a small gun for a small girl

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My daughter who's 14, petite and probably gonna struggle to break 5 feet even and a hundred pounds is already wanting to get her Texas Concealed card. She's got the same debilitating issue I do; she's a southpaw. :banghead:
FYI, i got tired of dumping mags on the ground and became a revolver guy; carry an LCR daily. The jury is still out for her and in the end its her choice and she's gotta be comfortable with it.

So I'm not up on what small .380s would work although I've read about the Glock 42, Sig 250, and HK P7. I'd probably be willing to look a .32acp also if its wrong hand friendly.

So throw out those suggestions and thanks. :)
 
A CZ-83 is another one to consider.

A P250s come in three sizes (full, compact, subcompact) with each size available in small, medium, or large grip frames. A short-reach trigger is available as an additional option. If the she likes the .380 version, she has always the ability to bump it up to 9mm later if she wishes.
 
A HK P7 would be good, though if you can swing it I'd try to find a P7M8. The mag release is a bit more useful and there is a heat guard above the trigger. It's an excellent gun (one of my favorites) and should be thin enough for her to grip and use easily (and it helps when concealing).

Another option to look at is a Walther P99 or PPQ. They're 9mm and not exactly small, but they should be lefty friendly. The PPQ would probably be a little bit better considering it has a slide release that would work for a lefty as well (could be mistaken but I believe the P99 doesn't have one for a lefty). I would recommend the version with the paddle mag release as it would be set up from the factory as ready for a lefty, but that's a personal preference. If you prefer a button release I think both the PPQ allows you to switch the button release to the other side.
 
Glock 26 or 27? At least for self defense purposes a 9mm or .40S&W is a more effective choice than the .380 (I say this on the basis of ballistic testing that my department has performed, and I have been a part of). There's no reason that a tiny woman couldn't handle either of those choices.

About the only advantage a .380 brings to the table is that you can sometimes find a more concealable gun in that size range. Nevertheless, my 100 pound and very petit better half (she's tiny, and is often mistaken for my daughter, despite being just slightly younger than me) has carried both of the options I mentioned, and has been very happy with them. She's now carrying a full-sized Glock 17 (9mm) just because she liked the feel of that gun a bit better (the Gen 4 Glocks have interchangeable back straps, so they can fit a variety of hands pretty well).

And, the Shield you mentioned is also a very viable choice! Again, there's no reason she can't physically handle the 9mm, just so long as she's personally comfortable with it. If she's not comfortable firing the more powerful choices, then there's no reason to force it upon her. But, if she's not emotionally against a 9mm, she can certainly shoot it more cheaply than the .380, and more easily find practice ammo… the bonus is that it is also a more effective defensive cartridge (sort of a win-win).
 
H&K P7 family of pistols are great guns (I have a PSP, M8 and M13), but they have large grips and are very heavy. I would recommend another pistol if the person is smaller in stature.
 
Get her out to the range as often as you can. If she shows genuine curiousity and a polite disposition you might be suprised how many guns she is offered a chance to shoot over the next year. If that doesn't work, take her to a rental range and try several options.

The Walther PK380 has the easiest slide to cycle I have felt. However, it's not a small gun so concealment might be an issue when the time comes. Or maybe you could start her on a PK380 then move her to somehthing else once she gets used to the mechanics of properly racking a slide.

The left handed issue adds a layer of difficulty for sure. My youngest son is a lefty so I've been there. He is still too young to settle on a pistol but by the time that day arrives he will have had lots of trigger time with revolvers and semis. And when that day comes, it will be his choice.
 
Peruse here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=564531

.. and CorneredCat.com.

I'm also left-handed, and the Glock 42, were I not already well-equipped, looks like it could be the one to make me buy something with that blocky "G" on the side.

By the way, I think she might have to wait a few years, unless Texas amends its carry-laws. Just think of what might be available for her to try out in 5-7 years!
 
Your daughter will be able to handle just about anything she works at handling. I worked with a a woman who is 4-9 and 85 lbs. She was trained with and carried Glock 9mms, 870s, M4s and MP5s. If you want to see.how a smaller person can handle firearms google Shyanne Roberts in NJ. Not sure of her height and weight but she's a 9 yr old that competes in 3 gun with a Glock, 1187, and AR.

Being physically smaller does not mean you can only handle a small gun.
 
I'll second Griz's comments. What pistol a young lady (or just about anyone) might really "click" with is sometimes quite surprising.

My 12 year old daughter LOVES my full-size xDM. She's been handed G19s and such, and has fired 1911s often, and revolvers. But nothing really does it for her like the 9mm xDM.

Why? Who knows? But she's working up to competition with it now (shot the IDPA Classifier again today, still working to break 300 seconds, though) and handing her a smaller, lighter possibly snappier gun just is unthinkable. Watching her work with this "big" pistol, it's right for her.

Now that's not advice to go buy YOUR daughter an xDM. That's just saying, let her try shooting a bunch of stuff and let her pick. Small, large, heavy, light -- whatever SHE wants to shoot.

Concealed carry is a few years out for her anyway. Get her shooting something she loves now and by the time she's ready for that, she'll be far better qualified than anyone else to decide what she wants to carry.
 
Small gun for a small girl is probably a bad idea. Last time I was at the range a few weeks back, a lady next to me (obviously new to guns), was trying out a Ruger LCP (another woman and a guy were with her; I presume some of the guns were his).

At the first shot with the LCP I heard "YEOWW!!" or some such and the lady refused to shoot it again. She wasn't an especially small woman, just for reference.

Later on, the very nice range people brought her a SP101 .22 and set her up with a "gopher" shoot-n-see target. First shot drilled the gopher dead center in the chest. Remaining shots were all in the chest or head region. Granted, this was at fairly close range but still! Considering she was a very new shooter, who'd already been scared by the LCP, that was pretty darn good.

There's not really a moral to this story but if there was, I'd say that new shooters should start with a .22, and move up when they're ready.

Incidentally, I just bought a SP101 in .22 myself, so I guess I'm going backwards... I need the training! :rolleyes:
 
she is petite alright but she is still quite young at only 14. she will not be legally ccwing anything soon so there is plenty of time for her to develop physically, gaining strength in her hands and so forth.
 
While I am sure P7 fans will dispute my views (flame me!), it is no gun for a small person or someone with weak hands. First, in spite of pictures, the P7 is a pretty big gun. In addition, its grip cocking requires a firm grip on the gun at all times, much firmer than that required to operate, say, a 1911 grip safety. A Ruger LCP or LCR might be better; I would certainly suggest letting her try as many guns as possible and make up her own mind.

Jim
 
+1 Only she can say if it fits her hand. I would definitely try to expose her to a small frame revolver (a steel one - not a lightweight alloy model) and see if she can learn to manipulate a DA trigger pull. No safeties and no feed issues. She needs to shoot as many different guns as possible. But ultimately the choice must be hers.
 
With the advent of the "pocket 9", there is no reason to go with a .380 anymore, unless the pistol you want isn't available in 9mm.

My standard advice will still apply, in that she should carry the largest handgun she can conceal. Of course, someone petite will be able to conceal much smaller handguns than me, at 5'11'' and a shade over 200lb. I've got a friend named Bob who could probably conceal a light machine gun.

If at all possible, avoid the guns marketed specifically toward women. Most of them are extremely small and extremely light. In other words, difficult to shoot well and brutal on the hands in a respectable cartridge. This is especially true in revolvers.
 
Which is her dominant eye? I'm a lefty, but right eye dominant. So, when learning to shoot, I learned to shoot right handed to accommodate this. This is also the recommendation of the NRA for teaching new shooters.
 
She needs to try all or some of the above.

Maybe a Makarov, maybe one of the pocket wonders, maybe a LCR in 22.mag?
Who knows .. other than she, that is.
 
Many women have difficulty pulling back the slide on a semi-auto.
Click to expand...
While that's true, it's a matter of technique, not strength.

Read the "Cornered Cat" site linked above! Read it thoroughly because she's got terrific advice for women who shoot, including fail-safe racking technique that any lady can learn.

I'd say it is more likely that a petite woman can learn to rack an auto with that method than it is she can learn to shoot well with a long heavy DA revolver trigger. Though that IS possible.
 
Lots of choices - my Wife is not a leftie but at 56 is about 5' and 115 lbs with arthritic hands and some recoil sensitivity she didn't have before being a cancer survivor. Anyway, she can't handle Big Bore Blasters anymore.

Her go to guns are the Glock 42 and Ruger LCR .38 with the caveat that full house .38 Special in the LCR is *not* comfortable. She loves the 110 gr. hand loads I make for her in the .38. A smaller, younger female might do fine with 125 gr. .38 Specials but I'd caution against the use of full house/+P in a ruger LCR for a smaller shooter.

VooDoo
 
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