Surprise! A woman’s body is different than a man’s! This fact most often necessitates a different holster style for female shooters.
Selecting a handgun is personal—too personal to allow me or anyone else to do it for you. That said, it needs to fit your hand, have a recoil impulse you can control, and be small enough and light enough you might actually carry it and have it with you when you need it. Yes, you need to like it.
Not I nor anyone else is qualified to make those decisions for you. I don’t want you buying my underwear and I’ll bet you don’t want me picking out yours. Never buy a defensive handgun unless you have fired at least a box of ammo through one like it, and don’t be afraid to spend some money. With handguns, you often get exactly what you pay for in terms or longevity and reliability. Having said all that, I can offer some advice based on my experiences teaching others to shoot:
A single-action semi-automatic handgun like the 1911 is not just a pistol for a professional. In fact, many new shooters find the single-action trigger easier to learn, and they find the thumb safety to be a common-sense switch.
Compact revolvers are very often the worst first gun for a man or a woman. Their short sight radius makes them difficult to shoot accurately, the triggers are generally hard to pull, and the recoil is often objectionable.
Most shooters will find they can comfortably shoot a 9mm handgun that weighs anywhere between 20 and 30 ounces.
The smaller a handgun gets, the easier it is to carry and the harder it is to shoot. If you are a new shooter, consider a full-size/duty-size pistol as a starter sidearm.
If you are reading this book, it is likely you are hoping to learn how to shoot a defensive handgun better. The only way you can do this is by shooting—a lot. So, don’t discount a .22 LR handgun, and it might even be wise to select a handgun for which you can purchase a .22 LR conversion kit.
Get a handgun laserof some sort. It will be a tremendous help to you while trying to learn the secret and, very possibly, during a life or death encounter.
Select a handgun that has easy to see sights or have the handgun fitted with sights that are easy to see.
For more practical advice on handguns and shooting from Richard Mann, get your copy of his new book, Handgun Training for Personal Protection, from the Gun Digest Store today. Remember to use promo code INSIDEGDB to getfree standard U.S. shipping on your order.
Here's a look at the chapter line-up:
PART 1: THE FOUNDATION
Chapter 1: The Secret
Chapter 2: Mindset
Chapter 3: The Modern Technique PART 2: MODERN ACCESSORIES
Chapter 4: Handgun Sights
Chapter 5: Express Sights
Chapter 6: Lasers in General
Chapter 7: How Lasers Work
Chapter 8: The Laser’s Edge
Chapter 9: Red Dot Sights
Chapter 10: Why Light Matters
Chapter 11: Handheld Lights
Chapter 12: Weapon-Mounted Lights
Chapter 13: Calibers & Ammunition PART 3: TRAINING & EVALUATION
Chapter 14: Introduction to Training
Chapter 15: Dry-Fire Practice
Chapter 16: Live-Fire Practice
Chapter 17: Evaluation Exercises
Chapter 18: Other Stuff
Chapter 19: Opinion
Appendix A: The Rules
Appendix B: Mixing Ordnance Gelatin
Appendix C: Evaluation Drills Score Sheet
