As you may know, women are one of the groups in the firearms world that is growing most quickly, and that makes sense. After all, with crime, especially violent crime, higher than was previously acknowledged by the Biden administration, women are likely to be concerned about being targets or victims of crime in our world.
And, unfortunately, women are much more likely to be victims of violent crime than men.
So, it makes sense that law-abiding women would want to be able to protect both themselves and their families.
But as you also know, the shooting world has been a male dominated area over the years, so, it’s much easier to find firearms that work for most men as compared to firearms choices that work well for women, their smaller hands and smaller body frames compared to men (in general).
With that in mind, one writer put together a list of what he considers the best currently available concealed carry handguns for women. So, what pistols did Dick Jones rank as the best for women? The following:
- Springfield Hellcat RDP
- Smith & Wesson Shield EZ .380
- Ruger Max .380
- SIG P365XL
- Smith & Wesson Shield Plus
- Ruger MAX-9
There are some great pistols from great manufacturers on that list. Everything from something small and easily concealable for a woman’s smaller frame (the Ruger Max .380) to something with a trigger that many people love (the Shield Plus) to others that many people like for different reasons all from manufacturers with excellent reputations.
I will admit to being a little surprised that the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 (which we talked about here) isn’t on this list as more than one woman has spoken very highly of it as a pistol for everyday carry (see more about that here).
Still, the bigger point stands, and that is that women now have a number of excellent choices to pick from when figuring out the best firearm for them to train with and carry. So, if your mother, daughter, wife, or significant other hasn’t picked out a pistol of her own for her entrance into the firearms world, now is an excellent time for her to do that.
Here we go again – the choice of a suitable gun is NOT a ‘gender’ (none of the 57 or so) issue – it is a matter of what gun fits a person the best overall and fills their particular needs. Seems to me that too many folks focus on the wrong things rather than seeking to better educate and train ALL people.
FWIW in another lifetime I was frequently asked my opinion about gun choice, my co-workers were predominantly female and they knew me as a ‘gun guy’ (among other things). I always asked them upfront – ‘could you shoot someone?’ Many said yes, particularly if their kids were being threatened. If they said yes then we would talk options.
Hi. Well I suggest one to try one or more out at a shooting range to get some idea on what can work for them best.may not be the most powerful gun but it works in a pinch.for example of one really knows their gun the small .22 long rifle can be a very deadly gun to have around and is easy to use.