re: Women's self defense handgun

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I always start them with a .22 LR Glock (using an Advantage Arms conversion kit ). Once they're getting good hits with the .22, and once they're comfortable, I put the 9mm slide on the gun.
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The point is, start her with a .22 -- and try to use a .22 that has a trigger action that's as close to your 9mm as possible. That way there's minimal "reorientation" as you swap guns. This why I use an AACK -- the student shoots the same gun, same trigger, same sights, same mag release, etc. whether dry firing, shooting .22 LR or shooting 9mm rounds.

Whatever you do don't start her with a .40 or .45 caliber handgun -- almost guaranteed to produce a flinch in new shooters. And it's harder to get rid of a flinch than it is to induce one.

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Solid advice.

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Whatever you do don't start her with a .40 or .45 caliber handgun -- almost guaranteed to produce a flinch in new shooters. And it's harder to get rid of a flinch than it is to induce one.

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I don't fully agree with the first part but agree with the second part that I bolded.

If you start them on something that isn't a 22, make sure it is FULL SIZED. I cannot stress this enough. Tiny gun does not equal tiny recoil. I know this seems obvious to you but to women it absolutely isn't.

And it seems to me like your mind was already made up before you posted here. There are a bunch of great responses here that you seem to be passing over. And besides these responses, my video was also linked by boot ( ) that discusses why a full sized handgun is always the best place to start them.

So to start your training with her, ideally a full sized 22 (full grip) is the best place to start them. But if that's not available, a full sized 9mm is the next best thing (and the same round that she will likely carry if she carries a semi auto). So if you wish to get her a 9mm for carry, you MUST train her on larger guns first to get used to the feel and work on muscle memory. She should also learn the proper method of racking the slide (also outlined in my video).

And MOST importantly - let her choose her own gun. She will have much more pride in it and will be much more likely to use it if she feels it is the best fit for her.



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so i guess the only other thing I'd inquire is considering she'd keep hers next to her bed 95% of the time and not in purse or car, is there any difference in your insights?

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If she doesn't plan on carrying it, a full sized 9mm would be the best route. You get a lot of capacity, less recoil, a longer sight radius, a full grip, higher velocity (from the longer barrel), and more weight on the muzzle end. I think an M&P, XD, Glock, Beretta, etc. would be good.

Then again some girls have preferences towards bigger guns. My 5'1" cousin wants a 1911 as her first gun after shooting my SW1911. So again, let her choose her gun. You can point her in the right direction but let her have the final say.

And for the OP, I've heard it's bad to be shooting and inhaling gun smoke when pregnant but I could be wrong. I would call a physician and do more research on the topic.