personal carry pistol?

[Woodhauler]

Daughter wants one, what should I look for?

[sandsawmill14]

9 mm  its not my favorite but you can get ammo cheap and anywhere

[celliott]

Fiancee's dad just got a Smith & Wesson MP40 shield. Nice, compact, I want to get one. Recoil in .40 isn't that bad but for an inexperienced shooter, maybe a bit much bark. It's available in 9mm as well.
Seen them for $350 OTD, I'm gonna get one soon.

[jwade]

for a new shooter or one that does not get to train frequently i would recommend a reliable revolver to start with . my wife bought an  $1100 kimber 9 mm, but without frequent training she had trouble consistently operating the safety and also clearing malfunctions. good luck with the purchase and make the shooting enjoyable for her.

[tmarch]

S&W Governor or Taurus Judge, shotshell capable with good stopping power and being a shotshell aim isn't as critical.

[Gearbox]

I use a Smith air weight 38+p . Its not an easy shooter but a 5 shot wheel gun it always works .
Gearbox

[sandsawmill14]

if recoil is a concern a 25 or 32  would do the job

tmarch i like those two pistols but might be a little to big for her to carry ;)

i personally like the 38 special for carry its loud but not hard to hold

[gfadvm]

Both of my daughters have carry permits. One has a pink mini Glock and the other has a pink Lady Smith in 38/357. Neither has a true safety which is a plus in my mind as getting it "unsafed" in an emergency can be a problem.

[LaneC]

   Like someone has already stated, whichever one you get, make the experience a good one for her. My daughter will soon be of age and she will probably be getting a .357 magnum(just hold on) snub nose. You can shoot .38, .38 +p, and .357 magnum. .38 is manageable. (Rossi made by Taurus(revolver), Ruger and Smith and Wesoon also makes one I think. If she likes it and decides to go up in "power" she can go up 2 higher classes. If she ever has to use it(I hope she never does) then in my opinion, I would only want her to have to pull the trigger one time and remove the threat. There is a lot of reading I have read about the .357 magnum,(that is what I carry) and I assure you, no one would want that round fired into them. This is only my opinion. Good luck and I applaud you for giving her the opportunity to protect herself should the need ever arise. Things are bad everywhere out there.

[LaneC]

   I forgot to mention the re-sale of the .357. It basically gives you another option for anyone wanting to buy one. If someone comes along looking for a .357 and you have a .38 and you want to part with it, then you won't have that option. However with the .357 you can shoot all three rounds in the same gun. In the revolver that is. Good luck with the choosing.

[beenthere]

Seems the gun needs to fit her need... in a purse, under clothing, holster side arm ??
What does she have in mind?

[breederman]

Funny, I have been reading this thread and one of my daughters just called to tell me she got her c.c.p. in KY. yesterday. She went with a 9mm glock because of the no safety and the fact that she could disassemble and reassemble it without help.

[Dave Shepard]

Someone I know in MO got his wife a Glock recently. She managed to assemble it with the barrel backwards. Glock said no way that's possible. He emailed them a photo. They couldn't believe it. They had no advice on how to fix that one. :D

[NWP]

I would recommend looking at the S & W Bodyguard.380

[LeeB]

I was also going to suggest a .380. A little short on knockdown but will get the job done, easy to conceal, and small enough for a woman's hand. With hollow points and a hot load it'll do what it needs to. Teach her how to shoot so she can place a round where it needs to be and a .380 will do fine.

[Magicman]

Pat has a stainless AMT backup and I have a Ruger LCP, both 380's.  I have 38's, a 357, and a 9mm, but size, weight, and concealability constraints have to be addressed.

[Woodhauler]

Pat has a stainless AMT backup and I have a Ruger LCP, both 380's.  I have 38's, a 357, and a 9mm, but size, weight, and concealability constraints have to be addressed.

I went with the ruger LCP 9MM. She is the assistant to the district attorney up here and she shoots with the sheriffs department. Maine has no carry law now.

[Outer Rondacker]

Ruger SP101 in 357. Will also shoot 38s. Get the hogue grip.
Glock 26 with pinky add on.
S&W M&P9c
Bodyguard

This is the order I pick for a woman. Grip is KEY.

Looks like I am late to the party. Sorry But good pick.

[Magicman]

I had to Google and read up on the new Ruger LC9.  It's Ruger's answer to what customers were asking for.   

[Peter Drouin]

Maine has no carry law now.

I thought you had to get a permit to carry in Maine.

[Stuart Caruk]

I knew there was something special about sawyers. Maybe it's because they know how to get things done. How to actually work with their hands. A simple gun question with many answers and not one of them whining about the evils of guns... :-) I feel right at home here.

FWIW I like a .380 for concealed carry. It's small, more than capable of doing the job, or getting me back to my real choice of either my TAVOR IDF, or UTAS tactical shotgun...

[Magicman]

The available self defense bullet choices for .380 and 9mm are called a "surgeon's nightmare" because of the damage they can cause.

[sandsawmill14]

A simple gun question with many answers and not one of them whining about the evils of guns...

the only thing possibly evil about a gun would be the hand holding it all reasonable people know this and i think thats why this such a great site    reasonable people ;) smiley_clapping smiley_clapping

[4x4American]

For a pistol I love and would recommend my S&W M+P 45 compact.  It is fairly inexpensive for a good piece that is well made.  I might get a shield one of these days too.  I also have a 686 .357 which was my first handgun, and I too would recommend starting her on a revolver because they are far less complicated and easier to learn to shoot.  A good revolver to start her one is the Ruger SP-101 in .357.  They are reliable, versatile, and fun to shoot.

[scsmith42]

That Ruger is a good little gun.

Normally in answer to your question, I would suggest the following:..

1 - buy her a CC weapon that is sized so that she will actually carry it.  For many people (male and female), large, heavy pistols and revolvers tend to be left in the car or at home and not carried, and then they can't help her when she needs one.  Size it so that she "won't leave home without it".

2 - get the largest caliber that she is comfortable shooting.  .38 and .380 are about as small as you want to go (and that's because they both have great defensive ammo options).

3.  Revolver versus semi-auto?  If she has the hand strength to rack the slide then go with a semi-auto.  For revolvers, the lightweight 5 shot .38's are a great choice.  Light enough to carry but pack a good punch if needed.

4. - Which one?  Have her handle enough guns to find the ones that fit well in her hand.  Then, narrow down the selections to the gun that is the most natural "pointer" to her.  By "pointer", I mean that she wants a gun that points as accurate as her finger does but w/o looking down the sights.  There are enough pistols available to where she can find one that fits her and aims well for her.  No sense her having to alter what's comfortable. 

5.  Finally, after she has done the above select the most comfortable, naturally pointing gun, largest that she is willing to carry daily AND with the largest magazine capacity.

I used to carry .380's, then decided to move up to a 17+1 round Walther PPQ 9mm because I wanted more ammo available.  Unfortunately most of the Glock's don't fit my hand well but the Walther is a dream.  It is a different mindset carrying IWB versus pocket, but in today's environment I am more comfortable with the greater magazine capacity and faster drawing ability of the IWB.

Just some food for thought.