A question that often comes up during classes is: "What gun is the best for me?" And my answer to this question is always the same: "I don't know." I don't say that answer because I want to be mean, or because I lack knowledge of a variety of different firearms makes and models. But the truth of the matter is, a shooter has to choose their own gun be it a rifle, pistol, or shotgun. This is because there are a myriad of factors that go into what makes a firearm a good choice for a particular shooter. So, just because I may think the pistol on my hip or rifle in my hands is the greatest thing since sliced bread, it may only be that way for me, for someone else it could be a bad choice.
The over-riding factor in the decision making process should be: "What is the intended purpose of this firearm?" I am not going to use an over-under shotgun for concealed carry, and I am not going to use a pistol to shoot trap or skeet. This is probably about the only level that I will talk about others with when it comes to selecting their gun. And then I will only point them in the right direction, offering a variety of options within their price range. I may point out differences as it applies to how the firearm will fill the desired role, but once a shooter is on the right path, the rest of the selection process is up to them. Everybody is built differently, so they need to see what points and fits right for them, what feels good in their hands.
One area of the shooting world that I see the phenomenon of someone besides the shooter choosing the gun fairly often is with newer female shooters. Now, I will say up front that I think women who want to enjoy the shooting sports is a great thing, and should be encouraged. But, I think that it does a dis-service to newer female shooters, and have seen that is can be very discouraging for them, when someone buys them the gun they think they should be shooting. The general trend I see in firearms when this happens is that the resulting firearm is a sub-compact type semi-automatic or snub nosed revolver, which almost always have a short grip.
At first glance to an inexperienced shooter in a gun store, this may look like an ideal choice. It is small, so it should be easy to conceal, and is lightweight, so it is easy to hold. Many firearms makers also have variations of these models especially tailored to females, though color choices or some other method. Now the new shooter goes to a class or a range with their new firearm someone told them was the best for them, and really does not enjoy shooting the gun. They have trouble hitting the target, the trigger pull is very heavy, and the recoil is intense. So shooting their brand new gun isn't much fun for them, and they don't want to do it much, if any.
There are many reasons why this is the case, but I want to highlight a few of the main points. The first is that a short barreled pistol is not a firearm for an inexperienced shooter to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship on. The sight radius is the distance between the front and rear sights, and directly impacts practical accuracy of the firearm. Notice I said practical accuracy, which is how well a human can shoot from a normal firing position, as opposed to mechanical accuracy, where the pistol is put into a rest, and the only human interaction is the pulling of the trigger. The shorter the sight radius on a firearm, the more any errors in aiming are magnified while firing a shot. This is one of the main reasons a rifle, which may have a 20" sight radius, can generally be fired much more accurately than a pistol with a 3-5" sight radius. Also most of the "pocket pistols" have very rudimentary sights, which make getting proper sight alignment more difficult.
The short grip and lightweight of these pistols also complicate shooting them. Usually a shooter can not fit their whole hand on the grip, often only two fingers, leaving the pinky finger awkwardly placed compared to shooting a full sized pistol. It can be very hard to get a consistent grip on a small pistol, and consistency in habits is one of the keys to good marksmanship. Also, the lack of a full grip means the pistol can move around more in the hand during recoil. And these pistols generally recoil a lot, because of how lightweight they are. A .380 ACP or .38 Special can be a potent round, and when you are firing it out of a gun that weighs less than a pound, it can be downright painful. With a sub-compact 9mm, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W or .45 ACP, it can be even worse. And if a new shooter thinks a gun is painful to shoot, they aren't going to want to shoot it. So the fun experience of learning how to shoot is tarnished by a difficult, painful gun to shoot.
I will say that I have seen some newer shooters, male and female, who shoot sub-compacts very well, but in my experience they seem to be the experience instead of the rule. So, if you are a new shooter looking to buy a gun, or you know someone who you want to get a gun for, do yourself a favor, and let them pick it out. Go to a gun store, and let them handle a lot of different types, and find the one that feels good to them. Or even better, come to a class like ours where we have a wide variety of handguns from sub-compacts to full sized that our students can shoot, and find what shoots best for the individual. But, no one except the shooter can really saw what gun is going to work best for them, so they shouldn't let someone else choose their gun.
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