? 1911 for my daughter

[mark cumberland]

I am going to purchase a 1911 in 9mm for my daughter. My question is, what is more important when buying the pistol for a young female, the weight of the pistol, or the amount of recoil felt from the pistol.

The pistols I am lookine at are:

1. Kimber Tactical Pro 9mm
2. STI Trojan 9mm
3. Para Ordnance P18 9mm

All three have good things and bad things about them. Most of all the weight and the size of them.

Thanks for any input.

 

[dmftoy1]

Just my .02 . .but I'd have her handle one. Her hands might not be big enough to get a good grip on the 1911 and that would ruin her experience. (just my experience with my wife . .)

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[FunGunner]

I'd say the STI Trojan 9mm, but that's just me.



Though



I will never buy another gun for a female without them saying "want that one" in a loud clear voice.

Sister: 870 .410, traded it in on a Ruger 22/45

Aunt: Ruger red lable, traded for an 1100 and some other stuff

Mom: Bretta 96G, sold it and bought a Sig 228

Wife: HD shotgun, had her try several and she told me to get a 1100 youth for her. She shot all MY guns and has now claimed my NEF .357, Sig 228, and Colt trooper III 22lr as hers.

Mother in law: HD shotgun, had my wife deal with it because I'm done with getting women firearms, I just pay for them.

Good luck to you Sir.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

I've made the mistake before of buying pistols for women...as stated before, take HER...let her make the decision, with guidance...preferrably from a good and knowledgeable salesman/trainer...who can give her some professional instructionat the range..let her try the rental pistols...not that you can't supplement that, by any means.

Put something substantial in her hands. You might consider a CZ-PCR too. Browning sized grips sometimes fit females better than 1911 style. However, I really like the little STI 9mm Commander sized unit.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[Majic]

the weight of the pistol, or the amount of recoil felt from the pistol.

Well the amount of felt recoil is going to be governed by the weight of the pistol.
Like others have stated, take her shopping and let her make the decision.

 

[mathyoo]

If possible I suggest taking her to a range that does rentals and let her try a few out.

 

[pete f]

because of the way womens hands are, sometimes bigger grips fit them better than us big handed men. we have more meat in the middle that we have to compress around a grip. where as they do not and bigger gun grips spread the recoil better into their hands.

my daughter shoots a paraord 14 45 better than I do. fits her hand just fine she is 16. she likes a sig and commander too. she does not like hi powers and ruger mk 2;s because the angle and the trigger length feel awkward to her. I think they work fine. just different hands.

as far as buying her her own, go to a good gun shop, tell them what you are going to do ahead of time, and tell them you want her to fondle lots of guns. DO not allow morons to interfere, my daughter was told there was no way she was strong enough to shoot a forty five by one counter jockey,perhaps one reason she likes them so much now. and at another shop a customer made a comment about all of us needing to wear bullet proof vest if she was buying a gun. I put 20 bucks on the counter and said he could have it she did not out shoot him at the range in the back. he backed down but it got her nervous

let her shoot yours all she wants when she finds someting that she likes buy another or give it to her. then you can buy another

 

[ChevellRCR]

My girlfriend is trying out different handguns to see what she likes. Right now she is leaning towards a Springfield 9mm 1911-A1. I currently have it for sale though. If she wants one of her own I will get her a stainless one just like it when I sell it. So far she has tried only it and the XD service. I still have to get her to try out the Glock 17, CZ52 with the 9mm barrel in it and the XD Tactical.

 

[Sean Smith]

Let her decide, steer her away from junk/wildly inappropriate choices (e.g. .50 AE derringers) but otherwise let her get the gun she wants.

 

[Shorts]

The weight and size are actually what makes the fullsize .45s a joy for women to shoot. The recoil is smooth and absorped by the length of the barrel so you get more of a "swaying" muzzle flip. Compared to 3-3.5" barrels that flip quickly with no weight on the front.

Anyway, as already mentioned, let your daughter go handle the guns. I've seen many guns that look great on paper, but when I handled them, it was a big fat red X. I'm a 5'3" gal with skimmy small hands and I love to shoot the SA 1911. The grip is just on the verge of being too big (back to front). We have some thin checkered rubber Pearce grips that are slim and make the grip more accomodating. I might take off my rings just to get extra snug grip and not scratch up the front grip frame.

I do all shoting and handling single-handed and I have to move the gun around to hit the mag and slide release, but I can work the safety just fine. Your daughter will probably have an easier time than I

Like the guys said above, take your daughter, and don't let any of the idiots standing around comment and make her nervous. That stuff sticks in a lady's mind and will make her feel like she's forever being watched and/or scrutinized. To some ladies, its a challenge, to others, it's crushing.

Edit: I see you're choosing a 9mm, then the shooting will be even better. As for the weight, practice will help her hold and shoot it.

 

[roo_ster]

Let her try them out & she what she likes.

My wife ended up with a SA Ultra-Compact in 9mm.

 

[Tman]

Mark:
Take her to the next gunshow. Since you live in San Marcos, the next Austin Saxet Show (moved to a new site with HORRIBLE parking) is coming up this weekend. Your daughter should be able to see the Tac Pro and the ParaOrd. STI is made in Georgetown, so if you give them a call, they might be able to let you handle their guns. Dave Dawson (Dawson Precision) sells the STI's in Leander, you can give them a call. The trojan came standard with thin grips but you can get standard thickness grips with them if you request it. I bought my Trojan 5.0 9mm from Dave Dawson, friendly and good service. I'm not sure when the next San Antonio gun show is going to be. Hope this is helpful.

 

[BluesBear]

Welcome Aboardâ„¢ Mark !

You have my vote for Father of the Year!