quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
You are right about women bing able to rack a side.

I was training a 65yoa woman and her new very small 380. She was haveing a hard time chambering a around. She had to use a push pull to get a round chambered and them it was hard for her.

I handed her my Glock 23 and she had no trouble because she could get a hand full of the slide instead of a couple of figers.

Small amd smaller guns are nice to carry but the are tougher to use and shoot.

Nothing wrong with a good revolver I carry one regularly.

I remember seeing the same thing 20 years ago, my Sister-in-law fell in love with the browning BDS 380 and just had to have one... so my brother paid for it...

Problem was most of the time she could not rack the slide.

Everyone tends to forget that the typical 380 is a blowback that requires a stiff spring for function.

My S-i-L did NOT have any issues with my back-up piece, which was at the time a S&W 469 9mm

Locked breech = softer spring

That being said her carry gun is now a Charter arms 44Spl revolver

Her comment: "No slide to rack, no safety to malfunction and it makes big holes"

Think I'll ask some more questions...

1. Which would they be most likely to actually carry everywhere they go, something like an S&W 642 Airweight, or an autoloader?

2. Are THEY asking this, or are you? If it is you, how enthusiastic will they REALLY be about regular training, not just introductory training?

3. From a safety standpoint, which is it easier for them to tell is loaded or not loaded, a revolver or a semi-auto? It can be unsafe to assume a handgun is loaded when the SHTF, and it can be unsafe to assume it is unloaded when no clear and present danger is at hand. Any user may need to know instantly which is the case at he time. With a revolver you can look obliquely at the cylinder and know instantly whether it is loaded or unloaded.

4. How excitable (or calm) will each user be when a clear threat does present itself?

Imagine two scenarios...one is when you or they are sitting in a car and a stranger comes over and tries to open the door. The other is when theyu are at home alone and a loud noise occurs at the ocked front door at around 3 a.m. In either case it may be a genuine threat, or just an injured person seeking help, or a common, harmless drunk. Do you want the responding member of your family (including yourself) to have a loaded, cocked, handgun, or something that requires a conscious, intentional double-action pull?

As even an Airweight .38 Special is quite able to handle the second most effective round in most shootings in America (the .38 Spcl 125 grain hollow point +P) it CAN be very effective. it is quite useable up close and personal.

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As you can see, I am leaning toward a small, light .38 Special caliber double-action revolver. Less likely to go off accidentally under the adrenaline rush of stress. Easy to tell if empty or loaded, Light weight enough not be a pain in the butt if carried in a pocket or purse and so more likely to be there when needed. Shorter sessions of regular training required to stay familiarized with the operation of.

Not as "cool" but MAYBE the best all around choice depending on your answers to the above questions. And no more expensive than a good semi-auto either.

As every one is an individual, one size-fits-all may not be the best way to go either.

I agree about the 380. Mine is much harder to rack the slide than any of my other semiautos. The small grip area has a lot to do with it I believe.
Peter.

At the "local" range we have the NRA sponsored "Girl and a Gun" days a couple of times a month. It allows women who are new to guns to fire many different types and calibers of handguns and rifles. They are kept safe by range safety officers and it costs just $10 for the day. I would recommend using this kind of environment to see what each individual feels is a good match for themselves. I doubt you will find a single gun that will fit all the individuals in your family but they have to feel good about the gun or they will never train with it.

I have a Glock M22, standard model in 40 S&W with about ten spare factory magazines. I also have four of the hicap Korean ones. Ran six magazines full thru each of the Korean ones. They work.

I strongly recommend you buy a Dillon SDB and teach everybody to run it properly. About twenty training sessions, 25 rds each, with a reload should get them on the road to capable...

Nobody has mentioned a tank, so guess I'll be the first.

Yep. I'll be the second to recommend the tank. But four years of training????

Back to the original post. I'd recommend a couple of family outings to a gunstore that has a shooting range. surely in Cin. there must be one or two. Look all the pistol/revolvers over and have your family shoot all they want. You may be surprised what everyone likes. Maybe even a bargain or two. Bottom line is you can try them all out before you buy!