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1st handgun/ccw

3290 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Jeremy
A friend of mine ask me about a carry gun, she applied for her ccw yesterday and i'm not sure what to suggest. She tarted working at a new club and feels unsafe leaving alone early in the morning.

She never owned a handgun, fired 1 a few time but has shot longguns all her life so she is familiar with firearms.

I don't think recoil will be an issue so caliber really doesn't matter.

Carry isn't an issue either because she always has a big handbag, you could fit a desert eagle in that thing and no1 would know lol.

The purpose of it would be up close and personal arm length distance personal protection point and shoot so accuracy really doesn't matter.

I'm thinking a revolver like a taurus 851 hammerless in 38spl would be good for a newbie and cover all the bases and I don't want to go over 500$

I;m not sure about an auto

I can give her a G22 I have collecting dust but I think it's to big to carry being full size. Or I can give her my carry gun,G26 which will give me an excuse to buy something else lol

She hasn't charged me for a drink in a long time so I figure I should help her out lol

And ides or suggestions are greatly appreciated
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Taurus 85 for a wheelgun or you should have her look at the Bersa 380 autos.
You think a hammerless/concealed hammer would be better than standard revolver?
for concealment hamerless is better.. I like the 638 series..and so would she, plus its the price you want, or less, and its classy.




http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=15704&isFirearm=Y
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this is simple. let her shoot a Glock 26 sub and she will have her mind made up.


as for the hammerless revolvers, we sell them frequently and they are great defense weapons... however, the only draw back for me is they are DOA.
Most small autos like the glock can be tough to draw and hold properly while shooting.

Revolvers are idiot proof. And if you can learn to shoot one DAO you will be a better marksman in the long run.
Thats y i was think taurus 851, sa/da, they have the completely shrouded hammer, it can be cocked manually if you want but doesn't protrude so it won't hangup on anythig.

I got a G26 she can have but I don't know about an auto for a first timer
If this were my sister or a female relative (or even a male for that matter) I'd _strongly_ suggest an NRA or state certified CCW class, first and foremost.
Hell I'd even go so far as to early Christmas gift the cost and/or attend with them them and as in my own case I've done as much twice in a years time already (VA & MA) I'd tell the teacher as much ahead of time and see if he/she'd comp me a half price discount or allow me to sit in with no certificate recieved at the end.
Anyway get the friend in to a CCW class first before buying anything as she must understand the law in addition to common & street sense, all of whihc willbe covered in class in whole or part.

Next I'd take her to the range.
Picking and choosing a firearm for someone is like selecting underwear or a bra for another. One size might fit all but it doesn't always feel same person to person.
Take her to a range with you and rent a wide range of guns in various sizes, calibers and action types. Let her tell you what she likes or dislikes be it a revlover, SA, DA .380, 9MM or .45 Auto.

Along with all of the above I'd suggest they rent or maybe I might even gift them a copy of this book;

The Concealed Handgun Manual : How to Choose, Carry, and Shoot a Gun in Self Defense (Concealed Handgun Manual: How to Choose, Carry, & Shoot a Gun in Self Defense)
By Chris Bird



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/09...f=pd_bbs_1/102-2122270-7860136?_encoding=UTF8

A person needs to understand the dynamics of the concept they might be thinking about stepping into. Operating on just fear alone is not enough and possibly hazzardous to herself. Help her understand that aside from and in addition to any basic fear she might have toward her job or whatever that there are a very many other very valid reasons for an individual to personally and actively take their own well being and by association safety in to their own hands be it offensively or defensively.
Just having a fear of the dark and things that go boo from behind corners is not the end of the road although it is very many folks beginning.

Lastly the idea of her carryign in a purse or handbag is fubar.
A CCW class will review and explain to her why this is.
Wolves will go for her bag first thing thinking there is swag inside. So it's ripped out of her hands, then what? Now she's fucked.
Just like a man she should holsetr up and carry on her immediate person and this can be done by women just as discretely as a man. One just requires some effort and planning in doing so just as a man would. There are a ton of wepaon retention systems out there to address most any man or womans carry needs toward most any ocassion aside from posing in the nude. And even then prisoners have been known to be inventive to that end...

To join in with the rest though I'm going to second the suggestion by MndFusion of the 638.
That IMHO is the cats meow not just for a woman but anyone (the 642 is a medium frame version of same for folks with larger hands). The exposed hammer 'Chiefs Special' version has been around since IIRC the 40's and is famous for ebing what it is, a concealed carry weapon of defense. It gets the job done and as others have described revolvers they are simple as hell and it's nothing but point and shoot no sights required.

Well anyway thats all I've got.

$0.02 MSRP

- Janq
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Good call on the ccw class Janq, +1

I just enrolled for next week, Just so happened that enrollment started today lol .Seems like aan interesting corse and very imformative so I booked 5 spots for some buddies to go also. You can always learn more.

. NRA cert and SW acadamy trainers and state police for legal selfdefense aspects, 10hr course over 3 days all together. Price of admission? 1 6$ NRA "Basics of pistol shooting" book plus ammo. Gotta love the shooting/sportsman clubs around here

Your also correct about the handbag, that's kinda like having a ccw and leaving the gun in the car all the time. I meant to refer to it as a storage area while working, not for carrying all the time. While going to and from it should definiatly be on you
I think the hammerless revolver idea is great, second to taking a CCW class or NRA pistol course or something. Ususally that's a requirement to get a CCW anyway.

I finally, after searching for a long time, found a S&W model 38, which is the shrouded hammer airweight j-frame, but blued instead of stainless. Nice and light, made in the early 70's, when quality mattered, and it pulls out of the pocket with no snagging at all.

One caveat: 5 shots isn't much, so she should also carry a speedloader or something for quick reloading capability.
5 shots is enough if she properly practices with the gun. It is more than enough to deal with 1-2 possible attackers, the sort of situation you might run into after hours at a club.
For one attacker yeah, but my mind was changed after hearing this real-life scenario:


Guy (Off duty LEO IIRC) with a 5 shot j frame goes into a convenience store to buy some crap. As he is browsing the aisles, two guys with masks and shotguns come busting in the door and start shooting at the clerk.

Guy puts two shots at bad guy 1, 2 shots at bad guy 2, and dives for cover/concelament behind some asiles.

Now he is thinking... I have one shot left. There are two guys, both with shotguns, and I don't know if I hit them....

That's why I always carry an extra 5 in a speedloader, anyway.
The tarus's are only a hair bigger in the 7shot models
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