What are all the Ladies Shooting?

[HostileHabitat]

So my lady has gone with me to my past 6-7 Matches and last week she told me she wanted me to get her a pistol and the equipment so she could shoot with me in the matches.

I have taken her to a few gun stores and had her hold a bunch of guns.

She likes some and not others. Then

I will take her to a different store and with out her knowing I will have her try the exact same pistols but her opinion changes. This cracks me up.

I came clean after some confused looks in her direction and told her all the guns have been the same and she had 12,340,923 explanations of how little details in the grips made each one feel different, and that they were NOT the same. Even though its the same model/same back stap just different store.

She never really paid attention to the differences to the actual model she was holding each time because we were focusing on her grip comfort first.

She then asked me, "Well what are all the OTHER girls shooting?" and I had no exact answer I could give her.

I shoot a Tanfoglio Match with Hogue grips and her hands hardly wrap around the gun. She has medium to small hands I would guess.

What are the ladies shooting in IDPA these days so I can narrow down the tons of options out there?

[Fabzz613]

My wife is gonna be shooting her kimber custom in CDP.

Should have seen the gun store guys faces when she went to pick that up

[GOF]

There is no standard 'ladies gun'. Glocks and M&Ps are popular (with males and females)... I also seen Browning Hi-Powers (you are now allowed to disconnect the mag safety) a few SIGs, and one of my female team mates shoots a Night Hawk 1911 9mm.

It's the same as with guys... what fits your hand and shoots well for you.

[dee loo]

For my wife a G19 Gen 4 without any backstraps or a 9mm 1911 with slim grips. She has smaller hands and is 5'2".

She hasn't shot it yet, but at home a M&P9 with small backstrap feels good to her.

Edited September 9, 2012 by dee loo

[solaritx]

Down here in the Houston area, we have several excellent shooters that happen to be female.

Few shoot M&P's, few shoot 1911 platform in 9mm (everything from Spartan to high end), a few CZ platforms, think a XD or two and of course Glocks.

Most that shoot glocks shoot in ESP because they correctly have Dale Hunnicutt (hunnicutt grip reducions from the houston area) do a grip reduction and magwell that customizes the gun exactly to their hands. (think last time I looked, custom reduction and magwell was around 125-150)That is what we did for my daughter when she started shooting at age 11. At 16 she went and won the ESP/MM at Smith and Wesson Indoor (beating all but one SS and half of the EX as well). She is now 22 and still shooting the same glock 34 (longer sight radius for better long shots)

If I were to go with the 1911 platform, I personally love the STI Spartan as do several of my students. Some like the normal grips, some like it with slim grips. About the same base price as a glock (both new). Mags about the same price. Dawson has them and with a high viz dawson front sight and a mag well, the 1911 platform fits a smaller hand well. One does have to practice with the safety, etc where the glock is more KISS.

Unless shooting SSP, one is almost always going to tweek. The marketing issue for M&P and the newer Glocks is te interchanging backstraps but these are never fitting one's hand like a custom job from Hunnicutt (or someone else doing excellent custom modifications)

Edited September 9, 2012 by solaritx

[Bill Nesbitt]

My wife has been shooting a Gen 2 Glock 17 for the last 10 years. The finger grooves don't fit her fingers right on the newer ones. I have extra Gen 2s for her.

Other ladies I have seen shoot Glocks, S&W M&Ps and 1911s in 9mm.

[astephenson]

My wife shoots a Glock 34 or my 9mm STI Trojan 1911. I think she prefers the 1911, though.

Most of the other ladies around this area shoot a Glock of some sort...mainly 17's and 34's.

[Tuflehundon]

Most I have seen shoot either a Glock or S&W M&P, both in 9mm. But I met one last Friday that was shooting a single stack 1911 .45.

[hkguy]

at my club ive seen the women shoot glocks, M&P's, HK's, Sigs, both 9mm and .45 1911's, S_I's, etc.

IMHO i would tell your wife that it does not really matter what other women are shooting. She needs to find the gun that fits her hands, that she can manipulate the controls of, and shoot the best. She needs to go to the gun shop and hold, shoot, and play with all the major brands and find the gun that fits her best.

[jason237m]

At our club the Glock 34 seems to be the default ladies choice.

[ControlTheGun]

My wife shoots a custom 9mm CCO (Commander slide, Officer frame).

The gun is basically stock with a 10-8 rear and a green fiber front site.

This is the gun she carries so IDPA gives her a good chance to practice.

Edited September 20, 2012 by ControlTheGun

[HiPowering Along]

What hkguy said above. There are literally tons of guns out there - find some friends that have different types of handguns and spend a day on the range with them. Takes care of a few things at one time - save the retnal at a range, buying a gun that looks good but 'just doesn't feel right' when you shoot it, and you spend a day slinging lead downrange with friends and maybe dinner afterwards. Can't get much better than that.

Personally, despite my forum moniker, my actual carry and competition gun for IDPA is a Sig P226 Elite in 9mm. Although I have small hands like most women, I've adapted to shooting the Classic P Series Sigs well. The new E2 series with the slimmed down backstrap is easier to get to the mag release than the Classic series.

The Browning HiPower is my favourite, though - first gun I ever bought, fits my small hand well despite being a double stack mag, and points/shoots like a dream. And if I don't bring it out for competition sometime next year, Jane "Beach Bunny" is gonna have a talking with me now that I can put a C&S trigger in it and get rid of the (!^%**@# magazine disconnect.

Single action or double action first shot - it's all what you get used to. Find a gun that (A) fits the hand well ( feels good in the correct grip © can be manipulated without undue 'jacking' around in your hand during a mag change, and (D) get a dropped and offset holster from Blade-Tech or Comp-Tec for IDPA use and have a blast shooting with your better half!

[Agney5]

My wife started with a Sig 1911 carry which probably wasn't the best choice but it's what she wanted. She could shoot it well for awhile but quickly was fatigued so that was traded off. Now she has an XDM in .40 S&W which she seems to like plus I can load it to major power factor if she feels like shooting in USPSA or IPSC. It really comes down to feel but I will say mine really liked the feel and comfort of her 1911 but the .45 ACP recoil was just alot to handle. So like many have suggested let her shoot as many as she can, and she will eventually figure out with actuall trigger time what she likes and what really points well for her.

[PistoleroJesse]

CZs haven't been mentioned yet.

ETA: They have been mentioned twice now.

Edited September 26, 2012 by PistoleroJesse

[steel1212]

From the training I've done with some ladies, most end up preferring a heavier gun, at least in my experience. Its that whole idea that all women should have a light J-frame as a carry gun because its small and light like them....ok thats a hard gun to shoot numnuts! I'll start them on a polymer something or other and they end up liking a stock CZ better. The weight absorbs a lot of the recoil so they tend to either not develop or develop less of a flinch. Most actually enjoy shooting my CZs....then again so do I!

[hiker88]

My wife prefers my Beretta 92fs. My CZ SP01 shadow was a little on the heavy side and she didn't like the feel of the Glock 34 that much.

[h4444]

My wife shoots me dirty looks anytime the subject of shooting comes up.........

I'm still working on that little issue. In a few more years once the oldest daughter is old enough to watch her siblings, I may have a chance to rectify that as I actually have gotten her to go to the range ONCE and she seems to want to learn more, but not on the indoor range I normally shoot at these days. I took her there once and of course on our left we had somebody shooting a .44 mag and on the right was a .500 mag and neither could hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle, but MAN they could make some noise and my wife was sensitive to it, even double plugged. I've shot on indoor ranges for years and years and the large bore magnums in there ARE unpleasant.

I just need to get a membership to BGSL (hmmm,,,,maybe I'll do that right now) so I can get her on an outdoor range and maybe stand a chance to getting her into shooting sports.

Byron

[johnmac]

My wife shoots a S&W Model 19 for IDPA matches. Pros: Revolver grips come in all shapes and sizes, not too hard to find something for small hands, such as a vintage pre WWII service grips and Tyler T grip combo. Simplicity of use of DA revolver. Cons: higher level of dexterity needed for reloads, but if you use a Comp 3 it's not too bad.

Edited September 26, 2012 by johnmac

[Hi-Power Jack]

we were focusing on her grip comfort first.

I shoot a Tanfoglio Match with Hogue grips and her hands hardly wrap around the gun.

Dusty, I'd be careful with "grip comfort" as THE criterion for selecting her gun.

I started shooting a BHP, and after 20 years, tried a 1911 - held it and HATED the grip -

it was too "slabby", too large (couldn't wrap my hands around it), etc.

After shooting it a bit, I preferred the 1911 and could shoot it faster and more accurately

than my revered BHP.

Best approach - get her shooting YOUR Tanfoglio - not during a match, but at a practice

session. See how she does with that ... see what the problems are (if there are any).

I wouldn't JUMP into a new gun, and certainly not based on the single criterion of

"grip comfort". Or, "what other women are shooting" = start out slow & see how it goes.

[jmorris]

1911, Glock, m&p, and CZ for small hands

Edited September 27, 2012 by jmorris

[PistoleroJesse]

1911, Glock, m&p, and CZ for small hands

I disagree on the Glock. Even the Gen 4's are a tad larger than I'd like and I have med-small hands.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I can get her on an outdoor range and maybe stand a chance to getting her into shooting sports.

A .22, outdoors, with reactive targets gets people "into" shooting

real fast - really a lot of fun, no noise, no recoil. Especially

with good ear muffs - and no "loud neighbors".

Indoor ranges are too crowded, too noisy - magnifies the "bad"

effects of shooting.

[h4444]

I can get her on an outdoor range and maybe stand a chance to getting her into shooting sports.

A .22, outdoors, with reactive targets gets people "into" shooting

real fast - really a lot of fun, no noise, no recoil. Especially

with good ear muffs - and no "loud neighbors".

Indoor ranges are too crowded, too noisy - magnifies the "bad"

effects of shooting.

Yup.....I've been shooting indoors for so long I don't notice the noise and such anymore. It was my mistake.....

.22 is exactly what I started her on, we live near and indoor range with a huge supply of rental pistols. Unfortunately, there isn't a .22 in my collection right now. Been to busy stocking back up on Limited guns, Single Stacks, Presses, conversion kits, components and such....But there will be on in the safe soon.

[Carmoney]

I have taken her to a few gun stores and had her hold a bunch of guns.

She likes some and not others. Then

I will take her to a different store and with out her knowing I will have her try the exact same pistols but her opinion changes.

If this doesn't cause a screaming internal warning siren to go off in your brain, I wonder what will?

[Norther]

My wife shoots her Smith 649 in Steel Challenge matches (she's practicing, not competing), and my XDm 9mm for USPSA and IDPA. She's talking about trying my 1911 .45 next, but the major pf is a little much. I'm thinking of working up a minor load for it, for her. It's nice to have her shoot with me.