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Easiest pistol to operate/strip/clean for women

Nothing wrong with suggesting a pistol that is easy to Operate, Strip, Clean and good for CWC. A little extra info is always appreciated :wink:
 
Upping the ante from the OP.
First thing I think of, is what a backward way to buy a handgun. If you assume this is a tool for self-preservation, my first consideration is will it kill well? Also, is is proven to work flawlessly at all times? Can I afford to shoot the caliber of ammunition enough, every chance I get, to be proficient?
Little snubby, weird revolvers are a compromise on killing power and accuracy right out of the gate. What if you have to reload? Are you expecting a person with no gunfighting experience, or training, to hit fatally with all 6 shots? More likely they will miss with all.
Now, I have yet to kill someone, much less with a pistol, and assume most giving advice on the subject haven't either. We are all just casting words to the wind.
But it is important to ask, read, learn, and PRACTICE your method of killing.
If you think logically what you are trying to do, which I assume is have a concealable firearm, easily used, and reliably fatal, you should look at what you see supposedly proffesional gunfighters use. In that world you see the use of full-frame pistols, semi-automatic, calibers 9mm-.45 ACP, in Glock, S&W M&P, SiG, H&K, and a number of high quality 1911 platforms.
Look around and see if you find hardly ANYONE using a revolver anymore.
Now if you have OTHER considerations that limit the option of the Most lethal choice, you can factor them later. Cleaning and disassembly of a pistol is the LAST thing I would take into consideration. I have a Sig p-220 that I basically never clean, other than wiping it off a little. I just lube it with slip EWL, and bullets fly out the front flawlessly.
Just a little different tack for you to consider.
Brent.
 
How about one of the new poly Judges? Light, small(ish), and great stopping power??
I hope you are not referring to the .410 shotgun shell.
I can think of nothing worse to trust my life to than a cheap Taurus wheelgun shooting a shell just barely suited to the taking of small, thin skinned game.

Just about everything is a better choice than that.
Brent.
 
You think she is going to clean it?!?!?!:lol:

My wife loves to shoot. Has 4 pistols and 2 rifles. She has never cleaned a one! We come back she says that was fun, off to get my nails done and bails! I am the armorer it appears. But in keeping with the thread...

.38 Revolver

Beretta, Sig for auto with Glock close after.

Jay


Ding Ding Ding, you must be looking in my house. She likes to shoot but I, also, am the armorer.
 
Not putting down the 38, I carry a 38 in an ankle rig due to I cant carry any thing else at work (read dress shirt tucked in). But during off hours and the weekend I where baggy long tail shirts. I carry a minnuim of a S&W 40, 90% of the time it's a 1911 45 APC . The wife carries a 40. All are jacked hollow points. And no, I dont want them to get up. A double tap to the chest and one in the head/face if they are still standing.
 
3" barrel J frame Smith and Wesson all steel. The extra inch makes aiming and fire control much easier and gives a little more velocity. The steel frame is still not heavy but is much easier to control and more comfortable to shoot, esp follow up shots. They make them in 38 sp and 357-I would suggest only 38. This is the gun I taught my wife with. She is thin,not terribly strong and was a novice to shooting and did great with it.
I have a Charter Arms 357 and love it. It is accurate with a good grip. I can easily a hit bulls eye target at 75 feet. As most revolvers, it is very easy to clean.
 
A J frame revolver is really endgame. Simple to shoot, simpler to service, cartridge is proven effective over decades of service.
I get weary of hearing the “training” anthem. Face it. Unless you are a devoted pistolero and have a true love of shooting, the “training” concept is somewhat hollow. Defense posture shooting is NOT standing in front of a target and casually squeezing off a few rounds. Truth be told (jump in any time @OkieStubble) most working Police Officers don’t “train” as hard or as often as they should.
So I humbly suggest let simplicity and a proven track record be your watchword when selecting any firearm which will be used as a defense weapon.
 

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
Wow, a 7 1/2 year old thread. I can't believe I missed this one.

As a few have said, I think a .38 snubby is a mistake for a new shooter, male or female. SWMBO likes my L frame best of all of mine that she has shot...Glock, 1911, etc. My Colt snubby has too much recoil and muzzle bark, and too hard to hit with for her. As the OP didn't state if she would be carrying it or not, a good first one would be a K or L frame revolver in .357. You can shoot .38 Special target wadcutters for practice and go up to .38 Special +P or full house .357 Magnum for defensive use. My L frame is loaded with .38 +P for her as she does not like full house .357s.

As has been stated, let 'em shoot several kinds and let them choose what they like best. My recommendation for a new shooter would be a full sized Glock 9mm or the good old Model 19.

If @knlgskr is still following this thread a good one may be:

Model 19 Classic | Smith & Wesson

A J frame revolver is really endgame. Simple to shoot, simpler to service, cartridge is proven effective over decades of service.
I get weary of hearing the “training” anthem. Face it. Unless you are a devoted pistolero and have a true love of shooting, the “training” concept is somewhat hollow. Defense posture shooting is NOT standing in front of a target and casually squeezing off a few rounds. Truth be told (jump in any time @OkieStubble) most working Police Officers don’t “train” as hard or as often as they should.
So I humbly suggest let simplicity and a proven track record be your watchword when selecting any firearm which will be used as a defense weapon.

Sorry Acme...looks like we have to agree to disagree on the J frame for a new shooter.

I do agree that some cops don't train as much as they should, but some are fanatical about it. They would do major depredation on the Dept. ammo supply if allowed to.
 
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My wife (hardly a gun person but very comfortable and competent with a handgun) has experience with:
Glock 26, 30S
SIG P220R, P229, P365
Ruger GP100, SR1911, LCP II
Beretta Pico, 8000 Cougar
S&W Shield 9mm, .45, 629, 640, 442
FN FNP .40
Now....what would you think her preferred choice(s) may be?
S&W 9mm Shield
SIG P365
S&W 442/640
She has no time or desire to “train” shooting from cover, tactical reloading, or much else other than putting the front sight at center mass and pulling the trigger....quickly and as often as necessary.
Does not like either Glock; nor any of the larger auto pistols.
Does not care for the larger caliber rounds either.
And although she knows how to clean a pistol, she ain’t about taking one apart.
Regardless of how “simple” it may be.
Not afraid of running a brush though a revolver however.
So.. “best choice”??
Good question.
And...is she a force to reckon with in a bad situation?
You betcha.....
 

jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Small or Medium frame revolver.

Issues, lighter weight means greater felt recoil and barrel rise. Felt recoil and barrel rise can be mitigated easily with grips and fortunately there are lots of choices available today.

For minimum acceptable self defense purposes but mild recoil and easy control look towards the 32 family. IIRC you can find current examples from Colt, Charter Arms, Ruger and Smith & Wesson.

The next family to consider are the 38Special revolvers and all the above makers as well a Taurus, Rossi, Kimber and likely others are available.
 
Wow, a 7 1/2 year old thread. I can't believe I missed this one.
.

P 08 Luger is about the easiest field strip pistols I've found. Followed by the P 38. They are one of the most ergonomic to hold (natural pointing ability).

After making sure it is unloaded. Pull the toggle to open. Remove the magazine. Rotate the lock/stop lever. Remove the side plate. The entire barrel/cannon assembly will slide out of the frame.

Taking it further apart is just as easy.

 

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
P 08 Luger is about the easiest field strip pistols I've found. Followed by the P 38. They are one of the most ergonomic to hold (natural pointing ability).

After making sure it is unloaded. Pull the toggle to open. Remove the magazine. Rotate the lock/stop lever. Remove the side plate. The entire barrel/cannon assembly will slide out of the frame.

Taking it further apart is just as easy.


Funny you should mention the Luger and the Walther P38. I just ordered a Stephen Hunter book (I've already went through about six of his) that's about the assassination attempt on Harry Truman...it's American Gunfight. The want-a-be assassins, in real life, apparently used the Luger and Walther P38. You never hear much about the two attempts on Truman...JFK conspiracies seem to get the most attention. Reagan has mostly been forgotten also. Maybe that's because they know what happened with those and JFK is still fodder for theory.

Sorry for the derail. Now back to the lively debate on which handgun is best for a new female shooter. I've seen the excellent recommendation to peruse The Cornered Cat website.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Face it. Unless you are a devoted pistolero and have a true love of shooting, the “training” concept is somewhat hollow. Defense posture shooting is NOT standing in front of a target and casually squeezing off a few rounds.

I agree.

Truth be told, most working Police Officers don’t “train” as hard or as often as they should.

I agree. I'd say three quarters of them, would justify using the word "most."

I do agree that some cops don't train as much as they should, but some are fanatical about it. They would do major depredation on the Dept. ammo supply if allowed to.

I agree. But only about one quarter of them anymore, in my experience.

So I humbly suggest let simplicity and a proven track record be your watchword when selecting any firearm which will be used as a defense weapon.

I agree. But I also agree with this...

Sorry Acme...looks like we have to agree to disagree on the J frame for a new shooter.

I do believe "simplicity" in training is very conducive in teaching and training new shooters. I also believe, the nomenclature of simple weaponry, is also conducive in teaching and training of new and/or inexperienced shooters. Trust me, I have taught many of them. :)

However, in my experience of being a firearms trainer, I think there are many myths, misnomers and stereotypes when it comes to shooting in general; and the under estimated, physical and cognitive abilities of new shooters, or inexperienced shooters, or even the differences between male vs. female shooters.

We all have our own history of experiences, where we all have experienced certain things or situations, that will/have branded certain perspectives and generalizations into our individual opinion and thought processes on any given subject. And depending on what we saw or experienced, we can always find evidence and others, who will bare witness for our experiences, because they matched their own, or against our experiences, because they have experienced a whole different set of opinions from similar things or situations.

Let me give a few examples if I may.

1. I have personally witnessed a 6'5 225 lb male cadet, barely qualify with a Glock 9mm, but could not qualify with a Glock .40 or Glock .357 Sig.

2. I have seen a female cadet who was 4'11 and maybe 102 lbs? Shoot perfect qualifying scores, with all three calibers.

3. Did size, strength or gender, play any type of role in the differences between these two completely different cadets? No.

4. Did the lack of experience of the huge male cadet compared to the tiny, little cadet, who just happened to be raised on a farm all her life and also was a daddy's girl of a father who was a lifetime hunter and Major with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol? You betcha.

Questions:

1. Is the operating system of a Revolver simpler than a Glock?

2. Or, is the truthful reality of the matter, that there isn't a more simpler operating semi-auto loading pistol, than a Glock and maybe, while being a different operating system then a Revolver, it is in fact, JUST AS SIMPLE as a Revolver?

3. Let's assume for a second, that they both are just as simple in the different ways they operate and function. Which do you think is more simpler to learn to shoot correctly and accurately?

4. Do you think it is easier to learn to shoot a revolver MORE accurately? Or a Glock? If the Revolver is so easy to shoot accurately, why can't I shoot it as well as a Glock? Or as well as any other semi-auto I have ever shot?

5. Training countless cadets and patrol officers over the years, has given me quite the perspective on my opinion of who can or can't learn to shoot with what. I have seen all size shape and manner of cadets, gender notwithstanding. Yes, those who come into the academy with prior firearms knowledge and experience have a leg up for sure.

However, I have seen all kinds and types of the inexperienced, take all 21 days to just make it right at the end and many others, never get it and I had to suggest to them other employment and send them home. I have also seen countless numbers of them, naturally or instinctively or some other, mystical, magical way, just take to it like a duck to water; and by their appearance with it, it wouldn't have mattered, what type of firearm they had in their hand.


In my experience and opinion, I believe, this would be the correct answer.

As has been stated, let 'em shoot several kinds and let them choose what they like best.
 
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simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
:) I've had a few revolver courses. I don't suck shooting a revolver, But I definitely am not in my element with one either.

I can fix that.

Well, given your decades of experience with a Glock...that may take some doing. You'd have to re-learn.

PM incoming. Give me a few minutes to write and edit it. It may help if you are interested.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I can fix that.

Well, given your decades of experience with a Glock...that may take some doing. You'd have to re-learn.

PM incoming. Give me a few minutes to write and edit it. It may help if you are interested.

When I retire, I plan on showing my Ruger SP101 some love by carrying it quite a bit, so I am definitely interested.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
A very good excerpt from The Cornered Cat.

Gun Store Miss Adventures | Cornered Cat

Awesome article there Mike. It always amazes me why many husbands, will not let their wife, be apart of the process in choosing a gun for her own self. Men will go find themselves, an intelligent, articulate and beautiful female, who is loving, faithful, takes excellent care of him and his children, can multi-task at an expert level, by grocery shopping, picking up the kids from school, manage their household and finances, then simultaneously, put on their makeup while talking on their cell phone, the whole time they are driving to work themselves.

Yet we males, think they are too simple and one track minded, to handle anything other than a revolver? In my experience, women multi task better then men. They have better finger dexterity and better hand/ eye coordination then men. They are much more detailed then men. They are better listeners and follow directions better then men.

Have had many the female cadet not make it thru their firearms and defensive tactics block for many different reasons. Same of Males not making it also.

The number one reason females fail? Lack of interest. Because it goes against the dominate side of the brain they use. Number one reason for males failing? Being bone headed. Because that is a capability of their dominate side. :)

The reason why men own the majority of skill, interest and ability when it comes to firearms, isn't because they are just naturally better at it then women, it's simply because we use the "gadget side" of our brains more (right side) where that interest and desire is located. Just like fixing a car or any other numerous skill set the dominate right side of our brain helps us with.

It doesn't mean, a man can't/won't use his left side every now and then and be interested in nurturing his children. But it also doesn't mean, that just because his wife's nurturing left side of her brain dominates her interests, that she isn't capable of picking up any type of gun that suits her fancy; and then using the right side of her brain, which also has more then enough ability, to get really good with it.
 
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jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Funny you should mention the Luger and the Walther P38. I just ordered a Stephen Hunter book (I've already went through about six of his) that's about the assassination attempt on Harry Truman...it's American Gunfight. The want-a-be assassins, in real life, apparently used the Luger and Walther P38. You never hear much about the two attempts on Truman...JFK conspiracies seem to get the most attention. Reagan has mostly been forgotten also. Maybe that's because they know what happened with those and JFK is still fodder for theory.

Sorry for the derail. Now back to the lively debate on which handgun is best for a new female shooter. I've seen the excellent recommendation to peruse The Cornered Cat website.
As long as we are on the other path in the Yellow Wood, when it comes to US Presidential assassinations we also seem to forget that two US Presidents were killed with 32s and one presidential candidate with a lowly 22.
 
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@OkieStubble
Well done dissertation on the ever popular auto vs revolver issue.
Your points are many and legit.
One thing which seems to be often omitted from such discussion is the “uh oh” factor. You’re in a bad situation (reason you’re carrying the gun in the first place), pull the trigger...click.
To be fair, some autos have double strike capability. Many (including the Glock) do not. Revolvers pretty much all do. FTF, FTE malfunctions are not relevant with a revolver. They are with all autos.
Of course accurate shooting is a paramount concern, but if you can’t get a round fired, there is simply NO accuracy....period.
And...well, history does not tell too many false tales. That being said, revolvers used in a self defense capability share one thing with Elvis...

C9769BCF-CF8E-4AC8-95FD-780EF05AC78B.jpeg


PS. Glad to hear you will be giving that SP 101 some love in the future. Be sure to get a nice holster for it. Those can make pretty good BBQ rigs.
PPS. Speaking of revolvers, here is today’s carry set up...shown above.
 
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