Survivopedia – by Fred TyrellEven though most publications related to firearms are aimed at men, there is no question that lady preppers need information about how to build and use a survival arsenal. Do women need smaller guns with less recoil ? Is it harder for woman to learn how to shoot a gun and be a responsible, proficient carrier of a concealed weapon?
In personal experience with my first wife, and also female friends and colleagues that were hunters, champion marksmen, law enforcement, or military personnel; a woman can learn everything necessary about guns, and use them just as efficiently as a man, in any survival situation.
From that perspective, let me start this discussion by saying that there is no such thing as a gender difference when it comes to using guns. The idea that women cannot use guns, or that only certain guns can be fired by women just because of gender is as sexist as it is disrespectful and dangerous.
Height and Weight Considerations
Many people will say that the height and weight of a woman (but not a man) is important when deciding which handgun, rifle, or shotgun to select.
Regardless of gender, if you are small boned, not very tall, or light weighted, you may have a problem with the recoil from larger caliber guns or those poorly designed in this aspect.
Once you experience discomfort or injury related to recoil, it can cause you to develop a flinch, close your eyes, or develop other bad habits. Anticipating the recoil eventually leads to fear of the gun that gave you a bad experience, and can easily make you afraid to try others that would be perfect for your needs.
Hand Size and Strength of Grip
For revolvers and semi-auto pistols, you should be able to hold the firearm in a snug, tight grip with no fingers or palms hanging below the grips. On a semi-auto pistol, be sure that the thumb on your shooting hand can operate the safety and decoking lever.
You should also make sure you can easily operate the slide when loading the pistol. Hand grip for a semi-auto is even more important than on a revolver because your hand may jump upward past the grips and get caught by the slide when racking it. In addition, if you do not have sufficient strength in your hands and fingers, the weapon cannot be loaded correctly, which may cause it to jam up.
Important Tip: If the gun grips do not fit but you still want a specific gun, after-market grips or magazine finger rests are available for most handguns. The gun will handle better and will be more comfortable and safe to shoot with these accessories.
Particulars for Shotguns and Rifles
For semi-auto rifles and shotguns pay attention to the following before attempting to shoot the gun:
- For semi-auto actions: make sure you have the strength in your hands and fingers to pull the bolt back, and then hold the bolt back until the bolt open stop is activated. In order to release the bolt, you must also be able to pull the bolt back and release it, or push the bolt release button.
- Make sure the gun fits snug in your shoulder
- If semi-auto rifles or shotguns of interest have adjustable butt stocks, use the adjustment lever or button and set the the stock to the most comfortable setting. In one piece wood or synthetic butt stocks, if the stock is too long, it may be possible to have the stock shortened, (but stay within legal length ). Or, simply purchase a youth model, which is a scaled down version of the standard model weapon.
- You should be able to reach the trigger and safety comfortably when aiming and shooting. The gun should not move when you fire it or have so much recoil that it could knock you backwards.
Hand Size and the Trigger
No matter if you have small, medium, or large hands they must fit the gun grips. If your hands do not fit, then poor accuracy and injuries to yourself are likely to occur.
For example, too much finger on the trigger can cause you to move the weapon off target when you pull the trigger. This motion could continue to affect the direction of the bullet to off-target as the gun is fired.
Regardless of the gun type or shape, your trigger finger should sit comfortably outside of the trigger guard until ready to fire. For greatest accuracy, only the trigger finger’s pad section should come in contact with the trigger.
How to Choose the Suitable Survival Gun for a Woman
As with men shopping for guns, you will always have to consider the cost of the gun and ammo. Before you buy a gun, do some research online to find out the average price of the guns you are interested in buying. This will help you bargain for lower prices, and also make it easier to walk away from scammers that think they can get more money out of you because you are a woman.
There are two ways to purchase firearms. The first way is to buy them new at a dealer at the list price or higher depending upon demand. You get a good warranty, but you have to fill out the Federal and State Forms to see if you can legally own them.
The second way is by private sale. There is NO paper work, but buyer must beware. The weapon could be stolen, broken or dangerous to shoot. You will not get a warranty, and you could wind up paying much more for the firearm plus repairs to make it safe and reliable to operate.
Best Survival Weapons for a Lady Prepper
Overall, the best weapon is one that you can control and fire with accuracy and confidence, as well as one that you can get ammo, spare parts, and training to operate. Before you buy a weapon, do some research online to find out which guns best match your needs, strength, and budget.
Next, you will need to test these guns out to see which ones actually work best for you. This can be done by renting the weapons at an indoor range or shooting them outside with friends on an outdoor range. After test firing, you may find the right weapon, or you will need to do more research to find a better gun for your needs.
All of the weapons listed on the table above are good quality, reliable, durable, easy to use, and readily available. In most cases, current and projected ammo availability for these weapons remains good or fair even after social collapse occurs. With this in mind I would safely recommend these weapons to any lady prepper at any level of weapon knowledge.
Now is the time for women to buy and learn how to use firearms. In a crisis scenario, you will need them for protection and hunting.
With just a little bit of dedication to finding the right weapon, and then a commitment to practicing your shooting and gun care skills, you will have a better chance of surviving in a world gone mad.