My S.O. wants to learn to shoot and get a handgun. She is 68 and 5'2" and a 130lbs. She is strong for her age and size. While I have a Sig P225-A1 and a P229, I am looking for advice on what would be the best choice for her. It is a bit shocking that she wants to start shooting but I am all for it.I have thought maybe a P365 or maybe a S&W Shield EZ. Also, what caliber would you suggest? I want to help her make the best decision and cry once buy once. Thanks in advance for everyone"s thoughts!

I think starting with something in 22lr would be great. That will introduce them to how a firearm works gives them an idea what recoil is before working them up to larger calibers

Glock 43 is a good choice. Easy to hold and the 9mm is not too snappy. It is fun to shoot.

The Springfield Hellcat is also a great choice. A tad bigger but it holds 2x as many rounds.

Just my 2cnts.

Take her to a gun shop and let her handle several to find which one suites her the best.

Whenever a woman asks me about choosing a firearm, I tell her it’s like buying shoes. You need to try them on to find which fits best.

I’d suggest something along the size of a 380 for starters - and once proficient and comfortable with that consider moving to a 9mm

See this >> Bad-Ass lady shooter.

Take her to the store and let her pick up all of them.
She finds one that fits her hand well, then you determine caliber.

She can rent or test fire from stores that also have a range attached.

Mrs. Mike wanted a new pistol, but wanted a safety. Finally settled on a S&W bodyguard in 380. To me it’s a less than stellar caliber, but she shoots it well and placement is key.

My mom had a S&W model 60 (5shot) 38spcl, but her arthritis got such that she couldn’t handle the recoil. I set her up with a Beretta 21 Bobcat-22lr. She can shoot it, hits what she aims at; so I explained that due to the small size of the caliber, to shoot and keep shooting unitl the attacker stops or she’s out of ammo.

Go to a range with rentals and a good gun store selection and let her try a few.
Once you zero in on a particular one, have her shoot at least 50-100 rounds.
Even if the pricing isn't that great, it's better than buying and then not liking (and not carrying or completely losing interest) a gun that ends up as surplus to needs.
Once she seems happy with it, get a quality holster and that will probably not be at that gun store/range.
There are a number of good 9mm's now that are soft shooters so I'd try to get her using one from the start.
A P365 or Shield is a good option.

What is her intended use? Concealed carry? Home defense? A range toy? Or all of the above? As we all know, different handguns for each of these categories. My wife has a few handguns, one of them is a S&W Shield EZ in .380 as her range gun and likes it a lot, it is easy on her hands, she has a mild case of arthritis.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
Glock 43 is a good choice. Easy to hold and the 9mm is not too snappy. It is fun to shoot.

Years ago, I had my wife try out my G43 and a rented G42 without telling her which was which. She shot a half dozen mag loads each and was firm on choosing the 42 for her concealed carry, even after trying a couple of other 9mms. She loves that gun. .380acp is her round of choice.

Seems like maybe two different questions. What’s best for first handgun shooting experience? Most like a handgun in 22lr. Seems to me most shooters should have at least one of those on hand for introducing folks to shooting. With 22lr, one can get the principles with a lot less blast and recoil. Even a couple of magazines of 22lr to start before moving on to 9mm (or whatever) can be beneficial.


As for what should be her first gun? The store with a rental range is a great idea. For many folks, having her work at least initially with an instructor who isn’t her spouse is an even greater idea. I’d lean towards a full-size semiauto in a caliber that works for her, but she and whoever is helping her at the rental range should figure that out. I’d rather have her start with a full-size gun that she enjoys and will practice with and hopefully get more into shooting. If she does get into it decides she wants to carry, then it might be time to go back to the rental range and try to find something more concealable that works for her, but at this point she’ll be more experienced and better able to handle the recoil in a smaller, snappier pistol.

First time shooter? YOU buy, rent or borrow a .22 to get her started. Then graduate up to one of your 9mm pistols, preferably the P225 (single stack) and get her comfortable with shooting a 9mm. Then go shopping.

Years ago, my wife picked out her P239/9mm.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 229DAK,

My wife is the same size as yours and age 60. She enjoys the Walther P22. The various 9mm Sigs are just too big for her hands. My wife does like the red dot on one of the Sigs. Eyesight for all of us seniors makes the little iron sights difficult.

Research reliability before you buy. The Walther has issues which need a bit of fiddling to get running well. Though mine is 10+ yrs old so perhaps they've fixed the bugs in the current production.

Lots of great information everyone. I had not thought about a 22. She has stated she won't take a class - stubborn she is. So, I guess I will have to do that and based on what i am reading, I start her out by renting a 22 and take her to the range. Once she gets comfortable, I will let her choose a good quality gun that fits her hand.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
She enjoys the Walther P22.

This is a good choice to start out on. I have one in my safe and have enjoyed plinking with it. HOWEVER....I have had failure to eject/feed issues if I use .22LR ammo that has a low FPS rating. I haven't taken it to a gunsmith to be checked out yet, but I've just had that issue. Just passing along info.

@NapoleonSolo, I'd recommend, IF your S.O. enjoys the .22LR, graduating to a SIG P365-380, used SIG P238 (if you can't find a new one), etc. I'm not familiar with other makes like S&W, Colt, etc., but my S&W Shield in .40S&W is AWESOME! I'd imagine their .380 is just a sweet. A .380, with the right SD ammo (like Federal HST), can be a formidable self-defense platform. They're small, so she might find it comfortable in her hand.

Good luck.

I always start a new shooter on my .22LR revolver (S&W 617 10-shot). It's easy to load, no recoil, and great trigger.

For women, I typically rent a few 380s. Hands down the softest shooting is the S&W 380 EZ (compared to Ruger and Glock. Haven't tried the P365-380). Additionally, it has an easy to rack slide, and it has the easy to load magazine. The year it was introduced, the NRA annual meeting was in Dallas and I was able chat with one of their engineers on the design team and it was specifically designed for women, seniors, and shooters with weak/injured wrists. This was my GF's preference so I bought one for her.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
Glock 43 is a good choice. Easy to hold and the 9mm is not too snappy. It is fun to shoot.

The 43 is extremely snappy, not sure what you're comparing it to but it's the snappiest small 9 I own. Most I've had shoot it dont like it at all.

The .380 42 however is a sweetheart

I have found most older ladies tend to do better with small caliber revolvers.
Semiautomatics tend to cause difficulty with being able to operate slides.

Shield EZ .380... in case you missed it Shield EZ .380!!!!!


My wife is about the same size as yours and I bought her a Shield EZ in 380. It was the perfect gun for her. We previously went to the range and she thought she would like the Glock 43 because it was small. She was wrong and hated the recoil. Her biggest issues was being able to racking the slide and loading a full mag. The Shield EZ solved every. Its so easy to shoot I almost giggled. 380 was a compromise in caliber but will get the job done for a nightstand gun. She had no issues with recoil and was easily putting a full mag on target.

My has a 9mm and .380 EZ and prefers the .380 because is the purple one. She can handle either. They are extremely easy to rack the slide and load the magazine.

I got my wife a Glock 43 but it’s pretty hard to rack the side and it’s got a lot of muzzle flip so I picked up one of these, too.
https://palmettostatearmory.co...zine-j90a1m9f19.html

It’s full sized but it’s a soft shooter and is much easier for her to rack.