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ELB wrote:I occasionally hear some complaints about the Bersa Thunder, but I hear so many more good comments by people who love them it makes me want to run out and buy one. (I just wish the slide safety didn't work "backwards.")

ETA: wow, spare factory magazines look pricey tho. :(

Once I figured out how the little bersa works and found all the little nuisances, I haven't had any problems. Mine eats everything I've fed it. Magazines are pricey - which is a bummer, but I don't carry mine, just plink.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:It's rather expensive for a loaner gun for LTC classes, but I have a lot of women coming to my LTC and Basic Handgun Skills classes with SIG P238's. They seem to function well, have good sights and since they are locking-breech .380's, the slide is easy to rack.

And on top of that, the P238 shoots like a cream-puff. I have read so many articles that mention the "harsh recoil" of .380 pistols because they are mostly tiny and light little guns. Well, the P238 is tiny and light, but the recoil is very, very soft.

The one thing that could be a minor problem for the new shooter is that very short sight radius.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:...

..., you can't beat a .33LR for people who know nothing about guns.

Chas.

Plus it has the advantage of being able to use it for the qualification test...

ELB wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:...

..., you can't beat a .33LR for people who know nothing about guns.

Chas.

Plus it has the advantage of being able to use it for the qualification test...

Yeah, but ammo is hard to find....

Ryan hit the right one the Walther PK.380 Plus 1 PK.22 to get the ladies started it is easy then to transition to the PK .380.

I have 2 that I rent, reason being so many do not own a handgun

I also am amazed at how many have never fired a handgun that are now coming to the CHL/Ltc classes over the last 8 or 10 years.

In the beginning sept 95 everyone had a H G and knew how to use it..

Times they are changing and folks who never dreamed of owning firearms are now.

Took my CHL with a Sig P238 and just also bought a Glock 42. They both will work just fine.
I like the .380

Ryan wrote:Walther PK380

Very reliable. Very easy to handle.

For a first time shooter a Glock 17 seems perfect.

It does not help them get adjusted to concealed carry, but for taking the shooting test in the CHL class, to me it is an excellent choice.

I've had good success with the Springfield XD 4". A local FFL had a batch of Ruger LCPs he purchased for a good price and was selling them accordingly--particularly to women. A number of novice shooters showed up in my CHL classes with them and (not surprisingly) could not hit a barn with it. Everyone of them qualified with the loaner XD.

They are harder to find, but the CZ-83 pistols that are occasionally available as police surplus are very easy pistols to shoot. They have a 12 round double stack magazine so the capacity is good. I also had a Firestorm 380 once. It was a single stack 380 very similar to the Bersa. I sold it to a guy whose wife has it. It worked well and was originally very cheap.

IMO, the pistol needs to have a full size grip (no fingers hanging off), medium weight at least to dampen recoil, and have a slide that is relatively easy to manually cycle. There are probably a number of options out there.

Quote: "A local FFL had a batch of Ruger LCPs he purchased for a good price and was selling them accordingly--particularly to women."

In my not-so humble-opinion, dealers that do this to novices should be tarred and feathered.

Based upon some very favorable comments by a member I trust, I recently purchased as a rental gun the Walther PK380 suggested above. I have shot it a bit but have not had a chance yet to put it in the hands of the first Lil Ole Lady. It does have a very easy-to-manipulate slide and the size and grip does a good job of dissipating recoil.

+1 more for the Bersa Thunder (I have the CC). It is inexpensive, reliable and easy to use.

As Charles mentioned the P238 is a great .380 but it is about $200 more expensive on average. That said the slide is easier to rack on it. Spare mags are a rip off at $40/46 a pop.

A buddy of mine has the Bersa Thunder .380 and he swears by it.

mojo84 wrote: I agree. I was just thinking the context of this thread was regarding a loaner for the LTC qualification.

I was thinking the same thing. Basic shooting is outside the scope of the LTC class. I took my class in February. There was one student that passed the qualification, but that the instructor thought needed a little more range time (she was in a different shooting group, so I don't know if she was having trouble reloading or what). He offered her a free hour of one-on-one range instruction to make sure she was comfortable with her weapon (and no, she was not young and blonde ).

If you're taking an LTC class, you should spend the range time to get familiar with your weapon. A few trips to the range should be enough. If you haven't taken the time to be proficient before the class, what are the odds that you'll go to the range regularly afterward to maintain some level of competence?