Advice on new pistol purchase for person with "smallish" hands.

[Hokkmike]

I currently have only one handgun. It is a Beretta 9000s-D in .40 Smith & Wesson. It has been pretty reliable. The only serious problem for me is that my hands are "smallish" and it has a bit of a thick grip. Yes, I knew it when I bought it but it was a deal I thought I couldn't pass up.

Enter the Walther's PPS in .40 Smith and Wesson. What a beauty. Or, is it vision blinded by new gun fever? It fits my little hands well. I love the looks. The only two things that concern me are the 6 round magazines and the uniquely placed magazine release. I have been told that learning to use the release is not difficult and that in fact they work well.

I am thinking of selling the Beretta which is in excellent condition and picking up the Walthers. I don't need the money from the sale to do the deal but see no point in keeping two pistols of the same caliber.

What I would like is some thoughtful, and critical if you like, comments on my thinking here. I want to decide by Saturday then its off to the gun store. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Maybe you have an alternative suggestion for a good quality pistol in .40 Smith & Wesson?

Thanks for whatever comments you may offer.

 

[JDGray]

Check out the Ruger P345, that pistol fits girly hands and kid hands Its a very soft shooting 45ACP, accurate & affordable. A 1911 with thin carry grips, is another very thin gun.

 

[Hokkmike]

Check out the Ruger P345, that pistol fits girly hands and kid hands...

Ouch JD - But, thank you for the suggestion. I'll check it out.

 

[DougDubya]

The Kahr family is equally small-hand friendly.
The Ruger SR9 has all its problems fixed, and has a slender grip frame.
The Smith and Wesson MP40c has a regular magazine release, can fit the smallest of hands, has more than twice the capacity than the PPS.

I'd seriously go for the M&P compact. It's the right blend of not too much bigger than the Beretta 9000S, more ammunition capacity than the Beretta, and the slanted floorplate that allows a full-handed grip.

 

[makarovnik]

Do a search and you'll find a lot of info on this. It has been done to death.

 

[clang]

Single Stack S&W 3rd Gen Autos are worth looking at - 3913, 3953, etc.

 

[JDGray]

Sorry bout that My wife and young Son enjoyed shooting my P345 the most out of all my guns, twassnt calling you names

 

[Hokkmike]

Sorry bout that My wife and young Son enjoyed shooting my P345 the most out of all m guns, twassnt calling you names...JD

No apology needed. I thought it was in good humor. The smiley face gave it away!

 

[bigfatdave]

Hokkmike, while the subject has been beat to death, I have a PPS in 9mm, and find it great for my largish hands, but MrsBFD's hands get beat up under recoil. The top/rear of the frame beats up her thumb's first joint. This may be the first time I'm NOT pimping the PPS platform, by the way ... I love mine, but you should find one to shoot before buying.

Kahr, Kel-Tec, Taurus, and Springfield make compact single-stack auto-loading pistols in duty calibers, perhaps you need a rental range, or a pile o' guns from friends/family.

 

[gga357]

The Ruger SR9 is great for smaller hands.

 

[blikseme300]

I am a 6' dude with relatively small hands. I found that it is not only the size of grips that matter, the shape is important. The bones of the hand are linear and grips are rounded. Try different grip panels. The shapes of these make a huge difference. I have handguns ranging from .25ACp to .45-70 & 444 Marlin and all fit my hand well, and shoot well, due to the grips I have selected.

I have .32ACP pistols that hurt and 444 Marlins that don't. The shape and fit of the grips do matter.

 

[Jed Carter]

Most subcompact pistols even though they fit your hand are a handfull to shoot. The 1911 has a very narrow grip, various calibers to choose from, and very enjoyable to shoot. Another possible choice might be the CZ 75 compact, P01 or CZ 75D PCR, all are high capacity compact (not subcompact) 9mm's. I own the PCR and carry it daily, it never dissapoints me when I take it to the range, a lot of fun, very reliable, really sexy pistol. I used to carry a SIG P232 it is sized like a Walther PPK (both .380) and kicks like a mule... makes me glad it only holds 7 rounds.
Another thing to try is the "thumbs forward" grip when shooting, it works. There are threads in this venue, and vids on u tube. I shoot USPSA matches and often see little women shoot Limited and Open class pistols (all have huge capacities and grips) using the thumbs forward grip with no problems, in fact most shoot very well.

 

[rbernie]

My wife finds the BHP tolerable, the M&Ps and most other double stacks intolerable, the Kahrs too flippy, and the Sig P225/P6 to be just about right.

 

[Hokkmike]

I appreciate all of the responses. It does appear that not too many people have direct experience with the Walthers PPS.

 

[searcher451]

I have a PPS in 9mm and another in .40 S&W. The Walther is a terrific pistol: reliable, accurate, easy to carry and conceal, wonderful engineering and ergonomics. I prefer shooting the 9mm version over the .40, but that's just me. I've been shooting both for the past year or so and am nearing the point when I'll retire my PPK/S and carry the PPS full-time.

But I'd recommend that you go to a range that rents guns and test-drive any number of pieces that are of interest to you, including athe PPS. Don't buy a handgun on the recommendation of others and what works for them. The only handgun that's right for you is the one that you select because it best fits your hand and eye. It might well be the PPS, but only you can make that final determination.

 

[Hokkmike]

But I'd recommend that you go to a range that rents guns and test-drive any number of pieces that are of interest to you, including athe PPS. Don't buy a handgun on the recommendation of others and what works for them. The only handgun that's right for you is the one that you select because it best fits your hand and eye. It might well be the PPS, but only you can make that final determination.

Salient advice to be sure. I have held one in my hand and have been allowed to dry fire it. As far as "renting" one I am not aware of any local facilities that allow that. Maybe I have been too long out of the gun market. I have always said that guns are somewhat akin to running shoes. You don't know how good they are until you do a few miles!

 

[pascalp]

When I'm thinking about a model and can't try it easily. I search a used cheap airsoft, they are close to real one. Don't laugh, it work with my fat hand short fingers.

 

[bigfatdave]

Salient advice to be sure. I have held one in my hand and have been allowed to dry fire it. As far as "renting" one I am not aware of any local facilities that allow that. Maybe I have been too long out of the gun market. I have always said that guns are somewhat akin to running shoes. You don't know how good they are until you do a few miles!

This place looks way too fancy to not have a rental counter. On the other hand, it looks pricey, too.
Can't hurt to call & ask, though.

 

[esq_stu]

I was doing a comparison for my own purposes to decide on a single stack 9. Attached is a table I made for comparison of some of them. Not guaranteeing that all the numbers are exactly right but close enough for my purposes. There are newer S&W models, but I was specifically looking at the 3953 so it is in the table. I bought one. But I also have the Kahr PM9 and ended up carrying that and not the 3953. I like the size, weight, trigger, and accuracy of the Kahrs best. YMMV

 

[mesinge2]

It is a bit pricey but the Springfield EMP .40 is designed for individuals with smaller hands. They purposefully narrowed the grip (front to back) for the calibers smaller than 45 ACP, it is for 9mms and .40s.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=137

 

[oldhack62]

I, too, have smallish hands, but like them to feel full when I shoot. A double-stack of diminutive build does the trick.
Bersa makes a fine and reliable, yet inexpensive, line of handguns in a variety of sizes/configurations. My most frequent carry is its Thunder380 Concealed Carry (.380 acp; 8+1 single stack), which has borderline power, but everywhere/anytime concealability. My all-time favorite handgun to shoot is my Bersa Thunder9 UltraCompact (double-stack, 13+1) tack driver, which has become a 'tough get' because of its price and reliability. It just doesn't fail to feed or fire, and hits the aiming point. The Thunder45 UC (single-stack; 7+1) is about a half-inch longer, and easily rests in the same carry holster as the 9mm.
I've owned and carried S&W and Taurus, et al, but currently my only self-defense handguns are Bersas (.32 acp to .45 acp). I don't own the others any longer.

 

[Nowhere Man]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned S&W M&P or the Walther P99. Both pistols have removeable grip panels to change the size of the grip.

Both are hi capacity and reliable.


Dave

 

[Hokkmike]

This place looks way too fancy to not have a rental counter. On the other hand, it looks pricey, too. Can't hurt to call & ask, though. Bigfatdave

They were supposed to return a call to me if they could get one to sell. Nothing yet. I have heard they rent some guns for range time. I don't know what their policies are.

 

[mljdeckard]

Many people are surprised to realize that a full-size 1911 actually fits people with smaller hands most of the time. You have the option of an arched or flat manispring housing, and remember that this design is so old, when it was designed the average height (and also hand size) of the average adult American male was significantly smaller than now.

I shot a Beretta M-9 the other day for the first time in hyears, and while I tolerated it before, I really hated it now. It's really fat compared to my 1911.

 

[m2steven]

If you go to a shop and hold the Taurus Slim and the SSP you'll see they are quite similar. I own the Taurus and it's a great feeling pistol. I can't recommend it at the moment, but the 9mm ssp has good word of mouth now. Based upon having held the ssp and shot the Slim - i can recommend the SSP as a great pistol for smaller hands. Even for regular hands like mine - they "hold" great.