It’s one of our favorite topics: Which guns are women buying? While it’s impossible to know what handgun each and every woman in the United States has purchased in the past year, we can be confident that surveys and samplings produce reliable information that give us a general idea. That’s why we got so excited when The Well Armed Woman announced the findings of its 6th Annual Survey of Women Gun Owners.
In this year’s Top 10 list (based on purchases made in 2022) you’ll recognize many familiar models, as many are making encore appearances—and not necessarily in the same order as they’ve previously appeared. A few have even been on this list since the inaugural survey. Some models fell off; others climbed on board, like the made-for-women Walther PDP-F. There was also a three-way tie for seventh place which, interestingly, shows SIG Sauer's now-discontinued 1911-inspired micro-compact pistol is still a popular choice among women.
The Well Armed Woman founder Carrie Lightfoot also offers insight into this year’s survey results, pointing out that even though a few well-known brands didn’t have a gun appear in the top 10, they are making inroads with new models that are finding favor among women, including certain revolvers, and models in Taurus’ G Series. See more of Carrie’s analysis here. And after you're finished, avail yourself of the hundreds of gun reviews of some of the most popular brands and models, all posted by women who have purchased and used those particular handguns.
Without further ado, based on TWAW's survey, here are The Well Armed Woman’s Top 10 Handguns of 2022:
1. SIG Sauer P365 (9mm)
2. S&W M&P9 Shield EZ (9mm)
3. S&W M&P380 Shield EZ (.380 ACP)
4. Glock 43X (9mm)
5. Glock 19X (9mm)
6. Springfield Hellcat (9mm)
7. Three-way tie: S&W M&P Shield 9 (9mm)/Walther PDP-F (9mm)/SIG Sauer P238 (.380 ACP)
8. SIG Sauer P320 (9mm)
9. Ruger SR22 (22 LR)
10. Kimber Micro 9 (9mm)
