Selecting a Handgun for The Ladies

Posted by Lance Earl of Lance Earl, LLC on March 29, 2013

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Smith & Wesson M&P

This week I had the awesome opportunity to meet with four ladies who are starting a women's shooting club. Hats off to this group of informed women who recognize that they are potential victims and applause for their determination to do something about it. I especially want to recognize them for overcoming fear and prejudice to do that which is a lot of fun and will increase security for themselves, their families, and their community.

This is a complicated subject because there is no correct answer for everyone. There are simply too many choices and too many personal preferences. So, while I cannot provide an answer for anyone other than myself, I can offer up my ideas about simple common sense. These just might lead you to the right handgun... for you.

I think the most basic question to ask is if a revolver or semiautomatic pistol makes more sense. Both gun types have positive and negative aspects.

Ruger Revolver

Generally speaking, the revolver will only hold five or six rounds. That may not be enough. On the other hand, a revolver is much less prone to malfunctions. In fact, malfunctions are nearly unheard of with respect to revolvers. The trigger on a typical double action revolver tends to be very long and very heavy, making it difficult to hold the gun on target while pulling the trigger. And finally, revolvers tend to recoil a bit harder which can make them more difficult to shoot.

For reasons that I do not understand, gun stores tend to suggest revolvers for women. I think they do this because some women have a difficult time racking the slide on a semiautomatic pistol. In many cases, this is terrible advice. If a woman does not have the strength to work a slide, she will likely not have the strength to pull the double action trigger on a typical revolver. Recently,I had two women on my range that had this problem. The first could not pull the trigger with one hand so she used the trigger finger of both hands to pull the trigger. Another lady could pull her trigger, most of the time. But often, she would get the trigger pulled partially back and then stall. In both of these cases they were working so hard that their hands were literally shaking. Is it any wonder that they seldom hit the target?

Both of these women bought revolvers because they could not manipulate the slide of an semiautomatic pistol. Failure to rack a slide is almost never because of a lack of strength. It is almost always because of a lack of technique. Most people instinctively rack a slide incorrectly. When they understand the correct technique,the task becomes simple. Generally, I can train you to rack a slide, however, I cannot train you to pull a trigger when you lack the strength.

1911, offered by many manufacturers

The semiautomatic pistol is generally my suggested firearm. Depending on the one you choose, it can hold fifteen or more rounds. When everything is on the line fifteen is better than five.

Modern pistols tend to be very reliable, however, there is a greater likelihood of a feeding malfunction. The single biggest cause of these errors are limp wristing, or a weak and flimsy grip on the pistol. This is generally more of a problem for women because the skeletal structure and muscle mass that supports the gun is typically lighter and weaker than is common in a man. This is generally more of a problem with the heavier recoiling rounds like the 40SW and the 45ACP. I have yet to see a woman that cannot easily handle the 9mm Luger pistols I own.

Even with the larger caliber pistols, every time a woman on my range experienced feeding malfunctions, she was able to correct the problem by correctly griping the pistol. Again, people instinctively grip the pistol incorrectly and this causes problems. By simply changing the position of the hands on the gun, the problem evaporates. This also is not a question of strength, but rather a question of technique.

One other benefit of the semiautomatic pistol is that felt recoil is significantly reduced.The recoil spring in the slide acts as a huge shock absorber which tends to significantly dampen recoil This makes that gun easier and more enjoyable to shoot.

Let us consider a case in early 1213 when a Georgia mother shot a home invader, identified as Paul Slater, to protect herself and her twin daughters. She had a .38 caliber revolver that held six rounds. When Slater located her and her twin daughters hiding in the attic, she opened fire. Six rounds were fired and five hit the mark. Slater fell to the floor and asked her to stop shooting. Standing over him, she told him that if he moved she would shoot again. The problem was, her gun was empty. Realizing this, she and her daughters ran to the house of a neighbor. Slater managed to get to his car and drove away only to collapse in another location. When shot, people tend to go in either fight or flight mode. Thankfully, Slater went into flight mode and chose to run away. If he has gone the other way, it could have gone very badly for this mother and her girls?

Now, let us imagine that this mother had been armed with a high capacity pistol instead of a revolver. If this had been the case, perhaps she never would have been in a defenseless and unarmed position. If Slater had continued the threat, she could have continued to fight. However, if that pistol had been chambered with a round heaver than her hands and wrist were able to affectively handle, the gun might have malfunctioned after the first round leaving her effectively defenseless early in the fight.

As you can see, either handgun choice has an upside and a downside. Thankfully, this mother and her daughters were not harmed.

If you choose to purchase a revolver, the choices are pretty basic because, for the most part, they function identically. Simply shoot a few and buy one you like. Smith & Wesson revolvers are the Cadillac of revolvers. They offer triggers that most women will be able to manipulate. Ruger is also a good choice. However, they have a price tag that is about two times higher than many reliable semiautomatic pistols. The less expensive revolvers have price tags on par with brand name semiautomatics but the trigger tends to be awful.

If you choose to purchase a semiautomatic pistol, your choices are wider and therefore your decision is more complicated. You will need to use a bit of common sense. Let me share an example of the lack of it. The following is an excerpt from an on-line gun review that I read recently. The review was for the Walther PPK pistol and it said, "While I do not expect to buy one anytime soon, nor will it replace the 1911 pistol that I normally carry, I can see it as a back-up gun in certain circumstances. For instance, summer wear when clothing is lighter and more abbreviated."

As I said, there is no right answer for everyone. I would be foolish to tell another that their choice in a defensive weapon is wrong. However, in this case I will go out on a limb and say that this guy's shots are not even on the paper... so to speak.

When we train in a consistent way, we begin to develop muscle memory. Good muscle memory is the thing that will enable us to do things correctly when stress is wildly high and things are at their worst. Now, let us examine the statement from the gun review.

There are a number of differences between the 1911 and the PPK, but the glaring difference is in the safeties. To disengage the 1911 safety, you thumb it down. To disengage the PPK safety, you thumb it up. In other words, the safeties operate exactly opposite of each other. As a result, when you train for the 1911, you un-train for the PPK and visa versa. So, for every good you do training on one system, you do an equal amount of harm with regard to the other.

When things are at their worst in a time-is-life situation, will you sweep the safety up or will you sweep it down? The good news is that you have a fifty percent chance of doing it correctly. However, are you willing to risk everything on a 50 - 50 proposition?

The common sense guideline that I promised is simply this... All of your defensive weapons should function in the same way. This will guarantee that any action you take with one pistol will work with every defensive pistol you own.

And finally, I will share my thoughts on weapon selection for most shooters. I say most shooters because most people will not train enough to become proficient with more complex weapon systems. If you are one of these, look for simplicity. If you are dedicated to continuous training, any quality pistol is a good choice.

When simplicity is important, these are the things I look for. Controls that work the same as my other defensive pistols. Controls that are simple and straight forward. When life and death hang in the balance, most people need the ability to draw and shoot without concerning themselves with details. I prefer full sized pistols to carry and use whenever I can and a compact gun for times when the full sized version is not a good option. I look for one manufacturer that offers a full size pistol that meets my requirements and a compact version of that same pistol. I recommend the following as a good starting point. Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P series with no thumb safety, Springfield XD and XDM series with no thumb safety. These pistols are designed in such a way that all you have to do is draw the pistol and pull the trigger.

This second category is a bit more complicated because you have to remember to deactivate the safety before shooting. these include the M&P, XD and XDM pistols with a thumb safety, Ruger SR pistols, and the venerable 1911. These are all great guns but the 1911 has the best trigger on the market, bar none. The Ruger is great because the narrow grip is good for people with small hands.

Finally, there are double/single action semiautomatic pistols. These have more controls to think about, which can be a problem when you are stressed. These pistols have a first trigger pull that is heavy and long like the revolver. Follow-up trigger pulls are more like the 1911 trigger. I cannot recommend these because who wants a complicated pistol with two very different trigger pulls? Not me.

There are other awesome handguns, I am sure, but I cannot recommend them because of my lack of familiarity.

Good luck in your search and bring your common sense along when you shop.

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Comments

Comment by: Tom Young 2013-02-06 17:27:44 I chose the Springfield XD series because the grip fits my hands best, the point-of-aim was spot on, and the loaded chamber and cocked indicators can be administratively check with the weapon holstered - which is comforting when needed.