I'm taking a young lady to H&H to look at handguns his weekend.

[Master Carper]

Be sure and look at the Bersa 380, if the place you are going carry these. I have sold over 600 Bersa 380 pistols to various Law Enforcement Officers, for back-up and off duty weapons, and 15 years later, there has been "0" complaints from anyone! I do however, go over every single pistol, polish the slide/rails and make sure everything is working 100% flawlessly before I hand them over. Actions are much smoother than a Beretta or Glock, and accuracy is excellent for this type of weapon....

 

[Lakenut]

Number 1 factor you missed...It has to be pink!!!!

 

[Brandi]

Don't be dissing pink guns...they will put the hurt on you just like black, blue, silver....

 

[toehanus]

I had originally bought my wife a Bersa .380. It fit her hand well, but she never really liked it. So, we did what you are doing. We went and fondled guns. I bet she held a hundred guns before she finally found what she liked. I directed her away from guns I knew would be too big for her hands. Oddly enough, she doesn't like pink guns. My mom, however, has a pink .38.

 

[rgoodjr]

Gun fit, make sure to check how her trigger finger reaches the trigger. Some say use the finger tip, some say the finger pad, some say the first joint. From there decide on which ones she likes and make sure to rent and try them before you buy.

 

[Hoov]

Aarond, you have figured it out, sir. God bless you. But please, no Bersa.

 

[Maverick1911]

The way you are going about it makes a lot of sense. The only thing I would mention is that, assuming she is a very novice shooter?, she may show signs of having issues mechanical issues.....specifically, with manipulating the slide on certain semi-autos. I have seen many women shy away from guns after initially having some of these issues only to find out that it was more of getting them used to the gun and teaching technique. I instructed one girl, maybe 100 lbs with stacks of quarters in her pockets, basic handgun manipulation. In the beginning of the class she couldn't rack the slide to save her life....a little tweak on her technique and some comfort developed and 2 hours later she was able to manipulate the slide with no assistance.

 

[Hoov]

This^^. And you are on the right track with her picking the gun. Don't be afraid to step in, though, if she leans toward a junk brand.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Hoov,,,
I won't let her buy junk.

But we disagree on one brand,,,
I have three Bersa pistols and like them all.

My Thunder 22 is three years old,,,
It has one of the highest round counts of all my guns.
And so far it's also been one of the best performers of my rimfires.

My Thunder 380 is the same age,,,
While it doesn't have the same round count,,,
It's been a flawless performer and is easy to hit with.

The Thunder 9 UC Pro is brand new,,,
I only have 250 rounds through it so far,,,
So I can't give it a raving revue because it's new.

She has fired all three of the Bersa pistols and likes them,,,
But I have told her that they are not the be-all and end-all of handguns.

BTW,,,
We had to postpone the trip,,,
We'll try to get down there next weekend.

Aarond

.

 

[MikeM]

You are on the right track. What I would also suggest is start with a rental 22, then move up to a 380 then a 9 and then 40 and if she wants to, try a 45. Let her find the caliber she likes. Then let her look at weapons for sale in the caliber she likes. I did that with my daughter. Surprisingly she ended up liking her husbands 9 MM. When my wife wanted a concealed carry weapon she was sure she wanted a Ruger. She knew she liked the 380. We went to the range and rented the LCP. She shot about 20 rounds and said some colorful language. We ended up going to the sales section where she looked at a lot of guns. She ended up with a Sig P238 and loves shooting it. At the same time, there was another couple trying to return a firearm the husband had ought for his wife. She hated it. He had a hard time understanding why because he thought it was perfect for her. As you said the individual has, absolutely has to be comfortable with the weapon of they won't want to shoot it and when they do won't be as accurate as they could be. Guide but let her make all the decisions. She will thank you later when she has a target she is really proud of.