Rifles and pistols for women

[TartanLass53]

Happy holidays, y'all,

Looking to chat about rifles, shotguns and pistols that are designed for women ... I have very small hands and a bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. Find it difficult to shoot accurately at the range and seems the smaller the pistol, the more recoil and lack of accuracy.

What's a girl to do? I just got ccwp license and want to purchase and begin range practice.

Thanks y'all and happy new year too!

[jack404]

G'day and welcome TartanLass,

my late mrs had small hands too and we looked for a few guns she could handle , she's had operations for carpal tunnel as well and the recoil was always a worry , 4-5 shots she could do , but a ladies day shoot of maybe 50 rounds ? it was past her with the gun she had

we looked at .22 LR as the main cartridge for the lack of recoil in the automatic's available , she like my Colt woodsman but it has a very long barrel so was not suitable

what where were these

the walther P-22

the S&W 22A

the ruger mark's ( I II or III are all good)

i chose autos as the action uses up a fair amount of energy from the recoil and it it deflected in more than one direction

where as a revolver transmits more trough to the user or shooter ..

the folks in the US will be able to give you a better range , the small KelTec pistols are very good , see if a .32 ACP is suitable or stay with the . 22 LR cartridge

a ruger or marlin or savage rifle ( semi auto ) in .22 are right handy and easy to use and the weight in them absorb a lot of the recoil .. shotgunh's , we'll unless your muzzleloading all the cartridge shotguns have a decent kick ( black podwer having a gentler push to it ..)

again Welcome to the forum

[Albtraum]

Welcome to the forum. My girlfriend likes to shoot the Marlin 60 and Ruger 10/22. Both are excellent .22 rifles and are relatively short like a carbine, they'll fit most adult men and women, as well as kids. I prefer the Marlin's thin stock and tube-fed magazine, whereas the Ruger is quite a bit thicker in the forearm for its rotary magazine. Recoil, noise, and cost of .22LR makes it ideal for just about any recreational shooting.

[savage170]

When my mom's arthritis got bad I gave her a model 33 Smith 4" barrel which is the I frame chambered for 38 SW the recoil is light

[MSGT-R]

I have a .38 SW 4" that has been gas-ported and the trigger tension lightened. Easy trigger pull and no obnoxious kick.

[Inthewind1976]

You have come to the right place. I am sure as you encounter questions about specific firearms that you think might be suitable, our members can give you some insightful information to help you make purchase decisions. Welcome to the forum, and enjoy shooting!!

[Woodnut]

I have a M 60 Marlin that would be ideal for a lady. No recoil to speak of and as accurate as they come. A real pleasure to shoot.
Years ago I had a 10/22 Ruger that I really liked for accuracy, but the pistol grip was way to thick for my comfort. Being a gunsmith and stock builder at that time, I thinned the stock and installed a pistol grip cap on this gun and it looked real sporty, and fit my hands a lot better. But it was stolen along with all my other guns in the early 80's and I have not did another one like that. But Ruger makes a sporterized 10/22 now that looks great, and not too expensive at around $270. Probably could get a better deal than that if you looked hard. This might just be the ticket on the rifle. As far as the pistol I would stay with the .22, but you will just have to feel the guns out and pick out the one that fits your hands the best. No shotgun comes to mind, because of the recoil.
Welcome to the Forum.

[VERDAD]

If you want more than the 22 for fire power, you are right, the smaller the weapon in the same caliber, the more recoil. Try a full size Springfield XD, or Sig 9 mm. My gal loves her sub-compact 9 XD, but went down in size from the full sized after some time. The sub fits her hand perfect!

[carver]

Originally Posted by TartanLass53

Happy holidays, y'all,

Looking to chat about rifles, shotguns and pistols that are designed for women ... I have very small hands and a bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. Find it difficult to shoot accurately at the range and seems the smaller the pistol, the more recoil and lack of accuracy.

What's a girl to do? I just got ccwp license and want to purchase and begin range practice.

Thanks y'all and happy new year too!

First, Welcome to the forum!

You do have a problem, but I don't think it's one that will hold you back. For CCW you need a caliber that will stop an attack quick, the quicker, the better. Some of the other members have given you some good advice, get your hands on as many guns as possible, and shoot them. One way to do this is to check with a local range to see what they rent. Ask questions! These men, and women, will put guns in your hands that you can handle, and they will be standing right there in front of you to answer question, and make suggestions. Everyone is different, and what works for one, may not work for another. My daughter could handle the .44Mag when she was 13, but that may be way to much gun for you at this time. Good luck to you in your search for the right gun, and please keep us posted as to how it works out for you. Post up some pictures, we love guns!

[Slabsides]

+1 for the Marlin 60 rifle. Small size, easy bolt and the most important feature.....tube fed. People with dexterity problems have difficulty loading box-type magazines. My 4 yr old girl can load, charge and shoot a Marlin 60.

[hogger129]

Originally Posted by TartanLass53

Happy holidays, y'all,

Looking to chat about rifles, shotguns and pistols that are designed for women ... I have very small hands and a bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. Find it difficult to shoot accurately at the range and seems the smaller the pistol, the more recoil and lack of accuracy.

What's a girl to do? I just got ccwp license and want to purchase and begin range practice.

Thanks y'all and happy new year too!

In my opinion, there are no "men" or "women" guns. Just go check out some stuff and get what you feel the most comfortable with. I've seen women shoot anything from .22LR to .454 Casull and be able to retain control.

9mm I don't think has very much recoil. Try out something like one of those Kahr CM9 or the Bersa Thunder I think too is available in 9mm (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Very capable round and reasonably mild recoil IMO.

Even a .22LR is capable for a CCW if you can shoot it accurately.

As stated, the people here are VERY experienced and they can all help you.

[hogger129]

Originally Posted by Slabsides

+1 for the Marlin 60 rifle. Small size, easy bolt and the most important feature.....tube fed. People with dexterity problems have difficulty loading box-type magazines. My 4 yr old girl can load, charge and shoot a Marlin 60.

My dad owns one of these and it's a fun rifle to shoot and has been 100% reliable so far.

[obxned]

Get a Firestorm/Bersa .22. It is small, light, and of course low recoil. Practice, practice, practice. When you are ready, get a Firestorm/Bersa .380. It is identical, except for caliber: same size, same controls, similar weight. The recoil will be stouter, but I think you will find it acceptable. By shooting the .22 a lot and the .380 not so much, your skills will get the most gain with the least pain.

[BETH]

welcome to the forum nice to have another women on here. I have the walther p22 and i have small hands and i love it also i 2 marlin 60's one bolt action and one tube fed i love the tube fed it is a smaller rifle and it fits better for me. I af i were u i would go to the range others there will gladly let u try there firearms so don't go nuts if u buy a bunch of firearms after going to the range u might find something u like better, it has to feel comfortable for u. Also the 22 ammo is cheaper.

[BETH]

Tartan if u want to learn about firearms u have come to the right place ask away u will get your answers and if u don't understand answer they will help u until u do. One thing i can say is practise practise practise until u feel comfortabe with the firearm

[Slabsides]

Originally Posted by hogger129

My dad owns one of these and it's a fun rifle to shoot and has been 100% reliable so far.

Roger that. I have 2 of them and neither one has ever malfuntioned while using quality ammunition.

I put a post on the .22 forum on how to install a trigger overtravel adjust screw (sticky'd at top) for the '60. It's easy as pie and your dad would love it.

[MSGT-R]

Most weapons can have the trigger pull lightened. The long term key has been said: proper maintenance and quality ammunition.

[coachwill]

My wife loves to shoot my Sig Mosquito .22LR auto. The recoil is great and its a decent little round for practice. On the plus side the pistol is almost the same size as the 9mm Sig Sauer P226 and it allows for a great addition to the practice regimen for her.

[BillM]

My wife has the smallest hands I've ever seen on an adult. She shops
for gloves in the kids section! Has some arthritis and a bit of carpal
tunnel also.

22 pistol: She has a Beretta Neos. Small grip, crappy out of box trigger
but it can be smoothed up. Just bought her a Ruger 22/45 with the
replaceable grip panels---it will get a trigger job and I think it will become
her go-to 22, because it has the same grip angle/controls as her:

Colt 1911 Government model 9mm.
Thin grips
low pad thumb safety
short trigger
flat mainspring housing
right side magazine release
11 lb recoil spring

She LIKES this 9mm. Shoots it in USPSA Single Stack division.

Carry gun: Tried several. Her current gun is a Kel-Tec P32, with a
Crimson Trace laser on it. She prefers the Kel-Tec 10 rd magazine, it
extends the grip a bit. Easy to rack, OK trigger, small and light.

[rosierita]

welcome aboard! i agree w/ the others who said go to the range & try out some of the guns they have for rent.

dont fret if you end up having to carry a 22. remember, shot placement is key. get what you can handle & practice, practice, practice!

having a big caliber gun doesnt mean anything if you cannot control it or hit anything with it.

also, i prefer revolvers. they are very user friendly, especially if you're just getting started w/ firearms.

[68c15]

hmmm, interesting read here. I am thinking of getting my wife into shooting as well. I may have to bring here to the range and see if she finds anything she likes. very good idea.

[Gun Geezer]

If you've got your CCWP then you must be thinking about carrying for self-defense. While there are many documented occurrences of people being killed with a single shot from a .22, it is generally considered to be inadequate as a self-defense rnd. Most here consider the .380 a bare minimum. However, most small pistols in that caliber, Kel-Tec, Ruger, etc., are not fun to shoot and are not considered range guns. My Kel-Tec P3AT makes my hand sore after 2 shots. That being said, a Glock-26 in 9mm is the easiest shooting sub-compact gun I've ever fired. It's small enough to be carried easily in a purse or in a variety of holsters for deep concealment. And more professionals shoot Glocks than any other brand so there is no question as to their reliability. I prefer revolvers but no snubbie in light weight alloy configuration and common caliber, (.38, .327 0r .357 mag) will be manageable with your physical condition.

To me this would be a no brainer. Glock-26