When Mike was playing the gun salesman he was way too friendly, practical and gave too much good advice and not enough of a know-it-all to be realistic.
Super impressed by his reservation, also for brevity of the video (eg round ballistics for self defense considerations, technology always changing) - just sound advice!
He was channeling me before I retired. I always hated when a guy brought a woman in and wanted to show her the "little lady guns." I always treated the women like they had a mind and took time to actually work with them. I would often tell them in front of their guy that once they learned to shoot a LOT of women can outshoot the man. Truly though, this should be a required training video for all gun salespeople. Amber had some great input. Such as, "When we say 'good' we mean..."
I wondered why my wife was groaning and yelling at her computer and she showed me this video. You got a lot of things right, but here are some polite points on her behalf. 4:32 A G19 is not too heavy for her. Concealability might be difficult but the weight won’t be an issue. Gabby Franco is her size and shoots a double stack 1911 race gun better than any of us. Women shooters in the military qualified with those fat, heavy Beretta M9s for over 30 years. 4:50 If you’ve had Glocks since the 90s than you still haven’t learned in over 20 years that striker fired hammerless firearms are not “single action only”. On the Ruger that’s the “exception”, he’s saying the reason it isn’t single action only is because it has a thumb safety. Single action, double action, and striker fired guns can ALL have thumb safeties. The presence or absence of a thumb safety has nothing to do with the action type. Later on she will have to unlearn the nomenclature you are teaching her today. 5:38 “All these guns are single action only” gets followed up by “all these guns have a long trigger pull.” The nomenclature issue is causing problems. If she goes to another gun store and insists on buying a SAO pistol with a long, heavy, safe trigger pull, she’s going to get mansplained to all over again. 8:00 in this video it’s fine because it’s a role play and you two know each other, but guys working the gun counter in real life should make it a habit to ask if it’s ok to touch female customers. “Do you mind if I touch your hand, and I’ll show you how I like to grip a handgun?” There’s also nothing wrong with modeling a grip in front of her and having her follow along step by step, holding the gun she is considering purchasing. “Your employee grabbed my wrist” can be an uncomfortable conversation with the management. 8:40 What does “overcompensating / undercompensating” on your grip even mean? If she misses the A zone later and he says “oh you should stop undercompensating your grip”, what’s the adjustment she needs to make on that? This isn’t an industry standard term that is clearly defined. 9:03 Nice job helping the “newbie” build a correct grip. But when asking “how does that feel” you might consider letting her hold the gun without your hand smothering her grip for 23 seconds straight (yes I counted it). This is what had the wife yelling-is he afraid she’s going to drop the G43 because it’s just SOOO heavy? Is he afraid she’s going to aim it at him? Why isn’t she allowed to hold a pistol both people have verified as clear, without a man’s constant over-protective touching? Notable good things: He asked her WHY she was buying a gun and WHAT her purpose was. He talked about the importance of a quality holster. He encouraged her to seek competent training. He debunked .45acp and introduced the concept of FMJ ammo vs. defensive ammo.
I catch things that Mike gets wrong on almost every video. 😮 I will never possess his experience or skills. He is extremely proficient as a soldier. (I have heard this from guys that he served with. He is the real deal.) He just gets things mixed up while trying to explain. That's unfortunate, considering he is a teacher now. 😅 The man knows his stuff, but he's just not good with communication. I also disagree with many of his opinions. If SHTF, I would definitely want him on my side though. I still support him in his mission, and wish him all the best things, even though, sometimes, he is flat out wrong. Lol
Maybe Amber could do a video on CC placement. You guys could talk about where a female should carry in different situations. Like out walking the dog, running errands or different clothes, like jeans, dresses, shorts, yoga pants or purses, backpacks, fanny packs. Maybe talk about shooting in heels v sneakers. There might be others doing this already but Mike's input is helpful and informative. Amber has awesome questions so a female series would be nice.
This video is awesome. I work in a gun shop and there has never been more first time gun buyers than now. I'll be taking all your advice in this video when helping out my next first time gun buyer looking to defend themselves.
When my wife wanted her own pistol we went to Ready Gunner and used their unlimited rental and tried at least a dozen pistols. She settled on my m&p 2.0 compact.
Anytime I talk to a person that's thinking about buy a fire...especially their first I always recommended going down to the gun store and renting what you think you like to try them out. What feels good in the hand doesn't always shoot good for the person.
Good video. When I took my wife to the gun store, the saleswoman behind the counter made my wife feel like she was the only person there. She spent time to make sure that it was a right fit for her, not for me. She didn’t push her towards the pink girly guns, but rather to the ones she would actually be comfortable handling.
I am Ambers size. I’ll be honest the Glock 19X and the 43 felt really good in my hand. I’ve tried the Sig, Hellcat, Ruger. It was easy for me to rack the slide, it felt smooth. This needs to be watched by every firearms salesman in the world, period. P.S please have Amber on more!! Thank you Mr G!
My gf bought a subcompact pistol and she never uses it because its too small for her to shoot anywhere close to accurately. She bought a m&p 9mm and loves it and actually carries it often.
Thank you for making this video. As a women; I've been looking, researching and trying out guns for months but this video really shed light on the things I need to look for and the questions I need to ask.
Such important advice. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been in a gun store and cringed over some dude telling a woman she needs some small .380 or j-frame as their nightstand gun.
You simply cannot add the “ thats what she said” joke to a comment like that, it’s just a natural reaction! Great video. And any women considering buying a firearm and any gun shop dealer should watch this!
This video is right on time. So many women, buying a gun for the first time after realizing someone's not always going to save you or your family. Here my governor just signed a bill effectively rendering police unable to protect anyone, and I'm now teaching several women including my sister about guns and how to select a first gun. So thanks for the effective content Mike, and FCS crew.
Glad you touched on the price point...hear a lot of people immediately react to purchasing a firearm as “that’s too expensive”. Well, you’re looking at a gun for a reason (most likely self defense during these tumultuous times); supply and demand affect prices, guns do hold their value if kept maintained properly, and can you put a price on defending you or your family’s life? Once folks get past sticker shock...agree 10 fold, learn to use your firearm! If you can’t take it to the range right away, safely inspect, hold, disassemble, and practice grip use. Great video.
Out of all the pistols my wife handled, it was the M&P Shield 9 subcompact that she fell in love with. The grip really seems to favor people with smaller hands.
I’ve got small hands, and wear extra small gloves. Our .38 revolver has a small and shaped grip. But THIS was SO needed, and I’ve been hoping you’d cover this! Thank you!
I have been on both sides of the counter. Actually started out on Mike's side first, as a salesperson, during the height of the gun purchase craze in the beginning of 2020. (Staff were easily making 100-150 thousand dollars a month in sales, per person!) I don't know if women are doing more research these days, let alone going to make a purchase on their own, but back then it was usually a case of being led by a male relative, friend, or partner. I thought it would put the woman at ease a bit approaching a fellow female, but despite what I recommended, they would still refer back to their male counterparts for the 'second' and sometimes final opinion (and 2 out of 3 you could see didn't really know anything other than the very limited experience they had). It was really frustrating for me in so many ways, but mostly I felt like with all the access to information people have these days women were showing up so clueless about where to even start. More specifically, with all the women's rights and empowerment and equality talk why were women still showing up with a male figure as backup? Anyway, this was a good start, IF the woman shows up somewhat informed... These days, if a woman approaches me about getting armed, I will tell her to get to a range that will allow her to try out different pistols. It really does make a huge difference. I get it, though. Not everyone has access to that.
The construction of 45acp rounds have changed too...people talk about 9mm bullets improving and seem to want to ignore that 45 rounds ALSO have been improved.
I consider myself a novice with firearms. I have watched your channel for quite a while. I am enjoying and learning a lot more with this series. Learning the fundamentals in anything is so important. I will subscribe just for this content.
i think we can all agree, Amber is better to look at on camera than Mike is. haha. I enjoy her 'family perspective' as much as Mikes 'tactical perspective'. She brings good content to the conversation. Good stuff both of ya. Thanks.
Mike might not be an ammunition expert, but I'd bet a dollar he has about as much personal experience with various calibers and bullet types as one could hope for. Enough to be able to give recommendations on what drops guys more consistently. I'd also bet it doesn't line up perfectly with what most internet experts would believe...
Took my friend to find her first gun. Shot all 9mm. Tried several sizes and weights. She settled with a 1911 9mm single stack. She wanted the full sized barrel and the weight to keep the pistol stable with least recoil in her hand. She felt the smaller sized were too "snappy". 1911 was as smooth as butter in her hands. Single stack would fit better in her hands. Shes now in love with it and in firearms class getting her LTC.
The only thing about a 1911 is it is more prone to more malfunctions higher mag cost for the good ones. And higher maintenance overall/ extractor problems/ harder to break down. I love 1911s but it always gives me pause when it’s someone’s first gun. But as long as the owner is willing to put up with these very small issues will they will be rewarded with the excellent triggers and soft shooting.
@Anders Hilmo and I made sure to hammer all those points home haha taught her to clean it, lubricate it, get good mags, how to check malfunctions and trouble shoot. She's comfortable to go shooting on her own now and is somewhat of a gun nut lol
First time I have heard such a good explanation of what to consider when shopping for a handgun. The only thing missing was mentioning the necessity of good training. You can't learn good training from You Tube.
Yes you can, unless you're a moron who needs to see and hear the very same thing from someone whose breath you can smell. Some of the so-called "best" in-person trainers teach bad stuff. Want a couple of examples?
Mike is use to the ladies saying it's to small. But knows how to work it to full satisfaction. Great job guys, my wife's selection was the M&P Shield 9mm and she is doing well with it, very happy for her. Might have to get a laser system, she is having to much fun blowing through rounds.
I’m a Veteran Marine and never got to use handguns. I am going to trade my handgun in that I purchased back in 2011. I found one that I love because it feels good in my hand. Now after 11 years or more that’s how I should have picked one lol You and a few others have taught me a lot about handguns and I will continue to watch and learn. Thanks for these videos 🤙🍻
Outstanding Sir. I enjoy observing other people in the way they teach wepon fundamentals. I'm always looking for a better approach when opening that door into the gun world to people. I use a fair amount of your lessons when I'm training my students. Being retired I find a purpose for in training others. Also get a sense of pride.
Awesome you have and appreciate the HK P7. I have one too, everyone says I paid way too much for it but one of my absolute favorite badass guns in my collection.
As someone who sells firearms everyday I agree with this thought process and line of initial questions...but...S&W M&P shield EZ IN 9mm/.380 is one of the top sellers for ladies right now. Extremely easy to manipulate the slide for small frames/weaker hand females..to be fair the top three are the Shield EX, 365XL and the 43x
Takedown and reassembly is problematic. They're both EZ to jam if you depress that grip safefy at TD and RA. Been there, done that, and had to find fine a man to fool with it for several hours before he unstuck it. Couldn't tell me what went wrong, and he was a gun store owner. I had purchased the gun online. Big mistake. Support your local gun store owners.
Only recently discovered Mike and Fieldcraft... I've been devouring videos on both channels. Sincerely appreciate the good work you and your crew are doing. Cheers.
SAO is not in reference to the safety. It’s in reference to the action of the hammer on trigger pull. Double action is how the first shot of a decocked P226 is. Hammer back, then hammer forward. The single action is in reference to guns like the 1911. When you pull the trigger, the hammer goes forward. Hence why the 1911 is SAO as you cant shoot it from the hammer forward position. Glocks and Springfield XD’s and sig P320/P365 are “striker” operated pistols. They are close to a double action as the striker pin pulls back on the trigger pull, but its also typically half cocked when you rack it.
When I walk into a gunshop, normally I go in and make as if it's my first time. I can comfortably shoot a Beretta Mod 92FS, while the grip is just too big for me, but the weight and recoil works for me. The work around. Then you talk about the CZ Browny 7.65, the grip is too small for me, but I can still work around it and shoot it comfortably. The sweet spot in sized, full sized Beretta PX4 Storm, with the double stack magazine and 17 round capacity. Weighing about 145Lbs on a 5'8 structure, I don't have that much of a conceilment sized body, yet I would know how to carry from a sub compact to a full sized pistol on me. Now why, the little old lady revolver always gets pushed, I do not understand as if it is the only thing that won't intimidate a female, even if I also love revolvers. I've seen full sized Glocks 17 being pushed on a guy that has teeny tiny hands and can barely grip a single stack Glock, but because he is a man, needs to take the biggest baddest pistol according to the gunshop saleman. No explanation on how the weapon works, and he isn't even on novice levels, he is still in conception of life stages. My questions are: 1. How scared are you of firearms? 2. What made you decide on a firearm? 3. Do you have anything in mind, in shape? 3.1. Dirty Harry style 3.2. Cagny and Lacy style 3.3. The firearms the police, law enforcement, or traffic are carrying (South African) 3.4. Something like James Bond 3.5. Or would you like something John Wick carried 4. Any grip issues, hand strength, or arthritic problems? 4.1. This determines the size and caliber of the firearm 5. The purpose of the firearm? 5.1. Just a home protection piece 5.2. Carried on your person 5.3. Range gun 5.4. Maybe interested in taking up sports 5.5. Maybe for when you are jogging 6. What is your budget on the firearm and what is your disposable income like for training 7. Mr/Ms Salesperson, do have a renting facility for the gun buyer to find the perfect grip and caliber of weapon that makes them feel at ease with the firearm? Because remember, if he is taking it for self defense only and doesn't have a comprehensive sportsman license, they'll be stuck with one firearm that may or may not make them feel comfortable, and could end up a white elephant they never practice with. (Self defense license only allows you one firearm in South Africa)
Great video idea, and I like the way you did it. I may be nitpicking here, but if someone comes to this as a video for a first time buyer, I'm a little worried they are going to leave confused on buying a single action pistol. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a round fired every time the trigger is pulled is semi automatic. If they go to the gun store and ask for a single action gun, that is more along the lines of a 1911 style, where the hammer must be cocked in order for the gun to fire. Just hope you would clarify that a little for new gun buyers.
I was standing at the pistol display watching a woman who was being shown a colt 380, the salesmen was very good at his presentation, the woman was still clueless, her last question was does it come with the bullets installed ? I'm all for an armed citizenry albeit an informed one.
Lol. I'm an old guy (64 this month) and love my 1911s and .45 ACP. I also love my SIG P220 in .45. Sitting on my computer desk in a holster is a Glock G21 loaded with Speer Gold Dot, 230 grain. What's on my hip? Right now a Glock G43 loaded with 124 Grain Federal HST. When I go anywhere larger than our 2 stoplight town it's a Glock G19 Gen 2 with the same 9mm HST ammo. By the bed a Beretta M9A1 with the same ammo chamber loaded, hammer down and safety off. I will admit back in the day I was a .45, .44, anything less will just piss em off kinda guy. Then again 9mm defensive ammo also mostly sucked. Take some time to actually study wound ballistics of modern ammo, the legit standards that is, and how handgun bullets actually incapacitate and act in the body and you can be pretty well served with any of the primary SD calibers with good ammo choice. I get a kick out of guys like Mike when they say, "I'm old." Okay, we'll give you the military years are like dog years thing. So compared to the average civilian... you're old. I walk by and dogs go "Owwld! Owwld!"
Great concept I originally bought a MP shield and I'm 6'4" my hand size made it very difficult to accurately shoot the pistol and I reached a platue I recently purchased a P320 c and it was night and day on how I could interface with the pistol
My two cent recommendation for women is the Sig-365. Available with or without an external safety. Best thing is the fire control group (FCG) of the Sig-365 is all models without an external safety can be easily converted to have an external safety. All Sig-365 FCG's are made with the locations for external safeties, including the XL models. 10, 12 & 15 round magazines are available. Aftermarket upgrades are available. Even an aluminum outer shell is now available. Improved strikers and operating springs are being brought to the market. There's all types of holsters to choose from. If you want to competitively shoot in IDPA, USPSA, IPSC there are more divisions to shoot in now. Can shoot in the "BUG Gun" catagory with the flat base 10 round mag only. Must download to six rounds or less. Some clubs have a max of five round in the BUG catagory. Some people use J frame revolvers that only load five rounds. Five round counts equalizes the round count. The "Compact Carry" Division with the 10 round using the flat and magazine bases with finger extension mags. Must load to 10 rounds only regardless of total magazine capasity. The "Stock Service Pistol" division can use 10 or 12 magazines. No more than 10 round per mag, per stage. 12 round magazines with finger extension can be used, no more than ten rounds in both sizes of magazines. Total of 3 mags per stage. Making the Sig P-365 the most vesitile pistol for competition available. Fits the smaller hands of many women.
If competing in shooting competitions avoid the SIG P-365 SAS model. The sights on the SAS modeld give you a big disadvantage when used in the BUG and Compact Carry divisions.
Big suggestion for all the men out there.... what works for you will not always work for your wife... when I bought my last pistol there was this good ole boy in there buying a new pistol for his wife as her first one and I just thought " this ain't gonna be good". my wife hates both my pistols but loves the one we let her pick out for herself. you'd be surprised how many guys push their female counterparts into buying something they really don't want because "oh honey I really know a lot more about guns than you do"
sometimes women do go crazy on their choices, for example a guy working the pawnshop said his wife wanted a full size ,357 revolver for her birthday Lol
I have a S&W EZ and I absolutely love it I have Cerebral Palsy and it's super easy and comfortable to shoot I'd recommend it to almost everyone I just wish it was double stack
I've helped several women I know pick out a handgun to use, both for carrying daily and home defense. What I've found is that most of them care about two things: 1) How hard does the gun kick 2) How hard is it to rack the slide I have seen a few of them buy a gun such as a 9mm 1911, or 9mm Glock, only to later sell the gun because they don't like how hard it kicks, or it is difficult to load/reload (Glock seems notorious for having a difficult to use slide release). In the end, most of them end up with a smaller .380 ACP or a .38 revolver. One or two even considered a semi auto .22 because of how confident they felt using it. Obviously a .22 has far less stopping power, but reaching for a .45 when you are not confident and/or scared of it is much more detrimental to your safety than having a smaller caliber to deter a bad guy. Same thing seems to apply to a home-only defense gun, as women (again, in my experience) would rather have a 9mm SBR or something similar to that vs a 12 gauge shotgun.
I under this is an informational video but in the real world, less talking will get you to a selection quicker and will less stress. Lay an option out from each size category, let them pick out which one feels best, then discuss options, features, pros/cons within the selected class.
Good video. I like the fact that this was centered around a female purchasing a firearm. I liked it Mike said that how it feels in your hand is important to your confidence and if you will train and carry it every day. I have seen videos from people who are in the industry that say you should just go with a Glock no matter what and how it feels in your hand and everything is an important. I disagree. I will say this. There are a few things I think to consider that weren’t necessarily discussed in the video and I’m sure it was just because it was meant to be an overview. When I first got into shooting and carrying firearms all I bought and purchased were Glock. That’s what I bought for myself, it’s what I bought for my wife that is what we used for years. What my wife found was that the grip, the trigger and ergonomics of the Glock didn’t work great for her and she didn’t shoot them well. I got her M&P shield that she carried for a while, and then when the 365 and the Hellcat came out she went to a range and shot both of them. She came away liking the Hellcat more. I still carry a 19 from time to time but my go to carry pistol for carry is also a Hellcat. Now I have XL two double XL hands, and the 13 round magazine fits just perfect for me. I have found that it’s more comfortable to carry, I like the grip angle and the overall feel of the gun better than a Glock. I can manipulate it much easier. Glock has always at least over the last 25 years or so been the standard as far as reliability goes, there are firearm manufacturers like SIG and Smith & Wesson and Springfield and Canik that are all making guns that are as reliable as a Glock. My advice would be to go in and put all of them in your hand and see which one feels the best to you. Glocks are great guns, but to me personally the grip angle feels unnatural, it feels much blockier then Other firearms, doesn’t point as natural, doesn’t shoot as flat and I don’t like the fact that you have to dump hundreds of dollars into a Glock in order to get it to be a good Carry piece. When you think about spending $600-$650 on a Glock and then having to add $100 in sights, possible Mag extensions to carry more rounds (42,43,43x, 26) there are just much better guns out of the box than a Glock. If you are looking in the Glock 42, Glock 43, Glock 43X or the Glock for 26, I would suggest looking at a 365 or hellcat. You get many more options right out of the box. You get better sites, you get a better trigger and you get more capacity. Just my advice from personal experience, take it for what it’s worth. If you think about the Hellcat versus the Glock 19, you’re talking about 14 total rounds versus 16 total rounds. Yes it’s two more rounds and I’ve never heard anybody who’s been in a gun fight say that they wish they had less ammo, but when you also think about the size to capacity ratio and how easily it is to conceal, I don’t think there’s a better concealed carry option on the market right now than Hellcat. The U notch sight system is so easy and quick to acquire (something very important in a self defense situation)
Hey Mike, I’m a retired LEO and watched your video. I’m also an old Marine. What is being done to you and others across our great nation is a disgrace. I went to your site to sign up to assist as I have other skill sets that may help this group. When I entered that information I was directed to my email to confirm. After 4 attempts I still have not received an email from American Contingency or anything related to finish setting up my account. Stay right, stay strong….
These days most major cities have shooting ranges with rental guns ,, a good way to get familiar with the different makes and models ,, there are good semi autos and there are good revolvers ,, try not to be limited in choice.. Also I would like to see firearm store, ranges and instructors offer a new gun buyers evening class ,(before buying), just to go over the options and differences without any pressure of buying at that time .. I have met men and women that buy a handgun and don't get to a range beyond the new phase of about a month and when asked why they say "I don't really like it much" .. after seeing someone else with a make/model they think would be a better choice..(or get talked onto) ..
I carry a snubbie AIWB. Speed strip strong side front pocket. I just like carrying my revolvers. They’re not for everyone but I prefer them over my semiautomatics.
Good video but I think they missed on something very important. Grip angle. I pistol should fit you. The Glock grip angle is wrong for me. I shot high. I could train through that but why retrain my wrist angle when they are plenty of good options out there that will work for my natural grip.
Well Done, Mike! Love the "That's what she said" Joke! Also, you have touched my sensitive feeling of 45 ACP for older people! LOL! Just Kidding! I carry both 45 ACP and 9MM, but still preferred my good ole' 1911 45 ACP Rounds! It's the Filipino in me. Ironically, considering the history of 1911 Colt Pistols and 45ACP., Filipinos LOVES their 1911 and 45 ACP! Keep it up!
Mike, great video. Very educational. I have been a fan of yours for years and signed up for AmCon the day you released the "Get off the bench" video. Keep it up brother. You're an exemplary American 🇺🇲
Great video. While the content is excellent, I want to applaud you on bridging the gap between the tactical, and the sincere. The anesthetics of the brand, and the beautiful new shop are all a monument to that well thought out effort. Congrats again to the Fieldcraft team.
How does the trigger safety prevent garment material catch discharge? I don't understand that part. Doesn't that depend on how the garment material catches? Wish people would always teach the criticality of careful, slow reholstering to prevent garment catch.
Firearms salesman here (prior mil) I agree with most of all he said and to the people that read this hopefully will give you some helpful guidance as well and these New Times of buying all the firearms in America. I will try to politely stereotype the female base of the population that I see you come in and try to purchase a firearm based on size lifestyle and age. There will just be a few of the situations that I encounter but I'll tell you the most often and if you want to DM me that's fine I will try to guide a questionnaire to what I present to the customer that way you can reference this if you want to. I normally ask the customer first just like he said what do you intend to use the firearm for and where will it be most of the time. I then ask do you currently have ammo and if not do you have a way to get ammo. And then I ask how much training you have with firearms and where do you intend to carry it or keep it somewhere. the first one is the husband and wife midlife they come in and the husband either talked to his father or his friend and got recommendations on to carry a 38 Special air weight or this specific whatever semi-automatic pistol because it's what his friend's wife carries. Normally the wife at this time is shy or quiet because she is just there to appease her husband and get the gun that they think is best and he will teach her everything and half the time when I see them out on the range the next week they suck because the firearm does not fit her shoe size. what I try to do Let's get the wife away from the husband and show her all the shoes that are available to her and her lifestyle Just like above I asked the questions and a typical response might be “I'm not really sure what I want he's the one helping me out but if you have other options I'd like to look at them”. “I intend to carry it in my purse or been a nightstand at home “”I don't have any ammo right now I can only get 9 mil from a friend or if y'all have any “”I have little to no experience “ I always carry a snap cap with me that way I can show them how the bullet enters the chamber how it cycles etc that way the person feels comfortable with what they're buying because most of the time they have no idea how it works. This normally results in the wife wanting to buy either the easy shield or some other normal size semi-automatic firearm like a Glock 19 or a Glock 19 because through carefully worded conversations I present isms that might be present in their life. For example, she may have her children in the household still and I recommend getting some sort of secure holster or safe that is super easy to access but challenging enough to where the kids can't get to it and put it in a location that's easy and available for any spur of the moment situation. If there is no one except the two in the house I (and this is my opinion) don’t normally recommend a safe because they need to be able to get to the weapon extremely fast. (DM me if you want more questions) the next person is the one that's larger in size overweight carries on a purse or intends to just keep it at home and I normally try and push him towards this automatic firearm because the semi-automatic firearm is very easy to reload if you practice. The revolver while you can just press it into the target and pull the trigger and have a glorious overspray, the semi-automatic fire won't but realistically most of those situations don't happen in the environment these people are living. Let's say this person is by themself and just wants information, I'll tell them all I can about revolvers and semi-automatic firearms and let them formulate their own opinions based on their lifestyle size and weight. most of the time I'm just trying to get the customer comfortable enough to not be afraid of the tactical look of a firearm and look at it more as a tool instead of a big scary bang. Maybe this person is more worried about how to carry it and I always say if you can carry it on your person because if someone takes your purse and your guns inside your purse then they have you. So I try to start from the waist then work up on the body and then down low because women tend to wear tighter clothing and if you're wearing maybe a jacket you can keep the gun up around your torso area but if you're wearing something that doesn't work there and you have baggy sweats on you can keep a leg holster but most of the time we're going to wearing tight pants and you can't really hide a weapon and tight pants very well. I actually have to go to work DM me if you have more questions I would have kept working on this but there are so many isms it's hard to cover how to find the right shoe for the right situation if there was a gun that covered all aspects of life that would be the only gun that ever sells and there would be no reason for variations in any firearm so you have to find the shoe that fits
That's the same way I judge a handgun to purchase, by how I grip it. Glock 19 is the smallest I will go because my little finger is on the edge of the magazine base bottom. Glock 20 and Glock 19X fit me and same with 1911's fit my hand perfectly. Glock 26 or 27's I would never be able to have a good grip with two fingers hanging off on the bottom.
wowwww... the perfect lesson for a gun salesman's pitch. gun stores should take a lesson from you, Mike😀😀😀😀 but really, i would 100% recommend this video to my sisters looking for their 1st gun. thanks for another great video lesson, chief!!!
The real reason for the different mechanisms on the trigger is as a drop safety. There is no way to hit or drop the gun in a way that would cause the safety to accelerate faster than the trigger.
IMHO, it’s really easy for a first-time shooter/gun buyer to become overwhelmed with information and mentally turn to mush before they can decide on what to purchase. I suggest offering “NEED to know” info, then ease into the “NICE to know” info. SIZE MATTERS in pistols and ammo caliber: (1) for control, (2) for intended purpose (punching holes in paper or stopping a threat), and (3) conceal-ability, especially as it applies to females who wish to carry on-body. I’m a female with XS glove size hands. I love the weight, balance, and control of a long-slide 1911 in .45 caliber, but it’s way too big for ME to carry on-body at only 5’2”. I love the accuracy I get with my SIG SP2022 9mm w/Viridium flashlight/laser but again, not easy to CC. My EDC is a M&P Shield EZ in 9mm. Had a little trouble learning correct grip for the back-strap safety, but range time has created the necessary muscle memory and relatively easy to carry on-body. My new Wilson Combat SFX9 3.25” subcompact in 9mm has an AMAZING trigger pull at a little over 3#!! Debating whether or not I will risk putting it my EDC rotation because I will 😢CRY😢 if it gets confiscated following a self-defense event!!! BOTTOM LINE: As a female, I’ve learned it’s very VERY helpful to shoot a variety of sizes and calibers to learn what you are most effective with and that you can manage manipulating all of the pistol’s functions (slide racking, slide lock, loading mags, etc.) and then narrow down the selection to what is concealable to your liking, based upon how you want to carry - on-body or off. LADIES: Don’t let a man select a gun for you without trying it yourself. If you’re a first time gun buyer, you can benefit from his guidance (assuming he’s experienced with firearms), but TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. It will possibly save you HUNDREDS of dollars, if not more. Next, get some professional TRAINING at a reputable range, unless your guy is a current, professional firearms instructor. 😉 Last, maintain your shooting proficiency! ENJOY! 😁 P.S. - Take note of the sights/optics and trigger feel, too. Apologies for being long-winded here. Just my 2 cents worth from a recreational shooter and self-defense enthusiast. 💥✌️😎
As a former LEO, gun nut, and ex husband I will encourage anyone, man or woman, to obtain a firearm and training for self defense. I think it was Col. Cooper who said, “Owning a piano doesn’t make you a pianist.” The same thing can be said about owning a gun. It doesn’t make you a shootist. Gun stores can be very intimidating places for women. Especially when run by grumpy old men who believe they all fall to hardball. I advise women to go in pairs and if they don’t like the “vibe” of the place to find another place. You may have to go out of your way but if you look you can find a woman and beginner friendly place. In fact they are becoming much more common as women are the fastest growing segment of the gun world.
As a former firearms sales dude. This is really good. However, 90% of people give me deer in headlights when I go into this much detail. I think that is why most gun sales people don’t give this much attention, because usually they aren’t really listened to.
It’s really easy for a first-time gun buyer to become overwhelmed with information and mentally turn to mush. I suggest offering NEED to know info then ease into the NICE to know info. Size matters - (1) for control and (2) for concealment. I’m a female with XS glove size hands. I love the weight, balance, and control of a long slide 1911 in .45 caliber, but it’s way too big to carry on-body at only 5’2”. I love the accuracy I get with my SIG SP2022 9mm w/Viridium flashlight/laser but again, not easy to CC. My EDC is a M&P Shield EZ in 9mm. Had a little trouble learning correct grip for the back-strap safety, but range time has created muscle memory. My new Wilson Combat SFX9 3.25” subcompact in 9mm has an AMAZING trigger pull at a little over 3#!! Debating whether or not I will risk putting it my EDC rotation because I will CRY if it gets confiscated following a self defense event. Bottom line: As a female, I’ve learned it’s very VERY helpful to shoot a variety of sizes and calibers to learn what you are most effective with and then narrow down the selection to what is concealable to your liking, based upon how you want to carry - on-body or off. LADIES: Don’t let a man select a gun for you without trying it yourself. If you’re a first time gun buyer, you can benefit from his guidance (assuming he’s experienced with firearms), but TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. It will possibly save you HUNDREDS of dollars, if not more. Next, get some professional TRAINING at a reputable range, unless your guy is a current, professional firearms instructor. 😉 Last, maintain your shooting proficiency! ENJOY! 😁
i can tell im already a sig fanboy because i found myself getting irritated that the XL wasn't at least mentioned as an alternative, lol. i'm a newb though. and my next pistol will likely be a glock 17 or 19.
She totally straight-faced the “that’s what she said”...well done. She’s obviously immune to your dad jokes.
Bet she would have cracked if Mike said "That's what he said."
@@cndla4st I saw a slight smile and then a quick pull back:)
@@geico1975 THATS WHAT SHE SAID!
@@KM_1983 Bhahahahaha!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 That's what she said I would have sharted
Lady: "Feels kinda of small."
Mike: "That's what she said."
Lady: 😐
Mike: 😑
Me: 😅
Love those awkward she said jokes haha
Lol!
🤣
😆 self-deprecating delivery though - humor lightened the mood IMHO
I think ever firearms sales person should watch this video.
I wish I could double like this comment
Well you never shopped at Duke's Sport Shop as thats exactly how I do it. We don't push we educate.
“I know what I want but I don’t know what to choose can you help me?”
“Get out”
But then they'd be overqualified.
Dudes wrong about Single action though.
When Mike was playing the gun salesman he was way too friendly, practical and gave too much good advice and not enough of a know-it-all to be realistic.
nailed it
Yep
Super impressed by his reservation, also for brevity of the video (eg round ballistics for self defense considerations, technology always changing) - just sound advice!
He was channeling me before I retired. I always hated when a guy brought a woman in and wanted to show her the "little lady guns." I always treated the women like they had a mind and took time to actually work with them. I would often tell them in front of their guy that once they learned to shoot a LOT of women can outshoot the man. Truly though, this should be a required training video for all gun salespeople. Amber had some great input. Such as, "When we say 'good' we mean..."
LOL. Too true!
Her complete disregard for your dad-level jokes was priceless.
That was an act... and they nailed it
Is that his wife?
I wondered why my wife was groaning and yelling at her computer and she showed me this video. You got a lot of things right, but here are some polite points on her behalf.
4:32 A G19 is not too heavy for her. Concealability might be difficult but the weight won’t be an issue. Gabby Franco is her size and shoots a double stack 1911 race gun better than any of us. Women shooters in the military qualified with those fat, heavy Beretta M9s for over 30 years.
4:50 If you’ve had Glocks since the 90s than you still haven’t learned in over 20 years that striker fired hammerless firearms are not “single action only”. On the Ruger that’s the “exception”, he’s saying the reason it isn’t single action only is because it has a thumb safety. Single action, double action, and striker fired guns can ALL have thumb safeties. The presence or absence of a thumb safety has nothing to do with the action type. Later on she will have to unlearn the nomenclature you are teaching her today.
5:38 “All these guns are single action only” gets followed up by “all these guns have a long trigger pull.” The nomenclature issue is causing problems. If she goes to another gun store and insists on buying a SAO pistol with a long, heavy, safe trigger pull, she’s going to get mansplained to all over again.
8:00 in this video it’s fine because it’s a role play and you two know each other, but guys working the gun counter in real life should make it a habit to ask if it’s ok to touch female customers. “Do you mind if I touch your hand, and I’ll show you how I like to grip a handgun?” There’s also nothing wrong with modeling a grip in front of her and having her follow along step by step, holding the gun she is considering purchasing. “Your employee grabbed my wrist” can be an uncomfortable conversation with the management.
8:40 What does “overcompensating / undercompensating” on your grip even mean? If she misses the A zone later and he says “oh you should stop undercompensating your grip”, what’s the adjustment she needs to make on that? This isn’t an industry standard term that is clearly defined.
9:03 Nice job helping the “newbie” build a correct grip. But when asking “how does that feel” you might consider letting her hold the gun without your hand smothering her grip for 23 seconds straight (yes I counted it). This is what had the wife yelling-is he afraid she’s going to drop the G43 because it’s just SOOO heavy? Is he afraid she’s going to aim it at him? Why isn’t she allowed to hold a pistol both people have verified as clear, without a man’s constant over-protective touching?
Notable good things: He asked her WHY she was buying a gun and WHAT her purpose was. He talked about the importance of a quality holster. He encouraged her to seek competent training. He debunked .45acp and introduced the concept of FMJ ammo vs. defensive ammo.
I catch things that Mike gets wrong on almost every video. 😮
I will never possess his experience or skills. He is extremely proficient as a soldier. (I have heard this from guys that he served with. He is the real deal.)
He just gets things mixed up while trying to explain. That's unfortunate, considering he is a teacher now. 😅
The man knows his stuff, but he's just not good with communication. I also disagree with many of his opinions.
If SHTF, I would definitely want him on my side though.
I still support him in his mission, and wish him all the best things, even though, sometimes, he is flat out wrong. Lol
Mike knocked this out of the park. This is exactly the approach that a salesman and new customer should take. Perfect content as usual
Maybe Amber could do a video on CC placement. You guys could talk about where a female should carry in different situations. Like out walking the dog, running errands or different clothes, like jeans, dresses, shorts, yoga pants or purses, backpacks, fanny packs. Maybe talk about shooting in heels v sneakers. There might be others doing this already but Mike's input is helpful and informative. Amber has awesome questions so a female series would be nice.
My wife and I watched this and she and mike answered nearly every question she had about getting the right gun for her! Thanks guys….YALL ARE GREAT!!
Wow, she asks great questions! And in a way that a beginner, male or female, would ask! Way to make the process more comfortable! Knowledge is power!
This video is awesome. I work in a gun shop and there has never been more first time gun buyers than now. I'll be taking all your advice in this video when helping out my next first time gun buyer looking to defend themselves.
That's what she said!!!!! Mike, your humor rocks.
Shawn Ryan and Mike Glover are the 2 best guys on UA-cam for leaning and training.
When my wife wanted her own pistol we went to Ready Gunner and used their unlimited rental and tried at least a dozen pistols. She settled on my m&p 2.0 compact.
👍
Unlimited rental is an awesome service for a store to provide.
Solid choice
That’s a badass gun right there, great choice.
Anytime I talk to a person that's thinking about buy a fire...especially their first I always recommended going down to the gun store and renting what you think you like to try them out. What feels good in the hand doesn't always shoot good for the person.
Hello fellow Utahan! Good group over at Ready Gunner.
Good video. When I took my wife to the gun store, the saleswoman behind the counter made my wife feel like she was the only person there. She spent time to make sure that it was a right fit for her, not for me. She didn’t push her towards the pink girly guns, but rather to the ones she would actually be comfortable handling.
I am Ambers size. I’ll be honest the Glock 19X and the 43 felt really good in my hand. I’ve tried the Sig, Hellcat, Ruger. It was easy for me to rack the slide, it felt smooth.
This needs to be watched by every firearms salesman in the world, period.
P.S please have Amber on more!!
Thank you Mr G!
My gf bought a subcompact pistol and she never uses it because its too small for her to shoot anywhere close to accurately. She bought a m&p 9mm and loves it and actually carries it often.
its what I noticed too when taking other women shooting, the 9s gonna be snappy coming from a small gun and its noticeable even for them
Thank you for making this video. As a women; I've been looking, researching and trying out guns for months but this video really shed light on the things I need to look for and the questions I need to ask.
Haha, Amber deserves an award for not reacting to Mike's "that's what she said".
Such important advice. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been in a gun store and cringed over some dude telling a woman she needs some small .380 or j-frame as their nightstand gun.
I tell women that the bigger the gun, the easier it is to shoot, more grip = less slip
Dude this was hilarious. Mike has a sense of humor that I’m sure we all share
You simply cannot add the “ thats what she said” joke to a comment like that, it’s just a natural reaction! Great video. And any women considering buying a firearm and any gun shop dealer should watch this!
This video is right on time. So many women, buying a gun for the first time after realizing someone's not always going to save you or your family. Here my governor just signed a bill effectively rendering police unable to protect anyone, and I'm now teaching several women including my sister about guns and how to select a first gun. So thanks for the effective content Mike, and FCS crew.
One of our local shop owners Daughter works the counter. She is awesome and extremly knowledgeable!
Glad you touched on the price point...hear a lot of people immediately react to purchasing a firearm as “that’s too expensive”. Well, you’re looking at a gun for a reason (most likely self defense during these tumultuous times); supply and demand affect prices, guns do hold their value if kept maintained properly, and can you put a price on defending you or your family’s life? Once folks get past sticker shock...agree 10 fold, learn to use your firearm! If you can’t take it to the range right away, safely inspect, hold, disassemble, and practice grip use. Great video.
Out of all the pistols my wife handled, it was the M&P Shield 9 subcompact that she fell in love with. The grip really seems to favor people with smaller hands.
I’ve got small hands, and wear extra small gloves. Our .38 revolver has a small and shaped grip. But THIS was SO needed, and I’ve been hoping you’d cover this! Thank you!
I have been on both sides of the counter. Actually started out on Mike's side first, as a salesperson, during the height of the gun purchase craze in the beginning of 2020. (Staff were easily making 100-150 thousand dollars a month in sales, per person!) I don't know if women are doing more research these days, let alone going to make a purchase on their own, but back then it was usually a case of being led by a male relative, friend, or partner. I thought it would put the woman at ease a bit approaching a fellow female, but despite what I recommended, they would still refer back to their male counterparts for the 'second' and sometimes final opinion (and 2 out of 3 you could see didn't really know anything other than the very limited experience they had). It was really frustrating for me in so many ways, but mostly I felt like with all the access to information people have these days women were showing up so clueless about where to even start. More specifically, with all the women's rights and empowerment and equality talk why were women still showing up with a male figure as backup? Anyway, this was a good start, IF the woman shows up somewhat informed... These days, if a woman approaches me about getting armed, I will tell her to get to a range that will allow her to try out different pistols. It really does make a huge difference. I get it, though. Not everyone has access to that.
The construction of 45acp rounds have changed too...people talk about 9mm bullets improving and seem to want to ignore that 45 rounds ALSO have been improved.
I consider myself a novice with firearms. I have watched your channel for quite a while. I am enjoying and learning a lot more with this series. Learning the fundamentals in anything is so important. I will subscribe just for this content.
Learned a lot from you guys...I like the fact that you bring in the women's point of view as well...great info Mike and amber....keep it up
i think we can all agree, Amber is better to look at on camera than Mike is. haha. I enjoy her 'family perspective' as much as Mikes 'tactical perspective'. She brings good content to the conversation.
Good stuff both of ya. Thanks.
Mike might not be an ammunition expert, but I'd bet a dollar he has about as much personal experience with various calibers and bullet types as one could hope for. Enough to be able to give recommendations on what drops guys more consistently. I'd also bet it doesn't line up perfectly with what most internet experts would believe...
Took my friend to find her first gun. Shot all 9mm. Tried several sizes and weights. She settled with a 1911 9mm single stack. She wanted the full sized barrel and the weight to keep the pistol stable with least recoil in her hand. She felt the smaller sized were too "snappy". 1911 was as smooth as butter in her hands. Single stack would fit better in her hands. Shes now in love with it and in firearms class getting her LTC.
springfield 9mm loaded??
The only thing about a 1911 is it is more prone to more malfunctions higher mag cost for the good ones. And higher maintenance overall/ extractor problems/ harder to break down.
I love 1911s but it always gives me pause when it’s someone’s first gun. But as long as the owner is willing to put up with these very small issues will they will be rewarded with the excellent triggers and soft shooting.
@Anders Hilmo and I made sure to hammer all those points home haha taught her to clean it, lubricate it, get good mags, how to check malfunctions and trouble shoot. She's comfortable to go shooting on her own now and is somewhat of a gun nut lol
@@unknown360123 Nice always glade to have another gun nut. Especially one that loves 1911s.
First time I have heard such a good explanation of what to consider when shopping for a handgun. The only thing missing was mentioning the necessity of good training. You can't learn good training from You Tube.
Yes you can, unless you're a moron who needs to see and hear the very same thing from someone whose breath you can smell. Some of the so-called "best" in-person trainers teach bad stuff. Want a couple of examples?
Hollow points are def the best for dry-wall and in general for EDC..
Mike is use to the ladies saying it's to small. But knows how to work it to full satisfaction. Great job guys, my wife's selection was the M&P Shield 9mm and she is doing well with it, very happy for her. Might have to get a laser system, she is having to much fun blowing through rounds.
Mike, you don’t slip that “that’s what she said” with the queen!! Nicely done sir. Grip is everything!!!
Shared with my sister. She lives in the Prison called Minnesota and is about to buy her first firearm.
@Tom S because duh it not IdAhO dA FrEe sTaTe
I totally read this wrong and thought you said she lives in prison!
I’m a Veteran Marine and never got to use handguns. I am going to trade my handgun in that I purchased back in 2011. I found one that I love because it feels good in my hand. Now after 11 years or more that’s how I should have picked one lol
You and a few others have taught me a lot about handguns and I will continue to watch and learn.
Thanks for these videos 🤙🍻
Outstanding Sir. I enjoy observing other people in the way they teach wepon fundamentals. I'm always looking for a better approach when opening that door into the gun world to people. I use a fair amount of your lessons when I'm training my students. Being retired I find a purpose for in training others. Also get a sense of pride.
Awesome you have and appreciate the HK P7. I have one too, everyone says I paid way too much for it but one of my absolute favorite badass guns in my collection.
As someone who sells firearms everyday I agree with this thought process and line of initial questions...but...S&W M&P shield EZ IN 9mm/.380 is one of the top sellers for ladies right now. Extremely easy to manipulate the slide for small frames/weaker hand females..to be fair the top three are the Shield EX, 365XL and the 43x
Takedown and reassembly is problematic. They're both EZ to jam if you depress that grip safefy at TD and RA. Been there, done that, and had to find fine a man to fool with it for several hours before he unstuck it. Couldn't tell me what went wrong, and he was a gun store owner. I had purchased the gun online. Big mistake. Support your local gun store owners.
Only recently discovered Mike and Fieldcraft... I've been devouring videos on both channels. Sincerely appreciate the good work you and your crew are doing. Cheers.
Mike’s constant “that’s what she said” jokes throughout his videos are perfect
SAO is not in reference to the safety. It’s in reference to the action of the hammer on trigger pull. Double action is how the first shot of a decocked P226 is. Hammer back, then hammer forward. The single action is in reference to guns like the 1911. When you pull the trigger, the hammer goes forward. Hence why the 1911 is SAO as you cant shoot it from the hammer forward position. Glocks and Springfield XD’s and sig P320/P365 are “striker” operated pistols. They are close to a double action as the striker pin pulls back on the trigger pull, but its also typically half cocked when you rack it.
When I walk into a gunshop, normally I go in and make as if it's my first time. I can comfortably shoot a Beretta Mod 92FS, while the grip is just too big for me, but the weight and recoil works for me. The work around. Then you talk about the CZ Browny 7.65, the grip is too small for me, but I can still work around it and shoot it comfortably. The sweet spot in sized, full sized Beretta PX4 Storm, with the double stack magazine and 17 round capacity.
Weighing about 145Lbs on a 5'8 structure, I don't have that much of a conceilment sized body, yet I would know how to carry from a sub compact to a full sized pistol on me. Now why, the little old lady revolver always gets pushed, I do not understand as if it is the only thing that won't intimidate a female, even if I also love revolvers.
I've seen full sized Glocks 17 being pushed on a guy that has teeny tiny hands and can barely grip a single stack Glock, but because he is a man, needs to take the biggest baddest pistol according to the gunshop saleman. No explanation on how the weapon works, and he isn't even on novice levels, he is still in conception of life stages.
My questions are:
1. How scared are you of firearms?
2. What made you decide on a firearm?
3. Do you have anything in mind, in shape?
3.1. Dirty Harry style
3.2. Cagny and Lacy style
3.3. The firearms the police, law enforcement, or traffic are carrying (South African)
3.4. Something like James Bond
3.5. Or would you like something John Wick carried
4. Any grip issues, hand strength, or arthritic problems?
4.1. This determines the size and caliber of the firearm
5. The purpose of the firearm?
5.1. Just a home protection piece
5.2. Carried on your person
5.3. Range gun
5.4. Maybe interested in taking up sports
5.5. Maybe for when you are jogging
6. What is your budget on the firearm and what is your disposable income like for training
7. Mr/Ms Salesperson, do have a renting facility for the gun buyer to find the perfect grip and caliber of weapon that makes them feel at ease with the firearm? Because remember, if he is taking it for self defense only and doesn't have a comprehensive sportsman license, they'll be stuck with one firearm that may or may not make them feel comfortable, and could end up a white elephant they never practice with. (Self defense license only allows you one firearm in South Africa)
Respect for not editing out that dead pan reaction to his dad joke.
Second video I have seen from you all. Great content. Thank you for putting this info out. Safe for 1 is safe for all around.
Great video idea, and I like the way you did it. I may be nitpicking here, but if someone comes to this as a video for a first time buyer, I'm a little worried they are going to leave confused on buying a single action pistol. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a round fired every time the trigger is pulled is semi automatic. If they go to the gun store and ask for a single action gun, that is more along the lines of a 1911 style, where the hammer must be cocked in order for the gun to fire. Just hope you would clarify that a little for new gun buyers.
I was standing at the pistol display watching a woman who was being shown a colt 380, the salesmen was very good at his presentation, the woman was still clueless, her last question was does it come with the bullets installed ? I'm all for an armed citizenry albeit an informed one.
I was at the shop the other day and a lady was looking at pistols. She pointed one of my head to see what the site picture looked like.
@@gregtennyson whiskey tango foxtrot ?
@@44musher foxtrot uniform Charlie kilo India November golf November India golf golf echo Romeo Sierra
You gotta start somewhere.
Lol. I'm an old guy (64 this month) and love my 1911s and .45 ACP. I also love my SIG P220 in .45. Sitting on my computer desk in a holster is a Glock G21 loaded with Speer Gold Dot, 230 grain. What's on my hip? Right now a Glock G43 loaded with 124 Grain Federal HST. When I go anywhere larger than our 2 stoplight town it's a Glock G19 Gen 2 with the same 9mm HST ammo. By the bed a Beretta M9A1 with the same ammo chamber loaded, hammer down and safety off. I will admit back in the day I was a .45, .44, anything less will just piss em off kinda guy. Then again 9mm defensive ammo also mostly sucked. Take some time to actually study wound ballistics of modern ammo, the legit standards that is, and how handgun bullets actually incapacitate and act in the body and you can be pretty well served with any of the primary SD calibers with good ammo choice. I get a kick out of guys like Mike when they say, "I'm old." Okay, we'll give you the military years are like dog years thing. So compared to the average civilian... you're old. I walk by and dogs go "Owwld! Owwld!"
great insight! God bless !
She's very smart asking all the correct questions.
I found this to be an informative introduction for those new to firearms and will be sharing it with others.
The audio quality was very good too.
Great concept I originally bought a MP shield and I'm 6'4" my hand size made it very difficult to accurately shoot the pistol and I reached a platue I recently purchased a P320 c and it was night and day on how I could interface with the pistol
My two cent recommendation for women is the Sig-365. Available with or without an external safety. Best thing is the fire control group (FCG) of the Sig-365 is all models without an external safety can be easily converted to have an external safety. All Sig-365 FCG's are made with the locations for external safeties, including the XL models.
10, 12 & 15 round magazines are available. Aftermarket upgrades are available. Even an aluminum outer shell is now available. Improved strikers and operating springs are being brought to the market. There's all types of holsters to choose from.
If you want to competitively shoot in IDPA, USPSA, IPSC there are more divisions to shoot in now. Can shoot in the "BUG Gun" catagory with the flat base 10 round mag only. Must download to six rounds or less. Some clubs have a max of five round in the BUG catagory. Some people use J frame revolvers that only load five rounds. Five round counts equalizes the round count. The "Compact Carry" Division with the 10 round using the flat and magazine bases with finger extension mags. Must load to 10 rounds only regardless of total magazine capasity. The "Stock Service Pistol" division can use 10 or 12 magazines. No more than 10 round per mag, per stage. 12 round magazines with finger extension can be used, no more than ten rounds in both sizes of magazines. Total of 3 mags per stage.
Making the Sig P-365 the most vesitile pistol for competition available. Fits the smaller hands of many women.
If competing in shooting competitions avoid the SIG P-365 SAS model. The sights on the SAS modeld give you a big disadvantage when used in the BUG and Compact Carry divisions.
Big suggestion for all the men out there.... what works for you will not always work for your wife... when I bought my last pistol there was this good ole boy in there buying a new pistol for his wife as her first one and I just thought " this ain't gonna be good". my wife hates both my pistols but loves the one we let her pick out for herself. you'd be surprised how many guys push their female counterparts into buying something they really don't want because "oh honey I really know a lot more about guns than you do"
sometimes women do go crazy on their choices, for example a guy working the pawnshop said his wife wanted a full size ,357 revolver for her birthday Lol
I work at a large pawnshop in dallas area as a sales person this was very educational this helps me everday
Glock 48, 43X, S&W 9mm EZ and Sig 365XL
I have a S&W EZ and I absolutely love it I have Cerebral Palsy and it's super easy and comfortable to shoot I'd recommend it to almost everyone I just wish it was double stack
I've helped several women I know pick out a handgun to use, both for carrying daily and home defense. What I've found is that most of them care about two things:
1) How hard does the gun kick
2) How hard is it to rack the slide
I have seen a few of them buy a gun such as a 9mm 1911, or 9mm Glock, only to later sell the gun because they don't like how hard it kicks, or it is difficult to load/reload (Glock seems notorious for having a difficult to use slide release). In the end, most of them end up with a smaller .380 ACP or a .38 revolver. One or two even considered a semi auto .22 because of how confident they felt using it. Obviously a .22 has far less stopping power, but reaching for a .45 when you are not confident and/or scared of it is much more detrimental to your safety than having a smaller caliber to deter a bad guy. Same thing seems to apply to a home-only defense gun, as women (again, in my experience) would rather have a 9mm SBR or something similar to that vs a 12 gauge shotgun.
I under this is an informational video but in the real world, less talking will get you to a selection quicker and will less stress. Lay an option out from each size category, let them pick out which one feels best, then discuss options, features, pros/cons within the selected class.
Awesome content, and information! Thank you all very much
This is great for first time buyers . You are the person in charge of your executive protection team.
Good video. I like the fact that this was centered around a female purchasing a firearm. I liked it Mike said that how it feels in your hand is important to your confidence and if you will train and carry it every day. I have seen videos from people who are in the industry that say you should just go with a Glock no matter what and how it feels in your hand and everything is an important. I disagree. I will say this. There are a few things I think to consider that weren’t necessarily discussed in the video and I’m sure it was just because it was meant to be an overview. When I first got into shooting and carrying firearms all I bought and purchased were Glock. That’s what I bought for myself, it’s what I bought for my wife that is what we used for years. What my wife found was that the grip, the trigger and ergonomics of the Glock didn’t work great for her and she didn’t shoot them well. I got her M&P shield that she carried for a while, and then when the 365 and the Hellcat came out she went to a range and shot both of them. She came away liking the Hellcat more. I still carry a 19 from time to time but my go to carry pistol for carry is also a Hellcat. Now I have XL two double XL hands, and the 13 round magazine fits just perfect for me. I have found that it’s more comfortable to carry, I like the grip angle and the overall feel of the gun better than a Glock. I can manipulate it much easier. Glock has always at least over the last 25 years or so been the standard as far as reliability goes, there are firearm manufacturers like SIG and Smith & Wesson and Springfield and Canik that are all making guns that are as reliable as a Glock. My advice would be to go in and put all of them in your hand and see which one feels the best to you. Glocks are great guns, but to me personally the grip angle feels unnatural, it feels much blockier then Other firearms, doesn’t point as natural, doesn’t shoot as flat and I don’t like the fact that you have to dump hundreds of dollars into a Glock in order to get it to be a good Carry piece. When you think about spending $600-$650 on a Glock and then having to add $100 in sights, possible Mag extensions to carry more rounds (42,43,43x, 26) there are just much better guns out of the box than a Glock. If you are looking in the Glock 42, Glock 43, Glock 43X or the Glock for 26, I would suggest looking at a 365 or hellcat. You get many more options right out of the box. You get better sites, you get a better trigger and you get more capacity. Just my advice from personal experience, take it for what it’s worth. If you think about the Hellcat versus the Glock 19, you’re talking about 14 total rounds versus 16 total rounds. Yes it’s two more rounds and I’ve never heard anybody who’s been in a gun fight say that they wish they had less ammo, but when you also think about the size to capacity ratio and how easily it is to conceal, I don’t think there’s a better concealed carry option on the market right now than Hellcat. The U notch sight system is so easy and quick to acquire (something very important in a self defense situation)
My wife is deadly with a G17 and her Springfield Armory 1911, 5". She carries a G43.....
Hey Mike, I’m a retired LEO and watched your video. I’m also an old Marine. What is being done to you and others across our great nation is a disgrace. I went to your site to sign up to assist as I have other skill sets that may help this group. When I entered that information I was directed to my email to confirm. After 4 attempts I still have not received an email from American Contingency or anything related to finish setting up my account. Stay right, stay strong….
Great video, the 48 series are great carry options as well.
These days most major cities have shooting ranges with rental guns ,, a good way to get familiar with the different makes and models ,, there are good semi autos and there are good revolvers ,, try not to be limited in choice..
Also I would like to see firearm store, ranges and instructors offer a new gun buyers evening class ,(before buying), just to go over the options and differences without any pressure of buying at that time .. I have met men and women that buy a handgun and don't get to a range beyond the new phase of about a month and when asked why they say "I don't really like it much" .. after seeing someone else with a make/model they think would be a better choice..(or get talked onto) ..
😂 Mike's clumsy interactions with women is so adorable. Haha! ❤😂
Love that there's a P7 on the table. Great first gun :)
Very informative. Humor and clear straight to the point information.👍🏾
Great stuff don’t forget the lonely revolver. Out of all the handguns out there my wife settled on a .38 revolver.
Ahh less evidence to pick up;)
Revolvers are idiot-proof. If there’s a cartridge malfunction, just pull the trigger again. No immediate action drills. No user error malfunctions...
Imagine giving the person you love the most the hardest handgun to accurately shoot with the least amount of capacity
I carry a snubbie AIWB. Speed strip strong side front pocket. I just like carrying my revolvers. They’re not for everyone but I prefer them over my semiautomatics.
No
Good video but I think they missed on something very important. Grip angle. I pistol should fit you. The Glock grip angle is wrong for me. I shot high. I could train through that but why retrain my wrist angle when they are plenty of good options out there that will work for my natural grip.
Well Done, Mike! Love the "That's what she said" Joke! Also, you have touched my sensitive feeling of 45 ACP for older people! LOL! Just Kidding! I carry both 45 ACP and 9MM, but still preferred my good ole' 1911 45 ACP Rounds! It's the Filipino in me. Ironically, considering the history of 1911 Colt Pistols and 45ACP., Filipinos LOVES their 1911 and 45 ACP! Keep it up!
I like this style of video. Should be helpful to some people that aren’t sure about how to decide on a firearm.
The Queen: I'm kind of nervous
Mike: *Interesting*
Lmaoo, I laughed when he said that too
that's what she said i wasnt ready for that... Thank You for making this video...very informative for me to look for for my first baby
Mike... love the humor throughout. It would be interesting to go into the caliber discussion a bit more, specifically 9mm vs... or even 380 vs...
Mike, great video. Very educational. I have been a fan of yours for years and signed up for AmCon the day you released the "Get off the bench" video. Keep it up brother. You're an exemplary American 🇺🇲
Great video. While the content is excellent, I want to applaud you on bridging the gap between the tactical, and the sincere. The anesthetics of the brand, and the beautiful new shop are all a monument to that well thought out effort. Congrats again to the Fieldcraft team.
How does the trigger safety prevent garment material catch discharge? I don't understand that part. Doesn't that depend on how the garment material catches? Wish people would always teach the criticality of careful, slow reholstering to prevent garment catch.
Firearms salesman here (prior mil)
I agree with most of all he said and to the people that read this hopefully will give you some helpful guidance as well and these New Times of buying all the firearms in America. I will try to politely stereotype the female base of the population that I see you come in and try to purchase a firearm based on size lifestyle and age. There will just be a few of the situations that I encounter but I'll tell you the most often and if you want to DM me that's fine
I will try to guide a questionnaire to what I present to the customer that way you can reference this if you want to. I normally ask the customer first just like he said what do you intend to use the firearm for and where will it be most of the time. I then ask do you currently have ammo and if not do you have a way to get ammo. And then I ask how much training you have with firearms and where do you intend to carry it or keep it somewhere.
the first one is the husband and wife midlife they come in and the husband either talked to his father or his friend and got recommendations on to carry a 38 Special air weight or this specific whatever semi-automatic pistol because it's what his friend's wife carries. Normally the wife at this time is shy or quiet because she is just there to appease her husband and get the gun that they think is best and he will teach her everything and half the time when I see them out on the range the next week they suck because the firearm does not fit her shoe size. what I try to do Let's get the wife away from the husband and show her all the shoes that are available to her and her lifestyle Just like above I asked the questions and a typical response might be “I'm not really sure what I want he's the one helping me out but if you have other options I'd like to look at them”. “I intend to carry it in my purse or been a nightstand at home “”I don't have any ammo right now I can only get 9 mil from a friend or if y'all have any “”I have little to no experience “ I always carry a snap cap with me that way I can show them how the bullet enters the chamber how it cycles etc that way the person feels comfortable with what they're buying because most of the time they have no idea how it works. This normally results in the wife wanting to buy either the easy shield or some other normal size semi-automatic firearm like a Glock 19 or a Glock 19 because through carefully worded conversations I present isms that might be present in their life. For example, she may have her children in the household still and I recommend getting some sort of secure holster or safe that is super easy to access but challenging enough to where the kids can't get to it and put it in a location that's easy and available for any spur of the moment situation. If there is no one except the two in the house I (and this is my opinion) don’t normally recommend a safe because they need to be able to get to the weapon extremely fast. (DM me if you want more questions)
the next person is the one that's larger in size overweight carries on a purse or intends to just keep it at home and I normally try and push him towards this automatic firearm because the semi-automatic firearm is very easy to reload if you practice. The revolver while you can just press it into the target and pull the trigger and have a glorious overspray, the semi-automatic fire won't but realistically most of those situations don't happen in the environment these people are living. Let's say this person is by themself and just wants information, I'll tell them all I can about revolvers and semi-automatic firearms and let them formulate their own opinions based on their lifestyle size and weight. most of the time I'm just trying to get the customer comfortable enough to not be afraid of the tactical look of a firearm and look at it more as a tool instead of a big scary bang. Maybe this person is more worried about how to carry it and I always say if you can carry it on your person because if someone takes your purse and your guns inside your purse then they have you. So I try to start from the waist then work up on the body and then down low because women tend to wear tighter clothing and if you're wearing maybe a jacket you can keep the gun up around your torso area but if you're wearing something that doesn't work there and you have baggy sweats on you can keep a leg holster but most of the time we're going to wearing tight pants and you can't really hide a weapon and tight pants very well.
I actually have to go to work DM me if you have more questions I would have kept working on this but there are so many isms it's hard to cover how to find the right shoe for the right situation
if there was a gun that covered all aspects of life that would be the only gun that ever sells and there would be no reason for variations in any firearm so you have to find the shoe that fits
Funny she never flinched when he said “thats what she said”. Tough girl.
That's the same way I judge a handgun to purchase, by how I grip it. Glock 19 is the smallest I will go because my little finger is on the edge of the magazine base bottom. Glock 20 and Glock 19X fit me and same with 1911's fit my hand perfectly. Glock 26 or 27's I would never be able to have a good grip with two fingers hanging off on the bottom.
Thank you Mike for all your advice. Just bought my first Glock 19 yesterday cant wait to start my training at the firing range.
Good video sir. I sent it to my X, hopefully she can take the initiative and do what she needs to do.
She is awesome as well as you! That was very good information,thankyou
Mike is always providing good info. And the "European Man Satchel" was a classic 🤣
wowwww... the perfect lesson for a gun salesman's pitch. gun stores should take a lesson from you, Mike😀😀😀😀
but really, i would 100% recommend this video to my sisters looking for their 1st gun.
thanks for another great video lesson, chief!!!
I came here for the comedy. Instruction was great as well. Was not disappointed.
The real reason for the different mechanisms on the trigger is as a drop safety. There is no way to hit or drop the gun in a way that would cause the safety to accelerate faster than the trigger.
IMHO, it’s really easy for a first-time shooter/gun buyer to become overwhelmed with information and mentally turn to mush before they can decide on what to purchase. I suggest offering “NEED to know” info, then ease into the “NICE to know” info.
SIZE MATTERS in pistols and ammo caliber: (1) for control, (2) for intended purpose (punching holes in paper or stopping a threat), and (3) conceal-ability, especially as it applies to females who wish to carry on-body.
I’m a female with XS glove size hands. I love the weight, balance, and control of a long-slide 1911 in .45 caliber, but it’s way too big for ME to carry on-body at only 5’2”.
I love the accuracy I get with my SIG SP2022 9mm w/Viridium flashlight/laser but again, not easy to CC.
My EDC is a M&P Shield EZ in 9mm. Had a little trouble learning correct grip for the back-strap safety, but range time has created the necessary muscle memory and relatively easy to carry on-body.
My new Wilson Combat SFX9 3.25” subcompact in 9mm has an AMAZING trigger pull at a little over 3#!! Debating whether or not I will risk putting it my EDC rotation because I will 😢CRY😢 if it gets confiscated following a self-defense event!!!
BOTTOM LINE: As a female, I’ve learned it’s very VERY helpful to shoot a variety of sizes and calibers to learn what you are most effective with and that you can manage manipulating all of the pistol’s functions (slide racking, slide lock, loading mags, etc.) and then narrow down the selection to what is concealable to your liking, based upon how you want to carry - on-body or off.
LADIES: Don’t let a man select a gun for you without trying it yourself. If you’re a first time gun buyer, you can benefit from his guidance (assuming he’s experienced with firearms), but TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. It will possibly save you HUNDREDS of dollars, if not more. Next, get some professional TRAINING at a reputable range, unless your guy is a current, professional firearms instructor. 😉
Last, maintain your shooting proficiency! ENJOY! 😁
P.S. - Take note of the sights/optics and trigger feel, too.
Apologies for being long-winded here. Just my 2 cents worth from a recreational shooter and self-defense enthusiast. 💥✌️😎
Great person and situation specific to the point video. Full of useful information.
Excellent as always, Mike. Great job, y’all!
Yes modern ammo has advanced 9mm greatly. It’s also done the same for .45 lol.
@Erozpl01 01 and.45 doesn’t do that you’re saying? Are you also saying .45 acp hasn’t improved?
As a former LEO, gun nut, and ex husband I will encourage anyone, man or woman, to obtain a firearm and training for self defense.
I think it was Col. Cooper who said, “Owning a piano doesn’t make you a pianist.” The same thing can be said about owning a gun. It doesn’t make you a shootist.
Gun stores can be very intimidating places for women. Especially when run by grumpy old men who believe they all fall to hardball. I advise women to go in pairs and if they don’t like the “vibe” of the place to find another place.
You may have to go out of your way but if you look you can find a woman and beginner friendly place. In fact they are becoming much more common as women are the fastest growing segment of the gun world.
As a former firearms sales dude. This is really good. However, 90% of people give me deer in headlights when I go into this much detail. I think that is why most gun sales people don’t give this much attention, because usually they aren’t really listened to.
It’s really easy for a first-time gun buyer to become overwhelmed with information and mentally turn to mush. I suggest offering NEED to know info then ease into the NICE to know info.
Size matters - (1) for control and (2) for concealment. I’m a female with XS glove size hands. I love the weight, balance, and control of a long slide 1911 in .45 caliber, but it’s way too big to carry on-body at only 5’2”. I love the accuracy I get with my SIG SP2022 9mm w/Viridium flashlight/laser but again, not easy to CC. My EDC is a M&P Shield EZ in 9mm. Had a little trouble learning correct grip for the back-strap safety, but range time has created muscle memory. My new Wilson Combat SFX9 3.25” subcompact in 9mm has an AMAZING trigger pull at a little over 3#!! Debating whether or not I will risk putting it my EDC rotation because I will CRY if it gets confiscated following a self defense event.
Bottom line: As a female, I’ve learned it’s very VERY helpful to shoot a variety of sizes and calibers to learn what you are most effective with and then narrow down the selection to what is concealable to your liking, based upon how you want to carry - on-body or off.
LADIES: Don’t let a man select a gun for you without trying it yourself. If you’re a first time gun buyer, you can benefit from his guidance (assuming he’s experienced with firearms), but TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. It will possibly save you HUNDREDS of dollars, if not more. Next, get some professional TRAINING at a reputable range, unless your guy is a current, professional firearms instructor. 😉
Last, maintain your shooting proficiency! ENJOY! 😁
I think u have a ghost in the shop 8:14 in the back 😂
😂😂😂
How in the heck did you notice that hahaha
Love the video .this should go main stream .teach the the rite things
I most certainly would have guess Mike mentioning the G19😂. I can’t fault the guy because it’s true.
Love FC Survival.
or leaning towards a glock anyway ,, except for comment of personal pistol at $4k ,, non-glock..
And he carries a Sig now but yes he loves his glocks
@@wadebigelow6585 he still carries a glock. he mentioned that the glock is still his favorite in a recent handgun video.
i can tell im already a sig fanboy because i found myself getting irritated that the XL wasn't at least mentioned as an alternative, lol. i'm a newb though. and my next pistol will likely be a glock 17 or 19.