Some years ago, I was employed in the retail firearms industry at a large and well-known national retailer, and at the time (just as now), female customers represented one of the fastest-growing market segments out there. Lots of guys coming into the store; that’s expected. But lots of women, in particular first-time gun buyers, everything from female grad students living alone to soccer moms to professional women – you name it.

I didn’t work on commission or get any compensation from particular manufacturers (I would have rejected such offers anyway, as being unethical) for pushing a certain line of gear, so my goal was simply to do my best to help the customer get what was best for them. If you know how to ask the right questions and listen well, you can generally find out what people think, what they want and what they think they need.

Most of the female buyers coming in to look for a handgun wanted a Glock 19 or something like it, i.e., a high-capacity internal striker-fired pistol made of composite with a steel frame/slide. That’s what they’re used to seeing in the media on TV shows and movies, and maybe a male in their life has steered them that way. If they’ve done any research on their own prior to arriving, that’s also pretty dominant in their thinking, most of the time.

Generally, time-permitting, I’d show the customer one or more semi-automatic pistol designs from a reputable maker, which appealed to her -Glock, CZ, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, etc. – and we’d go through those. But especially if I noticed that she was a bit overwhelmed technically, with understanding how to operate a self-loader, I would then ask if she had seen a more-traditional choice, at which time she’d look at revolvers. And then I’d explain the advantages they offer compared to self-loading handguns, and the disadvantages, too.

Long story short, a lot of those female customers who came in thinking nothing but a Glock 19 would do, left happy they had chosen a high-quality revolver instead. Ease-of-concealment, ease of maintenance and cleaning, mechanical simplicity and reliability in comparison to a semi-automatic, and a simpler manual of arms than a self-loading handgun…. these attributes played a large part in convincing these buyers that a revolver was the best choice for them. And I always sealed the deal by saying that once they had some experience with a revolver, it would be easy for them to transition to a self-loading design later on.

What goes around comes around, and many of the virtues of the old-fashioned wheel-gun now appeal to me again in a way that they might not have done ten or twenty years ago. Simple really is sometimes better…..

@ MTHead

Q: “What’s the best handgun for self-protection?”

A: The one with which you are comfortable, upon which you are willing to train, and will actually have on your person or close-at-hand when needed.

In other words, just as you stated, an old wheel-gun in .22LR that you actually have with you and know how to use, beats that fancy self-loading pistol you left at home. And there are plenty of other options for caliber, should the individual-in-question want something in 9×19, .38 Special, etc.

Left off another advantage of revolvers over self-loaders: Many females new to firearms don’t provide a consistently firm base upon which to recoil. They have to learn how to provide the strong, firm and stable wrists and fore-arms required for the auto-pistol to cycle reliably and well.

Almost always, it is a training issue and not a physical strength issue, unless there is an underlying issue in play (arthritis, age-related loss of hand strength, etc.). Anyway, in the meantime, while that person is learning how to successfully-operate a self-loader, that wheel-gun can be their primary HG.

Another positive: revolvers retain their brass, should policing-up of spent brass be important. No diving into the weeds or whatever looking for used cases launched there by your Glock 19 or whatever…

Revolvers conceal really well in a woman’s handbag or purse, too, or a pocket. Most FA trainers stress the importance of having the trigger covered if the revolver is loaded, to prevent an ND. But even in a small, low-profile holster, a short-barreled revolver still conceals well. May be important in non-permissive environments or where a low profile is desired.

Leave no brass behind…

I was in a farm store that carries firearms a while back. Elderly couple at the gun counter looking at a Ruger LCP .380. The LCP is a great little pistol to slip into a pocket and carry. But it is a snappy little pistol that is not fun to shoot and as small as it is, it can be difficult to manipulate. They were looking for the pistol for the wife. Poor old lady had RA bad. Her knuckles were the size of walnuts. I would have been surprised to see her handle a pen to sign her name. Much less handle an LCP. I told them, that is not the gun you want or need. I am not trying to take money out of this store’s pocket, but go across town and rent a LCP and a 22 LCR and see which one you can actually use. Come back and buy the one you like here, but I guarantee even with the 15 pound trigger pull it would have been the 22LR LCR. “But my neighbor’s son in law said the LCP was the best gun in the world….”

@ Chris Mallory

Re: “Elderly couple at the gun counter looking at a Ruger LCP .380. The LCP is a great little pistol to slip into a pocket and carry. But it is a snappy little pistol that is not fun to shoot and as small as it is, it can be difficult to manipulate. They were looking for the pistol for the wife. Poor old lady had RA bad. Her knuckles were the size of walnuts.”

How true… one of the industry trends is that much of the pro-2A population cohort is aging rather rapidly into their senior-citizen years. And arthritis is a thing for some people, which is why Smith & Wesson was smart to come out with their “EZ” line of semi-automatic handguns.

The EZ line boast that they are easier to operate than their standard line of M&P Shield handguns, both by virtual of employing less-powerful cartridges (.380 Auto and 9x19mm/9mm Parabellum at the moment), and consequently somewhat weaker and easier-to-compress recoil springs which make racking the slide easier. They also use single-stack magazines, which are considerably less-difficult to load by hand (without the use of a loader or loading device) than staggered or double-stack designs.

Some with severe RA may not even be able to manage a handgun at all, even one whose ergonomics are favorable. It may be down to something like a coach gun or compact pump shotgun. Unfortunately, in the mass-produced market, there are not as many alternatives as one might like, concerning purpose-designed firearms to accommodate disabilities.