Gun suggestions for beginner wanting to get CHL

[A.Texas.Yankees'Girl]

I'm hoping the more familiar I get with shooting the recoil on some won't bother me as much.

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[hellishhorses]

I'm hoping the more familiar I get with shooting the recoil on some won't bother me as much.

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That's the spirit!

 

[A.Texas.Yankees'Girl]

Maybe gradually work her up from the .22LR to .22 stingers to .32 to .380 to .38 to 9mm to .40 to .45 to 10mm/.357mag to .460 rowland/.44mag to .454 casull and beyond. All the while concentrating on an aggressive, thumbs-forward grip — this will greatly reduce the amount of felt recoil and she'll have more fun. If she's not having fun, she won't continue to do it (hehe). It's like learning to ride a motorcycle, skateboarding, skeet shooting, jumping rope, running, etc. — keep it small, manageable and simple to begin with. Then you can move up to bigger, more complicated stuff later. Most people aren't jumping out of bed running a marathon, it's something to work up to.

Don't have to worry about me not liking it...I'm always asking hom to take me

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[TheDan]

I'd recommend a M&P Shield 9mm. Easy to shoot for it's size, and easy to carry.

The best thing you can do is just lay hands on as many guns as possible. You'll figure out what you like. I'd stay away from .380s, though... There's too many good small 9mms on the market these days to even consider .380. My personal favorites are the Sig P938 and M&P Shield. My girlfriend loves her P938.

 

[Younggun]

Not everybody deals with recoil in the same way. A 9mm mouse gun will have considerably more felt recoil than a .380 in the same gun.


Same goes for .32. Most are so small that they aren't much more comfortable to shoot than a smallish 9mm.

 

[TheDan]

Not everybody deals with recoil in the same way. A 9mm mouse gun will have considerably more felt recoil than a .380 in the same gun.

nah... recoil is over thought... Stay away from the +P ammo and you'll be fine. I can't tell much difference between a P238 and P938 when shooting standard pressure 115gr ammo. A lot of felt recoil comes from the design of the gun, too. A blowback .380 like a PPK, Bersa clone, or P230 has a "sharper" recoil than the smaller and lighter P938.

I remember the first time my girlfriend shot a 9mm... I let her try a P226 and she said, "oh no, that's too much!" Well a few weeks later I found a video of a 10yo girl running some sort of competition with a G19. I sent that to her and told her that little girl was shooting the same caliber that she said was too much. That was the end of her being recoil shy. Her favorite handgun these days is a commander sized 1911.

 

[Younggun]

nah... recoil is over thought... Stay away from the +P ammo and you'll be fine. I can't tell much difference between a P238 and P938 when shooting standard pressure 115gr ammo. A lot of felt recoil comes from the design of the gun, too. A blowback .380 like a PPK, Bersa clone, or P230 has a "sharper" recoil than the smaller and lighter P938.

I remember the first time my girlfriend shot a 9mm... I let her try a P226 and she said, "oh no, that's too much!" Well a few weeks later I found a video of a 10yo girl running some sort of competition with a G19. I sent that to her and told her that little girl was shooting the same caliber that she said was too much. That was the end of her being recoil shy. Her favorite handgun these days is a commander sized 1911.

Over thought or not, everybody does not handle it the same and what is nothing for 1 shooter may be uncomfortable for another.

That is why it's important for a new shooter to try different guns and calibers to find what fits, not just ergonomically, but comfort with the characteristics of a caliber in the given platform.


As to your GF, good for her. It's fairly typical for that reaction to come when someone first steps to centerfire and they typically move past it. Doesn't mean everyone will enjoy shooting a .45 though, or any other given caliber for that matter. Enjoying the caliber and shooting the gun means more practice and more proficiency. That is why it's important to be comfortable with the gun/caliber combination.

And to 9mm/.380 recoil. Lighter bullet and 50% of the powder means recoil will be substantially less in the same platform. It's a matter if physics. A 238 and 938 may feel similar but the 238 is a smaller gun, hence more felt recoil.


All of this is why we all need to meet up with everything we got and let this girl shoot.

 

[TheDan]

It's not like we're talking about shooting a 5" .460 S&W Mag with no brake.

.380, 9mm, .45acp... With these calibers 90% of the recoil is felt between the ears.
Everybody gets over it with a little practice and determination. Better to find a gun that fits your intended use, is reliable, feels good in hand, and is pleasing to the eye than to worry about recoil of a particular caliber.

 

[SR9TEX]

I looked for over a year and went to a few gun shows before I purchased my first Handgun, funny thing is I was looking at glocks, xdm's, s&w and a few others and ended up with the Ruger SR9C.

I wanted what others had, or what was said to be the best but none of them felt right to me or had what i was looking for.Even with my big hands a glock felt like a block in my hand.They were all in the $600 +/- range.

I also decided wanted 9mm because its cheaper, always available, provides great stopping power and has minimal recoil. I liked the idea of a external thumb saftey for a first gun aswell. And after deciding I had to have the ruger, realizing the price was $450 sealed the deal for me.

I also like the Ruger LC9 & M&P Shield 9mm.Both small and slim.For some small enough for pocket carry.

 

[Younggun]

It's not like we're talking about shooting a 5" .460 S&W Mag with no brake.

.380, 9mm, .45acp... With these calibers 90% of the recoil is felt between the ears.
Everybody gets over it with a little practice and determination. Better to find a gun that fits your intended use, is reliable, feels good in hand, and is pleasing to the eye than to worry about recoil of a particular caliber.

It matters when it comes to follow up shots and what is between the ears is very important and it can be the difference between hitting the target or flinching and throwing one off in left field.

There is no reason to push someone to shoot outside their comfort level in this case. What you or your girlfriend like really has no bearing on what any other individual should shoot.

 

[TheDan]

What you or your girlfriend like really has no bearing on what any other individual should shoot.

Right, which is why I suggested she lay hands on as many guns as possible. My suggestions should be used as a single point of reference the same as any one else's opinion or review. I still say perceived recoil is a minor issue. First you have to *want* to get over it and then it just takes a little practice.

 

[Glockster69]

I'm wanting to get my CHL and wanting some suggestions of a good gun to practice with that qualifies for the CHL. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner

 

[Stormbringer]

Bersa 380 is a good choice.

 

[txinvestigator]

Bersa 380 is a good choice.

Bersas come up from time to time. I do not own one, own no stock in any gun company. What I do have is over a decade of experience teaching CHL, and over 15 years of other firearms instructor experience. I have instructed well over 1,000 people in CHL alone. Needless to say, I have seen quite a few Bersa .380 handguns. Exactly one of those exhibited no problems. Many people were not able to finish.

That makes me feel comfortable telling people to avoid Bersa. Yes, I know, someone or couple of people on this forum will report that THEIR Bersa has worked with zero problems. I 100% believe that, and my warning is not an attack on you or your judgment.

 

[Stormbringer]

Most problems I have seen with Bersa 380's involve low cost crap ammo and or limp wristing from new shooters unfamiliar with the gun. My 2 cents.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

Bersas come up from time to time. I do not own one, own no stock in any gun company. What I do have is over a decade of experience teaching CHL, and over 15 years of other firearms instructor experience. I have instructed well over 1,000 people in CHL alone. Needless to say, I have seen quite a few Bersa .380 handguns. Exactly one of those exhibited no problems. Many people were not able to finish.

That makes me feel comfortable telling people to avoid Bersa. Yes, I know, someone or couple of people on this forum will report that THEIR Bersa has worked with zero problems. I 100% believe that, and my warning is not an attack on you or your judgment.

After owning one, and getting rid of it, they had severe issues for a while. The two biggest ones are the slide locking mechanism breaking and not allowing the slide to lock open but wouldn't affect operation really (mine included and Bersa sent me replacement parts ASAP). The other was the take down block breaking causing the slide to obviously fail (I heard stories of the slide shooting off the frame). They were known issues and since Bersa has resolved it. My buddy owns a .380 PLUS and it's noticeably better designed. I would imagine that TXI experience was with those models.

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[M. Sage]

Most problems I have seen with Bersa 380's involve low cost crap ammo and or limp wristing from new shooters unfamiliar with the gun. My 2 cents.

I was under the impression that Bersas were .380 cal blowback guns. If that's true, then a limp wrist cannot affect operation.

A loose grip (AKA "limp wrist") will affect the operation of a recoil operated pistol because of the fact that it relies on recoil to cycle the slide. Gas and blowback operated firearms are completely immune to failure due to the operator not properly countering the recoil forces of firing... or things like adding mass to the barrel assembly.

 

[txinvestigator]

Most problems I have seen with Bersa 380's involve low cost crap ammo and or limp wristing from new shooters unfamiliar with the gun. My 2 cents.

Not me.

 

[Army 1911]

As others have said, try as many different guns in as many different calibers as possible.
There is a group of us that shoot at Elm Fork in Dallas and we would be more than happy to let you try our guns. I will PM you with the date and time of our next shoot.

We had one scheduled for this weekend, but weather forecast is so bad it was cancelled.

 

[Kennydale]

Suggest taking a basic handgun course, specifically for women. If your near Stafford TX I can recommend a really good group. Gun wise, I started it using a Ruger SR40C, they also have a SR9C. It is an extremely affordable conceal firearm. It has a carry configuration of 10+1 & the spare magazine is 17 (in 9mm)

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