Picking a Hand Gun For Someone Else

I was recently asked about giving a gun as a gift.  While I certainly support providing firearms to responsible law-abiding citizens, I don’t recommend that you purchase a gun for someone unless they have indicated what gun they want.  Why is that????

Buying a gun is a very personal thing.  It is also expensive.  I strongly recommend that someone try the gun (or a bunch) before purchasing.  It is very different experience between just handling the gun at a counter in a gun store and shooting it.  Please believe me when I tell you, you should shoot the model of gun you are interested in purchasing.  

Hand shape – Someone may have broken a finger, and it didn’t heal right causing some guns not to work well with a particular gun.

Hand size – If the hand is small for the gun, they will have to rotate the hand to get the finger to reach the trigger.  This causes the backstrap to shift from the center of the palm making the gun twist in the hand.  If the hand is not rotated, then the finger won’t be positioned on the trigger properly.  Both will impact accuracy.  If the hand is too big the shooter will tend to put too much finger on the trigger.  Then you have the issues of reaching the controls as well.

Recoil - Being sure to select a caliber and gun size that produce a manageable recoil.  A lighter gun will have a higher perceived recoil compared to a heavier gun of the same caliber.  A larger grip makes recoil easier to manage.

Hand Dominance – Not all guns are set up for left and right handed shooters, but some are or could be modified to suit either.

 Strength – Hand and arm strength are another thing that will help determine what gun is preferred.  On many smaller compact guns, the recoil spring feels stronger because it must be stronger to absorb the recoil because the slide is lighter.  There are several gun models that have reduced recoil springs or features to make it easier to rack (S&W EZ).  H&K has tabs on the rear of the slide that facilitate the grip of the slide, so you don’t have to have as much grip strength to rack it the gun.  

Well intentioned sales people or shooters all have opinions based on their “personal” experience.  Those opinions are not based on your personal experience.  It’s OK to listen to their suggestions, but in the end the gun has to work for you not someone else.

Hopefully if this has explained why the person needs to be heavily involved in picking out their own gun (unless they have a lot of money or want to buy a lot guns☺).  Visit Sampson Consulting and take a Gun Selection Class where you will learn how to fit the gun, pros and cons, features and be exposed to over 20+ different firearms in different calibers.

Hope to see you in class!