Need a handgun recommendation

[garritynet]

I like the Desert Eagles, the newer baby eagles are very easy to carry, almost forget its there sometimes. I never had it jam and cleaning is easy.

A good review of it here:
http://www.gunblast.com/RKCampbell_BabyDesertEagle.htm

Baby Eagles are pretty awesome. I used to have one back when they were said "Desert Eagle Pistol" instead of "Baby Eagle". I miss that gun. They are perhaps the only of the many, many CZ75 clones that I feel improve on the design if not the ergonomics. I actually purchased mine because I had a lot of money at the time and Spike from Cowboy Bebop uses one! What else do you need? I think they never caught on because the .41 AE was such a failure, which is why they had to change the name from Jericho 941. It just kinda got lost in the name changes and the failure of the cartridge it was supposed to launch. Very underrated pistol.

 

[SSSnail]

Hey man, take a look at this http://www.chenessinc.com/theforge.htm

Anyways, my apologies if I come off as immature, well, I was. Didn't know you were that serious. Carry on!

But yeah, unless you're trained and are mentally and physically prepared, having a gun locked up in a safe isn't going to save your life anytime soon, if that time comes.

With that said, I'm gonna stock up on some more katanas for when the zombie apocalypse come.

 

[garritynet]

I have a pouch loaded with 5 steel G3 mags ready to go. If any zombies show up before I save up enough for my PTR91, I'm just gonna hit them in the head with that. If not I'll just hit them with the rifle.....damn thing is so freakin' heavy.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

i got a bersa thunder 380 earlier this week, i like it, its a nice size and weight. but the ammo is expensive and is the "minimum" for self defense. i use it for daily carry outside and have a shotgun for home defense. if you want a light weight the ruger lcr or lcp are good, and the LCR is stupid easy to shoot.

 

[Zebo]

You guys are all fools recommending autos for a woman. Let alone those cannons. They, and probably 50% of men here, can barley load a mag to full capacity let alone work complications of one being hysterical in heat of moment and left brained. Not all women but 90% are better served with a 38 revolver.

 

[garritynet]

You guys are all fools recommending autos for a woman. Let alone those cannons. They, and probably 50% of men here, can barley load a mag to full capacity let alone work complications of one being hysterical in heat of moment and left brained. Not all women but 90% are better served with a 38 revolver.

I have never met nor instructed a woman who could not at the end of the day, handle a semi auto without issue. They may not be able to rack the slide at first but that goes away with confidence, technique and practice. Some older people may be just too weak regardless.

Some guns are difficult to load to full capacity but most are not.

 

[OverVolt]

I'm scared of guns they make loud noises.

 

[irishScott]

Hey man, take a look at this http://www.chenessinc.com/theforge.htm

Anyways, my apologies if I come off as immature, well, I was. Didn't know you were that serious. Carry on!

But yeah, unless you're trained and are mentally and physically prepared, having a gun locked up in a safe isn't going to save your life anytime soon, if that time comes.

With that said, I'm gonna stock up on some more katanas for when the zombie apocalypse come.

Personally I plan (when I get my own place and can actually keep a firearm handy) to something along the lines of this: http://www.safetysafeguards.com/site/402168/product/MVB500

Should be fairly quick to open without worrying about fumbling the key.

 

[PliotronX]

I went ahead and fixed your post for you. You're welcome.

Pistol grip on a Mossy? What are everyone's thoughts on that? I know it presents better and handles more intuitively but the Mossy's safety is on top so you'd have to move your hand out of shooting position to manipulate it. I'd think a PG would be more useful on a Rem 870 where the safety's on the trigger guard.

@OP, check out the Charter Rimless Revolvers due out any time. The special extractors will engage the rims of typical semi-auto cases. So far the 9mm, .40, and .45 are planned. The 9mm in particular looks enticing for a new female shooter interested in SD because should 9mm prove too much, it will also fire .380. Its cylinder should be a bit shorter than a comparable .38 making it more compact. The only issue is of course that no speed loaders are compatible but speed strips for the .32 may work (or .38 with some wobble).

 

[sourceninja]

I have never met nor instructed a woman who could not at the end of the day, handle a semi auto without issue. They may not be able to rack the slide at first but that goes away with confidence, technique and practice. Some older people may be just too weak regardless.

Some guns are difficult to load to full capacity but most are not.

My wife has no issues loading my Walther PPS, her Ruger LCP (great tiny .380 pistol), my Walther P90 (a .40 no less) or my XD 9mm. She is a big girl though with that whole 120 pounds of body weight

That said, I don't even load my pistols with just my hands anymore. My XD came with a loader, and using it lets me load the mag about 3 times faster then it does without it. I use it on all my double stack designed pistols.

I really recommend the walther pps and the ruger lcp for people who want a small, easy to care for, easy to shoot carry pistol. My wife's ruger lcp is so small she can drop it in a coat pocket or even wear it iwb with tight jeans and you would never know its there. 6 shots of 380 is nothing to laugh at.

 

[garritynet]

Pistol grip on a Mossy? What are everyone's thoughts on that? .

Basically: Don't do it. Everyone does it anyway but still, don't. There are no redeeming factors to a pistol grip shotgun. None.

 

[sourceninja]

Basically: Don't do it. Everyone does it anyway but still, don't. There are no redeeming factors to a pistol grip shotgun. None.

No no no, there has to be a reason people ban pistol grips. It has to make it at least 100 times more deadly!

 

[QuantumPion]

The Ruger LCP's slide is not hard to rack and the recoil is not bad at all for a tiny 380 - It's probably the perfect chick gun.

 

[Bird222]

Is there a good 'beginner' website to learn about handguns? Just on my brief search, I am seeing terms like 'single action', 'double action', or 'double action only'. A site that explains common parts to guns and safety mechanisms as well as discussions of good first handguns.

 

[TallBill]

Anything glock or sig.

 

[hdfxst]

I didn't read through the whole thread so forgive me if these links were posted.
http://corneredcat.com/Men/buywifegun.aspx
http://corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx
a lot of good information for women on this site.

 

[JDMnAR1]

A Glock 17 or 19. Keep a round chambered and she won't have to cycle the slide.

Glocks are very simple, easy to learn handguns for beginners and they fire consistently.

Unless she has a FTF or FTE and needs to work the slide to clear a malfunction, in which case you might as well give her a brick to defend herself with.

OP - are you wanting a handgun that will be carried, or one to keep handy at home should you need it? That would make a big difference in what kind of realistic recommendations you might get, notwithstanding all the non-responsive tools recommending a dog or a katana or anything else not germane to your question. In general, based on the limited information you have provided in the OP (and if you already clarified in a subsequent post, my apologies as I missed it) I would look at a mid-sized revolver in a .357 (along the lines of a S&W 686 or Ruger GP100). Assuming you aren't looking at carrying it, go with a 4" or 6" barrel to make it less punishing to shoot, and the .357 would give you the flexibility of shooting lighter .38 loads when you wanted to.

 

[nick1985]

Anything Springfield or sig.

fixed

 

[garritynet]

no no no, there has to be a reason people ban pistol grips. It has to make it at least 100 times more deadly!

Usually people want to ban weapons with shoulder stocks and pistol grips, like on an AR15. I meant that there are no redeeming factors in a home defense shotgun with a pistol grip and no shoulder stock, typical of the Mossberg Cruiser.

 

[garritynet]

Unless she has a FTF or FTE and needs to work the slide to clear a malfunction, in which case you might as well give her a brick to defend herself with.

OP - are you wanting a handgun that will be carried, or one to keep handy at home should you need it? That would make a big difference in what kind of realistic recommendations you might get, notwithstanding all the non-responsive tools recommending a dog or a katana or anything else not germane to your question. In general, based on the limited information you have provided in the OP (and if you already clarified in a subsequent post, my apologies as I missed it) I would look at a mid-sized revolver in a .357 (along the lines of a S&W 686 or Ruger GP100). Assuming you aren't looking at carrying it, go with a 4" or 6" barrel to make it less punishing to shoot, and the .357 would give you the flexibility of shooting lighter .38 loads when you wanted to.

A stainless GP100 with a 4" barrel is one of my all time favorite handguns. In my experience women with small hands have trouble with the long reach and heavy DA pull on this gun. Not all, just the very petite. Most smaller women also have trouble with the front-heavyness of the 6" barrel. They tire quickly and stop having fun with the larger revolvers, especially a 6" with a full lug. When they stop having fun, they usually stop learning too. Thats why I suggest also taking a look at the SP101.

 

[yh125d]

I don't carry a gun just to protect myself, I carry it to protect others (read: mall shootings, etc)

Did you listen in your CCW classes at all? One of the MOST important points they drive home is that CCW is NOT to be used to protect others. It is strictly ONLY for SELF defense.

 

[garritynet]

Did you listen in your CCW classes at all? One of the MOST important points they drive home is that CCW is NOT to be used to protect others. It is strictly ONLY for SELF defense.

+1

Exactly. You are not the police. You are not allowed to shoot people. That is attempted murder. If you shoot someone and they die, it is murder. This is why people in states without specific laws protecting them, Castle Doctrine, go to prison after injuring/killing home invaders/rapist/attackers.

***********Just the facts as I understand them. Not legal advice*****************

A CHL/CCW allows you to carry a gun, provided you can keep the public from viewing it. In states without an open carry law if the public can see your firearm that is "Brandishing a weapon" and is illegal. A CHL is not a license to do anything other than carry a gun, concealed. Things you cannot do also include assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder/murder.

What happens is that sometimes people find themselves in situations, and these differ according to where you live, where they think it is OK to use their firearm. Or maybe they don't think at all. Regardless, unless there is a specific law that protects your specific situation, Castle Doctrine, its never legally OK to use a firearm in in any way against another person. At best it is "defensible". What "defensible" means is that you have a valid legal defense for your actions. "Defensible" does NOT mean "allowed"/"legal" or anything else. It means that when you go to court, you have a valid legal defense for your actions. Know what actions are defensible in your state because when you exit said situation where you exercised what you felt was a "defensible" use of your firearm you will have to talk to the police. Because you probably broke a law. Even if you didn't break a law, if a weapon was involved the police are going to have strong reason to believe that you have broken a law. If you cannot effectively articulate why your actions were "defensible" the DA who reads the police report is going to prosecute you for whatever laws you have broken, on the grounds that you will also in court be unable to effectively articulate your defense. And you can lose. And you can go to prison. And you can lose your whole life simply because you either misunderstood what actions were "defensible" or were unable to properly explain those actions.

If you can express yourself clearly and your judgment was sound then the DA can choose not to prosecute at that time or agree that you had a valid legal defense.

Voluntarily putting yourself into a situation that forces you to kill someone is difficult to defend. It just looks bad. With the possible exception of saving a crowd of innocent people form a mass murder in the mall, the DAs like to prosecute and argue that so-and-so went out that night looking for someone to kill. And usually they will be right. Not always, but there are people who basically do a sort of reverse "suicide by cop". People who look for an excuse to shoot someone. Try not to look like one of these people to the DA/Police.

Bottom line: You are not an officer of the law and if you are not a police officer you are not exempt from any laws. Make your decisions carefully.

 

[sourceninja]

Did you listen in your CCW classes at all? One of the MOST important points they drive home is that CCW is NOT to be used to protect others. It is strictly ONLY for SELF defense.

What classes, here in Indiana, they give anyone with 100 bucks a license to carry a gun. All I know is I'm allowed to shoot things.

Usually people want to ban weapons with shoulder stocks and pistol grips, like on an AR15. I meant that there are no redeeming factors in a home defense shotgun with a pistol grip and no shoulder stock, typical of the Mossberg Cruiser.

I know, I was being sarcastic, just like I am above.

Honestly, my wife knows how to use the shotgun, the 357 (686+), my 9mm Walther PPS, and her daily carry the ruger LCP. She trains with them often (monthly) and is comfortable with all of them.

The 357 was the hardest for her not because of kick, but just fear of a large handgun. After about 14 rounds she was loving it and has no trouble with it. I like to load dummy rounds into her pistol at random intervals too so she can clear misfires. I'll also short load her from time to time and have her practice reloading.

I keep the 357 loaded near the bed paired with a led flashlight as a defender. The shotgun is in the closet should she ever need it, and her lcp is almost always on her person if she is out. Besides my daily carry (a P99 in the winter and a PPS in the summer) everything else is locked up tight in the safe (I can see a reason to load up a AR or AK to go check out 'that noise downstairs'). I'm confident that if she was attacked, she would be able to find a way to defend her self until help can arrive.

I don't honestly expect that anything will ever happen. We however find it fun to go to the range on the weekends and put some holes in paper. But it makes me confident to know that while having a good time, she is prepared to deal with the most extreme situation of an attacker.

Last night we had a noise in our shed in our backyard. Turned out to be a raccoon (or a skunk, i'm not sure), but I felt a lot safer knowing I had a pistol on me when I went to look and that my wife was watching from the house in case it did turn out bad.

We have talked about having children which has made us have talks about how useful for defense our firearms can be if we can't have them as accessible as they are now. Obviously a loaded gun near the bed is not 'safe' even if it is 'hidden'.

One last thing. I'm glad I live in a state that doesn't care if you open or conceal carry and has strong laws protecting people's right to defend themselves. I don't have to flee my home, I don't have to try to run from a mugger on the street, I can, if I choose to, protect myself, my family, and my property.

 

[alkemyst]

What classes, here in Indiana, they give anyone with 100 bucks a license to carry a gun. All I know is I'm allowed to shoot things.



I know, I was being sarcastic, just like I am above.

Honestly, my wife knows how to use the shotgun, the 357 (686+), my 9mm Walther PPS, and her daily carry the ruger LCP. She trains with them often (monthly) and is comfortable with all of them.

The 357 was the hardest for her not because of kick, but just fear of a large handgun. After about 14 rounds she was loving it and has no trouble with it. I like to load dummy rounds into her pistol at random intervals too so she can clear misfires. I'll also short load her from time to time and have her practice reloading.

I keep the 357 loaded near the bed paired with a led flashlight as a defender. The shotgun is in the closet should she ever need it, and her lcp is almost always on her person if she is out. Besides my daily carry (a P99 in the winter and a PPS in the summer) everything else is locked up tight in the safe (I can see a reason to load up a AR or AK to go check out 'that noise downstairs'). I'm confident that if she was attacked, she would be able to find a way to defend her self until help can arrive.

I don't honestly expect that anything will ever happen. We however find it fun to go to the range on the weekends and put some holes in paper. But it makes me confident to know that while having a good time, she is prepared to deal with the most extreme situation of an attacker.

Last night we had a noise in our shed in our backyard. Turned out to be a raccoon (or a skunk, i'm not sure), but I felt a lot safer knowing I had a pistol on me when I went to look and that my wife was watching from the house in case it did turn out bad.

We have talked about having children which has made us have talks about how useful for defense our firearms can be if we can't have them as accessible as they are now. Obviously a loaded gun near the bed is not 'safe' even if it is 'hidden'.

One last thing. I'm glad I live in a state that doesn't care if you open or conceal carry and has strong laws protecting people's right to defend themselves. I don't have to flee my home, I don't have to try to run from a mugger on the street, I can, if I choose to, protect myself, my family, and my property.

i don't know posts like this make it sound you don't know really, but somehow do know.

if you are hunting down a noise why just bring the pistols?

I never get this. Hunt it with a rifle/shotgun, then switch to a more 'detailed' weapon if needed.

Most do not follow comprehensive security though....they just pick out weapons instead of defense.

 

[garritynet]

i don't know posts like this make it sound you don't know really, but somehow do know.

if you are hunting down a noise why just bring the pistols?

I never get this. Hunt it with a rifle/shotgun, then switch to a more 'detailed' weapon if needed.

Most do not follow comprehensive security though....they just pick out weapons instead of defense.

You use what you feel most comfortable with. What you are most proficient with. If you are like me and you spend the majority of your time on the pistol range because its down the street, then you pick up the pistol when you hear strange noises coming from your front door at 2am.

Just out of curiosity, what do you mean by "detailed" weapon? I have not heard that term used before.