Handgun for small hands?

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Sniper66

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I friend's daughter wants to get a small handgun to have available for self protection. Of course, she's had some experience and will go thru additional training and supervised practice. She is a mature 19yr old going off to college and wants a gun in her apartment where she will be living alone. But, she is quite petite and has smallish hands. Of course we'll be taking her to gun stores where she can try out different options, but wondered if you guys out there have any suggestions as to make and model of small handguns. I have a Kimber Micro .380 that I like a lot and it is amazingly accurate for a short barreled pistol. Looking forward to your suggestions.
 
If she likes the mini-1911, then the Kimber or any of the other similars. The Glock 42 or Ruger LC380 should suffice if she does not. Of course, 9mm versions of similar guns may well fill the bill if she isn't "restricted" to the .380ACP.

The Smith and Wesson Shield EZ is an excellent option in .380, too.
 
I would look for single stack 9mm like a Sig P225 or P239. Single stack Kahrs are good guns but can have reliability issues.

For a double stack 9mm look at a Browning Hi Power or a CZ P01 or PCR.

I generally do not recommend smaller shorter barreled pistols for home defense.
 
A few choices

For automatics 1. Smith 380EZ 2. Walther CCP M2 .380. 3. Beretta Tomcat .32
Revolvers 1. Ruger LCR .22 magnum 2. Smith 351PD

All of these guns fit small hands, generate reasonable levels of recoil, are reliable, and are easy to operate.
 
The Kimber Micro in 380 or 9mm or the Sig P238/938 or Springfield Armory 911 in 380 or 9mm. All three brands are basically the same gun with small differences in features. The Smith and Wesson M&P EZ in either 380 or 9mm is also a good choice. I would steer clear of the Ruger LC380/LCP along with the Kel-Tec and Taurus versions since they will be hard to rack the slide and have more felt recoil.
 
My petite wife is very happy with the Taurus PT709 I bought thinking I'd use as a BUG but I couldn't get comfortable with shooting.
 
If you can, take the new shooter out and give them the chance to try a few different pistols. If that isn't possible, just getting a couple of small frame revolvers and semi-autos in their hands at the local gun store can weed through options quite quickly. After holding a few, it was easy for my wife to say "I like this one" and really narrow down the field. I'd agree that 9mm would be a good starting point for a defensive round, especially paired up with a soft shooter like Hornady's FTX Critical Defense Lite.
 
I'd start to let buy her a compact locked breech .380 like the S&W M&P EZ 380, Ruger LC380, Walther PK380. All three have external safeties.
 
We seem to do this in all these type threads...
WVsig said:
I generally do not recommend smaller shorter barreled pistols for home defense.
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Little guns aren't easy to shoot.

The issue for folks with small hands is trigger reach. Recommending a gun that has a short grip - top to bottom - isn't an advantage to anyone, unless you're trying to conceal it. A home defense gun doesn't need to be concealed.
 
Sniper66 said:
I friend's daughter wants to get a small handgun to have available for self protection. Of course, she's had some experience and will go thru additional training and supervised practice. She is a mature 19yr old going off to college and wants a gun in her apartment where she will be living alone. But, she is quite petite and has smallish hands. Of course we'll be taking her to gun stores where she can try out different options, but wondered if you guys out there have any suggestions as to make and model of small handguns. I have a Kimber Micro .380 that I like a lot and it is amazingly accurate for a short barreled pistol. Looking forward to your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Glock 42...If the recoil wouldn't bother her, Glock 43
 
JTQ said:
We seem to do this in all these type threads...

Little guns aren't easy to shoot.

The issue for folks with small hands is trigger reach. Recommending a gun that has a short grip - top to bottom - isn't an advantage to anyone, unless you're trying to conceal it. A home defense gun doesn't need to be concealed.
Click to expand...

100% Concealed carry is not an issue for the OPs friends 19 year old daughter. She cannot legally carry in KS. So a larger easier to shoot handgun with a short reach to the trigger is the best choice IMHO.

The other big consideration is she is in an apartment. Over penetration of missed shots could be an issue. I personally like 20 gauge shotgun in this role.
 
I would concentrate on whichever 9mm or 380 shield works best in her hands, but I would be more inclined to select 9mm if all else is equal.
 
Have her try as many as possible. Seen some petite lady's shoot big guns. And more accurately then I. My stepmom was 5,2 and could shoot a colt delta elite. And shoot it accurately.
 
Man here with small hands. My advice would be to have her first find a few options she likes most from counter surfing, where she can check out everything possible to evaluate w/o shooting (overall feel, trigger reach, trigger pull, control manipulation, etc), and then try them out beforehand via range rental. I've found that many times what feels best in the hand is not the most accurate / controllable option when you're actually putting rounds downrange.

In most cases, single-stack handguns are going to be the best alternative, but not always. Sometimes slim is too slim.

Always aftermarket/supplied accessories to consider - like grips or interchangeable backstraps. But often impractical to try those out w/o buying unless you know people who have the same setup.

Ironically, as a small-hand guy, I find that if I have to go either direction, I'd rather have a grip that was a bit too big than too small. Maximizing the interface between hand & grips is very important. Really small grips can create too much dead space.
 
azrocks said:
Man here with small hands. My advice would be to have her first find a few options she likes most from counter surfing, where she can check out everything possible to evaluate w/o shooting (overall feel, trigger reach, trigger pull, control manipulation, etc), and then try them out beforehand via range rental. I've found that many times what feels best in the hand is not the most accurate / controllable option when you're actually putting rounds downrange.

In most cases, single-stack handguns are going to be the best alternative, but not always. Sometimes slim is too slim.

Always aftermarket/supplied accessories to consider - like grips or interchangeable backstraps. But often impractical to try those out w/o buying unless you know people who have the same setup.

Ironically, as a small-hand guy, I find that if I have to go either direction, I'd rather have a grip that was a bit too big than too small. Maximizing the interface between hand & grips is very important. Really small grips can create too much dead space.
Click to expand...

The real question is do you smell like cabbage?

tenor.gif
 
Sniper66

I'm in the same boat so to speak with having small hands. Have found the Browning Hi-Power, CZ P01, HK VP9, SIG P229, SIG P365, S&W Shield, Block 19, and the Ruger SR9c to be very well suited for my hand size. In a .380 look for a gun that uses a locked breach design like the SIG P238, Colt Mustang, S&W M&P 380 EZ, and the Walther PK380.
 
WVsig said:
100% Concealed carry is not an issue for the OPs friends 19 year old daughter. She cannot legally carry in KS. So a larger easier to shoot handgun with a short reach to the trigger is the best choice IMHO.

The other big consideration is she is in an apartment. Over penetration of missed shots could be an issue. I personally like 20 gauge shotgun in this role.
Click to expand...
Depends on the loads in the pistol and shotgun - buckshot DOES penetrate
 
My 4'10½" granddaughter is a 21 year old USMC corporal who has TINY hands. My old S&W Model 642-2 backup with an APEX spring kit is hers because it fits her hand. If she needs anything easier or more powerful to shoot, we'll look at a Model 60-15 3 inch with adjustable sights. I didn't have any little 9mms when she was home last, so the new tiny ones might also be an option. Seriously, her hands are tiny.
 
Grandpa was a Detriot police officer from the late 20s theu the mid 50s. He had huge hands. Grandma was 5' tall if she stood up real straight. While she hated his 1903 Pocket Hammerless in 32acp, she was deadly with his 38/44HD revolver. That wS an early N Frame S&W in 38 Special. Best bet is to take her to a range that rents guns and let her shoot several different guns.
 
one thing every one forgets it's not a carry gun, It's a house gun and lets say revolvers offer a lot of options, it's easier to change grips , some decent guns have smaller grip profiles , and if she barricades in and calls the cops , the revolver can be a tried and true friend
 
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