9mm recommendation for Daughter

[thunderchicken]

My daughter is looking to buy her first handgun. She is looking for something in 9mm. She is a tad short at 5'-1" and likewise her hands aren't very big. I have an M&P 2.0 Compact that fit her hand decently with the smallest back strap installed, but she says it feels too fat to get a good grip.
She is adamant that she wants to buy her first handgun (I bought her first rifle & shotgun). She's just finished college (graduated today) so she is looking to stay in the $400 and under range.
So through out the best recommendations for a 9mm carry pistol with a thinner grip for small hands

 

[Cameramonkey]

Step 1: go to Parabellum or any other range with a rental wall. I know Parabellum allows you to swap out guns during your time. Not sure about any other ranges, so call and ask before you go.

That will give her a chance to shoot what fits her well, and what she is comfortable shooting, and shoots well.

 

[Leadeye]

I wouldn't limit her choice to 9mmP, let her try other calibers and find something that she likes to shoot and can get hits with easily.

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

Step 1: go to Parabellum or any other range with a rental wall. I know Parabellum allows you to swap out guns during your time. Not sure about any other ranges, so call and ask before you go.

That will give her a chance to shoot what fits her well, and what she is comfortable shooting, and shoots well.

Best advice right here.

 

[Amishman44]

Step 1: go to Parabellum or any other range with a rental wall. I know Parabellum allows you to swap out guns during your time. Not sure about any other ranges, so call and ask before you go.

That will give her a chance to shoot what fits her well, and what she is comfortable shooting, and shoots well.

Great Suggestion...
Glock 43, 43x, or 48 might be a great pistol for smaller hands, but cost might be over budget.
Check out the Taurus G2 Series pistols...they seem to be of better quality than previous production Taurus'...

 

[shadow64]

Walther pps works for a friend of mine who is also small . She shot a few of the smaller 9mm , it’s not perfect but doable.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Great Suggestion...
Glock 43, 43x, or 48 might be a great pistol for smaller hands, but cost might be over budget.
Check out the Taurus G3's...they seem to be of better quality than previous production Taurus's...

Great idea. Dont let her look at price, dad. (unless she eyes the 1911s )If she wont let you buy it for her, and she likes a Glock thats a bit higher price, maybe she will let you cover the difference.

And dont be afraid to look at .380s if push comes to shove. I think it was BBI that shared a defensive stat that listed 380 being on par with stopping the threat in the real world. There didnt seem to be any difference on paper between the two. Even the dirtbags shot at/hit with a 380 stopped the attack and the potential victim prevailed. I EDC a 9, but if I had to carry a 380, I wouldnt say no.

 

[jwamplerusa]

Tim's shooting academy in Westfield also has a decent rental selection if you are on the north side.

Whatever you do, let her decide what is the right fit!

 

[Amishman44]

Keep in mind that something that is comfortable to the shooter / user is often more important than the selected caliber itself...that, and being able to shoot it accurately and consistently!

 

[Dean C.]

Tim's shooting academy in Westfield also has a decent rental selection if you are on the north side.

Whatever you do, let her decide what is the right fit!

Agreed , I believe they have the new shield + and a P365 in the rental section those would be good choices. If you feel like burning some ammo they started renting the UZI out again.

 

[Biggredchev]

My fiance is 5’1 110lbs, she likes kimber micro 9s but like others have said, take her to a rental range and see what she likes.
Surprisingly my fiance shoots a full size 1911 in .45 better than she shoots her g19 so you never know, those little girls might surprise you.

 

[Born2vette]

Indy Arms has a pretty nice selection of rentals as well.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Yep take her somewhere with a decent selection and let her try them on for size. I thought the wife who is 5' would fall in love with the G43 I got for her, she hated it. I would try to find somewhere that has Ruger Max9, Shield, Walther PPS, Canik, 365

My wife doesn't like smaller framed 9mm. She does like the CZ75, but for more compact guns she likes the CZ83, Colt Gov. 380, and the Walther PK380. She doesn't mind the Bersa, it's down on the list.
It does make ammo more expensive and not as available, but it is what it is.

 

[mcapo]

Agree with everything stated especially the P365, Shield, Shield Plus and the plethora of other polymer micro 9's.

While outside of the budget, I would also try a steel frame handgun like a CZ 75 PCR or, if you can find one, a used Smith & Wesson 3913 Ladysmith.

Bottom line is to try out many to find the one....

 

[Trevelayan]

What about a Shield plus?

 

[Bigtanker]

There's an almost brand new S&W EZ 9mm in the classifieds.........

that would be perfect.

 

[Cameramonkey]

My fiance is 5’1 110lbs, she likes kimber micro 9s but like others have said, take her to a rental range and see what she likes.
Surprisingly my fiance shoots a full size 1911 in .45 better than she shoots her g19 so you never know, those little girls might surprise you.

Same with my wife. But she wouldnt carry a full size 1911. At the time she wouldnt carry anything bigger than a LCP.

And boy howdy was she ticked when I sold my Kimber safe queen for funds to buy a PCC that would get 10x the use.

 

[xwing]

+1 on the rental. There are many compact and subcompact 9mm, but only she will know what is most comfortable to her.

Taurus makes some good firearms if trying to stay within a low budget.

 

[MCgrease08]

A member's daughter about the same age had a similar question earlier in the year. He and some of us wrangled a bunch of different pistols (25+) for her to try out one weekend.



She seemed to like the Taurus G2C just in terms of size and feel. Finding pistols with a similar footprint might be a good place to start. Anything smaller is hard to shoot. Anything bigger isn't likely to be carried.

I also think the Glock 43x and 48 are good options in that size range.

 

[firecadet613]

Bersa Thunder, Springfield XDS or Hellcat would all be good options.

But as said above, rent a few and see what she likes.