LCP for a lady?

[Kudu m77]

Hi there.

My girlfriend would like to buy a compact pistol. She would like something really small for the reason that it would help her to carry it more often or all the time. I was thinking LCP for the reason that a small, maybe less effective pistol would be the most effective pistol, just because it would always be at your disposal. What would the use of a 40s&w be when it sits in the safe all the time...
She does not carry a handbag, making it impossible to carry a larger full size pistol.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Pieter

 

[Conn AK]

Been there, done that...Great choice if she can rack the slide loaded. May seem easy to you and me, but the LCP is difficult to rack with finger nails and small hands. Best way-pull back on the slide (left hand)-push forward on the pistol grip (right hand). Almost had to go with a J-Frame, but she finally got it. Just do it, don't think about it.

 

[Cheesewhiz]

I do some things with other shooters and potential shooters. It's volunteer, I don't ask for a dime, even for advanced shooters looking for speed.
One of these things is helping to choose a proper or first gun. I work with a lot of ladies because of this. It's actually quite a bit of fun.
I find most choices made by a man, no matter how well intentioned, are rejected by a woman.
Give her five guns to choose from, let her shoot them at a range, then make it six, and so on.
It might be helpful for her to bring some of her friends. Make it fun.

 

[Mike J]

I think Cheese is on the right track. Whatever she winds up with should be her choice. There is a website that is designed for women new to firearms called www.corneredcat.com It actually has some very informative articles on several different firearms related subjects. I have spent some time reading it myself. She might want to take a look at it.

 

[toysoldier]

My wife can't rack the slide on any auto pistol I own, including my LCP, but she can pull the trigger, DA, on a Ruger Service Six and a Taurus snubbie. Be sure your wife can make the gun work, and is comfortable shooting it. A .38 with standard, NOT +P loads, is just fine for self-defense. If recoil and muzzle blast from a .38 intimidate her, a .22 is better than nothing.

 

[Conn AK]

That's no joke about women having difficulty racking autos. I almost went with the S&W Body Guard thinking I could rack it and she can carry with one in the pipe with the safety in off position. Then she could store it with the safety on. She got the hang of racking the LCP by just doing it quick and fast and not over-thinking it.

 

[buckshot]

Go do some shooting before you buy if possible. I bought the wife a j-frame .38 and she hated shooting it. She did not like the recoil even with standard loads. We went the the range and she shot every small pocket pistol they had. The LCP also had too snappy of a recoil for her. We ended up with a S&W Bodyguard 380. She loves it, and shoots it well. Like others have said she can't rack the slide on any of my autos but the Bodyguard she can handle just fine. The best advise I can give is don't choose a gun for your wife let your wife choose the gun she feels most comfortable with.

 

[Lateck]

The best advise I can give is don't choose a gun for your wife let your wife choose the gun she feels most comfortable with.

Can't beat that advise!!!! 8)

Lateck,

 

[Anonymous]

I won’t say which handgun I think your girlfriend should have but you got some great advice from the people telling you to let her decide. That means you step out of the picture and buy her some hours with an instructor that doesn’t mind letting her shoot a few different types of guns.
So having said that, I would also suggest you buy her some training with a Krav maga like trainer so she can learn how to fight back until she can get to her gun or run away.
I also suggest lots of KNIFE DEFENSE TRAINING…Most thugs don’t have guns but they have lots of knives.
Basically, if you think all situations will allow her time to get to her gun that probably won’t happen. She needs to know how to fight back if attacked at close range.
In my mind carrying a gun gives you an edge if you can get to it and in some cases you might have to scrap for your life until you can get to it so know how to scrap.
If you give your girl a gun a gun, and then take her to range a few times, and then tell her she is ready to protect herself then you might be responsible for her getting her killed when the SHTF because she trusted YOU. Women are like that and for some reason they trust us males.
Just sayin, if she is a keeper get her all types of training in how to protect herself so she can come home each night and lie to you about what a fine sumbitch you are.

 

[Kudu m77]

Thanks guys.

The problem in South-Africa is that it is highly unlikely to actually get the opportunity to test fire new model pistols. My girlfriend likes and shoots my hi-power without problems, but as you know it is heavy and she will not carry it. A While ago she held a few pistols in her hand and liked the sr9c a lot, but I do not think she will carry it everyday or everywhere. I know the sr9c is a nice pistol and it is smallish, but one cannot compare it with the size of the LCP.
I was just thinking that the best pistol is the one that is always at your disposal.

Pieter

 

[Gizmo42]

The problem with the LCP (and LC9) is that they are pretty snappy. They both hurt my hand to shoot them. On our last camping trip one of the guys' girlfriends tried both of them and after a couple rounds she was done, didnt like firing them. Let her try my SR9c and she really liked it.

That being said, when used for their intended purpose you really arent going to care if the LCP or LC9 hurts a bit when you fire it. They just arent very much fun to practice with. I dont like the snappiness, trigger, or so called sights on the LCP but have been kind of looking around for a decent price on a used one for the few months its 90-100 deg around here and I dont want to wear extra clothes to hide the 9c.