Offering the right revolvers and semi-autos - Lethal Force

Shooting Industry, Feb, 2003 by Massad Ayoob

Gone are the days when women bought a traditional "ladies' pistol" -- tiny, small-caliber firearms. Yes, women still buy .25 automatics, but they are in the minority.

If you dedicated a showcase in your gun shop to the woman customer, there would be a place for baby sub-calibers and semi-auto pistols, but only a small corner of one shelf.

Beretta rules the top-end mouse-gun market. The company's Model 950 Jetfire in .25 ACP is tiny, utterly reliable and holds nine of the miniature cartridges. Only slightly larger is the Beretta Model 21 Bobcat, in double action and chambered in .25 ACP and the more cost-effective .22 Long Rifle.

A useful Beretta feature for older women and those with limited arm strength is the tip-up barrel. The feature can also be found in the more substantial .380 caliber Model 86 Cheetah.

Favored Revolvers

Women seem to favor revolvers over autoloaders. This is because more women are new to firearms and partly because of lesser upper-body strength. Regardless of the reason, the revolver is simpler and requires less effort to load and unload, to check and to clean.

Badger John's Huntin' Stuff is a large and fairly new retail outlet in Sacramento, Calif.

"Our sales to women are small but consistent," said store manager Tom McDearmid. "They purchase mostly the smaller .38 Special revolvers by Smith & Wesson and Taurus. Pocket autos don't sell well for us at all. The LadySmith version of Smith & Wesson's Model 60 (2-inch .38 Special, all steel stainless) is an excellent seller. So are the smaller Taurus .38 Special revolvers, because of the lower price point."

The Smith & Wesson and Taurus brands do fine on a starter shelf devoted to female customers. So does the hammerless Model 642 Airweight by Smith & Wesson.

Many women choose a "carry gun" by how much it weighs, rather than its bulk. This is less important when the firearm is a home-defense handgun. If your used handgun inventory has D-frame Colts, such as the old Detective Special or Cobra, place some of them in your women's showcase. The longer trigger stroke of the now-discontinued Colt small-frame gives it a lighter pull than the Smith or Taurus. This, plus an ideal trigger reach for the female hand, makes it particularly suitable for women customers.

Friendly Autoloaders

Many women like semi-automatics for the same reasons as men. They're easier to shoot straight, thanks to a more ergonomic grip design and the trigger reach. Plus, they "hold more bullets."

In concealable guns, the Glock may be your biggest seller, particularly in the smaller sizes.

Many women prefer Glock's .40 caliber compact (G23) and sub-compact (G27) models. However, more are likely to favor the milder recoil of the 9mm version, designated the G19 in compact format and G26 in sub-compact. Women appreciate Glock's easily manipulated slide.

Women also rate high the smooth trigger stroke and compact size of Kahr pistols. They prefer the 9mm to the .40 Kahr, largely due to recoil.

The affordable Kel-Tec P-1l 9mm is popular among value-conscious male customers who appreciate its feathery 14.5-ounce heft. However, it is less appealing to women, because of the gun's unusually heavy double-action-only trigger pull.

The Kel-Tec you're more likely to sell to women is the P-32. Its tiny size and miniscule weight make it attractive, and its trigger pull is much lighter than its big brother. While you or I may not agree, many believe the .32 Auto cartridge is adequate for their self-defense needs.