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A Woman’s Opinion on Handguns |
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Contributed by Leah Canady
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I am a woman born and raised in South Georgia. I grew up with guns in the house, and even went target shooting with my father. So even though I’m familiar with guns, like most women, I’m not exactly crazy about them. I have small hands (size 4 ½ ring), so I cannot handle a gun with too much recoil. Recently my husband decided that he wanted me to shoot every gun that we own and compare them. Besides, I should be comfortable with any gun I may have to use in the future, right? Hard to argue. So here it is - the guns I loved, the guns I hated - from a woman’s point of view.
My first gun was a Browning Buck Mark 22 semi-automatic. I’ve had this gun since I left for college at eighteen. My dad liked it because it looks scarier than it actually is. I have to say I love this gun. It’s great for target practice because it's not too heavy, has no kick and it’s not loud at all. Unfortunately, it also won’t do much for self defense, other than hopefully scaring an inexperienced intruder.
The second gun was a Sig Sauer P225 9mm. This gun is much heavier than the first but not too heavy to handle. Loading was more difficult than the first due to the springs in the magazine being stronger. The gun was pretty comfortable to hold, just under being too large. It did take me a little while to get used to the loudness and the kick of the gun. My first rounds were all over the target, standing at about 20 feet back. As I got more familiar with the gun, I really started to like it. It didn’t kick so bad that it hurt my hands, and by the last 3 clips, I managed to hit inside the target with every shot. The third gun I shot was my husband's Kimber Eclipse Pro 45acp. I absolutely hated this gun! It was loud, which made me flinch. It kicked too hard for me, and it kept jamming because I couldn’t control it. I wouldn’t recommend a 45acp to any woman unless she is very experienced with guns and / or has man-hands! Next was the Kel-Tec P32, a very small, lightweight gun. This gun was made for small hands! It was by far my favorite – small enough to hide under clothes or in a small purse, lightweight & easy to load. The only problem I had was when the gun fired, the checkering on the grip would rub against my hands, which eventually hurt. This problem was solved by applying a rubber wrap-around grip. After that, the kick didn’t bother me. It was a little less than the 9mm and easier to handle. Plus it still packed enough punch to really be effective for self-defense. I also noticed my aim was right on with this gun, maybe because it was the most comfortable. The last of the handguns was an older S&W snub nose 38 special. Now, this gun is also small and comfortable to hold, but it really packs a wallop. It’s not very practical for emergencies, since to be shot easily you have to cock the hammer back each time, and it only holds 5 bullets. Although the kick is about equivalent to the 45acp, I did feel I had more control with this gun, maybe due to its light weight and small grip. All in all, I liked the Kel-Tec P32 and the Sig Sauer P225 9mm the best. If you are a woman with larger hands, the 9mm would be a better fit, because the Kel-Tec is really small. For me, the Kel-Tec is perfect. |
