As many are saying, there is no perfect firearm. I've gone through this exercise myself. Take her to a range that also sells firearms. They will let try out as many firearms as they have. What she picks may surprise you.
Is it for concealed carry? If she's going to shoot it at ranges and not carry it, don't get a pocket pistol. They kick like hell. A full sized pistol has way less recoil than a pocket pistol.
Underrated comment here.
There is no really good answer to this question as you have provided no information about the woman intended to use this gun. So, with that being said, Get her a .380 that fits her hand well. Make sure the slide isn't too hard to rack.
Rifle: Pretty much any AR with an adjustable stock
Semi-automatic: M&P Shield EZ in .380 ACP (light slide for gals with low grip strength), low recoil
Revolver: Ruger LCR (lightest double-action trigger I'm familiar with)
The .380 EZ is my pick for a woman. Just spend extra and get the really good .380 hollow points for it. Three eighty is a little anemic, but tou can make up for a bit of that with the best ammo you can find.
The Smith & Wesson Equalizer is essentially a 9mm M&P Shield EZ but with a double stack magazine instead of the single stack that the Shield EZs have in case you want a little more power.
I didn't know that existed. Looks cool. Shit I might buy one to replace my Shield Plus. The safety is a way better design.
(If she's not familiar/it's her first.)
There are so many, I'll just say: Take her to a couple of local gun stores. Have her handle a few at each. She'll probably pick due to what her eye likes. Go from there.
Pistols? Smaller caliber, less kick, just do a grip check. Single stacked mags.
Shotgun? Smaller loads, .410, 20 gauge, shorter barrel. Actions a plenty, what's she pick up first. Familiarize her with that and see if it shoulders comfortably.
Rifle? T-Rex. (JK!) Again, weight of the gun, smaller caliber, (I ain't typing all that out 5.56- 30 cal range, smaller powder loads.) Barrel length, is she comfortable handling it?
Everyone is different, find her comfort zone, especially if you're considering a gift. Use the "hey, let's go look at guns" and the old "yeah, but, if you had to pick one and you could..." Good luck!
S&W shield 2.0 compact in 9mm with a hiviz fast dot .
Taurus 856, six shot .38 special. Easy to load, shoot, easy to conceal inside or outside the waistband and in a purse. You can also get them for $250 or less in some places, brand new.
I always carry either my ruger lc9s or my ruger lcr .38.... both are easy to shoot (in my opinion), they're easy to conceal in my purse or on my person, and the revolver is really easy to clean. They're reasonably priced and have been totally reliable for me.
For general shooting, a bodyguard in .380. For concealed carry, the bodyguard isn't bad but if she needs smaller, a Beretta bobcat in 22 or 25
I wouldnt recommend .22 or .25. Those are too reliant on accurate shot placement under pressure, and women who're cool as a cucumber when facing surprise violence OR practicing enough are unicorns.
In general, the bang or presence of a gun is more important than the caliber. If she does have to fire, a 22 or 25 will have low recoil that will make follow up shots much easier, depending on her size. A 100 pound woman would have issues with followup shots, even with something mellow like a 380. I'm addition, a bobcat can be hidden literally anywhere. Women clothing and such may or may not permit a larger weapon without printing
If she does have to fire, a 22 or 25 will have low recoil that will make follow up shots much easier
The premise is flawed, and why I recommend everyone take some self-defense classes. Inside of 20', being able to draw and get off a shot at all is difficult, much less the precision required for .22 or .25 where it's facial triangle or the crime blotter. "Follow-up shots" are how gun manufacturers sell comically underpowered varmint rounds to women who're big hecking scared of handguns.
If you want an easy way to test this without springimg for a non-lethal training handgun, go get a laser pointer and a banana. Tell your buddy to rush you sometime that day and try to "stab" you with a banana before you can draw and laser pointer him in the face. After you get banana'd to death half a dozen times, you'll stop screwing around with squirrel rounds and get a caliber where even a poorly aimed JHP to the spleen will put an assailant down.
Its really tough for women because a light pistol kicks harder, and a heavy pistol is harder to carry. .380 is the best compromise as others mentioned
Depends on the woman, my wife went to a military academy; her preferred gun is a S&W model 19 combat magnum. I prefer my Sig 320, to each there own. Have her try as many guns as she can, before buying one.
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