A gun for my sister

depicts

depicts

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After years of working on my sister to let me teach her teenage sons to shoot, she gave in and said she thought it was time.

We had guns in our house growing up, and Mary Ellen shot .22's as a kid.

Whenever I'd mention the NRA or guns though, she'd give me that leftist, Massachusetts college educated look that told me she didn't approve.

Well, to make a long story short, in the past two years I've taken her and her boys (and husband) shooting many times, and they all enjoy it and do quite well, especially my sister.

She is a teacher in her town, and she applied for a license to carry, and got it.

Surprise, surprise. The other day she quietly told me she wants to get her own handgun. As she said, "something I can use a lot, and get really good with."

She thinking of a .22, and thinks it could do double duty as a home defense firearm. I've told her I thought a .38/.357 might be a better choice for defense. She has shot everything I own from a Model 34 .22 Kit gun, J & K frame .357's to .45 ACP, and recoil is not an issue.

My questsion is, should I try to push her toward the .38 or should I shut up and help her choose a .22 that fits and she will enjoy. Maybe later she would buy a bigger self defense gun.

I know it's her choice, it's just that I think the .22 is pretty puny for a self defense gun, even if I thought they were pretty good when they were all I had.

Some input ladies and gentlemen, please!
 
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"something I can use a lot, and get really good with."

This sounds to me like a .22 would be in order. Cheap ammo, and she could get into some competition with a reasonably priced gun.

You're right it's not so good for defense, but a good .22 can be had for $300. Maybe she could pick up a .38 revolver too.

Matt
 
Let her pick her own gun, and encourage her to start with something she is comfortable with and is fond of.

She can always trade up, or just buy a second gun, then a third, and before you know it, she'll be exploring in _your_ gun safe!
 
depicts said:
My questsion is, should I try to push her toward the .38 or should I shut up and help her choose a .22 that fits and she will enjoy. Maybe later she would buy a bigger self defense gun.
Click to expand...

Let her choose...It'll be her gun. If she decides she wants a nice .38 after a bit, so be it. We all know it's an addiction...Just keep buying and buying and buying. Let her have her taste and do it her way!
 
The .22 is not a great defensive round but it is better then nothing. As the saying goes, "A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .357".

I'm sure if she was to get a nice .22 in time she'll want to move toward a more practical defensive round such as a .380, .38 spl, or 9mm. Let her move at her own comfortable pace. You never know, maybe she'll catch that 1911 bug thats been going around. [wink]
 
Typeo...she shoots my Gold Cup real well, but you never know? I'll have to see what Ted's got in the cabinet on Wednesday.

Yeah, I think the best advice is to let her get what SHE'S confident in, and time will take care of the rest.
 
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if she gets the 22

If she gets the 22, she will be less likely to be intimidated. As she shoots, the 22 will become her "first" gun, and she will get the itch for an upgrade.

good luck to her.

frizz
 
I agree let her choose what she want. That way she will be willing to go out and shoot and be comfortable with it. Don't push her to something that may end up being a safe queen.
 
My wife's favorite gun was a Model 66 4 inch with rubber grips until I bought a 10 shot Model 617 4 inch with rubber grips. She said it was the best gun she ever shot.

The day after I bought it she went and took a course so she can get her license. This is after 30 years of shooting with me and me asking her to get a license..

The 617 is a lot of fun to shoot, 10 shots make a big difference, real easy to shoot, hardly any recoil at 41oz. I was able to put 20 inside the 8's at 50 ft. firing as fast as I could. It's a gun that's real hard to fire slow.

The funny thing is you can't tell the 617 and 66 apart untill you get real close.

Now out of the clear blue she says she wants a new Ruger mark 3. This came as surprise to me because she hates all semi auto's except my 1911's.
 
I would recommend something in a 9mm. It's still fairly inexpensive to shoot, won't get boring like a .22, and can be used for home defense. A Glock 17 would be a good choice.
 
Even with a slight 5'-2" woman, you just never know what she'll end up liking. I started my wife out on a P22. But she quickly liked a Glock 17 even more. She has since shot my 1911 only once but said last night it was now her favorite! Since your sis has been shooting with you for years, I'll bet she has a few favorites already.

good luck,
Chuck
 
Thanks for all the helpful opinions. There sure are a lot of options, and I'm going to back off and let Mary Ellen choose her own, the one that feels best to her.

Like a few of you said, she may in time buy another gun, stepping up to a better self defense caliber.

Now that I've been looking though, I think "I" want a new .22. The Smith & Wesson 317 J frame with Hi-Viz sights and 8 shots at 11.5 ounces looks mighty tempting. Darn, so many guns, so little time *S*
 
How about a .22 cal. pistol to start off. A target model like a S&W 22A. A inexpensive way to develop good habits using cheap ammo, with no recoil. For defense later on, I'd go with a 4" medium frame revolver in .38 Spec. +P/.357 Mag. Probably a S&W 619 or 686 or comparable Taurus. Managable recoil,cheap ammo(if you use .38 Spec. lead semi-wadcutter reloads at the range, and the safest handgun you can own. If you don't pull the trigger......it won't shoot.
 
Buffalo Bill said:
How about a .22 cal. pistol to start off. A target model like a S&W 22A. A inexpensive way to develop good habits using cheap ammo, with no recoil.
Click to expand...

I bought myself a S&W 22A and love it. Ordered it from Carl at FS and it's a great shooter. I think it only ran me ~$300. There are a couple different handles, too, but I liked the wooden handle...Got a better grip with it.

SmithWesson22A.jpg
 
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=15704&isFirearm=Y

i haven't seen it yet but my sister got something very similar to this S&W.
as far as with your sister,i wouldn't straight out till her what to get but mention that .22 wouldn't be the greasest for self defense caliber..IMHO

edit-ok saw it today and i believe her gun is this model
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=15704&isFirearm=Y

like jonj said below-maybe something that converts to a .22 for target practice..
 
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