Throw out some 9mm suggestions for my wife.

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Photoguy

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Happily, my wife has found that she enjoys shooting with me. Really enjoys it. And I'm stoked about that fact. So just to make her feel more involved with it, we're going to head out and find a 9mm that is just "hers".

She shoots my DA/SA Sig 2022 quite well. She is not a huge fan of her father's gen 4 Glock 17. I'm not sure if it's the striker fired aspect or grip angle or feel or what. But she said she didn't like it as much as the Sig. She's got fairly small, but not tiny, hands. Think men's S or XS or women's M or S gloves.

We're going to head to the LGS the next time we have time away from the kids and let her get as many different guns in her hand as possible. The local range, sadly, has a fairly weak rental selection. So anything we buy is probably going to be "internet advice + how it feels in the store" since there aren't a ton of opportunities to fire random guns around here.

Anyway, I thought I'd see if anyone had any suggestions to toss out there. In some ways threads like this are useless, but in other ways they give a good opportunity to hear other opinions. I'm particularly interested in hearing suggestions from other gals or from guys who have successfully helped their gal find a 9mm that they liked.

As always, thanks. THR is a great resource and I appreciate having it around.

EDIT for a bit more info: Just in case it matters, she enjoyed my friends HK45c very much and liked my govt 1911 fairly well. She seems to have no interest in revolvers. She is sure that she wants a 9mm though.

ANOTHER EDIT: This will be a range gun and not a carry gun.
 
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The last lady I took to shoot for the first time did not like the EMP, but did like the full size TZ 75 and 5" 1911. She liked them better than the .38 revolver, which she shot well also.

Let her handle as many as she can, and remember weight and size affect recoil. Most beginners don't like a lot of recoil to start off with. They work into it.
 
I got my wife a use Glock 19 (2nd gen) with night sites and it's perfect for her.

She also has a Ruger SP101 .357 mag with 2.25 barrel and spurless hammer, if anyone needs a suggestion for a revolver for a woman. The nice thing about these choices is that I like shooting them too.
 
Throw out some 9mm suggestions for your wife? That's a gamble, sight unseen.......do you have any pics of your wife? :D

Try the M&P, XD/XDm, Ruger SR-9, EMT, Kahr or a Sig 250
 
Good Evening,

Be sure to check out the placement of controls on pistols you are looking at. I've read nothing but good things about the Stoeger Cougar and went to a big LGS to check one out. It didn't work for me. My right thumb is a bit short from a childhood accident and I couldn't conveniently reach the slide mounted safety.

I couldn't be happier with my Bersa 9 UC (compact 13 round) and 9 HC (full sized 17 round). Great pistols, great price, and for me the frame mounted controls with big levers works well.

Good Luck!

Dan
 
Is this a carry gun or a range gun?

My hands are in that same size range though, for a woman, my palms are unusually wide while my fingers are relatively stubby.

Despite the huge physical size of the Beretta/Taurus 92's I find that I can handle and shoot them easily.

I can shoot my DH's Smith and Wesson M&P 9 with the smallest set of backstraps on but it feel just a bit too big.

I have a Taurus 709 slim that suits my hand as if it were custom made for it. This and its size-twin the Ruger LC9 are more carry guns than range guns.

Because we have no rental ranges in the area I chose my guns by handling everything in the shop and borrowing what we could when we had the opportunity.

Don't forget to make sure that she can safe the gun and lock the slide back to show clear. I once shot a respectable-score-for-my-level-of-experience target match with a borrowed 1911 that I could rack and shoot easily but which I had to hand to the range safety officer (its owner), to lock the slide back to show clear between rounds because the controls were just too far apart -- I'd have needed 3 hands.
 
Is this a carry gun or a range gun?

...

Don't forget to make sure that she can safe the gun and lock the slide back to show clear. I once shot a respectable-score-for-my-level-of-experience target match with a borrowed 1911 that I could rack and shoot easily but which I had to hand to the range safety officer (its owner), to lock the slide back to show clear between rounds because the controls were just too far apart -- I'd have needed 3 hands.
Click to expand...

Range gun.

Good point on the slide etc. But as she can operate everything I currently own, I'm not too concerned about it. However, it is one of those "checklist" type things to make sure of before purchasing.
 
My wife is a fan of the her XD (full-size) and my 1911. Shoots both well. She didn't like the aggressive grip on the XDm and the latest gen Glocks
 
I have to agree with dakotah's choice, the Springfield XD-9 full size. Perfect range gun, some weight so recoil is minimum. My best friends wife shoots one and shoots it well. I am a glock guy but I will admit, a person with small hands will not handle and shoot well with them. A small 9 like a Keltec or Ruger will not be as fun at the range because of the apparent recoil.
 
I'm going to agree that any ultra-compact suggestions probably aren't going to be the ticket. Too much recoil as some have noted.
 
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Kahr

In addition to those mentioned above, I'd have her take a look at some Kahr pistols... K9 and T9 specifically. She may not care for the trigger action though.

Or, on the cheaper end... Ruger P95.
 
Start here. Let your lady friend read and absorb at her own rate.

http://corneredcat.com/

By the time she gets to this part:
http://corneredcat.com/Gun_Store_Miss_Adventures/

She will be starting to form some opinions of her own, or at least be able to do so. This is where you both want to be.

You will save yourself and your loved one a lot of money and frustration if you let her guide the process. Follow Kathy's guidance. She is a very skilled instructor and a very good student of human nature. Take advantage of this resource.

She also has at least one book relating to women's self-defense. It is well written and is a bargain ($10 or so). If your SO is at all interested in carrying and SD, buy her a copy. It will re-inforce (from a female's perspective) all the good and legal/moral aspects of SD.
 
I wear a men's size small glove.
Pistols I really like include:
Glock 9mm, any size
Browning Hipower
S&W 3913
1911
 
Her safari, u the guide

She needs a gun that fits her hand in a caliber she can control. 9mm is a good choice - practice ammo is relatively inexpensive if you don't reload. She will need to handle and shoot them for herself but may eliminate the double stacks including those with interchangeable back straps. Don't let magazine capacity dictate choice. A gun is a fair size investment and you want her to be happy rather than disappointed.

We use the GLOCK 23 (Gen. 3) at the LETC where I teach and anyone with a hand size smaller than a man's large glove ends up rotating the hand toward the trigger thereby compromising a strong grip. The recoil is therefore absorbed by the thumb's knuckle which will become sore with much shooting. Many small statured struggle to just pass.

Have her align the gun with her forearm and check trigger reach. For a single action you need enough trigger finger to reach the center of the pad of the first joint. For a traditional double action you need enough trigger finger to reach the outside edge of the trigger with the crease of the first joint (power crease) in order to have enough leverage to pull it. If it don't honestly fit move on to something else.

As a suggestion, handle/shoot a Kahr K-9. It is a single stack all steel 9mm and has surprisingly soft recoil, is small and light enough to carry well but still shoots well.

As a range gun a barrel length of 4" - 5" will shoot better than a shorter one. A 9mm on a 1911 frame might fill the bill well.

One of your main functions is to guard her from some hornswoggling salesman.

Happy hunting!:)
 
The XD/XDM series pistols are great because of the adjustable backstraps. They can easily be adjusted to fit smaller hands or larger depending on who you want to accomodate. They're accurate, hi cap, and reliable too.
 
As said above with the big shiny pic :) Ruger SR9c Its an amazingly comfortable 9mm. With the different mag extensions its also very versatile.

DSC03967.jpg
 
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