Was told to post this here. We've tried to get one forever but all we do is talk about it.

Background:

I've never fired a handgun – husband would also use it but he has very limited experience with handguns (only familiar with the Military Beretta 9mm and not a fan)

I have long fingers but not very strong to support a lot of kick

Would be for home defense – not worried about not having enough power to knock down an intruder, just that I can control the weapon until you clear the clip

Husband is concerned about the safety mechanism on the Glock

The Beretta receiver kicks back and can hurt anyone who is not really familiar with hand position on a handgun. Are all non revolvers similar or are there models that are a little more user friendly for those with less experience?

What do you recommend to keep from children - is a trigger lock during the day sufficient?

What do you recommend for sights? Do they still make laser sights that you can control with your thumb to shoot at night or has everything gone to the red dot type sight that you see on assault rifles?

Thank you.

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What do you recommend to keep from children - is a trigger lock during the day sufficient?

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I don't know how old your kids are, but in my opinion education about firearms makes them much safer. Obviously if they are too young then the guns should be kept out of reach.

But once they are old enough you should show them how to properly use and respect a firearm, that way it is not some kind of mysterious novelty they can't wait to check out when you are not around.

just my opinion, it may change once i have kids. i do know however that the one time you forget to take that trigger lock off and you are suddenly awaken by an intruder, it may not be pretty.

also, i think you just need to go try out several handguns and see what you feel most comfortable with and what you are able to handle and operate. look at revolvers if your husband is skeptical of a safety. personally i think glocks are one of the safest handguns out there, but that will open a whole can of worms on here i'm sure.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Guy (edited 6/3/2009 1:35p).]

First and foremost, get some training with handling a pistol (firearm in general). Go to a gun range and rent several pistols...revolvers and semi's. Try out different calibers as well. Get a feel for something that you and your husband like and feel comfortable with. Once you purchase your pistol...practice, practice, practice. And don't get a trigger guard. You can get a night-stand safe for a pistol and educate your children about firearm safety. Good luck and welcome to the club!

[This message has been edited by 12th Non-Reg (edited 12/21/2010 11:51p).]

I definitely plan on getting some training, and also agree about teaching our children how to use and respect one. Talked about it several times.

I have been out at a range before, just haven't used a handgun.

Some people ask me to hold their handguns to see how it feels. I guess it's my husband that cares more than I do because I really don't care. I tell them the same thing. Feels fine. I just want something at home that is considered relatively safe and easy to use. My husband is worried about the kick or whatever it will have and more that it has a safety.

When you practice how to shoot, do they have different ones you can try? I've only used one a guy brought, so I don't if they have anything there to use. That may be another reason why we are looking for suggestions to what we should look for.

I would seriously look into a revolver, specifically a 600 series S&W.

They then to be heavier, which will reduce the recoil.

Most handguns kick to some degree. Depending on where you are located, try and find a shop with an indoor range. Most offer training and familiarization classes.

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But once they are old enough you should show them how to properly use and respect a firearm, that way it is not some kind of mysterious novelty they can't wait to check out when you are not around.

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Proper firearm education for children is more effective than any lock. Also, if you are home during the day, and are the victim of a home invasion, you don't want to be fumbling with a trigger lock.

Laser sights are still available. Some people like them and some don't.

Edited for ignorance.

[This message has been edited by jh0400 (edited 6/3/2009 1:59p).]

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My husband is worried about the kick or whatever it will have and more that it has a safety.

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If you ever have to use the weapon for defense, unless you choose something like a .357 mag or larger, you probably wouldn't notice the recoil.

9mm or a .357 mag loaded with .38 ammo is the smallest I would go for a home defense weapon.

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Some people ask me to hold their handguns to see how it feels.

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if it is a semi auto, you'll just want to make sure you can operate it with one hand, i.e. that you can let the slide down and operate the safety or decocker, whatever it may have.

can you comfortably reach the trigger and steadily squeeze it?

does the grip fit in your hand, not too big?

does your hand go up too high on the grip where there is a chance the hammer gets it (don't have to worry about this with a glock --probably more of a question for your husband.

these are some of things i would look when trying to figure out what feels comfortable to you?

as far as being scared of or anticipating the kick, that's part of using a firearm, you become comfortable with that by shooting a lot at the range. teach yourself good habits at the range and it will not be a big deal at all..

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When you practice how to shoot, do they have different ones you can try?

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a lot of ranges will have several different handguns you can rent and try out.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Guy (edited 6/3/2009 2:05p).]

As others have stated, please go to a range and rent some guns. Champion in B/CS is my local indoor range and they let you rent guns. Take a gun safety course.

Based on what you said about your hands I'm guessing you will find yourself looking at 9mm semiautomatics and 38 revolvers as mentioned by others.

If you get a revolver Smith & Wesson or Ruger will offer supreme reliability at an acceptable price. As a novice you may or may not know that a 357magnum revolver will shoot 38special (but not the reverse). So if you go this route you may chose a 357 fully expecting to only use 38 for more manageable recoil and less expensive bullets.

If you want a 9mm semiautomatic I think highly of Glock and Kahr when you go without the external safety.

With an external safety there are tons of quality 9mms out there. Sig, Springfield XD, Beretta, CZ, etc. are among the quality 9mms that come at a tolerable price point. CZ is going to generally be a great value and is as reliable as the others (if you need to save money there to help you get a biometric or some other type safe).

No one said this would be cheap but don't cut corners on quality. Use a high reputation manufacturer. Ruger revolvers and CZ semiautomatics are going to be hard to beat on literal bang for your buck.

budsgunshop.com is one low price dealer to show you how the prices can go.
cabelas.com has some biometric safes
I've done business with both but as a novice you probably prefer to go to your local store with those prices above in mind.

BTW, laser sights are cool but not essential. Night sights are probably preferred but not necessary for home defense. Both can be bought online and added by you or a gun shop later.

Focus on the gun, gun safety, and the safe first. As always, this board is your best resource 97.23% of the the time. Even those of us who think we know a lot learn from each other around here.

[This message has been edited by 12th Non-Reg (edited 6/3/2009 3:19p).]

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The Beretta receiver kicks back and can hurt anyone who is not really familiar with hand position on a handgun. Are all non revolvers similar or are there models that are a little more user friendly for those with less experience?

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The slide is the part of a semi-auto that "kicks back", and yes, it can indeed hurt someone who is not holding the handgun correctly. Incorrect hold can also interfere with the slide's operation, thereby inducing a failure to cycle.

This can be overcome by proper training and the development of proper technique, but not everyone wants to put in that much time. If this is the case for you, then you would be better served with a revolver, which has a greatly decreased chance of a failure. Just be aware that even a revo needs proper hold so that you do not get hit by the gases that come out the front of the cylinder.

A steel .357 revo (as already mentioned above) is a great place to start. Learn time is less, and they hardly ever fail. You can also tailor the load to suit the people who will be using it, and the weight will also help to damped recoil as well. Once you have some experience with shooting in general and revo's in particular, you can decide if a semi-auto is something that will be worthwhile for you to invest time/money into....

if you are looking for home defense only and not to carry, forget about a handgun

what you want is this:

another thought...if this is purely for home self defense, i would recommend a pump action self defense 20 gauge shotgun for several reasons...

much less practice is required for you to be able to effectively hit something,

it is much easier to grab and point a shotgun and have a legitimate chance of hitting an intruder after being awakened than it is a handgun...accuracy with a handgun can be challenging even at the range for an inexperienced shooter-translate that to a high stress situation and you may not even hit something standing 10 feet from you

racking the shotgun may be deterrent enough..

a 20 gauge is a shotgun that a woman can easily handle while still providing plenty of self defense power..

the only problem here is it would be harder to hide from your kids, but again education should fix that.

of course i would still recommend trying out handguns and familiarizing yourself with them...but for home self defense a shotgun may be the way to go

edited: slicer and I had the same idea, i guess a picture is worth a thousand words

[This message has been edited by Mr. Guy (edited 6/3/2009 3:36p).]

I had not fired a hand gun in a decade or more until the kids came. Handguns can be kept loaded and locked away from kids in a quick open keypad or biometric safe (in/on/under the night stand in most cases). Shotguns are kept under the edge of the bed where kids find away to crawl/play.

Surprisingly, it was the kids' arrival that made me switch back to handguns. YMMV

Check out the S&W Nightguard line. Nice revolvers.

I leave a pump shotgun loaded and in the closet. Given a choice between that and a handgun in the night stand, I would choose the shotgun 100% of the time. IMHO, it is the absolute best home defense weapon there is.

I agree with everyone else on make sure you have some good training.

I was in my CHL class last night and they mentioned how the staff isn't able to help you operate your firearm or clear jams and a lady asked "how do I tell if my gun is jammed?".

Thanks for all the replies. We found them very useful. I forgot what my husband said last night that made him think a revolver wouldn't be good for me. Maybe I'm weak, that's usually what he says about me and guns, but I'd have to ask him again. I'm having a preggo brain fart.

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I forgot what my husband said last night that made him think a revolver wouldn't be good for me

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If you remember, please share.

i think a revolver would be fine if there is a misfire you just keep pulling the trigger, you dont have to go through the SPORTS procedure to clear a jam

the only thing better than a revolver is two revolvers. most of them are as reliable as they get. there are no safeties to forget about in the heat of the moment.

Gun safe first, gun second. If all you're going to get is a handgun, then handgun safes are very reasonably priced and available just about anywhere. Get one that has the digital finger pad.

Semi-auto or revolver, invest in the Crimson Trace or other similar target acquisition laser, although I agree that a shotgun is far superior for home defense.

If you're interested in a handgun and concerned about safety and kids, get the Springfield XDM....it's nearly the same as a Glock, except it's got a grip safety and a manual safety.

Get some good training, take a CHL class, go to the range at least once a month, and good luck!

SW M&P 9mm

XD/XDm do not have a manual safety. They only have the Glock-style trigger safety and a grip safety similar to the 1911.

Some of the XD-45's have a thumb safety added but I've only seen them in the catalogs.

[This message has been edited by metrag06 (edited 10/18/2009 10:43p).]

The XDM only has the external safety on the .45 caliber. The 9mm, .40SW, and .357sig versions just have the trigger safety and grip safety (which is plenty IMO).

My advice would be a handgun in a biometric safe. What kind of handgun depends on how much you want to learn. If you just want a gun you can pull out, shoot, relod, and not worry about, get a revolver. Ruger, S&W, and Taurus make good ones at reasonable prices. I would get a .357 magnum, and shoot .38 specials for practice and load it with .357 mags for home defense. If you don't mind learning how to deal with a semi-auto, including how to clear jams, misfeeds, failure to fires, etc., then get an XD-M. You can't beat the 19+1 capacity in 9mm, and the combination of the grip safety and trigger safety are plenty for a home defense gun. It has interchangeable backstraps that allow you to customize the grip to your hand.

^
^
...and now to correct you. The XDM isn't made in 45, only the regular XD.

Why was this thread brought back up after so long?...

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If you get a revolver Smith & Wesson or Ruger will offer supreme reliability at an acceptable price. As a novice you may or may not know that a 357magnum revolver will shoot 38special (but not the reverse). So if you go this route you may chose a 357 fully expecting to only use 38 for more manageable recoil and less expensive bullets

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I agree with this and the rest of the posters who suggest considering a .357magnum revolver. Shooting one with a 4" barrel and .38s offers amazingly little kick for practice.

It may have already been mentioned, but in my opinion, if you aren't strong enough to pull the slide back on a semiauto, it would not be a good choice. So make sure you are able to do that before choosing a semiauto. Not all semiautos are equal in this regard.