Handgun for small hands?
- Thread starter Sniper66
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gbw
Member
This, or the P365 XL with or without manual safety. I like the feel of the XL a bit better than the P365, both are great for small hand IF she can work the slide easily.
Learn to use the mag loader, you’ll need it.
doubleh
Member
Our grand daughter has small hands and likes grandma's 380 Ez but she likes grandpa's Walther CCP even more and also my Baby Rock. Both require more strength to rack the slide than does the Ez but my 12 year old great grand daughter can operate all of them with no difficulty. The Ez has the other two beat by quite a bit in ease of mag loading. My son-in-law has the 9 mm Ez and we both agree it is a bit Ezier to operate than the 380. Both are basically the same in size with the 9 mm being slightly wider.
AlexanderA
Member
The SIG M17 (P320) has the option of three different sizes of grip modules. (That was a selling point for the army, since there were complaints that the previous M9 was unsuitable for small hands.) To be honest, I've found that the small grip module doesn't make all that much difference. The medium grip module is supposed to work for like 90% of users.
eyeshot
Member
This is a great option. Hellcat might be another but my daughter didn't like the trigger.
Zaydok Allen
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I’ll second that.*GROAN*....now I feel REALLY old...................
MrChicken
Member
I've got both EZ's on the table now, the 9 is noticeably harder to rack the slide and load the magazine. The 380EZ has a couple hundred through it, the 9 EZ is brand new. They both are really easy to operate.
doubleh
Member
Sorry about the stiff 9 mmm. If I decide to get one I will try it before purchase.
Jordan Louie
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why do people always recommend small guns for petite shooters? the recoil will be difficult to control and it will make shooting an unpleasant experience. Subcompact guns are meant for comfortable concealed carry only really not home defense. A regular compact, controllable gun with a short reach to controls would be better something like a cz p-10.
WheelGunMan
Member
I guess because the OP said his daughter has rather "smallish hands". I have a P365 which inherently has a smaller grip than most pistols. I've shot it quite a bit as has my wife and neither of us feels that it has excessive recoil. It's an ideal gun for someone with smallish hands.
Jordan Louie
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I know thats why i recommended a compact with a short reach to controls, subcompacts have a small grip and short barrel to improve concealment and reduce weight not for suiting smaller shooters. Sig p365 is an exception though as it does handle recoil like a larger gun definitely best SC gun on the market.
mrmike7189
Member
Everyone that shoots my Glock 26 loves it, small grip and all. It fits small to large hands and the Gen4 to present has changeable grip sections.
JTQ
Member
The trigger reach of the G26 would be the same as the G19/G17/G34.
The OP, if I remember correctly, is looking for a home defense gun and not a carry gun.
I always suggest that people go look at as many different hand guns as possible when looking at a new purchase. You will be surprised at what fits your hands and is comfortable for you, everyone's hands are different. There is nothing wrong with either a semi-auto or a revolver. As far as a home defense gun that will most likely not be carried concealed, go with something bigger with the highest capacity that fits the shooter's hand. A full size 9mm will normally be more comfortable to shoot than most sub compact pistols.
I personally prefer to have grips that allow me to get all my fingers around them but not too long that my hand can move up and down the grip when sweaty or covered in anything slippery. As far as a gun being too large for small hands, you will be surprised what actually fits a person. I have small hands and have no problem with shooting a 1911. While in the Army, I always shot the 1911A1 way better than the M9. The M9 just didn't fit me while the 1911 did. I also do not care for anything with finger grooves since most do not fit my hands and are not comfortable for me. I can not shoot a Gen 3 or 4 Glock due to the finger grooves but shoot the Gen 5 Glocks just fine.
I personally prefer to have grips that allow me to get all my fingers around them but not too long that my hand can move up and down the grip when sweaty or covered in anything slippery. As far as a gun being too large for small hands, you will be surprised what actually fits a person. I have small hands and have no problem with shooting a 1911. While in the Army, I always shot the 1911A1 way better than the M9. The M9 just didn't fit me while the 1911 did. I also do not care for anything with finger grooves since most do not fit my hands and are not comfortable for me. I can not shoot a Gen 3 or 4 Glock due to the finger grooves but shoot the Gen 5 Glocks just fine.
WheelGunMan
Member
I agree with your assessment! When my wife was looking for her carry handgun...one of the hardest things I had to do was keep my yap shut, and not suggesting what I thought would suit her best. So when we went to the LGS and she tried several on, I made sure she handled the ones I liked, but did so without comment. She ended up selecting a Kimber Micro 380 and a few months later picked up a Kimber Micro 9. She likes the way they feel in her hand and the fact that they'll easily fit into her purse. We all have a different set of criteria when selecting a handgun. It certainly wasn't my first choice...but then again, I was not looking at it from a womens perspective and she certainly wasn't selecting it for me. Now that she has her Kimbers...she practices more and is eager to become proficient with them. That's a good thing.
CZ PCR or P01, S&W Shield EZ 9mm or .380, HK VP9 or other compact poly striker fired 9mm with the smallest set of grip panels, any single stack poly gun (standard S&W shield, Springfield xds), maybe even a Browning Hi Power. So many options out there, she just has to pass a few guns through her hands. Something will leap out immediately upon comparison. I consider ergonomics more important than platform and caliber so start with whatever feels best and work from there.
Armorer 101
Member
When I have a person of slight build to instruct. i bring several guns for them to try, to function. many females do not have the finger, hand and arm strength to operate a center fire slide and some do not even possess the finger strength to pull the trigger on a heavy trigger weight, striker fired, no safety, style auto. You determine what you are working with by telling them, not you, to check, to make sure the gun is not loaded. There are two guns virtually any female can handle and they are deadly. The 22/45 Ruger Light and the little Ruger Bearcat. No recoil to speak of, easy to handle, accurate, cheap to shoot and with Agullia SSS 60gr bullets, deadly at 10-20 feet.
Ernie Bass
member
I wonder the number of ladies that have gone into a gun shop, fell in love with a Ruger LCP, it felt great in their hand, is cute and fits so nicely in their pocketbook only to find out that it is a very difficult first gun. Requires diligent training etc.I have seen the same thing with Snubbies.
doubleh
Member
You left out the Ruger SR22. Small, easy to operate, and dependable as a rock. I have a 22/45 lite and it is lite and dependable but it's still a full sized gun. The best solution to the OP's question is to take the young lady to where she can handle a bunch of different handguns and make HER own choice as to what she prefers.
The one thing that I have noticed with all small pistols in 380 or 9mm such as the Kel-Tec PF9 and P3At along with the Taurus and Ruger versions is that they are hard to rack the slide on all of them. I pretty much retired both my P3AT and PF9 for that reason. I don't recommend these types of pistols for people with weak hand strength or arthritis.
wiscoaster
Member
What I'd suggest would be a Bersa Thunder 380 or an M&P Shield 380 E-Z. I have the former in a Vaultek Lifepod next to my bed and the latter in another Lifepod under the right seat of my car. Those Lifepods are kinda neat, gotta say.
wiscoaster
Member
Ya, also a good suggestion, as I'm not one of those knocking .22 LR for self defense. Let's remember John Hinkley nearly killed three people, including President Reagan, with a .22 LR revolver.
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