here is my question. i have a very petite 13 year old daughter that shot her first deer this year. we have also just bought some land in texas and it has lots of hogs, lots of coyotes and some deer as well. all the kiddos are gonna have a pistol. she wants a big bore pistol to have on her hip as well as her brothers. they both want 454 casulls as i have some great loads that are extremely mellow in 454 casull and as they get older they can work up a bit. problem is the guns are just too big for her to hold very steady. i'm thinking the perfect gun is a .45 colt for her as the cowboy loads are mellow and the +p 45 colt go from fairly mild to kinda wild but i'm not sure the best platform for her. ruger blackhawk vs redhawk? perhaps a .41 mag or just go with a mild 44 mag load. how much in these mellow calibers does barrel length of 4" vs 5 or 6" matter as far as kick. i thought .357 but those aren't really anymore mellow than the cowboy .45 colt loads. which do you guys think is the most appropriate?

When I saw "very petite 13 year old daughter" my first thought was .22 Magnum, but after reading more I realize y'all are way on down the road from that. Anyway, a few more details might help. What handguns has she already tried? How much recoil is she comfortable with? How large do those hogs run? And do you want to stay in the Ruger price range?

If I had a daughter in the same circumstances, I'd probably want her first gun to be a favorite keepsake she'd always be proud of owning and could maybe hand down someday to her son or daughter. So I'd see how she'd feel about a genuine Colt Single Action Army in .45. You can handload for it or use standard factory loads in the less than +P class. They also offer it in .44 Special. The "gunfighter" barrel length is handy, reasonably compact, famous for its balance and the most sought after. Perfect for that hip holster and the grip should be fine for her. Of course, there are endless other options. Some will recommend a Blackhawk in .41, .44 or .45.

On the Rugers there's that recent 50th Anniversary Flattop .44 Magnum. Last I heard it runs around $500. Load it with .44 Specials, take a deer with it and build from there. It's smaller and lighter than its big brother, the Super Blackhawk.

In smaller frame high end six shooters there's the Freedom Arms Model 97. A REALLY nice piece. It comes in the .41 Rem Mag and .45 Colt. You'll find them on their e-site.

I would certainly consider a smaller framed revolver in .45 Colt. You will have bullet weight working for her and even the cowboy loads provide enough horsepower for deer in my opinion. Best advice I have is to try as many as she can and see what she is most comfortable with shooting.

4 of my granddaughters killed their first deer with a S&W 657. My oldest now owns three .41s the others aren't old enough to own handguns. I started all 7 granddaughters when they were around 5 shooting wax bullets with just a primed case. The girls that shoot now use the same load the everyone else in the family uses which is 17g/2400/250g CPBT@ 1156fps out of the various 657s in the safe.

I'm thinking something smaller framed in 44 mag or 45 colt as well . . . possibly a 41 mag

Ruger's 50th anniversary 44 mag flattop would be a good start if you want adjustable sights, the new Vaquero in 45 colt is awfully handy and comfortable fit (IMHO) . . . I really like the color case-hardened framed one with shorter barrels. You could replace the black hard plastic grips at some point with some pretty wood for not too high a price as well if that's something she might like.

Since you already load 454, then I think a 45 Colt will be easiest as theycan use the same bullets.

If money is no object the small framed Freedom Arms in 45 Colt would be worth a look, as it is small and will take loads suitable for deer and wild pigs.

Otherwise I would go with a Ruger 45 Colt Blackhawk.

The smaller frame of the new ruger 44 special flat top might be in order. With a short. 4-5/8" barrel packability would be right up there!

If 45 colt is the preferred caliber, same barrel in blue wont weigh too much more in a NMBH.

I'd say that decision is best made with her trying out different guns and styles till one speaks to her. Tell her it's just like buying shoes.

i agree with daniel let her try different guns to see what she likes.Personally i think a bisley might fit the bill nicely for her

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
I'd say that decision is best made with her trying out different guns and styles till one speaks to her. Tell her it's just like buying shoes.

If she picks it out, then it will always be treasured

As GSSP stated, the new flattop 44 special with the 4-5/8" barrel would fit the bill nicely.....and they also make them with the Bisley gripframe which would help a lot. You can also get the flattop in 41mag as well.

I have to support the idea of a .44 Special or a .45 Colt. I've always been a huge 45 Colt fan, but recently i've been shooting one of the Ruger Flat Top .44 Special Bisleys and it is fantastic. Recoil is very mild due to the guns all steel construction, it weighs 46 ozs.
Another consideration is muzzle blast. The 44 special and .45 Colt both have relatively mild report. Just this evening I was at my local range. The guy down the firing line was shooting a "nine". The difference in muzzle report between my 44 Special and his "nine" was really significant. I think this may be important for a young shooter.
Whatever you decide, make it fun and enjoy every moment with those kids!!!

soooo, got a great deal on a 4" ruger 45 colt redhawk for my 12 year old son. we went shooting and b/w him and my daughter they shot about 100 rounds of cowboy action 45 colt ammo and about 300 rounds of .22 ammo. the grip is just a touch large for her hands and i think the best option is gonna be a .45 colt ruger blackhawk with a 5.5" barrel. she handled the gun well and didn't find recoil bad at all. didn't like her older brother's .44 mag even with slightly downloaded ammo.

btw, her 14yo brother has just completely mastered his .44 mag and handling fullbore .454 loads without flinching and just chews the center of the shootnsee target at 25 yards. he's coming along well enough for a fall bear hunt.

good news keep them shooting you will find her new gun

If her hands are small you may want to look at the new Ruger Flat Tops out in .41 Magnum and .44 Special. Both can be loaded from mild to wild. I just bought one of the limited edition .41s from William's Shooters Supply. It has a 4 5/8" barrel and very slim grips like the original .44 and .357 Flat Tops had...and it is an excellent shooter.

If she would prefer a double action revolver try the S&W Mountain series. A set of service size grips with a Tyler T-grip adapter will fit the smallest hands. I just happened across a pre-InterLock .45 Colt Mountain Gun at a small shop...$550.00..if you are interested let me know....

Bob

Consider getting her a .44 mag in whichever gun feels best to her and then she can shoot specials or you could load some mild magnums using lighter bullets. My wife hunts deer with a S&W pistol with an Aimpoint red dot loaded with 180 grain Cor-Bons [44 mag.] and is able to shoot it well and I load 200 grain Barnes all copper bullets for myself also in 44 mag. and both are pleasant to shoot. I got my gun [Ruger Redhawk] ported by Mag-Na-Port but, of course, I have to protect my ears or it will kill your hearing. Just a little info on our experience. Good luck!

357 - 44 MAG or 45 colt ...
if you get a mag, load it to special, in either event, to keep her shooting

get something you can load snakeshot in.

i personally don't care for the recoil of the 44mag or 454 .. which is why we are a 38/357 and 45colt house ..

the 625-9 mountain gun with 500grips from SW (black) are a light combo, which matters to me, and VERY accurate. i actually don't prefer the ruger pistols (heretic -- pitchforks and torches, right?) .. i DO prefer the SW