Originally Posted by Eosyn
Originally Posted by Rock_Hudstone
Thats why I suggested the Glock 42, shoots almost like a .22 but with power of a .380, small enough for ladies hands, super easy to break down and clean, also very accurate.
You should take your wife and daughter to a rental gun range and have them shoot the Glock and few others before making a purchase.
Right now, for my daughter (13) who is deathly afraid of guns, and myself and my wife who have shot less than 200 rounds total, we are looking to train and familiarize ourselves with firearms (pistols atm). For that reason, we want to start out with a small caliber and a pistol with a safety. From what I understand, Glock does not incorporate safety in their pistols. That is why Glock is not on my list right now, but may be after we master the handling of firearms. If I was still single without a child, I would own a Glock 17 in a heartbeat.
One of my goals is to introduce my daughter to guns so she isn't so afraid of them. I'm hoping to get her to feel comfortable handling and using so she will be able to defend herself later in life, if needed. My wife and I both think the SR22 would be a good start on our firearms learning journey.
In regard to S&W M&P22, I read in some of their reviews that the magazine for that gun is hard to come by and only one comes with the gun. For that reason plus it's "full" size is a bit shorter than the SR22, I'm looking to purchase that Ruger after Christmas.
Originally Posted by KCJeep
I am about to purchase one of their 380 EZs for my wife and daughter. I was intrigued by the design, but once you actually see a small weak handed female use it after struggling with other weapons, you realize the sheer genius of it.
Wow, thank you for the suggestion of the EZ series from M&P. Will definitely consider that series when it comes time to upgrade. Will have to research which caliber would be better to take down a bad guy, .38 or 9mm, but that is for a future time and discussion.
Thank you for all the informative replies to this thread. I've learned a great many things from you all.
Happy Holidays!
I know that your stated goals are primarily target shooting/learning and secondarily, self defense. With no concealed carry requirement, the size no longer matters.
But I would encourage you to consider a pair of calibers beyond your two previous choices; .38 special and .357 magnum.
One gun. A quality double action .357 revolver (doesn't have to be new), but capable of two calibers.
Here's why:
1. the double action revolver has the simplest operating system. No magazines to load, no slide manipulation, no safety to forget, no immediate action if there is a malfunction (just pull the trigger again).
2. the double action revolver is extremely reliable.
3. the double action .357 revolver, when loaded with .38 special target loads, has very modest recoil, is very accurate, and is great for new shooters.
4. the double action .357 revolver, when loaded with quality, full power .357 ammo, is a great self-defense weapon. .357 magnum has the highest one-shot stop effectiveness of all calibers in actual police shootings.
It's not one of your two caliber choices, but it meets your stated criteria as well (or better) than just about any particular gun discussed so far...