Honest opinions needed

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  • thunderchicken

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    Ok guys/gals, I need some honest opinions based on experience.
    My daughter will be turning 18 in August. She really enjoys shooting and wants to get her first handgun soon. So, I am thinking about buying her a handgun and sending her to a training class.
    Now she is 5'2" petite with small hands. She has some trouble with all my handguns. She has shot my wifes Bersa .380 fairly well but I would like to steer her toward a 9mm.
    I am kinda thinking M&P Shield 9mm.
    What are the ladies thoughts? Guys ask your wife/GF and help me narrow down the search.

    She doesn't much like the idea of CC a revolver because she feels like they are too bulky (width). Of course at her age she seems to always feel the need to wear tightish pants so a slimmer gun will be needed.
     

    Snapdragon

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    A shield is a good choice. I had one and it fit my hands pretty well. I always found Walthers to be very comfortable in my hand, but I have never shot one.
     

    Jeepster48439

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    I tend to be partial to Berettas. How about the Nano for 9mm or the Pico for .380? The Pico is the slimmest on the market. I've got an LC9 and neither my wife or daughter like shooting it. They say it hurts.
     

    red_zr24x4

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    Look at the Glock 43. Single stack 9mm, Add the pierce extension for a +1 in the mag bringing it to a 7 +1 . Light weight, slim, easy to control shooting with a somewhat mild recoil.
     

    WebSnyper

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    How do you think she will carry the gun? Will she belt carry in a holster, or off body carry, or some other method? Will she dress to accommodate a gun, etc? I think some of that will come into play.

    In the category of the size of gun you are talking about, certainly the Shield, Glock 43, Sig P365, etc are candidates, but would want to get some info on carry method intention.
     

    dudley0

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    Find some different guns for her to test out. Doubt you are located in this part of the state but if so I have a few different sizes that you could test with her, including snub nosed revolvers and the M&Pc that I have up in the classifieds.

    My oldest was planning to carry, then decided last minute that she didn't think she could pull the trigger even on a bad guy. I keep hoping that she will come around. Still goes to the range, but not as often as I would like. No desire to take a class, since she doesn't plan to carry. I hope to get a class closer to me to send all the ladies in my family.

    Best of luck, and stay with her...
     

    churchmouse

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    As already stated.....let her shoot as many different platforms as possible. Then make the critical decision.
    Budget is always a factor so dropping coin on the 1st one can be a dilemma.
    I started my kids with a .22 and then a .380 and now they are serious .45 ACP freaks. But I started them on the trigger at 12 years old.

    I wish I had some of the pieces mentioned as you would be more than welcome to try them but alas......CZ's and 1911's for me.
     

    wcd

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    Dec 2, 2011
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    Ok guys/gals, I need some honest opinions based on experience.
    My daughter will be turning 18 in August. She really enjoys shooting and wants to get her first handgun soon. So, I am thinking about buying her a handgun and sending her to a training class.
    Now she is 5'2" petite with small hands. She has some trouble with all my handguns. She has shot my wifes Bersa .380 fairly well but I would like to steer her toward a 9mm.
    I am kinda thinking M&P Shield 9mm.
    What are the ladies thoughts? Guys ask your wife/GF and help me narrow down the search.

    She doesn't much like the idea of CC a revolver because she feels like they are too bulky (width). Of course at her age she seems to always feel the need to wear tightish pants so a slimmer gun will be needed.

    From experience, my wife has adopted her new officer size Ruger 1911 as her new Carry.
     

    Hoosier45

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    +1 on letting her try several and letting her decide. Ultimately it has to be what she is comfortable with. People often want to give the smallest guns to women and younger shooters, and those can often be the most difficult to shoot. The last thing you want to do is get her something that frustrates her to the point that she doesn't want to shoot or carry it.
     

    thunderchicken

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    How do you think she will carry the gun? Will she belt carry in a holster, or off body carry, or some other method? Will she dress to accommodate a gun, etc? I think some of that will come into play.

    In the category of the size of gun you are talking about, certainly the Shield, Glock 43, Sig P365, etc are candidates, but would want to get some info on carry method intention.

    That's a very good question. Based on our conversations I have stressed to her how easy it can be to have it stolen if she off body carries. As well as some other concerns with off body carry. I think she would settle into IWB carry and would buy her clothes accordingly. However right now I'm not sure how much she would carry as she will graduate high school next spring and will be headed off to college. So, I will venture to bet it will depend on whether she lives on or off campus.
    She seems to be committed enough that she has gotten herself an NRA membership and is doing odd jobs to pay for her LTCH and has signed up for an NRA basic pistol course. She has worked it out to use my wifes Bersa .380 for that class (unless I get her something before then).

    On a side note she has been squeezing the trigger on some .22s, .380 and a few .38spls since she was 11. She has been one of my hunting partners since then and has acquired a .22lr rifle and a 20g pump that she enjoys shooting regularly. She has drank the kool aid...now I just have to keep her from letting any school indoctrinate her
     

    Cameramonkey

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    May 12, 2013
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    Try and let her decide. My wife REALLY likes the SCCY PX-2. its relatively small and easy to shoot. And they are not expensive by any means. *knocks on wood* We have yet to have any malfunctions yet. Granted we are only a couple boxes in, but still. They are surprising little guns.

    And she is right to want to avoid revolvers. The small ones are all unwieldy and hard to shoot accurately. And the really light ones are downright unpleasant so it often turns them off in regards to wanting to practice.

    I would avoid the one with the manual safety, or not use the manual safety. It could get in the way. (its a DAO only trigger, so its pretty heavy) There are reports of people getting smoked because they went to use it to defend themselves and forgot to disable the safety. If the gun is carried in a proper holster with the trigger covered there is no need for the safety.

    If she MUST carry a .380 you will want to choose her SD ammo carefully. Most of whats on the market isnt very effective. Given the recent releases of small 9's I dont think a 380 is necessary anymore except for a pocket gun for deep concealment.
     

    Mgderf

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    Bersa makes the Thunder 9
    You said she has already proven at least some proficiency.
    The Thunder 9 is basically the same platform that she is used to.

    Just a thought.
     

    thunderchicken

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    Try and let her decide. My wife REALLY likes the SCCY PX-2. its relatively small and easy to shoot. And they are not expensive by any means. *knocks on wood* We have yet to have any malfunctions yet. Granted we are only a couple boxes in, but still. They are surprising little guns.

    And she is right to want to avoid revolvers. The small ones are all unwieldy and hard to shoot accurately. And the really light ones are downright unpleasant so it often turns them off in regards to wanting to practice.

    I would avoid the one with the manual safety, or not use the manual safety. It could get in the way. (its a DAO only trigger, so its pretty heavy) There are reports of people getting smoked because they went to use it to defend themselves and forgot to disable the safety. If the gun is carried in a proper holster with the trigger covered there is no need for the safety.

    If she MUST carry a .380 you will want to choose her SD ammo carefully. Most of whats on the market isnt very effective. Given the recent releases of small 9's I dont think a 380 is necessary anymore except for a pocket gun for deep concealment.

    I agree the .380 wouldn't be my first choice. But I do have an LCP that rides in a pocket holster for those times I am wearing gym pants. And the .380 ammo tends to be lacking in reliability. In my .380 I only use Hornady Critical Defense. But, I am trying to steer her and my wife toward a 9mm.

    They have both tried .40, .45acp, .38spl, .357mag and the .380 but I don't have 9mm so I am going to set up a range day and let them both run a few guns and maybe they'll both end up with a new gun.

    Seems to be that stuff I like shooting is a bit out of their comfort zones.
     

    thunderchicken

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    Bersa makes the Thunder 9
    You said she has already proven at least some proficiency.
    The Thunder 9 is basically the same platform that she is used to.

    Just a thought.

    I thought about that but I keep reading about people having reliability issues with the Bersa line..so whatever I get her has to be reliable
     

    target64

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    Apr 22, 2009
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    I tend to be in the something is better than nothing mindset. A gun she likes on her hip is better than the gun you like that is left at home. Always let them choose, it is cheaper.
     

    thunderchicken

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    I tend to be in the something is better than nothing mindset. A gun she likes on her hip is better than the gun you like that is left at home. Always let them choose, it is cheaper.

    I fully agree with this statement. Basically I am looking for smaller 9mm options that have quality reliability that I can steer her toward.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    I agree the .380 wouldn't be my first choice. But I do have an LCP that rides in a pocket holster for those times I am wearing gym pants. And the .380 ammo tends to be lacking in reliability. In my .380 I only use Hornady Critical Defense. But, I am trying to steer her and my wife toward a 9mm.

    They have both tried .40, .45acp, .38spl, .357mag and the .380 but I don't have 9mm so I am going to set up a range day and let them both run a few guns and maybe they'll both end up with a new gun.

    Seems to be that stuff I like shooting is a bit out of their comfort zones.

    Cliffs notes from a guy that did a bunch of testing: anything with a Hornady XTP bullet should work well in .380**. I carry Precision One brand myself.

    If you are near Indy and want her to try a SCCY, let me know.

    **EDIT: Many other HPs either failed to expand or did so unreliably so the tester suggested that if they were your only choice, just buy ball ammo because you are likely spending tons more for the same exact performance as ball.
     
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