There are a couple of posts out today dealing with what gun for woman. I think the posts themselves are great. They both say the same thing: Try a bunch and get what works best for you.
But the comments! WHEW!
We need to drop the whole “new woman shooter” thing already. They are new shooters, period. Let’s not use sex to color expectations of a person’s capabilities. The idea that women are somehow less capable than men at ANYTHING other than writing their names in the snow is as dead as Teddy Kennedy. (pause to let JayG cheer.) Frankly I’m a little amazed by the neolithic thinking on display in some of those comments.
And that whole revolver is better than pistol for a first gun thing… Let me count the fail.
Myth: Revolvers are intuitive. (And somehow pistols aren’t)
Reality: ALL handguns are intuitive. Point, pull the trigger, BANG.
Myth: Revolvers are simpler to operate than Pistols.
Reality: Have you not seen a Glock?
Myth: It’s hard to rack the slide on a Pistol.
Reality: Frankly if some is too weak to rack a slide how are they going to deal with that double action trigger pull?
Myth: You have to practice failure drills with a pistol.
Reality: If your pistol fails that often you need to get it fixed.
Myth: You don’t have to train with a revolver.
Reality: You don’t have to train with any gun. Practice will certainly improve your shooting, but when it comes to a self defense handgun you don’t have to train at all, most people never do anyway. Refer back to that whole intuitive thing. Point open end at bad guy, pull trigger until he stops moving. If you like to train that’s fine, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’ll be more prepared than anyone else when the shit hits the fan. Cardboard doesn’t shoot back and until it does you’re just playing a game.
Myth: You can leave a revolver in a drawer for years then pull it out and fire it.
Reality: And you can’t do that with a Glock because? (and don’t dare say the magazine spring will weaken over time)
Myth: Revolvers are easier to clean.
Reality: If we’re leaving our guns in drawers for years why does ease of cleaning matter anyway? Cleaning is a fetish left over from the old days of corrosive primers. Modern guns don’t have to be cleaned unless the crud buildup impairs function. But if you have to clean, it’s pretty hard to make the case that a pistol is somehow more difficult to clean than a revolver.
Myth: A .38 Special snubbie revolver is a good first gun.
Reality: Are you TRYING to make people hate guns? If I had to pick one of the worst guns to actually shoot, a .38 Special snubbie revolver would be at the top of my list. NO ONE shoots a .38 snubbie for fun. If you recommend a .38 snubbie as a first gun it WILL go into a drawer for years because they won’t want to shoot it.
I personally don’t like Glocks, but that’s because I don’t shoot them as well as other guns, but I think a Glock 19 should be the first gun people try when they’re looking for a defensive handgun.
I’d no more recommend a revolver than I would a flint lock.
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