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Mrs. Peel

Top 10 Most Popular Handguns with Women Shooters

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On occasion, I see posts on here where someone is looking for a gun for a female shooter. I think the answer is the same as for men: she should try a bunch and buy whichever she likes the most/shoots the best.

That said, I think it can be instructive and helpful to see what guns other women shooters are buying after going through their own selection process.  The Well-Armed Woman (TWAW) is a national shooting group and they survey 5000 members annually on just this topic - to see which gun models they purchased that year and why they purchased them. So, if you are a new woman shooter - or are introducing your female partner to shooting - you might want to put these models on your target list. (Pun intended).

Obviously, concealed carry was a big factor in some of these choices (and that is less applicable here in New Jersey). But, physical aspects - like arm/hand strength and hand size - clearly were big factors as well. As I read through the descriptions, I couldn't help but notice that phrases like "easy to rack slide", "manageable recoil", and "comfortable grip for small hands" were frequently listed as reasons for a model's strong popularity with female shooters. 

I'm just adding this as a resource. Hopefully, it's something we can refer back to next time someone's shopping for a handgun for a new female shooter. And obviously, male shooters might be interested in these models for some the same reasons... especially those with a touch of arthritis or smaller hands, etc. I mean, these are pretty popular gun models for anyone!

https://www.nrawomen.com/content/the-well-armed-woman-s-top-10-guns-of-2019/

And here's the Top 10 if you don't want to click-thru to the full descriptions:

1. Smith & Wesson M&P380 Shield  EZ

2. SIG Sauer P365

3. Glock 43

4. Smith & Wesson M&P Shield in 9 mm

5. Glock 19

6. SIG Sauer P238

7. Ruger SR22

8. Glock 43X

9. Ruger LCP

10. SIG Sauer P320

 

 

 

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Funny, my wife would hate every gun on that list. Her favorite handgun to shoot is my full size 1911 or a S&W M19 shooting .38s. She can manage the recoil on a big heavy gun much better than a small light gun even if the small gun fits her hand better.  

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My wife also tried all on the list (several I have) and didn’t like them. The sw 380 ez was close, but I wanted to have a bit better round. She loves her Ruger LCR in 9mm with the larger ruger rubber grip. While it uses moon clips, it’s also made to run fine just dropping into the cylinder. 
I was thinking of the lcr in 38/357, she would only use 38.  But I didn’t want another caliber, I can share the 9’s with all my other stuff, and moon clips are quick to reload. 

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1 hour ago, gleninjersey said:

I've had a few women try my Ruger GP100 with 38 special ammo.  They have all liked it.  

Obviously not a carry gun but great home defense.  Especially for single women with no kids.  Load it, point it and pull trigger.  Maintenance is simple as well.

This ^ GP100 with 38 special with a 3 or 4" barrel is very controllable and comfortable to shoot. My wife likes the GP100 Match Champion quite a bit.

-Jim

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5 hours ago, fishnut said:

Funny, my wife would hate every gun on that list. Her favorite handgun to shoot is my full size 1911 or a S&W M19 shooting .38s. She can manage the recoil on a big heavy gun much better than a small light gun even if the small gun fits her hand better.  

I can see that. I'll take a 1911 all day long. (Once I learned the easiest technique for racking the slide - it's easy). That said, this survey was conducted on their national membership - and I'm guessing a lot of these ladies actually carry concealed and that might be a big factor in the selections as well - a smaller firearm being easier to conceal under a variety of outfits.

Again, I'm guessing that perhaps "fashion" plays a larger role even compared to guys' who are also carrying concealed - in that perhaps women don't want to drop a "big loose shirt" over their cute outfit to hide the gun?  They want a carry gun that can virtually disappear without having to completely re-do their existing wardrobe/style. I think that's why so many women end up with the concealed carry purses (which has never struck ME as a particularly good/safe idea, but what the heck do I know?)

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One ex shot my P226 quite well, another ex preferred my 1911.

Both universally disliked the large target grips of my S&W 22A. Gun fit and manipulation are a major issue for some women, no matter if it is a long gun or a handgun.  We often forget that fit can be a huge thing for a new shooter who is physically very different from us. I watched a new-to-.223 tween at the bench next to me Sunday and kept thinking she would be better off if that stock could just be adjusted to fit her better (thanks NJ...).

Before I have someone shoot a gun, i always ensure they are capable of rendering a gun safe. Some guns seem harder to lock the slide open than other guns for some women. It could be design or layout of the gun, strength of springs, strength of the shooter, or a combination of those issues.

Weight can be both a good and bad thing - recoil absorbsion is great, but weight can also be tiring.

For a new shooter, i typically always start with single rounds of .22 in a rifle and work up to bigger rifles. Once I have someone reasonably comfortable with rifles, then move to handguns, again with a single round at first. Depending on the person, it will typically be a Sig Mosquito .22 or Sig P226 9mm. From there, I may have them shoot other 9mm, .40, or .45 handguns as their comfort and skills dictate.

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I just had my bride show interest in learning to shoot and signed her up for a gun safety course at TTC. I asked her if she'd want to get her own hand gun and her answer...As long as I wont break a nail using it.

Baby steps I guess...

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40 minutes ago, SmittyMHS said:

I just had my bride show interest in learning to shoot and signed her up for a gun safety course at TTC. I asked her if she'd want to get her own hand gun and her answer...As long as I wont break a nail using it.

Baby steps I guess...

Didn’t I just see an ad for basic pistol in Easton this month?

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11 hours ago, Malice4you said:

Gun fit and manipulation are a major issue for some women, no matter if it is a long gun or a handgun.  We often forget that fit can be a huge thing for a new shooter who is physically very different from us. I watched a new-to-.223 tween at the bench next to me Sunday and kept thinking she would be better off if that stock could just be adjusted to fit her better (thanks NJ...).

I had a similar experience the first time my wife and youngest daughter picked up my rifle. 

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On 9/2/2020 at 2:08 AM, Malice4you said:

I watched a new-to-.223 tween at the bench next to me Sunday and kept thinking she would be better off if that stock could just be adjusted to fit her better (thanks NJ...).

@Malice4you I just wrote an article for CNJFO and part of the story had to do with the NJ ban on adjustable stocks actually causing MORE instead of LESS guns in the public's hands!  Because "gun fit" is important to effective gun handling and SAFETY!

The story just happens to cover Sandy Muldoon & Shari Spivack, the two instructors giving the class at Easton that @W2MC posted about!  I wore a hat at last Sunday's class too, that of an Expert Panelist along with Spivack.

Here's the story:

https://www.cnjfo.com/news/9207290

Here's the paragraph the adjustable stocks are mentioned:

"Muldoon was elated to inform green card holding immigrants present that they too can apply for & receive firearm purchase permits. Spivack and Muldoon are petite in stature and spoke about "EVIL" adjustable stocks on the AR-15 platform and how inconvenient and stupid NJ gun law is regarding what most consider a likeable feature that actually enhances safety so shooters with short AND longer arms can get a proper fit with a single rifle. NJ law backfires, doubling-down on "the stupid" by causing families to purchase multiple copies of the same gun so everyone in the family gets a proper fit. So much for "getting guns off the streets", lol!"

Image may contain: 1 person, standing and indoor, text that says 'Rosey aK S Marttat ZENTAI MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES! FREE PRIVATE CLASS "YOU AND YOUR CHILD WILL LOVE BEING PART OF THIS FUN AND EXCITING TEAM!" BECOME BULLY-PROOF!" DEVELOPCONFIDENCE! CONFIDENCE! INCREASED Focus! IMPROVED BEHAVIOR! MAKE NEW FRIENDS! CAL SAVE YOUR SPOT RIGHT NOW! XT 201-431-5425'

 

 

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On 9/1/2020 at 5:48 PM, Mrs. Peel said:

I can see that. I'll take a 1911 all day long. (Once I learned the easiest technique for racking the slide - it's easy). That said, this survey was conducted on their national membership - and I'm guessing a lot of these ladies actually carry concealed and that might be a big factor in the selections as well - a smaller firearm being easier to conceal under a variety of outfits.

Again, I'm guessing that perhaps "fashion" plays a larger role even compared to guys' who are also carrying concealed - in that perhaps women don't want to drop a "big loose shirt" over their cute outfit to hide the gun?  They want a carry gun that can virtually disappear without having to completely re-do their existing wardrobe/style. I think that's why so many women end up with the concealed carry purses (which has never struck ME as a particularly good/safe idea, but what the heck do I know?)

@Mrs. PeelI know lots of women that love to compete with their 2011's ( a 1911 that's all grown-up >> a "double-stack").

Here's a professional documentary video just 5:30 in length of then 16 year old Kaitlyn Francis.  It was posted 4 1/2 YEARS ago.  She does 3-Gun with the aforementioned "2011" double-stack.   And uses a NJ-ILLEGAL assault weapon for a scattergun (holds more than 6 in that YUGE mag)!  And 30 round standard capacity mags for her AR-15 too...  

I can almost smell the FREEDOM from here!  Enjoy everyone!

 

 

 

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