Best Gun for Beginner/Female

I love it when women join our humble little community. I just wish more of them stuck around

Couple questions. Have you ever shot a gun before? Do you know what caliber it was?

We can give you better answers if we know more of your shooting history

 

Welcome mhott ,

ma'am i'll explain what i do here , i've done this with many ladies including my daughters

we attend a licenced range that will hire you a range of guns

the instructor or myself will teach the lady the basic of guns and handling and start them on something like a .22 and work through to a calibre thats a bit much and then go back to were they where comfortable

i like to find what the shooter thinks is comfortable with

then try differing model in that caliber

that way they
1 get the most power they can handle with ease and assurity
2 get good practise and a gun they can practise with alone
3 most important of all

be comfortable with their own choice

too much gun can put people off, so its very important to find what suits you , and not some gun sales person would like to sell you

if you have a friend who you can shoot with even better as this makes it a social activity and thats the best side of shooting , catching up with other like minded folks and learning from each other and enjoying your new hobby

I wish you the best in your search

cheers and good luck

1 daughter ended up with a .380 the other a .22 lr , every one is different , find what YOU like and exposure to as many as you can try is the only way to know for sure

 

i agree.. shoot many before you buy 1.

 

What city/state are you in??

 

I'd agree with Appliancedude, but also add that you should sign up for a class or 2 before you buy a gun. That will likely give you the opportunity to try out a few different ones before you plunk down your money.

That said, I bought my wife her first handgun about 15 years ago and she had the same questions you do. We settled on a .357mag/.38 special Smith and Wesson revolver (5 shot) with a 3" barrel. It's simple to operate, just pick it up and start pulling the trigger, no slide to mess with, no safeties to worry about what position they're in. Sufficient power to discourage anyone. Fires both .38 special and .357 magnum, which is cheap and plentiful. Price back then was about $300 if memory serves.

Down side is you only get 5 shots, but if you need more than 2 or 3 you're probably going to lose the fight anyway.

You'll need to practice with it a lot, just like going to the gym, until you "get in shape" and can hit what you aim at, or in the usual case what you point at, since in a personal defense situation you likely won't have the luxury of aiming. It will be up close and personal and will happen very fast, and you probably won't be expecting it. You may still be half asleep and in a dark bedroom trying to figure out what is going on.

My point is you need to understand the bigger picture before you pick out a weapon.

PS: I'm not trying to discourage you, but dropping the hammer on someone is serious business. If you live in an apartment or have close by neighbors you don't want your bullets to hit them - know what's on the other side of your target.

 

Welcome to this fine forum and to the world of firearms.
The best advice I will give to you is to go to Kathy's site
It's called the "Cornered Cat". It is for people just like you.
http://www.corneredcat.com/

 

20 gauge pump shot gun for defense. Mossberg relatively reliable and inexpensive. Seen to be the most popular for the country girls here in NC.

To practice marksmanship a 22 LR bolt action rifle.

I have yet to find a beginer pistol for a woman that has enough stopping power BUT I am not a pistol expert.

 

What Gunny said

 

Stick around. Post or not, there is a lot of good info here. And we need more women in the shooting sports.

 

Mouse guns...and caliber choice...
It's probably the most discussed topic
on any and all gun forums.
Any reliable gun is better than no gun.
Many bad guys are usually that...guys.
If a female that knows how to confidently
handle a firearm, and has to pull it out for
protection, most of them bad 'guys' will most
likely freak anyway.
Generally speaking, and general consensus....
nothing smaller than a 9mm for self-defense use.
Many still use a .380acp and feel comfortable, as
they are easy to handle. In fact, one of the most ...
if not 'the' most reliable .380 semi-auto is a Bersa
Thunder .380 and slightly larger than a mouse gun,
still very concealable and not expensive [except ammo].
A revolver is still my recommendation for most that
are new to firearms. Simplicity in all areas.
Everyone has a unique feel for recoil....no matter the
persons size or gender.
Before you purchase any gun, do your best to go hold
and touch as many as you can at gun stores. This in
itself, will give you a great direction in 'feeling'
what fits you best...in gun size....
Go shoot your friend's guns...provided they are not
monster hand cannons.....
Indoor shooting ranges rent a variety of handguns.....
and you can shoot many sizes and calibers that way.

 

Personally if it is a matter of saving my life or the lives of the ones I love, I want to carry the best there is!!!!

Welcome to the club.

 

unfortunately.. the 'art' of discreet CC is a compromise.

If I wanted to cary the best possible weapon to defend myself from an attacker.. it would not be easilyl concealed.. nor practicle.

the best weapon to have concealed for protection fits the follow:

1. you are 110% proficient with it in a stress environment, including fast laoding or unlaoding it, clearing a jamb or other OOB situation, while not looking at the gun either due to darkness.. or wathing your attacker / souroundings.

2. you are accurate with the gun at a resonable distance where you might have to use that gun. IE.. no need to be able to pick head shots off at 50 yards with a 1.5" bbl pocket gun.... but you should be able to hit a 6" circle at 6-8' which is a reasonable self defense distance according to most law enforcement sources. A 'throw down' raven or pheonix arms 25 acp can hit a 6" circle at 8' by pointing your finger along the gun slide straight toward the target.. no sights needed. same with most smaller guns. if you can point at the target.. you SHOULD be able to hit it at that range.

3. it needs to be concealed. if you are giving your carry away.. the attacker may see it before you see him. An attacker that knows you are carrying may act more lethally / quicker. better to have an attacker that is surprised when you draw on him.

4. it needs to be on you, and pretty much 100% habbit and always on you where legal. a CC weapon NOT carried, does you no good. we don;t get to choose when / where we will need it.. thus should always have it whenever legally possible.

all that said. i'd take a .22lr over a 25 acp any day. past that.. a 32acp.. and from there anything and up that you can hide reasonably.


that's my take.