re: Women's self defense handgun

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Got my gf the S&W 442.

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Does she shoot it? I have a 642 and that thing hurts my hand.

Doesn't do her any good if she never shoots the gun at the range for some practice.

My wife shoots large caliber guns with no problem, even compacts. And she's tiny.

Mine does too. But, she can handle really anything. Heck, she had a Glock 27 for years. That thing wasn't too fun to shoot.

great post full of good insight from the better halves of the OB.

GF is getting a house with two girls next year who tend to stay w/ their respective boy friends...
She brought the idea up to me THE NEXT DAY about getting a gun, considering she'd be at the house alone most nights.

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?

WOW! Nearly 3 pages completed and no mention yet of the Judge!!


First of all, I'll admit it's better to have a 380 handgun for self defense than have no handgun. Nevertheless, personally, I'm not a big fan of the 380 ACP as a self defense handgun. In addition, I'm not a big fan of 380 "pocket guns" as a cc gun for women.

The two guns you mentioned are different guns. While the Bodyguard is a typical 380 "pocket gun," the LC380 is not. The LC380 is more like taking the Ruger LC9 and chambering it in 380; compared to the BG, the LC is heavier and bigger; both have really small external manual safeties.

Although the pocket 380's don't have heavy recoil, they are very "snappy" w/ a lot of muzzle flip. Most of the women I've shot w/ don't like the muzzle flip of the pocket 380. Depending on the gun, a pocket 380 may actually have more muzzle flip than many 9 mm's. For about the same size as the LC, she could have a small, single stack, semi-auto 9mm. I think the 9mm is more reliable fight stopper than the 380.

For concealed carry, I think a shrouded hammer, DAO revolver (like the LCR and many S&W 's) make a good choice for women for cc. I'd recommend 38 Spec +P though instead of 357 Mag. Such guns are probably easier for the novice to shoot, but still need practice to shoot WELL.

As far as semi-auto's, many women find it easier to handle and conceal a single stack mag gun (M&P Shied, SA XDS, Kel-Tec 9PF, Ruger LC9, Kimber Solo, Beretta Nano, Kahr CW9, Kahr CM9, Taurus 709 Slim and others) than a double stack mag (Springfield XD, nearly all Glocks, all S&W M&P's). Be sure the woman can reliably operate all the controls and rack the slide on a semi-auto. As far as the Bersa and Walther 380's, for the same size and weight, you can get a single stack gun chambered in 9mm.

dawg23's spot on recommending that she first learn her skills w/ a 22 LR in the same action as her self defense handgun.

Let her shoot and handle the 380's you're looking at, as well as a single stack 9mm. Encourage her to buy the largest gun she can reliably handle,shoot and carry well. Remember, though, the gun she ends up w/ must be HER choice, not YOUR choice. Regardless of the gun, she'll need a holster, even if she carries in a purse. If she carries in a purse, consider a getting one designed for cc.

Lots of self defense and cc info her that's specific for women here. The Cornered Cat

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Encourage her to buy the largest gun she can reliably handle,shoot and carry well. Remember, though, the gun she ends up w/ must be HER choice, not YOUR choice.

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Spot-on.

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Might throw some 38s in there for her to try.

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Good idea. After handling some guns, the best choice for her will obvious to both of y'all.

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My LCR 357 is my CC and I love that little fricker. Might throw some 38s in there for her to try.

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I agree with Tiger that this is a solid idea. The added weight of the longer cylinder will help mitigate some of the recoil of 38 even though the frame is polymer.

Give her a nice variety of shooting experience and I'm sure y'all will both reach the same conclusion.

S&W Bodyguard .38.

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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.

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I agree with this and I also would like to stress the importance of dry firing to eliminate flinching. Nothing in the world prevents flinching like dry firing does and yet nobody seems to do it. Do you know how many times one is required to dry fre in boot camp and most police academies before a round is ever sent downrange? More thn 5,000 times in order to instill muscle memory. I tell people this all the time but they rarely do it.