Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

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Tim
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Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by Tim »

My wife's friend lives alone. I have an old PT-99, no decocker on it. She would like to have the security of a gun in the house, but is very scared of guns. I gave her the PT-99 with some snap caps, showed her how to operate it, and gave her the basics of gun safety. So she has the gun with no live ammo, and I will take her shooting. My concern is that she will have a NG lowering the hammer. I also have a S&W DA/SA fullsized auto, the safety is also a decocker. Maybe I should give her that instead. Also what type of ammo should get her for home defense? I am concerned with her shooting through her house and into a neighbors house.
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Pauly
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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by Pauly »

Since you are giving guns away... do you have a 9mm you don't want anymore??? :mrgreen:
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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by Morne »

I'm guessing that she's not comfortable with cocked-and-locked?

The best gun for newbies is a double-action revolver. Semi-autos are GREAT and are almost always my primary carry gun, but revolvers are so intuitive as to be ideal for those new to the game. Since this is just a "house gun" I'd recommend a 4-inch barreled .38 special (or .357 Mag loaded with .38's). The added muzzle-weight of the longer barrel (compared to a snubby) will help with recoil. Help her find something used. Ruger, S&W, Taurus or EAA - I'd trust any of those.

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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by charben »

Morne wrote:I'm guessing that she's not comfortable with cocked-and-locked?

The best gun for newbies is a double-action revolver. Semi-autos are GREAT and are almost always my primary carry gun, but revolvers are so intuitive as to be ideal for those new to the game. Since this is just a "house gun" I'd recommend a 4-inch barreled .38 special (or .357 Mag loaded with .38's). The added muzzle-weight of the longer barrel (compared to a snubby) will help with recoil. Help her find something used. Ruger, S&W, Taurus or EAA - I'd trust any of those.

In summary:
REVOLVERS!!!
I'd second Morne's suggestion of a 4 inch .38. I have seen too many people in my classes lately that are coming with snub-nosed .38's having never shot before. The extra weight of the 4 inch sure makes a heck of a lot of difference in comfort and confidence.
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Tim
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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by Tim »

I agree that revolvers are the way to go,problem is that I came to that conclusion after obtaining several autos. I think I am going to give her the smith with the decocker. I have a bad feeling about her trying to manually lower the hammer with one in the chamber.
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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by DEFCON1 »

I have a PT99. I think the recoil is fairly mild compared to other 9mm's because of it's weight.

I would also have to agree with breaking someone new in with a .38 revolver. If you can start them out with a .22. I made the mistake of starting out a new shooter with a 9mm and it kind of made her gun shy for awhile. She's over it now, but I think the transition from lower calibers to higher calibers is an easier one to make than just getting used to a larger gun and caliber.

If she is really only interested in home defense I would still recommend her getting a 20 ga pump. Nothing says "get out of my house" like the sound of a pump shotgun being racked.

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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by doc832 »

I can tell you from experience with new shooters that its a matter of having someone work with them. The Taurus is a great gun, but so is a 45 cal. Its a stigma that women can not be comfortable with these. My girl is small build, 125lbs and is comfortable with my 1911 or PT92 or her 40 cal XD SC.
Education and practice is the deciding factor for anyone with firearms. For a house gun the shotgun is still your best bet. Just not easy to hide.
Good luck.
PS find other women that shoot that can work with her and give her a new comfort level.
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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by DEFCON1 »

I forgot to add something about the PT99. Yours may differ, but mine has one of the worst triggers I have ever experienced on a handgun. Miles and miles of take up and creep. One new shooter found it almost impossible to shoot, and thought something was wrong with it. The length of pull on it might be a little too much for a woman too. It's big enough to say that it really was designed for a man's hands. She had trouble trying to reach the trigger in DA mode.

On the bright side she took right to my High powers.

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Re: Taurus PT-99, good gun for a new shooter?

Post by SMMAssociates »

I bought Becka an S&W M22A, which is a "target" .22 semi....

After a few magazines full, she got bored and demanded my Commander.

She's very petite, but just took to the hand cannon.... However, her favorite is an old S&W M39, which is a hefty gun (although not real hefty - mostly alloy) with a "comfortable" round. 'Bout the only downside is that long (and heavy) trigger pull for the first shot.

I bought her an XD9SC, but she can't stand it.... The caliber's not the problem, but it's kinda big in her hand, and the thing spouts flame and smoke like something you'd see at a fireworks show. If she ever gets a CHL, we'll have to find something better.

My vote for newbies is the same as Morne's.... 3" or 4" revolver chambered for .357, loaded with .38's.... If you ever really want to play with the hot stuff, the gun can handle it. Meantime, it's going to be a good shooter, and all operations (assuming you teach 'em to NEVER "single action") are consistent. No need to worry about decockers or hammer-dropping drills. If you really need accuracy, you can learn to "stage" the trigger, which isn't the greatest (IMHO) way to fly, but you don't need to practice decocking....

My money, for a "night table" gun, is on a 3" S&W M36 or whatever it's equivalent these days, or the more common Model 10 (or equivalent). Five or six shots, respectively, with a better barrel length than a snubbie, and easy control. You can't stick it into a pocket or purse all that well (actually, the M36 might make that), but you can be confident with it. The M10 is better by a mile, and actually much easier to find, but the smaller one may appeal to the gals. (I've never shot that 3" M36, although I had a snubby for a while years back. Colt makes a 4" five-shot that's otherwise quite similar, and I put a few dozen rounds through it, though.... Same idea....)

My M10 is the "Heavy Barrel" version - even better for the night table, but it may appear to be a bit more gun than some people want, even for that. Back in the day, I used that for Concealed Carry if I didn't absolutely have to go to the PPK/S or a snubby.

Finally, stay away from the small .380's.... They're just not, IMHO, fun to shoot at all, and while you can count on most of them, you really want to buy something that can be shot often enough (and long enough) to attain and keep proficiency. I've fired a few that weren't.... The PPK/S is almost in that "don't shoot it often" category. The newer S&W marked version, once you have somebody grind off the sharp edges, isn't bad at all, but my buddy Joe can't stand his. I like his, and my original Ulm-manufactered (circa 1968) model.... Becka doesn't like either one....

Another choice these days is the Walther PPS. The 9mm version is a bit of a handful, but is a straight Tuppergun - no controls at all but a slide stop - and is fairly comfortable. Naturally, I bought the .40 version, and it IS a handful, but when I got through with it, isn't bad.... I ended up with a Handall on the outside, and shaving about a sixteenth of an inch off the bottom of the trigger.... (My pudgy fingers wrap around the trigger and get pinched....) Definitely right up there in the 1911 category, but quite small - good concealment, as well as a decent night stand gun....

Overall, the best thing to do, unless you've got some guns to let your friend choose from first, is to find a range that'll rent assorted samples, or hook up with a few "collector" types that can let your friend try some variations.

Regards,
Stu.

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