-fire is good, too! Keep working with the P6 ... ya couldn't ask fer much better!

[mn_smokeater]

Why do some people assume a women can't pick out a gun?

A women?

It was early and I added the 'a' after the fact.

My wife likes .22's, and even though it's not the most recommended caliber, I'd rather have her use one of those than nothing at all. Furthermore, I'd rather have her put 8-10 shots of .22 on center of mass than miss all together with something she's not comfortable with.

First, figure out the right caliber - then find the gun.

The XDM with swappable backstraps might be a good one to look at too.

she LOVED the .22 so im also going to have them in the test pool. with a .22 i know she could be very capable. i agree with the a .22 is better then a bunch of misses.

the caliber then gun statement help me jog my brain a bit by remembering .380s as another one to try

will have to do some looking for XDMs!

[mn_smokeater]

another thing with semi autos.. whats a good easy way to teach the "tap rack and bang"

we where shooting and i was showing a very relaxed "el presidente" drill that i had ran through before with the guys and i had a round double feed and stopped to show her and go over how to clear the malfunction and she locked up an got scared so i only had her observe as i cleared it. As i understand part of the what you should know is how to do such an action. Tips would be most welcome.

[Thunder71]

I wouldn't worry about the drills or the tap/rack/bang stuff for now, get her comfortable shooting first. Work more on proper handling, even cleaning (this will get her familiar with the parts of the gun too).

Just my thoughts.

[Quasar]

How about a Kahr K9? Smooth 6 pound DAO trigger, 22oz and low bore axis for reduced recoil, single stack for ease of concealment, plus a darn good looking pistol. If she likes it have her watch the movie "The Brave One", nice!

[yuppiejr]

I would also suggest looking at some of the 380 mouseguns like the Ruger LCR and Smith and Wesson Bodyguard, less snappy than a pocket 9mm or 38+P.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

[Squib Joe]

I would also suggest looking at some of the 380 mouseguns like the Ruger LCR and Smith and Wesson Bodyguard, less snappy than a pocket 9mm or 38+P.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

These are not comfortable to guns for the majority of people. The common thing we hear when these are sold back is "I got this for my wife/girlfriend/grandma but she doesn't like shooting it".

Half pound pocket guns have a purpose, but plinking, target shooting, or handgun familiarization isn't one of them.

In my biased opinion, a gun like the LCP or Bodyguard should come after a rimfire pistol, a medium or large-framed centerfire, and lots of practice. It isn't well suited for beginners.

[Pezhead]

My wife has trouble with my Glock. She like the M&P, the changeable backstrap is nice. I would work on the basics of safe gunhandling first to get a new shooter comfortable. Start slow. I would like to try the .327 Federal. This has potential. Downsides ammo availabilty. I just read an article Hamilton Bowen is now doing work on these, it seems this may be one of those overlooked calibers.