03-24-2010, 07:18 AM
The S&W M&P series has gotten rave reviews all over the place. Yes it has a trigger safety, adj. backstraps, etc. It's pretty bitchin.
A few points:
#1: "Small gun" does not mean "suitable for small person." I always tell people to go to a gun show or large gun store and hold *every* pistol they can get their hands on. Ignore caliber, ignore price. See how it feels, and how naturally it points. Grab the gun, make sure it's safe, close your eyes, and raise the gun. When you open them, you should be staring down the sights and they should be mostly in line. If it isn't comfortable, you won't practice with it. And if you don't practice with it, you shouldn't have it. Simple as that.
#2: Revolvers are fine in their own right, but double action revolvers tend to have a DA trigger pull that's more like dragging a sandbag through mud with your index finger. This makes sense, since the double action is actually triple action: Cock the hammer, rotate the cylinder, and finally trip the sear. You're doing all that with your trigger finger. This may not be suitable for someone with weaker hands. Heavier pulls will encourage flinching and anticipating, and the pull itself will throw the sights off. "But Rex, aren't slides on automatics harder to operate?" Hell no, and if they are, it's because you're doin' it wrong. You should be using your whole hand to rack the slide, but for some reason most people only use their thumb and index finger. I guess if you want to make it harder, go ahead...
#3: If the gun you get has expensive/hard to find ammo, you won't practice with it and if you don't practice with it you shouldn't have it. Simple as that. Similarly, don't discount a gun just because it's "big". I know plenty of ladies who prefer .45ACP over 9MM because the recoil is less harsh (even if it is greater). But caliber should be your least concern.
Practice, on the other hand, should be your greatest concern. Regarding a pistol, it's where the holes go not how big they are that matters. You need to penetrate and hit a vital organ/nervous system component in order to stop an attacker, and you can't do that unless your body and mind is up to the task, regardless of your tool. You don't train until you get it right: You train until you can't get it wrong. This is your life we're talking about.
Your ladyfriend would be well served by browsing over Cornered Cat.com
A few points:
#1: "Small gun" does not mean "suitable for small person." I always tell people to go to a gun show or large gun store and hold *every* pistol they can get their hands on. Ignore caliber, ignore price. See how it feels, and how naturally it points. Grab the gun, make sure it's safe, close your eyes, and raise the gun. When you open them, you should be staring down the sights and they should be mostly in line. If it isn't comfortable, you won't practice with it. And if you don't practice with it, you shouldn't have it. Simple as that.
#2: Revolvers are fine in their own right, but double action revolvers tend to have a DA trigger pull that's more like dragging a sandbag through mud with your index finger. This makes sense, since the double action is actually triple action: Cock the hammer, rotate the cylinder, and finally trip the sear. You're doing all that with your trigger finger. This may not be suitable for someone with weaker hands. Heavier pulls will encourage flinching and anticipating, and the pull itself will throw the sights off. "But Rex, aren't slides on automatics harder to operate?" Hell no, and if they are, it's because you're doin' it wrong. You should be using your whole hand to rack the slide, but for some reason most people only use their thumb and index finger. I guess if you want to make it harder, go ahead...
#3: If the gun you get has expensive/hard to find ammo, you won't practice with it and if you don't practice with it you shouldn't have it. Simple as that. Similarly, don't discount a gun just because it's "big". I know plenty of ladies who prefer .45ACP over 9MM because the recoil is less harsh (even if it is greater). But caliber should be your least concern.
Practice, on the other hand, should be your greatest concern. Regarding a pistol, it's where the holes go not how big they are that matters. You need to penetrate and hit a vital organ/nervous system component in order to stop an attacker, and you can't do that unless your body and mind is up to the task, regardless of your tool. You don't train until you get it right: You train until you can't get it wrong. This is your life we're talking about.
Your ladyfriend would be well served by browsing over Cornered Cat.com
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442