Need a Hand Gun Advice
03-06-2009, 05:07 PM
#1
Need a Hand Gun Advice Hey guys. I am looking to buy a hand gun for my wife for her birthday. I am not real knowledgable when it comes to guns. This will be for her to keep in the car and possibly carry on some occasions. Any suggestions what I should look at?
Thanks
Dave
Thanks
Dave
Trending Topics
03-06-2009, 08:25 PM
#8
I 2nd the judge. It's marketed as a vehicle defense gun. My buddy just bought one for his fiance. Shoot's 410 shot gun shells so she doesn't have to be very accurate. Or you can shoot .45 long colt.
03-06-2009, 08:26 PM
#9
Teching In
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lone Star State
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Interested in a revolver or semi-auto? How much do you want to spend? What will the weapon primarily be used for? Concealed Carry or in the car?
Semi - Auto Conceal Carry, best for a woman - Kel-Tec P-3AT, its a .380 and very easy to shoot.
Semi - Auto Target only - Walther P22 in Black / Pink, my wife really wants one
Revolver - Any .38 snub-nose should do the trick, especially S&W
I think the semi-auto would be much easier for a woman to conceal and be comfortable
Semi - Auto Conceal Carry, best for a woman - Kel-Tec P-3AT, its a .380 and very easy to shoot.
Semi - Auto Target only - Walther P22 in Black / Pink, my wife really wants one
Revolver - Any .38 snub-nose should do the trick, especially S&W
I think the semi-auto would be much easier for a woman to conceal and be comfortable
03-06-2009, 10:01 PM
#12
TECH Apprentice
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: houston
Posts: 336
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here is report on the JUDGE Here Come da Judge: Taurus .45 Colt/.410 Bore Revolvers
By Chuck Hawks
Taurus Judge revolver. Illustration courtesy of Taurus International.
I have been asked to do a full review of Taurus .45/.410 revolvers for Guns and Shooting Online, but declined. I simply refuse to waste that much of my time and effort on a product that I already know is inherently incapable of delivering acceptable results. However, in response to popular demand, I agreed to do this abbreviated mini review.
At present, Taurus is offering six models of .45 Colt/.410 bore shotshell combination revolvers, if you count different finishes (blue or stainless) as separate models as Taurus does. Note that these are not "convertible" revolvers supplied with two cylinders; these Taurus revolvers fire both .45 Colt cartridges and .410 shotshells from the same cylinder. The variations include "Tracker" models with 6" barrels in blue and stainless steel, similar models with 3" barrels in blue or stainless steel and an "ultra-light" version (at 22 ounces empty, not really) with a 3" barrel built on an aluminum alloy frame. These five models are all chambered for 2-1/2", .410 shotshells.
The sixth model, named the "Judge," seems to have generated the most interest. It is a stainless steel version with a 3" barrel and a cylinder lengthened to accept 3" .410 shotshells. Taurus incorrectly identifies the 3", .410 shotgun shell as a "Magnum" on their web site, but in reality it is simply a "high brass," not a magnum, load. Here are some basic specifications for the 3" chamber Judge:
Model - 4510TKR-3SSMAG
Caliber - .45 Colt and .410/3" shotshell
Capacity - 5
Frame size - Medium
Barrel length - 3"
Finish - Matte stainless steel
Weight - 36.8 ounces
Length - 9.5"
2008 MSRP - $608
All of these Taurus revolvers are supplied with a fiber optic front sight and a rudimentary fixed rear sight consisting of a square groove cut into the top of the frame. The rubber handgrips are Taurus' "Ribber" type to help moderate the considerable recoil, especially of the Ultra-Light version.
Taurus double action revolvers have traditionally been built on what is essentially a copy of S&W lock work, which is faint praise at best. The cylinder swings out to the left for loading/unloading in the usual manner and rotates counter-clockwise (out of the frame) when operated. Their DA trigger pulls average an unacceptable 12 pounds or so, but their SA trigger pulls are usually quite good at about three pounds. The sample Judge 3" was typical Taurus in this regard. Unfortunately, a good SA trigger pull achieves little in a revolver that is inherently inaccurate.
These are basically five-shot, double action revolvers chambered for the venerable .45 Long Colt (LC) cartridge. However, the cylinders of the five standard models have been lengthened to also accommodate 2-1/2" .410 bore shotshells. This results in a cylinder that measures 2.690" in length and a frame window to match. The cylinder of the "Magnum" .410 Judge has been lengthened to an incredible 3.190" in order to accept 3" long .410 shotshells. Because of their dual-purpose mission, the six groove, right hand twist rifling in Taurus .45/.410 revolvers' barrels is intentionally cut shallow to minimize the inevitable disruption of .410 shot loads, which does not bode well for accuracy with conventional bullets or shotshells.
The cylinder in a .45 Colt Peacemaker revolver, which is properly sized to the cartridge, measures 1.609" long. That means that a .45 Colt bullet fired in a 2-1/2" chamber Taurus has to jump over an inch of additional free space just to reach the forcing cone. Fired in a 3" chamber Judge, that same bullet has to jump an additional 1.5" of space to reach the revolver's forcing cone!
The bottom line is that, while Taurus revolvers in general have earned a reputation for mediocre accuracy, these .45/.410 revolvers have dramatically lowered the bar. One author, writing for a respected gun magazine, praised the Judge to the skies (naturally), but admitted that it would barely keep its bullets on a humanoid silhouette target at 25 yards! Considering that practically any Colt or Ruger .45 LC revolver will average 2-3" groups at that range with factory loaded ammo and no tuning whatsoever, the Judge's accuracy as a .45 LC revolver is simply unacceptable.
Naturally, firing a .410 shotshell in a revolver with a 3" rifled barrel is not likely to produce very satisfactory results. The same writer mentioned in the paragraph above patterned the 3" Judge with 11/16 ounce, #4 and #6 .410 shot loads and reported very few pellets outside of an 18" circle--at five yards! Pardon me, but .410 shotshells are customarily patterned at 30 yards. These are the kind of deceptive shenanigans required to produce a favorable review of a Judge revolver. (Print magazines never publish an unfavorable review of an advertiser's product.) Here at Guns and Shooting Online, we try to avoid such deceptions, which is why I declined to do a full review of the Taurus Judge revolver.
My advice to anyone looking for a .45 LC revolver is to buy a Colt or a Ruger. If you want a .410, a number of good shotguns are so chambered. The Taurus Judge is a "one size fits all" approach to being both and, consequently, is unsatisfactory as either.
By Chuck Hawks
Taurus Judge revolver. Illustration courtesy of Taurus International.
I have been asked to do a full review of Taurus .45/.410 revolvers for Guns and Shooting Online, but declined. I simply refuse to waste that much of my time and effort on a product that I already know is inherently incapable of delivering acceptable results. However, in response to popular demand, I agreed to do this abbreviated mini review.
At present, Taurus is offering six models of .45 Colt/.410 bore shotshell combination revolvers, if you count different finishes (blue or stainless) as separate models as Taurus does. Note that these are not "convertible" revolvers supplied with two cylinders; these Taurus revolvers fire both .45 Colt cartridges and .410 shotshells from the same cylinder. The variations include "Tracker" models with 6" barrels in blue and stainless steel, similar models with 3" barrels in blue or stainless steel and an "ultra-light" version (at 22 ounces empty, not really) with a 3" barrel built on an aluminum alloy frame. These five models are all chambered for 2-1/2", .410 shotshells.
The sixth model, named the "Judge," seems to have generated the most interest. It is a stainless steel version with a 3" barrel and a cylinder lengthened to accept 3" .410 shotshells. Taurus incorrectly identifies the 3", .410 shotgun shell as a "Magnum" on their web site, but in reality it is simply a "high brass," not a magnum, load. Here are some basic specifications for the 3" chamber Judge:
Model - 4510TKR-3SSMAG
Caliber - .45 Colt and .410/3" shotshell
Capacity - 5
Frame size - Medium
Barrel length - 3"
Finish - Matte stainless steel
Weight - 36.8 ounces
Length - 9.5"
2008 MSRP - $608
All of these Taurus revolvers are supplied with a fiber optic front sight and a rudimentary fixed rear sight consisting of a square groove cut into the top of the frame. The rubber handgrips are Taurus' "Ribber" type to help moderate the considerable recoil, especially of the Ultra-Light version.
Taurus double action revolvers have traditionally been built on what is essentially a copy of S&W lock work, which is faint praise at best. The cylinder swings out to the left for loading/unloading in the usual manner and rotates counter-clockwise (out of the frame) when operated. Their DA trigger pulls average an unacceptable 12 pounds or so, but their SA trigger pulls are usually quite good at about three pounds. The sample Judge 3" was typical Taurus in this regard. Unfortunately, a good SA trigger pull achieves little in a revolver that is inherently inaccurate.
These are basically five-shot, double action revolvers chambered for the venerable .45 Long Colt (LC) cartridge. However, the cylinders of the five standard models have been lengthened to also accommodate 2-1/2" .410 bore shotshells. This results in a cylinder that measures 2.690" in length and a frame window to match. The cylinder of the "Magnum" .410 Judge has been lengthened to an incredible 3.190" in order to accept 3" long .410 shotshells. Because of their dual-purpose mission, the six groove, right hand twist rifling in Taurus .45/.410 revolvers' barrels is intentionally cut shallow to minimize the inevitable disruption of .410 shot loads, which does not bode well for accuracy with conventional bullets or shotshells.
The cylinder in a .45 Colt Peacemaker revolver, which is properly sized to the cartridge, measures 1.609" long. That means that a .45 Colt bullet fired in a 2-1/2" chamber Taurus has to jump over an inch of additional free space just to reach the forcing cone. Fired in a 3" chamber Judge, that same bullet has to jump an additional 1.5" of space to reach the revolver's forcing cone!
The bottom line is that, while Taurus revolvers in general have earned a reputation for mediocre accuracy, these .45/.410 revolvers have dramatically lowered the bar. One author, writing for a respected gun magazine, praised the Judge to the skies (naturally), but admitted that it would barely keep its bullets on a humanoid silhouette target at 25 yards! Considering that practically any Colt or Ruger .45 LC revolver will average 2-3" groups at that range with factory loaded ammo and no tuning whatsoever, the Judge's accuracy as a .45 LC revolver is simply unacceptable.
Naturally, firing a .410 shotshell in a revolver with a 3" rifled barrel is not likely to produce very satisfactory results. The same writer mentioned in the paragraph above patterned the 3" Judge with 11/16 ounce, #4 and #6 .410 shot loads and reported very few pellets outside of an 18" circle--at five yards! Pardon me, but .410 shotshells are customarily patterned at 30 yards. These are the kind of deceptive shenanigans required to produce a favorable review of a Judge revolver. (Print magazines never publish an unfavorable review of an advertiser's product.) Here at Guns and Shooting Online, we try to avoid such deceptions, which is why I declined to do a full review of the Taurus Judge revolver.
My advice to anyone looking for a .45 LC revolver is to buy a Colt or a Ruger. If you want a .410, a number of good shotguns are so chambered. The Taurus Judge is a "one size fits all" approach to being both and, consequently, is unsatisfactory as either.
03-07-2009, 12:18 AM
#14
Teching In
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For a lady, get her a .32, .380 or a 9mm auto. Kel-Tec, Kahr or Tarus make some nice smaller pistols in those calibers that won't break the bank or her wrist. Get her something that will easily fit in her purse. Don't worry about what some of the guys on here will say about caliber. A few shots from .32 hollow point will definately change your mind about what your doing quick, fast and in a hurry. Kahr just came out with a very nice small 9mm designed for carry. I'd go check that out. Easy to handle, cheap & readily available ammo, decent stopping power.
I wouldn't suggest going with a stubby .38 as others have reccomended. It's a great pistol and caliber but it's bulky making it difficult for her to get it out of her purse rapidly. Also, they kick pretty decent and it may make it unenjoyable for her to pratice.
I wouldn't suggest going with a stubby .38 as others have reccomended. It's a great pistol and caliber but it's bulky making it difficult for her to get it out of her purse rapidly. Also, they kick pretty decent and it may make it unenjoyable for her to pratice.
03-07-2009, 04:18 AM
#15
Teching In
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just bought a CZ 40P yesterday from sharp shooters. It's pretty small and compact, feels really comfortable and light. I have small hands for a guy anyways, but it fits my wife great as well. I paid about $525 for it and it even comes with a warranty. If you want something a bit smaller the 9mm version was nice as well. I just wanted to put a big whole in something...
03-07-2009, 08:30 AM
#16
On The Tree
iTrader: (20)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Garland, TX/Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Get her a 380. Low recoil and easy to carry. My mom has no problem shooting it accurately. No point in having a big gun she can't control in the time of need.
03-07-2009, 09:22 PM
#19
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Helotes/San Antonio
Posts: 324
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Check out the Sig Saur P239 in 9mm
Thats what my girl likes. She is small and is able to rack the slide
and that is very important and often overlooked when considering
guns for women.
I don't recommend the .380acp guns for women because they have
a sharp biting recoil that is associated with the blowback operation
almost all 380's are built around.
Other than that, a non lightweight .38 caliber S&W snub might fit the bill.
Thats what my girl likes. She is small and is able to rack the slide
and that is very important and often overlooked when considering
guns for women.
I don't recommend the .380acp guns for women because they have
a sharp biting recoil that is associated with the blowback operation
almost all 380's are built around.
Other than that, a non lightweight .38 caliber S&W snub might fit the bill.
