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I already have mine and I shoot an HK USPC45 but my buddy and his wife are taking the class. He wants to get her a gun that she can handle but all he has is a 1911 Commander. He seems to think that you must have at least a 9mm to qualify but I don't remember any restrictions on the caliber. He wants to use a 380 for her if possible ~ Is this OK?

Yes. The minimum caliber is .32.

- Jim

Ummm.... Maybe he ought to let her try the .45.

I know quite a few ladies on here and outside of here that are quite happy with a 1911 in .45ACP. I'm not sure it's wise to tell a lady what she can't carry or shoot. It seems to me she'll be happier shooting what she wants, and HIS life will be easier too...

Well, if we're getting into advice territory ...

Small-caliber pistols can be hard to shoot accurately. They have a short sight radius and are small in the hand and lightweight, causing them to recoil harder. A 9 mm could well be easier to shoot, as could a heavy .45.

Practice is everything.

- Jim

Take her to the range to practice with the commander. She'll probably do fine with it.

I agree completely......ladies often like the recoil of 45ACP. A friend of mines wife shoots a 357 Sig and she is tiny!

Guns are like shoes: what works for one lady won't work for another.

She needs to go to the range before her CHL class anyway; she'll won't feel as stressed before and during the test if she knows how to use a particular weapon ahead of time and already knows she can shoot it well.

Before my aunt took her CHL class, she made my uncle take her to the range with her new Browning HiPower. He taught her all the little details about the gun, and she got a lot of practice time in. At the class, she wasn't nervous at all; she whizzed right through the shooting part, as she was confident in her ability to safely and efficiently use the gun.

Good that she wants to shoot semi-auto and not revolver.
Even someone who plans only to carry around a little .38 snubbie should test at someplace where they can rent a full-sized GLOCK for the test or something. If you test using a revolver, you can ONLY carry a revolver, and I figure, why limit yourself? I think I finally convinced an older gentleman friend of the wisdom of this, but he argued with me for a good while before he decided that maybe testing with a semiauto was a good idea...the only gun he owns is a Rossi .38 snub.

A little 2" .38 special is harder to keep on target than a small semiauto of whatever caliber, though a laser sight system in the grip can help revolver accuracy somewhat if you have one. My friend doesn't...his has a narrow wood grip, like a classic "chief's special" type gun. I let him shoot my PT92, my Bersa, and my CZ-75B, which finally sold him on the idea.

I passed the test with my Bersa .380 Thunder, but for the heck of it, I re-shot the CHL test target on my own, roughly approximating the course of fire using my CZ-75B in .40 S&W....and did marginally better, with less stray shots at 15 yards...no misses and no "3s", while I did get 1 "3" with the smaller Bersa at 15 yards.

My hubby and I qualified last weekend. He shot his kimber 1911 .45 and I shot a friends glock 9mm..I loved it so much I went and bought one the next day. I had been shooting a 38 special airweight that he bought me but wanted me to shoot the glock so I could carry his kimber if I needed to.


Hope this helps


Brandy

For fun I shot the course once with my Beretta .380 I had none outside of the 10 ring.

I have seen people qualify with the tiny little Beretta .32. I have seen people barely pass with a .45.

I have seen guards (who take the same test) fail with everything.

It is all preference.