😂 My three girls were all shooting 9, 40, and 45 by the time they were 10 or 11. They are all good students and became proficient with them very quickly. These service calibers ain't exactly hand cannons. Heck, my oldest had a ball shooting my uncle's .454 casull one day when she was about 16, and 120# soaking wet. 

 They were all capable of racking the slides at that age too. Technique matters more than brute strength. That 100% applies to recoil management too. The only thing they struggled with was loading magazines.

Imho the best thing you can do for a new shooter is take them to an indoor gun range that rents out various handguns.    

 

Even if they don't have the exact model you want, she'll have a much better understanding of what she needs in a gun after shooting 3-4 different calibers, and various different type of handgun designs.     

 

G43 (9mm) with Federal HST ammo and a high quality/well vetted holster would be a great starting point.   

 

Bottom line though, once you guys settle on a gun, make it a priority for her to put 500-1000rds through the gun, if you can sign her up for a shooting class, all the better.    Shooting sub/compact handguns with typical self defense calibers and loads is not particularly easy.    

 

 

On 11/23/2024 at 12:04 PM, gimruis said:

Comparing the average civilian female to a trained member of the military seems like a bit of a stretch.

 

Recoil intimidates people that shoot firearms, myself included, regardless of whether it’s a handgun, rifle, shotgun, whatever. And the more recoil a weapon has, the less accurate you are. One of the primary reasons I selected and actively used the firearms I own is because of the recoil, or lack thereof.

 

This isn't true for everyone. I for one, like the feel of a stout recoil. The model 629 44 magnum is a favorite shooter of mine. I did my instructor training with a 1911 45 ACP. My wife will sometimes flinch a little with the big bore handguns, but she can print a tight group with all 3 of my 9mms.

One of the biggest things you can do for a new shooter is double up their earpro.

 

Have her put in ear plugs, and then put a pair of ear muffs over those.   

 

Makes a huge difference for new shooters when you remove the noise aspect of the equation. 

 

Most new shooters conflate loud noise with recoil......they are flinching because of the noise as much if not more than the actual recoil.   

 

This is also a reminder that suppressors shouldn't be controlled by the NFA, they should either be over the counter, or on a 4473.   Suppressors are a health and safety device as much as a firearm accessory.