Good handgun for a first time gun owner

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  • SAWMAN

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    Take a close look at the LCP MAX.
    I love mine. It is my EDC now. My Glock 42 is used for mt truck console "quick grab". ---- SAWMAN
     
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    MarkS

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    Oak Ridge is just west of the flea market in Midway
    Wife says it’s Gulf Breeze Flea Market


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    My daughter wants a handgun for self defense. She is very petite.

    I told her I will get one for her for Christmas after we both go to IN person handgun handling classes.

    I am not much of a gun person myself. I do have a new Glock 26 and Sig Sauer P365 that I occasionally carry; I have never shot a round thru them.

    I am unsure if either of these would be a safe fit for her. (Or me for that matter!!)

    What handgun would you recommend for small hands (grip) and a first time user? In either 38 or 9mm.

    Thank you
    Th
    My daughter wants a handgun for self defense. She is very petite.

    I told her I will get one for her for Christmas after we both go to IN person handgun handling classes.

    I am not much of a gun person myself. I do have a new Glock 26 and Sig Sauer P365 that I occasionally carry; I have never shot a round thru them.

    I am unsure if either of these would be a safe fit for her. (Or me for that matter!!)

    What handgun would you recommend for small hands (grip) and a first time user? In either 38 or 9mm.

    Thank you
    There are a few indoor ranges that will rent out firearms and of course you will have to buy the ammo from them. But this way she can try different weapons and see which caliper and handgun feels right for her.
     

    M60Gunner

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    You've got to shoot it or you are a sitting duck. I had an xds45 brand new didn't fire first shot. Not sure if it was primer or what. Racked slide, loaded another and it fired. 3rd round jammed. Racked slide and cleared it and not another issue. Could be your life.

    Don't give her a Glock or a sig because of the name. She needs something she's comfortable with.
    Glock 19 is the most common gun on the planet and I do not like any of them in my hand. Lol.
    Just using it as an example.

    The 365 is probably a good match. I've got large hands and shoot it well. My p938 is more accurate.
    How do you get your finger in the trigger guard lol
     

    timc

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    I’d start with a handgun class. Handgun safety, loading/unloading, grip, stance, etc.

    And if it was me, I’d start out learning on a .22. Something like a Ruger Mark IV or similar. Or some other quality brand .22lr auto or revolver. Or both. Recoil would be very minimal, muzzle report would be minimal with ear pro, and it would be easier to work on basic fundamentals with a low recoiling, not super loud gun. Once you get a little more comfortable with handling a handgun, work into something in a little bit bigger caliber: .380, 38, 9mm, etc.
     

    Duckyou

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    What was said before - go try a bunch.

    May limp wrist some and not others, may like revolvers or semis, try a bunch and pick what works - then train.
     

    TontoFAC

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    My daughter wants a handgun for self defense. She is very petite.

    I told her I will get one for her for Christmas after we both go to IN person handgun handling classes.

    I am not much of a gun person myself. I do have a new Glock 26 and Sig Sauer P365 that I occasionally carry; I have never shot a round thru them.

    I am unsure if either of these would be a safe fit for her. (Or me for that matter!!)

    What handgun would you recommend for small hands (grip) and a first time user? In either 38 or 9mm.

    Thank you
    In my opinion one should never carry without ever shooting that gun. You will probably shoot off your dic*.
     

    maxfold

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    I don't know if anyone suggested that you go to a gun range that had rentals. Since you are in Navarre, I'm not familiar with that area so I don't know if there is a gun range with rentals. I know that the Pensacola Indoor Gun Range and Oak Ridge in Gulf Breeze has rentals. I would suggest you go there and rent some guns. Shoot the snot out of some paper and figure out

    1) The gun she most accurately shoots with at 10, 15, 20 feet.
    2) Figure out what she likes or dislikes with each gun (i.e., weight, safety features, concealability, etc.)

    Make sure you keep notes on the targets she shoots at with each gun ( make a note about how she felt when shooting the gun, how it felt in her hand, and recoil). I wouldn't worry too much about gun manufactures right now, because every manufacture has duds that come out of the assembly line. I know someone will jump in and talk about customer service, they are right, but in the end a gun is a tool that has parts that can be fixed. Once you guys figure out the gun that checks all the checkboxes, do your due diligence.

    As a side note, I did this with all my kids, but my youngest settled on my LCP2 and last year when she came home to visit we went to the out door range, she shot the snot out of a traget with her LCP, I mean no stragglers just dead center. I don't cry, but it did make me tear just a little...lol
     
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